tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62988297687235908792024-03-14T00:48:09.081-07:00Simple Life'The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.'
~Ps. 33:5Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-22178151027862216162012-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:002012-01-04T10:59:49.471-08:00ResolutionsYeah yeah, I know. It's been a couple months since I posted anything and I'm way late on my resolutions. I'll be honest, I've never been a big fan of making resolutions for the New Year but I'm going to try it this year and see how it goes. <br />
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The past couple months have been crazy and this next month is only going to get crazier still. It's finally hitting me exactly what we are doing. Tim and I are currently in the process of moving out of our house by ourselves while simultaneously taking care of our three toddlers. We don't have movers coming, which is the norm for military families doing cross-country moves, because we are not moving with orders. Tim leaves for another deployment very soon and I'm moving with the kids to my parents house for six months. <br />
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/262405115758012265/' target='_blank'><img src='http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/262405115758012265_2MzIWYpU_c.jpg' border='0' width='500' height ='500'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://vi.sualize.us/view/d5a14698beade65529918267cfc4886d/'>vi.sualize.us</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/alhealy/' target='_blank'>Amanda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div><br />
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Deployments are not easy, and I don't say this to garner sympathy, it's just a fact of military life. But thankfully, I have a great family and great in-laws who do not hesitate to help me when I need it. It's how families should be and I am certainly blessed to have such a good one. So with that being said, here are my 2012 New Year's Resolutions (four days late):<br />
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/262405115758198496/' target='_blank'><img src='http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/273875221058974722_dH2JOpP2_c.jpg' border='0' width='240' height ='251'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://instantpositivity.blogspot.com/2008/07/happiness-quote-7.html'>instantpositivity.blogspot.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/alhealy/' target='_blank'>Amanda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div><br />
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1.)<b>Be more positive. </b>I have a tendency to get grumpy and negative when I get overwhelmed and I need to stop. Like now. It's not setting a very good example for my kids if they see me like that. I want to teach them how to deal with struggles in a healthy way. Now this doesn't mean I'm going to turn into this giddy, over-medicated, laughing-all-the-time mommy, but I will try to smile more.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiig49QJjNnPMnFx70JluUTee2W0cIFmSZh-JL7do60QpH6mKE7Q7vZSs4TUDhbVgY-U3RUCuSUngsw_JmojMUoV7ipHcwERPa-P1kLYc4W2JJwZZx8_3bRMp8-fW_fvT7emrf4CZSWfuI/s1600/Haven+Conference+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="125" width="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiig49QJjNnPMnFx70JluUTee2W0cIFmSZh-JL7do60QpH6mKE7Q7vZSs4TUDhbVgY-U3RUCuSUngsw_JmojMUoV7ipHcwERPa-P1kLYc4W2JJwZZx8_3bRMp8-fW_fvT7emrf4CZSWfuI/s200/Haven+Conference+Button.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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2.)<b>Put myself out there more. </b> I've already taken the first step to doing this. I'm going to the <a href="http://www.havenconference.com/">Haven Conference</a> this year and I am so excited and terrified. I don't know anyone going and the thought of walking into a huge room of total strangers (except for interacting online) gives me heart palpitations! But I am so excited thinking about all the new friends I'm going to make, not to mention all the awesome stuff I'm going to learn. There are some incredibly inspirational people leading the conference and I can't wait for June to get here!!<br />
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/262405115758018556/' target='_blank'><img src='http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/262405115758018556_8ZjJJqWZ_c.jpg' border='0' width='456' height ='640'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://mabeybean.blogspot.com/'>mabeybean.blogspot.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/alhealy/' target='_blank'>Amanda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div><br />
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3.)<b>Start an Etsy business.</b> This is the biggie. This is something I've been thinking about doing for awhile but haven't gotten the courage to accomplish. I love sewing and making things and I love being able to stay home with my kids so why not put the two together and try to make a business out of it? I finally told Tim about this dream last night and he was very supportive of the idea (Love him!) so now all I have to do is make it happen. I've already started writing up a business plan even though I know NOTHING about starting a business. My degree is in Exercise Physiology, and I never took any business classes in college so this is <b>WAY</b> out of my comfort zone. <br />
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4.)<b>Be a better blogger.</b> I did improve last year but I still have a long way to go. The big issue for me is time. With three toddlers at home and none of them in school yet (next year!) it's hard to put enough time into my blog to get more readers, post more projects, interact more with people, etc. I appreciate all 28 of my followers (I'm ecstatic that that many of you follow me!! Thank you so much!) and I want to be able to build relationships with people in a way that I didn't get to do last year. My kids still will always be my priority, but now that they are older and more independent, I hope to put a little more time towards this blog. <br />
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/262405115758078103/' target='_blank'><img src='http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/262405115758078103_ihZa9yg5_c.jpg' border='0' width='480' height ='480'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://www.free-extras.com/images/military_wife_prayer-2427.htm'>free-extras.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/alhealy/' target='_blank'>Amanda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div><br />
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5.)<b>Be a better military wife.</b> Be stronger than I think I can be. Have more faith that God will keep my Marine safe. Just have more faith in general. Pray more. Encourage more. Think of myself less. Read my Bible more. I truly have better days when I do this.<br />
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That pretty much sums it up for this year. I'm going to be working hard to make all of these things happen and I have a supportive bunch of readers so I know you all will help me!! I hope you all are having a wonderful January and a fresh start to this year. <br />
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Here's to a great 2012!! <br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-65901749677487166122012-01-02T08:14:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:55:52.002-08:00Driftwood LampSooo here's the story...<br />
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I've had this lamp done for a few weeks now but iphoto was being weird and not recognizing the images that I had downloaded. Long story short...it's cooperating and now I can show you the final product.<br />
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In case you don't remember what the lamp looked like before here ya go...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRBgPH1yQavbhE1D4KoQWGe6IhkaTLeXDQFfZMBMEBJHNSb1KWah4WDrCclcH4Fvgm7O2wbhEBCRxQEd0nrhge24gDxn-DZqhGvEtAv9uN1K387NpYNPa4-vw1XhwI7UAoBM5nOm-cVg/s1600/P1030675.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRBgPH1yQavbhE1D4KoQWGe6IhkaTLeXDQFfZMBMEBJHNSb1KWah4WDrCclcH4Fvgm7O2wbhEBCRxQEd0nrhge24gDxn-DZqhGvEtAv9uN1K387NpYNPa4-vw1XhwI7UAoBM5nOm-cVg/s320/P1030675.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605609272118605970" /></a><br />
Fugly? Yes. Potential? Yes.<br />
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While perusing ebay I came across a white driftwood lamp with a linen shade for...gulp...$329!!! Now, I have no clue what kind of person could justify spending that much money on a lamp. Here's the link so go take a peek:<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/WHITE-DRIFTWOOD-LAMP-Natural-ORGANIC-Coastal-BEACH-/180612958335?pt=Lamps_US&hash=item2a0d5f087f#ht_1686wt_933
">http://cgi.ebay.com/WHITE-DRIFTWOOD-LAMP-Natural-ORGANIC-Coastal-BEACH-/180612958335?pt=Lamps_US&hash=item2a0d5f087f#ht_1686wt_933<br />
</a><br />
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Price aside, I thought it was a beautiful lamp and so I decided to try to copy it for hubby's nightstand. I found my lamp on ebay for $40 (totally worth it since once again, I bought the shade from Pottery Barn with a gift card) and when it finally came in the mail I was a little worried because, well, it was super ugly!<br />
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But it's amazing what a little paint will do...<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGOIce2adUBlqTNCiqMC_rM5mU2VtLY5WDEg3mOmr9_FS14-B5289arfQ4GXTFNF9RfGA4QzgMPNHjB9sDlypjb5Sroy8bevz8vRZsAZEtjSjduOju4-yqy-lmmcKEw1_L5KLqDdgc-E/s1600/IMG_0279.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGOIce2adUBlqTNCiqMC_rM5mU2VtLY5WDEg3mOmr9_FS14-B5289arfQ4GXTFNF9RfGA4QzgMPNHjB9sDlypjb5Sroy8bevz8vRZsAZEtjSjduOju4-yqy-lmmcKEw1_L5KLqDdgc-E/s320/IMG_0279.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605613710998932882" /></a><br />
Love it love it love it!<br />
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I applied a coat of primer first and then Rustoleum's Heirloom White, but decided I liked how the white primer looked better than the creamy Heirloom White so I then put another coat of primer on top. A bit more work than planned but the white looks so much better with the linen shade. And the lamp looks great in the master bedroom.<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSE0g9V66sv3yOWwLIoZfZ-cCoJ2gn4orPbuTKOKIAhIs1536CPVO70EJlht41vOek36QUjUPS4DT3VoHVR2y9oV195HiRj8VIXKLV2EcmIybnUg4QI1GIcegiz1Ck1_OLd_eqRKwBg4/s1600/IMG_0282.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSE0g9V66sv3yOWwLIoZfZ-cCoJ2gn4orPbuTKOKIAhIs1536CPVO70EJlht41vOek36QUjUPS4DT3VoHVR2y9oV195HiRj8VIXKLV2EcmIybnUg4QI1GIcegiz1Ck1_OLd_eqRKwBg4/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605617281179542706" /></a><br />
Now all I need to do is fix those pictures on either side of the bed. We just had new pictures done so it can wait until we replace the old with the new.<br />
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That's it for now. One of my favorite people, Audrey, is coming over for dinner any second so it's time for me to go and enjoy some wine!<br />
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<center><a href="http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yA_6K7ea4aE/TEjlAFre3nI/AAAAAAAAD5c/PlBySEBf_NU/s320/sdc_featured.jpg"/></a></center><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcJM_ShcZ0w_mX2TjIqh0VwFTpYhpgzfrl2ETvC_-gVmxmjv_TA5D-5DEdRGJjTiN0exNr0zv2L0niFBXmsYZgh_c7-0jmk-S7oT2vfe7ouvO3MKlzJqh9bBoj8E0C4-sr0z5HL5_ZK0/s1600/NotJustaHousewifecontest-button-200x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="199" width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcJM_ShcZ0w_mX2TjIqh0VwFTpYhpgzfrl2ETvC_-gVmxmjv_TA5D-5DEdRGJjTiN0exNr0zv2L0niFBXmsYZgh_c7-0jmk-S7oT2vfe7ouvO3MKlzJqh9bBoj8E0C4-sr0z5HL5_ZK0/s200/NotJustaHousewifecontest-button-200x200.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-9295436302946004802011-10-04T13:53:00.000-07:002012-01-02T08:17:13.360-08:00A Re-upholstering Virgin No More!That's right. I re-upholstered my first piece of furniture. <br />
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I've been wanting to cover a chair I've had for a couple years with different fabric and because of its construction, it didn't require that I remove the previous fabric. It only needed a slip-cover, which I knew I could handle.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHWIARu_k0Azx49hmXR3JUfw2di5Z9uEqBJz3T1rOpQy_Fw8KeDI_ReFd30Hhur7BKkpn4mnnmnCple-u2spvWn0G4Q7lVH_M4nKMw0RPzCawijcVHO3H55PTuplsuWcw7aZo2nkjmvU/s1600/IMG_0714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHWIARu_k0Azx49hmXR3JUfw2di5Z9uEqBJz3T1rOpQy_Fw8KeDI_ReFd30Hhur7BKkpn4mnnmnCple-u2spvWn0G4Q7lVH_M4nKMw0RPzCawijcVHO3H55PTuplsuWcw7aZo2nkjmvU/s400/IMG_0714.JPG" /></a></div>This mis-matched pair is currently residing in the corner of the random room off the family room. My craft desk is in here right now, but someday when we buy a house, I'll have a room all to myself, with a door to lock the kiddos out and everything! Come on, you know you dream of the same thing hee hee!<br />
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The rocker is nice and neutral, although a bit boring. But you can't beat it for rocking babies to sleep!<br />
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The purple chair is the one I wanted to change. Now, don't get me wrong, I still like this fabric and I love the tufting. It'll be great in the girls' room someday but for now purple flowers don't exactly go with anything in my house.<br />
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I was originally going to cover it with canvas drop cloth as <a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/">Miss Mustard Seed</a> does so beautifully but I ended up using the one I had for other projects. Then I remembered I had a couple remnant pieces of blue stripe ticking that I thought would look good. So I started draping and sewing and loved it. <br />
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Here's how it turned out:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpUbqtsbfgGWyAuktzIcP3A9YS_Ke0_xYi5Gv6Y1fduxjDnV-naoU11A0oz1UZ0fQRCId9yjpGPThu6-vDcyjDduOIdYErvx7NQEJf2Sy2lEMVaReOMdFWjtDjbDWNtNVUIsv6NFOK8M/s1600/IMG_0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpUbqtsbfgGWyAuktzIcP3A9YS_Ke0_xYi5Gv6Y1fduxjDnV-naoU11A0oz1UZ0fQRCId9yjpGPThu6-vDcyjDduOIdYErvx7NQEJf2Sy2lEMVaReOMdFWjtDjbDWNtNVUIsv6NFOK8M/s400/IMG_0928.JPG" /></a></div>While sewing, the fabric had to be taken off and put back on the chair quite a bit so it helped that the ticking had a bit of stretch in it. And while it's certainly not perfect, for my first time re-upholstering anything, I'm pretty happy with the results.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sft1XSXZLFACLsDObV0w4MOAuMwSTiOk3CbuqsW7gMrdociivc8fVKdZ37SZo8WUZeyjS1J_9BqrTdlg69UmFPBBy1gsuSZCFw75x3oUa7fP7frEIz6SNZncstVmgKn-ghsqJstqM7w/s1600/IMG_0929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sft1XSXZLFACLsDObV0w4MOAuMwSTiOk3CbuqsW7gMrdociivc8fVKdZ37SZo8WUZeyjS1J_9BqrTdlg69UmFPBBy1gsuSZCFw75x3oUa7fP7frEIz6SNZncstVmgKn-ghsqJstqM7w/s400/IMG_0929.jpg" /></a></div>The hardest parts were the corners of the chair back and where the back and the seat meet. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Tzr3jiRelaUHc9ISWvtDXGP4THe4ZIwIoNK55FAOXMafxaZ25s4Y_x_FWys8Bi6cewgfpQLUWUj0eX8Ne9BcbXv-nJNqEvh0F9uqto413NotPDe1G5bRtuGNt0-E7JzQ40zHwFeZtC8/s1600/IMG_0931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Tzr3jiRelaUHc9ISWvtDXGP4THe4ZIwIoNK55FAOXMafxaZ25s4Y_x_FWys8Bi6cewgfpQLUWUj0eX8Ne9BcbXv-nJNqEvh0F9uqto413NotPDe1G5bRtuGNt0-E7JzQ40zHwFeZtC8/s400/IMG_0931.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZWiYuXvWIhFHggjaS_dZjZrhVQDwydJcUosTV8qDy_yeulOZ2I3y0uw-UFDOe9vii0tnEwk2EAsDrkVxfG3uidHnNbp4jPVvAScmXUPCJo5Vf3rpZ089Nml-LPnHcSpw8sD5AeNXaxA/s1600/IMG_0935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZWiYuXvWIhFHggjaS_dZjZrhVQDwydJcUosTV8qDy_yeulOZ2I3y0uw-UFDOe9vii0tnEwk2EAsDrkVxfG3uidHnNbp4jPVvAScmXUPCJo5Vf3rpZ089Nml-LPnHcSpw8sD5AeNXaxA/s400/IMG_0935.jpg" /></a></div>See? A bit messy but I couldn't figure out any other way of doing it although I'm sure it exists. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJGQEZQ68BiKQlHO0PGMTVSroAD2HVmla2gV1foMesN88yuk9oQgo19-KHZCYTLGxvbRojDP4ZScH4R0CRfT8LTmDMxV2mwsEOMrOjNaZwaLfEsQkCcv3gJx4E8Qt4kf1xU_jiQhVNH0/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJGQEZQ68BiKQlHO0PGMTVSroAD2HVmla2gV1foMesN88yuk9oQgo19-KHZCYTLGxvbRojDP4ZScH4R0CRfT8LTmDMxV2mwsEOMrOjNaZwaLfEsQkCcv3gJx4E8Qt4kf1xU_jiQhVNH0/s400/IMG_0933.JPG" /></a></div>With the remaining pieces of ticking left I made two pillows with coordinating blue floral fabric that I've had for awhile and needed to use.<br />
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When it was time to secure the cover to the bottom I simply folded the fabric under and stapled around the legs. Not very well, but who cares? When was the last time a house guest turned your chairs over to inspect the bottom? Exactly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsfiriuP_5LM_3W1tWsFVqEe3ybdG4hHG-ILUfeNU1bw2rJF69N0lhlQmD_SaYCKaXC8eD0OGIjPO_IKu1hcwDwHnLJr7FTHrl2ggeOOw99b8K0t1lJNbJdhyphenhyphenrXYrTT9nRLNVEkPUni8/s1600/IMG_0932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsfiriuP_5LM_3W1tWsFVqEe3ybdG4hHG-ILUfeNU1bw2rJF69N0lhlQmD_SaYCKaXC8eD0OGIjPO_IKu1hcwDwHnLJr7FTHrl2ggeOOw99b8K0t1lJNbJdhyphenhyphenrXYrTT9nRLNVEkPUni8/s400/IMG_0932.jpg" /></a></div>I wanted to do as little damage to the chair as possible so this method worked for me. Again, probably not the right way but I'm still learning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1YOzvdr1wYHk4rCbqNdA73NcQdPXE5xAi783gc-NtpHGOGWICd5dfDbcqrFQ-0VmITUHaoPHANnKBbU5ETj7T9uI_GonjogCGv9EMUlK7szsmXlVKxdH04pLnqyB-_3_EptHBxCS8ZU/s1600/IMG_0940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1YOzvdr1wYHk4rCbqNdA73NcQdPXE5xAi783gc-NtpHGOGWICd5dfDbcqrFQ-0VmITUHaoPHANnKBbU5ETj7T9uI_GonjogCGv9EMUlK7szsmXlVKxdH04pLnqyB-_3_EptHBxCS8ZU/s400/IMG_0940.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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The stretchiness made it hard to get the stripes perfectly straight when stapling but I don't mind imperfections. You can see a little wave in the seat and back.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC73oO6wyO5zzxTG4ceAYGa37cBGbruVLy7dbfPtHBcG7rtnKbP1gEtgoNMaDgTOATw_n3wjykZZLgwAowEyuXOdWRHlWYCs2RJhmO2gMfzLBhZN_tvE4qFYZSSG5-ozF-I_WCogMdjY/s1600/IMG_0938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC73oO6wyO5zzxTG4ceAYGa37cBGbruVLy7dbfPtHBcG7rtnKbP1gEtgoNMaDgTOATw_n3wjykZZLgwAowEyuXOdWRHlWYCs2RJhmO2gMfzLBhZN_tvE4qFYZSSG5-ozF-I_WCogMdjY/s400/IMG_0938.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkBmd7iilVn00GOiInLD-VM9RJtn_Ytxwc59O6ObZIg78myiLuwSZg9vqDhqxbqZ6D7DdHguVdy4E17xi5rwyggc8gwh5VUd-377SS_cYMhmAKuKBpajavcvtu8Hl671xAOd679q0sV0/s1600/IMG_0937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkBmd7iilVn00GOiInLD-VM9RJtn_Ytxwc59O6ObZIg78myiLuwSZg9vqDhqxbqZ6D7DdHguVdy4E17xi5rwyggc8gwh5VUd-377SS_cYMhmAKuKBpajavcvtu8Hl671xAOd679q0sV0/s400/IMG_0937.jpg" /></a></div>Maybe if I had picked a different pattern or a solid I wouldn't have encountered this problem but I have a serious thing for stripes. They are all over my house.<br />
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I'm excited to finally have this project under my belt. Within the next few weeks I'm going to be painting a friends' bedroom set she bought off craigslist. Hopefully I have read enough blogs and tutorials on painting furniture not to screw it up! I'll let you know whether I'm a success or an epic fail at painting. Wish me luck!<br />
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Linking to:<br />
<a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/10/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-link.html">Furniture Feature Friday</a> with Miss Mustard Seed<br />
<a href="http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/10/all-things-furniture-funky-features-link-party-13.html">Perfectly Imperfect</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInDk8mN_seCNzXnpCJ7-LNeHSCyH79Mbg6rVD7RNnSiqOFtYybWTM9So4EaGJTnggab7YyGJYfZs3bQ43_FFTZnLljs4HeMnJH6GHSUBM-qwRjhNfCOT-TfmlSg-0woNGyVQWKPC-sV0/s1600/Notjustahousewifelinky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="125" width="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInDk8mN_seCNzXnpCJ7-LNeHSCyH79Mbg6rVD7RNnSiqOFtYybWTM9So4EaGJTnggab7YyGJYfZs3bQ43_FFTZnLljs4HeMnJH6GHSUBM-qwRjhNfCOT-TfmlSg-0woNGyVQWKPC-sV0/s200/Notjustahousewifelinky.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5pHSeqt0CwMtln_rHdCSX9gKhkenZqQmg6h20XvcsFSeRNaWjAgfDoer9BOPJvHKspylztWta5EvyfAzMYExucxcAq-48T_IOWp8CqMRUnRvUHXGn1lNl6ec0d8tSObAMHJbaigJYfo/s1600/Shabby+Creek+Cottage+Linky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="177" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5pHSeqt0CwMtln_rHdCSX9gKhkenZqQmg6h20XvcsFSeRNaWjAgfDoer9BOPJvHKspylztWta5EvyfAzMYExucxcAq-48T_IOWp8CqMRUnRvUHXGn1lNl6ec0d8tSObAMHJbaigJYfo/s200/Shabby+Creek+Cottage+Linky.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLKUlZw2dB_s5_4JOSMBfAfyYnY5uaQRq7VN1d8_nbaN3TGRn62GJaGPGz8wkZOKmLbkGP3k0xu0qP_XhBtgNAkfgxFI4VQCVd0PE7gcRHYHSh4Xm_57IUGyoHMBQdi6fKMfnljV-dQI/s1600/My+Repurposed+Life+Linky.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLKUlZw2dB_s5_4JOSMBfAfyYnY5uaQRq7VN1d8_nbaN3TGRn62GJaGPGz8wkZOKmLbkGP3k0xu0qP_XhBtgNAkfgxFI4VQCVd0PE7gcRHYHSh4Xm_57IUGyoHMBQdi6fKMfnljV-dQI/s200/My+Repurposed+Life+Linky.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjrnMa58cL4d8X_Fni3FeAuKSk1310Eg3EFoHfFDp6M3bo1QPIS2O3ZhjcLNSSPi-w_t7CY3CmMSrvacimgHg2uIFnwSUjUQ1wTDvprqauiDB0nu3JmdMGdQnbcsCB4c6EdKIZRiExIs/s1600/WeekendBloggyReading.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjrnMa58cL4d8X_Fni3FeAuKSk1310Eg3EFoHfFDp6M3bo1QPIS2O3ZhjcLNSSPi-w_t7CY3CmMSrvacimgHg2uIFnwSUjUQ1wTDvprqauiDB0nu3JmdMGdQnbcsCB4c6EdKIZRiExIs/s200/WeekendBloggyReading.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHIRFCob8tODeQ3_yNJY0hJsAXbzbAqi7AzDB5rA-PIlW4zVbemUp9CeXIY4TYK-7Z2MlaVq6QRejOI_SHS2oOYVbRfJJnhEjl1aNgDHQOEL9rPHTca42RmWpZd-pkfNMErIx1puVCG8/s1600/NotJustaHousewifecontest-button-200x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="199" width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHIRFCob8tODeQ3_yNJY0hJsAXbzbAqi7AzDB5rA-PIlW4zVbemUp9CeXIY4TYK-7Z2MlaVq6QRejOI_SHS2oOYVbRfJJnhEjl1aNgDHQOEL9rPHTca42RmWpZd-pkfNMErIx1puVCG8/s200/NotJustaHousewifecontest-button-200x200.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-33329181582572147032011-09-12T14:44:00.000-07:002011-09-12T15:09:23.771-07:00I Heart Yard SalesI was in yard sale heaven this weekend. Last minute, Friday night, me and two of my lovely neighbors decided to go to a huge rummage sale a local church was hosting. I've been wanting to go yard-saling for forever but in between taking care of small children and wanting to spend time with my husband, it never seems to happen. So when the topic was brought up I eagerly joined in and the plan was made.<br />
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And man, did I score big time!<br />
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The very first thing I saw when we arrived was this chair:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxjdI8MJydwbMttUw4gyWkSNjUmWOlHPviziEm-iw-z_UuV3bFNzzryIqL7js1ZwZTmreDH-87kgfmVmV_JXPX-AXpqUDqE8-6voDEM0eLgsmzn-gZCc9z413Zo_vHv8E7CH7Hvjis8U/s1600/IMG_0700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxjdI8MJydwbMttUw4gyWkSNjUmWOlHPviziEm-iw-z_UuV3bFNzzryIqL7js1ZwZTmreDH-87kgfmVmV_JXPX-AXpqUDqE8-6voDEM0eLgsmzn-gZCc9z413Zo_vHv8E7CH7Hvjis8U/s320/IMG_0700.jpg" /></a></div>I've been waiting patiently to find a desk chair on the cheap for my craft desk that needs painting. I don't think you can beat $2!!! It was perfect and will be lovely when it's been re-upholstered and painted.<br />
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I spied two tables full of random linens next and found a near perfect lace tablecloth also for $2!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTCwbpEFv1dh09mrRV-okNoPqGBu4T4bLlXr-H5TfW_Ok_sI9Yvjyz-Sjxehw8znTsXTDm5KZzopZ8GlDaSD98QXJc_SpX4WHZN5fITntNgdRg3f6Qv6QeteIwQ4pwE318_p6RNMwfCs/s1600/IMG_0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTCwbpEFv1dh09mrRV-okNoPqGBu4T4bLlXr-H5TfW_Ok_sI9Yvjyz-Sjxehw8znTsXTDm5KZzopZ8GlDaSD98QXJc_SpX4WHZN5fITntNgdRg3f6Qv6QeteIwQ4pwE318_p6RNMwfCs/s320/IMG_0702.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Nx8YkKf6MIUVr8o8XkXWcj1vuxZMkk26HOwsVi27_JfQfySH348s_pS0Qmc0qSAPKJ0e-5eiK09lssP5sYImH3-mihpcW4OpJFnpeFkGV3amKEpC4qkwWjMXQLzGxMRXVW8_ZaqK1TM/s1600/IMG_0704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Nx8YkKf6MIUVr8o8XkXWcj1vuxZMkk26HOwsVi27_JfQfySH348s_pS0Qmc0qSAPKJ0e-5eiK09lssP5sYImH3-mihpcW4OpJFnpeFkGV3amKEpC4qkwWjMXQLzGxMRXVW8_ZaqK1TM/s320/IMG_0704.jpg" /></a></div>It has a few yellow spots which can easily be removed and is slightly too small for my table but I don't care...I love it!<br />
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These two pillowcases I thought would be cute for the girls' room someday:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMAVWRtqNxlzleFnd53S7RPAonbO9P7gi0HI1d6P8uHhT0FZPU1cfa4u1aLgYpainOAdx2qoBJAKUROL3H8cJwCXyVp3wmFyKyOMWANXAQfC4AKNQQVlt5HLu8BnHYkapWZQrGO5nP_Q/s1600/IMG_0706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMAVWRtqNxlzleFnd53S7RPAonbO9P7gi0HI1d6P8uHhT0FZPU1cfa4u1aLgYpainOAdx2qoBJAKUROL3H8cJwCXyVp3wmFyKyOMWANXAQfC4AKNQQVlt5HLu8BnHYkapWZQrGO5nP_Q/s320/IMG_0706.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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I hit the motherload at one of the tables and got some bundles of super cute fabric:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_Y1E-5_JiljIhKEXbWlr16jLpcK6SmGC8wU45BuZvgUN9Oa88iMpIdOHL0EVyzRaZOorDeZfENzkf_aIgs8me4kbIGXF4aCnMZlUoO3qRgI1YfoVzLB7PipBJ0jlwizSi12qPVjoMIE/s1600/IMG_0708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_Y1E-5_JiljIhKEXbWlr16jLpcK6SmGC8wU45BuZvgUN9Oa88iMpIdOHL0EVyzRaZOorDeZfENzkf_aIgs8me4kbIGXF4aCnMZlUoO3qRgI1YfoVzLB7PipBJ0jlwizSi12qPVjoMIE/s320/IMG_0708.JPG" /></a></div>Like I need more fabric, but I couldn't resist such a good deal.<br />
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The last three things I found cost me all of 85 cents:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKit2I70Dg7r21-w0056gEbJBcK3MsVudTO-VZMlIXOl4DxksGHV1tyP816RbHKUJeMmh7yVvWUjF2Y2w7Nb4I3KyFm_ypSgtHJx2i0JAcB5pwyD1rMqZUtfF7j0RwXoYDZIe2gZwkwk/s1600/IMG_0697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKit2I70Dg7r21-w0056gEbJBcK3MsVudTO-VZMlIXOl4DxksGHV1tyP816RbHKUJeMmh7yVvWUjF2Y2w7Nb4I3KyFm_ypSgtHJx2i0JAcB5pwyD1rMqZUtfF7j0RwXoYDZIe2gZwkwk/s320/IMG_0697.JPG" /></a></div>I've been wanting a cloche since they are everywhere in blog-land and I found 2! The one with the marble cheese plate is super heavy and gorgeous. The one with the flower design is wood and plastic and will get painted and used for display. I grabbed the goblet because I loved the color and it was only ten cents!<br />
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The grand total for everything I bought was $15.25!! I'd say I got my money's worth!<br />
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How about you? Did you find any treasures this weekend?<br />
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Linking to: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeaiqu9ETNC0k09FrxuMS11O3Fur7-FSVgXuGA86nKmzeDNlIGUdMkfkz8kQKr6igKkjpUDse_xKVFDV0jLpGkDxhOedEt9QB2rjBXD5OJpkABIZxPl4964JVqBiuGBgQyRT4mY1RXFw/s1600/SouthernHospThriftyTreasures-copy_thumb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="179" width="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeaiqu9ETNC0k09FrxuMS11O3Fur7-FSVgXuGA86nKmzeDNlIGUdMkfkz8kQKr6igKkjpUDse_xKVFDV0jLpGkDxhOedEt9QB2rjBXD5OJpkABIZxPl4964JVqBiuGBgQyRT4mY1RXFw/s320/SouthernHospThriftyTreasures-copy_thumb1.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-64187473815375708232011-08-17T10:43:00.000-07:002012-01-02T08:16:25.108-08:00Fabric Rosette LampshadeMy latest project almost had it in for me. And my kitchen table. <br />
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When I started this project I naively thought that I'd simply whip up a few flowers, glue them to the shade and ta-da!!! a gorgeous and effortless new lampshade.<br />
Gorgeous...Yes.<br />
Effortless?...Not so much.<br />
But we'll save the drama for later.<br />
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Sooooo, a while back I refurbished a couple of <a href="http://simplehealylife.blogspot.com/2011/02/and-so-begins-my-love-affair-with.html">ebay lamps</a>.<br />
I ended up in love with one of them and it's now on my nightstand, but the other one needed some improvements.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitY3nLzcyYm1STE6MikROUhLkIfKuwv8HMF5mLuJ15ZSDyMiUtydjW5rGUJvoB6zoAX_iwmxXAaA9MVkKriI8CjE9OuGTcDyCWZLbvYvymmJ0TgPQLs8HzeX1eQRskv55GRjl2kLhQZNU/s1600/P1030653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitY3nLzcyYm1STE6MikROUhLkIfKuwv8HMF5mLuJ15ZSDyMiUtydjW5rGUJvoB6zoAX_iwmxXAaA9MVkKriI8CjE9OuGTcDyCWZLbvYvymmJ0TgPQLs8HzeX1eQRskv55GRjl2kLhQZNU/s320/P1030653.jpg" /></a></div>For starters, it was boring. And the white shade clashing with the creamy spray paint bugged me. It's like when my hubby wears black dress shoes with navy or brown socks. I start twitching.<br />
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So I decided to change everything.<br />
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I bought three yards of white muslin and a new box of 24 glue sticks for my glue gun and got to work.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBEALZYg8hAYaCxOtVzz0lxoMXK_2ah1tq5OAiL-JN2TeP_2yzN60QZnssx_wOEssN5AzosnL22vvdXaEYpFRpNoH200h7t4NIQy7BbIUgocFUfUex1UuVh6sJ2laASnzKojF6qadxSw/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBEALZYg8hAYaCxOtVzz0lxoMXK_2ah1tq5OAiL-JN2TeP_2yzN60QZnssx_wOEssN5AzosnL22vvdXaEYpFRpNoH200h7t4NIQy7BbIUgocFUfUex1UuVh6sJ2laASnzKojF6qadxSw/s320/IMG_0455.JPG" /></a></div>This is how my table looked for days...<br />
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And days...<br />
<br />
And days...<br />
My table became a barren wasteland of ripped muslin and dried glue strings everywhere.<br />
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You see, genius that I am decided to cover the entire shade with the rosettes. Not just a small part of it. So after many days of twirling and blistered fingers I had this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPcXWARYXYxQ1-Wp8YKPS4PuMMKYqfwf1GupBhf02RKg4OrC_kJYjHtx8FwFbeloGX-NvJiqdfrK0xk6CiNlYdJohLta3jnvPl84den3ftGDOkv40zxgY0C8_qFrqdS08GtVdcqrhMaw/s1600/IMG_0458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPcXWARYXYxQ1-Wp8YKPS4PuMMKYqfwf1GupBhf02RKg4OrC_kJYjHtx8FwFbeloGX-NvJiqdfrK0xk6CiNlYdJohLta3jnvPl84den3ftGDOkv40zxgY0C8_qFrqdS08GtVdcqrhMaw/s320/IMG_0458.jpg" /></a></div>Not very promising. But I stuck it out. For two weeks.<br />
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The problem was, after twirling a dozen or so rosettes, my fingers would cramp and start to look like the hands of an 85-year old, so I could only do so many a day. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcxtLiMO82l7mA5XoSgx4nWP-p1tCrUiiVyLFgFNzcuimMBQmSV7loKbjvuDCg25mROQhGIFhNzsI3b9Q71ABb4V8LLDWl_81G6qwwXV_tNqMG3ie7CHW-77UrpA2C0Jb3p3sLdCE9As/s1600/IMG_0465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcxtLiMO82l7mA5XoSgx4nWP-p1tCrUiiVyLFgFNzcuimMBQmSV7loKbjvuDCg25mROQhGIFhNzsI3b9Q71ABb4V8LLDWl_81G6qwwXV_tNqMG3ie7CHW-77UrpA2C0Jb3p3sLdCE9As/s320/IMG_0465.jpg" /></a></div>But I had seen a shade covered in white fabric rosettes at Homegoods and I was determined to copy it, no matter how blistered and distorted my hands became. So I hung in there for another week (yes, it took me THREE WEEKS to finish what should have been an easy project) and FINALLY finished what will now be known as 'the devil's lampshade.' <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37MR6Ae6l6B5xaj8OFGYndPZw0ub-URov7vjD43MVViCthdU9DqnAixjTPUKJ_cuUNWTV_DDMxC8UP6zSN1s2jXUlxgrx4eeCHer6pbHy5-X71Gq9tVZCeb_zLa-MlP5gJYgYG4TI7oc/s1600/IMG_0584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37MR6Ae6l6B5xaj8OFGYndPZw0ub-URov7vjD43MVViCthdU9DqnAixjTPUKJ_cuUNWTV_DDMxC8UP6zSN1s2jXUlxgrx4eeCHer6pbHy5-X71Gq9tVZCeb_zLa-MlP5gJYgYG4TI7oc/s320/IMG_0584.jpg" /></a></div>I decided to spray paint the lamp a pretty aqua. I think it will be darling in the girls' room someday when they have their own room.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZix0SDuYGoIFM_L-HteaLtDVa4NXojIliIsv6HpPCodflrMxhfvr44JiqIOcS9PJKd5Ro6STLRx4tsrSw25yQEQw9qZn9asAWe_syW8c2YY2hrjCvEepo-OmpygKSnzSItTgXTuOUio/s1600/IMG_0585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZix0SDuYGoIFM_L-HteaLtDVa4NXojIliIsv6HpPCodflrMxhfvr44JiqIOcS9PJKd5Ro6STLRx4tsrSw25yQEQw9qZn9asAWe_syW8c2YY2hrjCvEepo-OmpygKSnzSItTgXTuOUio/s320/IMG_0585.jpg" /></a></div>I ended up using all three yards of muslin and almost the entire box of glue sticks for this one project. But I actually think it was worth it. I love the end result!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEuSND-Hk5jNX6D5oD4k9aB65TJE0iG2f9kUgqeiY2DsDAEOb1p_HRrcPvsS9_Ed-7ItvaLIoKr_31hnFCtXFosK3UVHpGNIVtugbUzzf6b0cXGIhSDvghkiRvte2E0At-Mc7LxLUkns/s1600/IMG_0586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEuSND-Hk5jNX6D5oD4k9aB65TJE0iG2f9kUgqeiY2DsDAEOb1p_HRrcPvsS9_Ed-7ItvaLIoKr_31hnFCtXFosK3UVHpGNIVtugbUzzf6b0cXGIhSDvghkiRvte2E0At-Mc7LxLUkns/s320/IMG_0586.jpg" /></a></div>I'm still not completely happy with this combination of lamp and shade. I just won a few beautiful milk glass lamps off of ebay so I'm sure I'll find a good match among them. Once my fingers heal, of course.<br />
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Linking to:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4sy9bHAV_-6FkFiDoFoeX0Q4RupcirpINBCVMhxyhtk3Uzowm_ELYEgTB_rlcjuxZQMFN6MvAF6I2sziSfVezLyY3k2axTnpVtkPcUFR8ee2CfkY7B000XfkM8PkYibeaGj6dA8IFBM/s1600/NotJustaHousewifecontest-button-200x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="199" width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4sy9bHAV_-6FkFiDoFoeX0Q4RupcirpINBCVMhxyhtk3Uzowm_ELYEgTB_rlcjuxZQMFN6MvAF6I2sziSfVezLyY3k2axTnpVtkPcUFR8ee2CfkY7B000XfkM8PkYibeaGj6dA8IFBM/s200/NotJustaHousewifecontest-button-200x200.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-81868552926383261302011-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:002011-07-29T20:13:03.124-07:00Patriotic Table RunnerOye, things have been busy around here recently!<br />
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Lots of bbqs with awesome neighbors, lots of coffees with other mommies nearby, lots of new projects and sewing, but sadly, not lots of blogging. Right now, blogging is near the end of my list, although I hope to change that eventually (as in, when at least one of my children is in school and I have an iota of free time to myself!)<br />
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I have big plans and big ideas swirling around in my brain for my blog and where I want it to go, but now is not the time to act on those ideas. With another deployment coming up, as well as another mini-cross country move, there's a bit too much on my plate as it is. So big plans are going to have to wait.<br />
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Moving on!<br />
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I'm not usually big on decorating for holidays, with the exception of Christmas and Halloween, but this year I did do a 4th of July theme on my dining table. A few weeks ago, I had a lapse of sanity and decided to take all three kids to Wal-mart with me. Amazingly, they were wonderful and I found some good deals in the fabric section. I always take a peak in the remnants to see if there's anything worthwhile and I snagged a long piece of navy duck cloth for cheap which I decided to pair with some blue stripe ticking fabric to make a reversible table runner. For the pop of red I needed, gerber daisies in old wine bottles did the trick.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06H056RMh-rBIbYmwE_wUCHwxsIl3hyE6Yf1OqXHhWO1jVYuJNoYGhNj8Q78wv_cKwanKXrA5Yfw4HnmwoZH2FxKWGYtJ-CJlgLVyXfwV_qHqJIcJVBUBgPukPCktvYV8scIgplZBWFU/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06H056RMh-rBIbYmwE_wUCHwxsIl3hyE6Yf1OqXHhWO1jVYuJNoYGhNj8Q78wv_cKwanKXrA5Yfw4HnmwoZH2FxKWGYtJ-CJlgLVyXfwV_qHqJIcJVBUBgPukPCktvYV8scIgplZBWFU/s320/IMG_0479.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKRIguUQ-rWHRFiLT-s2jDzSYPfLnsaxhR_Awp4JFqqfJMrQMXuuLQrvRhCEDUal4cnzUEkn7FT_87QPU60nA1Kl1n4o_E2uGY3SvW5T1F32egZ7xEj5LqtQeV6SORgi-wdg3bwbpNS8/s1600/IMG_0481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKRIguUQ-rWHRFiLT-s2jDzSYPfLnsaxhR_Awp4JFqqfJMrQMXuuLQrvRhCEDUal4cnzUEkn7FT_87QPU60nA1Kl1n4o_E2uGY3SvW5T1F32egZ7xEj5LqtQeV6SORgi-wdg3bwbpNS8/s320/IMG_0481.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2njRjvs4jVgqRAn-LcgBz90NXn24D8_OkFpJ1640fzcRcYL-QLgfqYeahO02iPDwGOTogAmi9bkJckCDCIenaru7QIlNVpIwklTe7UeOsff_1AqzI4eT7TyjOV8Wa3C9bQb0r93eMMVY/s1600/IMG_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2njRjvs4jVgqRAn-LcgBz90NXn24D8_OkFpJ1640fzcRcYL-QLgfqYeahO02iPDwGOTogAmi9bkJckCDCIenaru7QIlNVpIwklTe7UeOsff_1AqzI4eT7TyjOV8Wa3C9bQb0r93eMMVY/s320/IMG_0482.JPG" /></a></div>I love that it doesn't scream, 'It's the 4th of July!!!!' but is still patriotic. I'll be able to break it out for Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, the Marine Corps Birthday...it will get plenty of use!<br />
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Here is what it looks like on the opposite side.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAXAkyiylhftGBMVUQmu8IJXttXAKB2oLlF4RcmahHKdLRbSJJ47m2V-kwIwdK9Ur_zx4NW3ypoO8sJuKikndlZ0Fvu8WAu5zKhToL38yMEGjThqhyq3AxBCq3QJI_FG2MXxWJnJ6KTc/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAXAkyiylhftGBMVUQmu8IJXttXAKB2oLlF4RcmahHKdLRbSJJ47m2V-kwIwdK9Ur_zx4NW3ypoO8sJuKikndlZ0Fvu8WAu5zKhToL38yMEGjThqhyq3AxBCq3QJI_FG2MXxWJnJ6KTc/s320/IMG_0501.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pdT2ySBKyF90BsJ3SusNkWLY4FA_fKGw4FzH7pCKbXsjlmNg6zd3dghkNfYebxcuhSOp3I423alFizTYjGAQi-5puMDGrxvFhlwaNOfW1v0MYoANFea2_VL2bO65znY4n_5rYDQPUoI/s1600/IMG_0503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pdT2ySBKyF90BsJ3SusNkWLY4FA_fKGw4FzH7pCKbXsjlmNg6zd3dghkNfYebxcuhSOp3I423alFizTYjGAQi-5puMDGrxvFhlwaNOfW1v0MYoANFea2_VL2bO65znY4n_5rYDQPUoI/s320/IMG_0503.JPG" /></a></div>I love how it turned out and now I'm on a table runner frenzy. I first got the idea from <a href="http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/">Elizabeth & Co</a>'s burlap and ruffles table runner, which I love! Burlap is my new favorite fabric. Who knew that it irons so well? And it doesn't hurt that it's super-duper affordable. If it wasn't quite so scratchy I would totally cover my couch in burlap. I'm not joking. Cause I'm cheap like that.<br />
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Here's my version of the burlap runner (with cotton drop cloth for ruffles, also cheap-o!!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oJuG-2Jxa382pU5KxY3Uux46zhHhpdN5xGVZSAHIn-t-nkk0Iq8lKcia0FEY8hJHKvzu_G1HX_Hnkgz7p_Y98hR27RcDb8lOZ7AXZN2aPIRnVV2UFC2qCW-bdXKYVDifyGAjSHy_wWc/s1600/IMG_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oJuG-2Jxa382pU5KxY3Uux46zhHhpdN5xGVZSAHIn-t-nkk0Iq8lKcia0FEY8hJHKvzu_G1HX_Hnkgz7p_Y98hR27RcDb8lOZ7AXZN2aPIRnVV2UFC2qCW-bdXKYVDifyGAjSHy_wWc/s320/IMG_0549.JPG" /></a></div>I love how a simple table runner can dress up the table instantly. I think I might make one for every holiday now. As long as I can keep the kiddos from touching it when their hands are covered in maple syrup or tomato sauce.<br />
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Linking to:<br />
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To be more precise, a traveling-with-two-toddlers-and-a-baby hangover.<br />
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You all know what I am talking about. That incoherent daze that takes over your body after you return from a trip and takes many days and many cups of coffee to get rid of. Our trip to Virginia was great. We saw some old friends and the hubby and I were able to go out quite a bit without the kids. Charlotte was finally baptized and I even got to go to my first vineyard with my mom and sisters for a wine tasting (I know, WAY overdue). I'm definitely hooked.<br />
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Another highlight of our trip was being able to see my brother-in-law, Nick, his wife, Cait, and their son, Little Nick. I love spending time with them and even lived with them for a short period of time last year, while Cait was still pregnant with Nick and I was pregnant with Charlotte. Two preggo women in one house might equal danger for some, but we had good times. They are currently pregnant again and due near the end of September.<br />
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About two weeks before we left for Virginia, Nick and Cait found out they were having a girl this time around. Yay!! As soon as I found out, I started on their baby quilt so I could give it to them while we were all there together. The process of making them is getting shorter and shorter and I think my corners are slowly improving.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQoiHy7H22_vhhjwKcWbrHIRdMDdJPodBScWvOYfYdBp-YDFMjYOu7434dNKFM3_y3kjFOo94RCPHlB0K0pZn4zTzrLDeGE-5txV3yasY-IO3Zg2SL9vaaUThENSKxax9tSgVnal-Nck/s1600/IMG_0436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQoiHy7H22_vhhjwKcWbrHIRdMDdJPodBScWvOYfYdBp-YDFMjYOu7434dNKFM3_y3kjFOo94RCPHlB0K0pZn4zTzrLDeGE-5txV3yasY-IO3Zg2SL9vaaUThENSKxax9tSgVnal-Nck/s320/IMG_0436.jpg" /></a></div>Still not perfect, but a vast improvement from the last one, right?<br />
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Again, I used the girls' old (free!) receiving blankets for the blocks in the front and the backing flannel I believe I found at JoAnn's on sale. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQpehlme9onFT5GI89CKaOH2N0qkWAMdjAReESCNzQeC6O_Nnh2Ghw8XyIX7HuRhjZ3LlEa5T5iO4240eYbYGB2IvD3bcgJzvcLG3IpedNrehOoQGMMgfgDs9kpSBoL9sgeooNsuDMqI/s1600/IMG_0435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQpehlme9onFT5GI89CKaOH2N0qkWAMdjAReESCNzQeC6O_Nnh2Ghw8XyIX7HuRhjZ3LlEa5T5iO4240eYbYGB2IvD3bcgJzvcLG3IpedNrehOoQGMMgfgDs9kpSBoL9sgeooNsuDMqI/s320/IMG_0435.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9G5J0FfCm10RzHxQrBrcK64kRHbLax0PCsi0MtMiSNE9lp2p_9hyERj7YxDZhqrBya4XBETK82nFLawNKbK5BGUokik5FxSVyFx3i8k179M87Wx4rhO6fl0Y1L4_n-NQV7jKtE-bcts/s1600/IMG_0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9G5J0FfCm10RzHxQrBrcK64kRHbLax0PCsi0MtMiSNE9lp2p_9hyERj7YxDZhqrBya4XBETK82nFLawNKbK5BGUokik5FxSVyFx3i8k179M87Wx4rhO6fl0Y1L4_n-NQV7jKtE-bcts/s320/IMG_0438.JPG" /></a></div>I still have enough receiving blanket blocks to make another two, maybe three quilts. There are lots of babies coming this year so I have a lot more to make. And thank goodness, one of those babies is for sure a boy so I'm excited, after making nothing but girly quilts, to make one for a baby boy. Here's a sneak peak at some of the fabric I'm using for it:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizogbGMIs_YMiEtzyTc6qX7qGbqtMxeAXo3X3CKRVs_d4dLm-hSSIt8KozITakNsQ757i2ZEguBb4hfaoMFsZkEJbH2gZYlor-1z-OqbhQgYIO-PubhHf-IXhqhSndCvteQHH3VJmb9eg/s1600/IMG_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizogbGMIs_YMiEtzyTc6qX7qGbqtMxeAXo3X3CKRVs_d4dLm-hSSIt8KozITakNsQ757i2ZEguBb4hfaoMFsZkEJbH2gZYlor-1z-OqbhQgYIO-PubhHf-IXhqhSndCvteQHH3VJmb9eg/s320/IMG_0454.JPG" /></a></div>I love the owl fabric and the orange and blue chevron! Almost makes me want to have another baby boy...almost...this factory is closed for business.<br />
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Linking to: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQs0BkcpfrJ7ub3GT6KRIqysf9tkgvMqsq8wN2STn4dXaLIFXmlPppK3AAFUbD7G5I4QbNSh6Q0pkhXSzwFinJjMTj_FntH8wzVdZmZSWa-iqh9W8DTt7aoJgBo5zZ_iBFnpyqb8c8QM/s1600/WeekendBloggyReading.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQs0BkcpfrJ7ub3GT6KRIqysf9tkgvMqsq8wN2STn4dXaLIFXmlPppK3AAFUbD7G5I4QbNSh6Q0pkhXSzwFinJjMTj_FntH8wzVdZmZSWa-iqh9W8DTt7aoJgBo5zZ_iBFnpyqb8c8QM/s320/WeekendBloggyReading.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqaivwhQvH05gcNEh9eTS3W16gtu44Z3k8rusupWQBOAcFf5rbmToGzfySTPqW6o0WeQN6yCSYiyFw3Oy7Am6ZxzBUngOfnS-d8TT5qXLr4oGU_0fPj0X6TiBBd8UssX4pfbJ_PUXu04/s1600/SummerLovin+Blog+Button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="170" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqaivwhQvH05gcNEh9eTS3W16gtu44Z3k8rusupWQBOAcFf5rbmToGzfySTPqW6o0WeQN6yCSYiyFw3Oy7Am6ZxzBUngOfnS-d8TT5qXLr4oGU_0fPj0X6TiBBd8UssX4pfbJ_PUXu04/s320/SummerLovin+Blog+Button.png" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-84431936612971344102011-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:002011-06-01T11:38:28.607-07:00Old Mission Santa BarbaraWhen we were in Santa Barbara, we visited the old Mission, which is one of the main tourist attractions for the area. I love visiting old churches and studying the architecture and always manage to get choked up because of the beauty. They just don't build churches like they used to.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkcOB9gj2iTI31UQ7FP5At8a8FXr6iBHHyaKWNSqaxxVxhJNlOJsvaY3WFOAGRabaFn_KDJcH3ts6-IQLnPIn5yzeT4wURpXCpTvOj4W9-zCiwMtxP5myCNB74-gKh3KCITamsvjbwWw/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkcOB9gj2iTI31UQ7FP5At8a8FXr6iBHHyaKWNSqaxxVxhJNlOJsvaY3WFOAGRabaFn_KDJcH3ts6-IQLnPIn5yzeT4wURpXCpTvOj4W9-zCiwMtxP5myCNB74-gKh3KCITamsvjbwWw/s320/IMG_0417.JPG" /></a></div>I know that's hard to read but the Mission was built in 1786...so old and full of history. I get giddy just thinking about it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaAWtKwPDdEJUMGf4cHCykvVydSBem1sAmF98kAyVpvdJeZkDIl5UTeGlA9isO4Ik99HiwOXgogpb6viIVgSskISYpXl_C-8Od2R3x1YGOsbQIJrYFE7QLvydTXV1o9xWysDiN0udQjc/s1600/IMG_0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaAWtKwPDdEJUMGf4cHCykvVydSBem1sAmF98kAyVpvdJeZkDIl5UTeGlA9isO4Ik99HiwOXgogpb6viIVgSskISYpXl_C-8Od2R3x1YGOsbQIJrYFE7QLvydTXV1o9xWysDiN0udQjc/s320/IMG_0414.JPG" /></a></div>This was our view from across the street in the parking lot. We didn't get here until 4:30 in the afternoon so the tours were done for the day but the gift shop was still open so we looked around and ended up buying a gorgeous, hand-tooled leather Bible. We don't have a family Bible, so we thought it was time to get one. Once the shop closed at 5 we walked over to the main chapel, where mass was going on. I wish I had gotten a picture of the doors into the sanctuary...they were dark, solid wood, hand-carved and just beautiful. You know the kind I'm talking about...the kind that are all over Europe. <br />
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We snuck into the sanctuary, as there was about five minutes left of mass, and sat down and just took it all in. To say I was speechless would be an understatement. It was so beautiful and so old and I felt immediately jealous of the people who were able to go to church HERE! I almost didn't feel right taking pictures, I can't explain it, it just felt like a holy place that shouldn't be exposed to tourists' cameras all the time. But I knew that if I didn't take some I would regret it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiMVD9jllQPRTTEaWzNoUuqhRqWjFJbymBXYSrdF9yfClQQGV2a_oxPrjBl4O2wqOFjHkmHFbRK33S_cQ5Wz2YS8iEkaoS7Z-1cI0NRObPa71momS6GmYnj00Pgqj8-7Lha8XYFGjknU/s1600/IMG_0418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiMVD9jllQPRTTEaWzNoUuqhRqWjFJbymBXYSrdF9yfClQQGV2a_oxPrjBl4O2wqOFjHkmHFbRK33S_cQ5Wz2YS8iEkaoS7Z-1cI0NRObPa71momS6GmYnj00Pgqj8-7Lha8XYFGjknU/s320/IMG_0418.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsidiOh4FIwCVtV91q3VsjyQ1n32-ChmIVE87X45W8HZwx7pbVMCvjzh543cu9QUSDeF45k_1WmcJXmM6zWB4ACE3H3D9jzY-7EevFjwjklWdrsLwpsIVRGwxwXRyzC5w20-cPRxs6s4/s1600/IMG_0419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsidiOh4FIwCVtV91q3VsjyQ1n32-ChmIVE87X45W8HZwx7pbVMCvjzh543cu9QUSDeF45k_1WmcJXmM6zWB4ACE3H3D9jzY-7EevFjwjklWdrsLwpsIVRGwxwXRyzC5w20-cPRxs6s4/s320/IMG_0419.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWjdCeVsqug6VRwNsDMJ9l-kh6qfqYnQv3kYwrtMz2m08ov0JouhBrULwosyg59DnCDtNhD773bFXpV-4hn1XQ7xnaB-QixIGJ31tXD9ncwWNVXCsSd4ITvBT2ZIUxQ2JfAUQh8q-rRg/s1600/IMG_0421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWjdCeVsqug6VRwNsDMJ9l-kh6qfqYnQv3kYwrtMz2m08ov0JouhBrULwosyg59DnCDtNhD773bFXpV-4hn1XQ7xnaB-QixIGJ31tXD9ncwWNVXCsSd4ITvBT2ZIUxQ2JfAUQh8q-rRg/s320/IMG_0421.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrho4156a-ySsPUOiSwo7LCNqzRfSrF01D3nfkrYldS2brbETcCEmXFDj9rhh0FGN3ZO2NMlnOI0C8THrt3l6GcrBzcifVl-b7mMXxgP4cu_C98hYErceb6hCsmSlXLrGNumWEpBEtcc/s1600/IMG_0422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrho4156a-ySsPUOiSwo7LCNqzRfSrF01D3nfkrYldS2brbETcCEmXFDj9rhh0FGN3ZO2NMlnOI0C8THrt3l6GcrBzcifVl-b7mMXxgP4cu_C98hYErceb6hCsmSlXLrGNumWEpBEtcc/s320/IMG_0422.jpg" /></a></div>It was dark, so please forgive the quality of the pictures. I didn't want to resort to using the flash since I hate how it makes pictures look.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7O33RpO9RjYscaBggYrfzFI_r-kc5SSZ6XdTMbzQ0RrhZhPhyphenhyphenMFBxMdHBn9i1uly8MQWI6x8V3EFF0uoGdcINXYEsQE7wPDitjqeEqpXI2jpjy1gcXknSS_vRDWY3mBdLYFbTIyncEc/s1600/IMG_0425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7O33RpO9RjYscaBggYrfzFI_r-kc5SSZ6XdTMbzQ0RrhZhPhyphenhyphenMFBxMdHBn9i1uly8MQWI6x8V3EFF0uoGdcINXYEsQE7wPDitjqeEqpXI2jpjy1gcXknSS_vRDWY3mBdLYFbTIyncEc/s320/IMG_0425.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwutsjA6EHyD82R6qpDx_wLl5W0KcItuw3D-KCK5XWa6Fep9j-jNCxKL449zerg_usqBDJD4nbpgpPFFqHrz3mfFQmLkDn7v07sCpzPTabSwbC3IH8hiZHLMWMFnYaPR6xmsIKftoQdnA/s1600/IMG_0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwutsjA6EHyD82R6qpDx_wLl5W0KcItuw3D-KCK5XWa6Fep9j-jNCxKL449zerg_usqBDJD4nbpgpPFFqHrz3mfFQmLkDn7v07sCpzPTabSwbC3IH8hiZHLMWMFnYaPR6xmsIKftoQdnA/s320/IMG_0427.JPG" /></a></div>This view of the outside of the Mission was just gorgeous. I couldn't take a picture that would actually do the view justice, but I tried. I could have just sat where I was for hours, reading a book or just taking it all in.<br />
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Behind the parking lot, there was a little garden of olive trees (like the kind in the Garden of Gethsemane, which btw is a wonderful sight to see. I went to Israel when I was 15) and the Stations of the Cross.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZl_nulqf5DT4pdWj8cVmCb850B_X3ewPYTRSpG06CTOnOhXQuDUWObmQSBgHLpft-RByqb03EBbjC4GUPv1MJZaqEdAoWCMsCHEP2hfrGB0Ci-GBeVvqi8C479tRWi5LIXhgKoVqciw/s1600/IMG_0428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZl_nulqf5DT4pdWj8cVmCb850B_X3ewPYTRSpG06CTOnOhXQuDUWObmQSBgHLpft-RByqb03EBbjC4GUPv1MJZaqEdAoWCMsCHEP2hfrGB0Ci-GBeVvqi8C479tRWi5LIXhgKoVqciw/s320/IMG_0428.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYhcqtjNlaD0vD2xAwZZW1KgOXHGAXP2IUbZm0MAlIXCn7wfCKqUOXzzyR8sxebvL0NmLjShy_o23aiqrb8I4yto8sCdqgmQDlRzOKfQl4zOl_zcpyuTfkyAiYn3S27YWGuDBy4xy8wg/s1600/IMG_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYhcqtjNlaD0vD2xAwZZW1KgOXHGAXP2IUbZm0MAlIXCn7wfCKqUOXzzyR8sxebvL0NmLjShy_o23aiqrb8I4yto8sCdqgmQDlRzOKfQl4zOl_zcpyuTfkyAiYn3S27YWGuDBy4xy8wg/s320/IMG_0429.JPG" /></a></div><br />
After exploring the garden, it was getting close to 6 so the parking lot was closing and we had to leave. But after a little bit of driving around and seeing some amazing house that I can only guess the cost of, we came across another gorgeous church. I made Tim stop and park so we could get out and explore it and get some pictures. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7vmO-IN8fIltrA3CLm6ARLPiP22YSlvXBteoQsNWJpk1gjiQv2FXev5DNWaZjfNq1HOTiFWxQx3JQIdxu6JOgJMrWVabtlGg486MlYva1zZsSKa_gNwpejNTYXkmwDP0jywI3FqbZpo/s1600/IMG_0430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7vmO-IN8fIltrA3CLm6ARLPiP22YSlvXBteoQsNWJpk1gjiQv2FXev5DNWaZjfNq1HOTiFWxQx3JQIdxu6JOgJMrWVabtlGg486MlYva1zZsSKa_gNwpejNTYXkmwDP0jywI3FqbZpo/s320/IMG_0430.jpg" /></a></div>This was one of the side doors into the church, but still...so grand!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj8qP6ozQTpPK77Nyh6Lu04YtuVgq1qJDCfDT6GmTz6hKNm0UtyvqJwPp4sfMwnFVxjIv2w3D65nMhTQLDeSL4-jXJKkSif0vUIrRtGRAnGI21q7SWhUTLiAplb6LwVlgaqsoKg4erIU/s1600/IMG_0431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj8qP6ozQTpPK77Nyh6Lu04YtuVgq1qJDCfDT6GmTz6hKNm0UtyvqJwPp4sfMwnFVxjIv2w3D65nMhTQLDeSL4-jXJKkSif0vUIrRtGRAnGI21q7SWhUTLiAplb6LwVlgaqsoKg4erIU/s320/IMG_0431.jpg" /></a></div>The front of the church.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIPBnz-1Qr-pf_udZxM-0AMvwKU0-RMODFPVfM5Ee-bKiLeYnIusqCqsJRcp-mmzScLzaGjR7Z2NtbtIN6VdebQAXyL5cLnbW0sBtd_Kww8rU34lhOo9DsTgq7BBkJ_Er6Ncr2SWL2xI/s1600/IMG_0433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIPBnz-1Qr-pf_udZxM-0AMvwKU0-RMODFPVfM5Ee-bKiLeYnIusqCqsJRcp-mmzScLzaGjR7Z2NtbtIN6VdebQAXyL5cLnbW0sBtd_Kww8rU34lhOo9DsTgq7BBkJ_Er6Ncr2SWL2xI/s320/IMG_0433.JPG" /></a></div>To the side of the church, there was a pretty garden.<br />
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This part of the trip was my favorite and I wish we could have spent more time there.<br />
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Our family is heading to Virginia tomorrow to visit with family and once we get back, I am sucking it up and potty training my second child in less than six months so if you don't hear from me for awhile, that's why. I'll be up to my ears in Dora underpants and laundry!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-49400081423498752932011-05-30T09:14:00.000-07:002011-05-30T09:38:16.411-07:00Memorial Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVOaATWK0Uaxk5INtMvicy8g-kUN5jlaPP2QTrQJ7tCUE4MZq7uRQXTkfeTLXBw6Jj70iBmW76rp6v6QqwA6fxjPmzfAFUixSEbIW7n7PlWp_6oMGwcpQ3wfQIwOan-E1rUUj_1UiMV4/s1600/troops-place-flags-in-arlington-national-cemetery_100527-d-1142m-009.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVOaATWK0Uaxk5INtMvicy8g-kUN5jlaPP2QTrQJ7tCUE4MZq7uRQXTkfeTLXBw6Jj70iBmW76rp6v6QqwA6fxjPmzfAFUixSEbIW7n7PlWp_6oMGwcpQ3wfQIwOan-E1rUUj_1UiMV4/s320/troops-place-flags-in-arlington-national-cemetery_100527-d-1142m-009.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612547503725724194" /></a>DoD photo by William D. Moss<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">In Flanders Fields <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>John McCrae, 1915<br /><br />In Flanders fields the poppies blow<br />Between the crosses, row on row<br />That mark our place; and in the sky<br />The larks, still bravely singing, fly<br />Scarce heard amid the guns below.<br /><br />We are the Dead. Short days ago<br />We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,<br />Loved and were loved, and now we lie<br />In Flanders fields.<br /><br />Take up our quarrel with the foe:<br />To you from failing hands we throw<br />The torch; be yours to hold it high.<br />If ye break faith with us who die<br />We shall not sleep, though poppies grow<br />In Flanders fields.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaQrtB1Cyt9o3SmnHaY-XMAwbZD-PqeeNfMh03pmJd2LhA1lxRR2hTx7Gqj3NFOfG9aynr_Ff0D1BXxWdRcrQqqEtbGNjo-7oxyALoMAJsxRoGIXX_ASH5o2mQgMzeVpo6tlsvFr-Nc4/s1600/u-s-marine-corps-war-memorial-arlington-national-cemetery-arlington-virginia-usa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaQrtB1Cyt9o3SmnHaY-XMAwbZD-PqeeNfMh03pmJd2LhA1lxRR2hTx7Gqj3NFOfG9aynr_Ff0D1BXxWdRcrQqqEtbGNjo-7oxyALoMAJsxRoGIXX_ASH5o2mQgMzeVpo6tlsvFr-Nc4/s320/u-s-marine-corps-war-memorial-arlington-national-cemetery-arlington-virginia-usa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612544267116643298" /></a><br /><br />Freedom isn't free.<br />Thank you to our brave military.<br />God Bless You.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-46995666739562029782011-05-27T11:11:00.000-07:002011-05-27T12:27:34.294-07:00Semper FiveToday, Tim and I celebrate our fifth anniversary. Five years of being a Marine Corps wife. I couldn't be happier about where we are now...three moves, three states, two dogs, three kids (with three different birth certificates!), two deployments, three houses, and A LOT of redecorating in five years.<br /><br />I always love telling the story of how we got together to people so I'm going to share it here as well...<br /><br />It was August 2004 and I had just graduated from Liberty University in May. If you know nothing of Liberty, it's the type of school that REALLY encouraged the students to find their spouses there. If you didn't graduate with an engagement ring, you were a loser. Well, I didn't date anyone the entire five years I was there. Lots of first dates and that's about it. Now, I'm not knocking the guys that went there, i just never found 'the one.' I like to think of those five years of being single as a time of growth and preparation for life as a Marine wife...I learned to be extremely independent and it was good preparation for deployments. See, God DOES know what He's doing.<br /><br />After working at a physical therapy clinic for the summer I had decided to go home to Manassas to live with my parents and get a temp. job until I figured out what I wanted to do next. My big plan had included going back to school for PT and then taking it from there. But this outgoing, handsome Marine swooped in and changed all my plans (for the better, of course!). <br /><br />No, it wasn't quite that glamorous.<br /><br />My temp. job ended up being a server at a restaurant, which is where Tim also worked, although I didn't meet him until a few weeks after I started working there. He was at WVU to finish his last semester and came home to work on the weekends. He came into the restaurant one night, probably to get his schedule, and I immediately noticed him and made a mental note about how good-looking her was. Outgoing, dark, beautiful brown eyes, chiseled jaw (I have a thing for strong chins) and an easy smile.<br /><br />I don't remember exactly when we officially met but the longer I knew him and the more I learned about him, the more I looked forward to when he would be working. I remember him asking me out a couple times but I turned him down because I never thought he was serious. I thought he would be just like every other guy I knew...they'd be interested for about a week and then, never mind, you're too opinionated and independent. Ok, sorry I have a mind of my own and am not clingy.<br /><br />Apparently, that's one of the reasons why he was SO persistent...after turning him down a few times, I guess he got fed up and decided to insult me. I was cleaning up my tables after my shift and as I was walking by him, he says 'Hey Amanda, when are you going to get that stick out of your ass and go out with me?' For real. No joke.<br /><br />And my logical brain thinks, if he's got guts enough to insult me in order to get a date, why not? Who knows what I was thinking, but I said, 'Okay, sure.' And to quote the cliche...the rest is history. <br /><br />He had me at 'stick up your ass!'<br /><br />Less than a year and a half later, we were married. Who knew?<br />The really funny part in all this is that I was always so adamant about NOT marrying anyone in the military. I didn't want the lifestyle. Turns out, I have the personality for it. I love what we've gotten to experience by living in so many places and the great part is, we are nowhere near being done. We have many more years to come and who knows what life will bring. I know one thing for sure, it will never be boring.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_xor_Q9f11CJV684QyLR_QwcbELiPauSFdXx_A53wyCh0qgWcq4qVxr4A2QKbbNpRKoiespew1eTFcCZL-xeJnELJdsVwG3r8R_Rh2LkwNZpUB6N0ko5gov_Ay0mUBryqYJxrVJMpBs/s1600/IMG_0378.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_xor_Q9f11CJV684QyLR_QwcbELiPauSFdXx_A53wyCh0qgWcq4qVxr4A2QKbbNpRKoiespew1eTFcCZL-xeJnELJdsVwG3r8R_Rh2LkwNZpUB6N0ko5gov_Ay0mUBryqYJxrVJMpBs/s320/IMG_0378.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611475742447991618" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-57209728481623377762011-05-24T12:45:00.000-07:002011-05-24T14:00:44.118-07:00The Canary HotelSanta Barbara. Without. The. Kids. <br /><br />Need I say more? Yes? Ok.<br /><br />Our weekend in Santa Barbara was fantastic. Our actual anniversary isn't until the 27th but my mom and sister came out the week before to watch the kids so me and Tim could get away by ourselves. I'd say after the year we've had, we need it! This past deployment was much harder than the first one. I thought it would be easier since I knew what to expect. Wrong! And don't even get me started on the next one (which is slowly creeping up on us). <br /><br />Needless to say, we totally enjoyed ourselves and lived like we had no kids. I won't go into detail, but there was much alcohol and (married) debauchery involved. Heehee.<br /><br />Some wonderful relatives of ours, Bobbi and MaryEllen, had offered to use their timeshare to pay for our accommodations while we were there and we ended up staying at the Canary Hotel, which is a block away from State St. where all the action is. I had seen pictures of the rooms and decor and was probably looking forward to seeing the hotel the most. It's decorated with a Moroccan/Medditeranean feel...totally up my alley.<br /><br />For starters, can we just talk about the bed...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4D8v4sNaj4XrpyUeCEl2sP2aKnawubBV9xUvUbdwaXHZ9JVlKRmcwYov6va2qxVvXYzwk9qpTFyvdNLAuz2qypJENUatxeaMZBcBKC7U1sq0QOf3n09VK2B132kLoKCfsOAdFUcdUbI/s1600/IMG_0365.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4D8v4sNaj4XrpyUeCEl2sP2aKnawubBV9xUvUbdwaXHZ9JVlKRmcwYov6va2qxVvXYzwk9qpTFyvdNLAuz2qypJENUatxeaMZBcBKC7U1sq0QOf3n09VK2B132kLoKCfsOAdFUcdUbI/s320/IMG_0365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610374816759336978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtFJxtkgdJoozEZy6V7NsGAEk9L1gINrE05I5LzovqVh7S8Q1Vb_RjieWMPctW_91L_ZyBvu_bjbTLoL4zcX0dlT48wisCtCDPSVHYKGnF1JU9VArT9A-6rZBTYXUl_gIz-9LlBUp2zw/s1600/IMG_0408.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtFJxtkgdJoozEZy6V7NsGAEk9L1gINrE05I5LzovqVh7S8Q1Vb_RjieWMPctW_91L_ZyBvu_bjbTLoL4zcX0dlT48wisCtCDPSVHYKGnF1JU9VArT9A-6rZBTYXUl_gIz-9LlBUp2zw/s320/IMG_0408.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610375449467285890" /></a><br />Ah-mazing!!<br />I'm usually not a huge fan of canopy beds but this one was gorgeous! And super comfy. If I ever see one like it while out thrifting or at a yard sale, I might not be able to resist.<br />The entire room was just beautiful. All the details and accent furniture were so homey and relaxing. I had to talk myself out of swiping this table out of the room a few times:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nU1Ge07aWUrzKppb1KlqQfqUm2qN_FsPlCMpT38BrY2-G76qETRrmHoNifyDwGJNAfHJ1Oy2NUc583hkV2-jXRGS6koluiSOkt6odVM_BNexWzJdFqWIQp-AoeTdCXUgYQR-Oauvu-0/s1600/IMG_0391.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nU1Ge07aWUrzKppb1KlqQfqUm2qN_FsPlCMpT38BrY2-G76qETRrmHoNifyDwGJNAfHJ1Oy2NUc583hkV2-jXRGS6koluiSOkt6odVM_BNexWzJdFqWIQp-AoeTdCXUgYQR-Oauvu-0/s320/IMG_0391.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610376998845275906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1cnpNZ-tG2nnnJC57c6rymc1LCkuk73RGALP1Pc-lldPuCh3tqfkl5fYGDGD0NqM4M4ZohoGnm7DmZym8Bb95D3BSDm1UnYXPyVpiB6iZBEqE9keAhACDf7kQ59JUpmK6DiszmyAWdU/s1600/IMG_0407.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1cnpNZ-tG2nnnJC57c6rymc1LCkuk73RGALP1Pc-lldPuCh3tqfkl5fYGDGD0NqM4M4ZohoGnm7DmZym8Bb95D3BSDm1UnYXPyVpiB6iZBEqE9keAhACDf7kQ59JUpmK6DiszmyAWdU/s320/IMG_0407.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610386103879429218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjtARVygYkn0HIfvRfKVT-zT6V9RQjMGzIoAm-CBaAkrZwj3U-ZIcJkFGsSeNw3hUD6ahDFti2h4F2tMDYwQmXTkP7UT4LGkakAT5v8vJLdYjCO545JZPxNK2HcmsfMyF2zHfcIaVv1A/s1600/IMG_0411.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjtARVygYkn0HIfvRfKVT-zT6V9RQjMGzIoAm-CBaAkrZwj3U-ZIcJkFGsSeNw3hUD6ahDFti2h4F2tMDYwQmXTkP7UT4LGkakAT5v8vJLdYjCO545JZPxNK2HcmsfMyF2zHfcIaVv1A/s320/IMG_0411.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610386584363783250" /></a><br /> LOVE the yellow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dn2Sj9kohI5BSiyANrfJmvgk3xYVC2YNp_t8yDgJnkgf_pDNNjnP0ktKmiKFTGQ8r7d_AdIIJtcSNiHVu0CmJt6y0jTfo5vrwuwyVTEqbbVqozcBQHt3jpaZ5Mt6R0cRjUnUeQ7P3ns/s1600/IMG_0413.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dn2Sj9kohI5BSiyANrfJmvgk3xYVC2YNp_t8yDgJnkgf_pDNNjnP0ktKmiKFTGQ8r7d_AdIIJtcSNiHVu0CmJt6y0jTfo5vrwuwyVTEqbbVqozcBQHt3jpaZ5Mt6R0cRjUnUeQ7P3ns/s320/IMG_0413.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610377669057138578" /></a><br />Another thing I would've swiped...the light fixtures in the bathroom.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSw8VgXKiL-wKJ7VJ235fk3N5rIYgaVJkNl_vw_UGbN29Y1vrn5JG35TXx6-oMGrupi0S19Knbj_6MUTLZEYav0laoaftrcLzp8722iqVVp34YYMRC67GNoRsjmIQjMUfOIiJ3K8vPjE/s1600/IMG_0368.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSw8VgXKiL-wKJ7VJ235fk3N5rIYgaVJkNl_vw_UGbN29Y1vrn5JG35TXx6-oMGrupi0S19Knbj_6MUTLZEYav0laoaftrcLzp8722iqVVp34YYMRC67GNoRsjmIQjMUfOIiJ3K8vPjE/s320/IMG_0368.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610378306207526210" /></a><br />All the walls in all the hallways looked like this. This picture doesn't do the color of this grasscloth wallpaper justice. It was a beautiful turquoise color but there was no natural lighting at all and I did the best I could with my meager photography skills but you can't see the contrast between the wall art and the walls very well. Every time we left our hotel room I felt like we were in an art museum.<br /><br />The outside of the hotel was just as breathtaking as the inside...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKHePxY_2WelNt1mzRKlG-QuIbAcGf-IHJP__6BbVU8z4fAhAwIg_b5np81zvMxb5SlPrCJeHJiUKU23HVvic3TD8tu_oIXwWMaPB8YdRoKO0_a11sT_wowS85Up-Hn8UdN9AAiAMFoE/s1600/IMG_0369.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKHePxY_2WelNt1mzRKlG-QuIbAcGf-IHJP__6BbVU8z4fAhAwIg_b5np81zvMxb5SlPrCJeHJiUKU23HVvic3TD8tu_oIXwWMaPB8YdRoKO0_a11sT_wowS85Up-Hn8UdN9AAiAMFoE/s320/IMG_0369.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610379718426405954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUuDUWvIbA7_l83GoCvvF1WGKTzjJCGHaWmvCAHnlYlZa5Z8xHpvzGo0oLrP7k_iczHvbkHgqqdJphaADbhYrbYu_5TwzYl8yiMcAlaP_g_F5vGfbkRbt_usQHBUdFuqbEHWzJf0IVoQ/s1600/IMG_0370.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUuDUWvIbA7_l83GoCvvF1WGKTzjJCGHaWmvCAHnlYlZa5Z8xHpvzGo0oLrP7k_iczHvbkHgqqdJphaADbhYrbYu_5TwzYl8yiMcAlaP_g_F5vGfbkRbt_usQHBUdFuqbEHWzJf0IVoQ/s320/IMG_0370.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610380014542143586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQwIMgapJHErOECHKaOYKC9ZiPZ942HQm8KcPTCZ8zoGF5JSHB2-32mxP6iON4W_BGgKxbNpp_jIBZI9tXA93j6y-5W9fqANgemlIgZPpUYIp4kdruUuaWvQ0AJqIwrSrjeaEMaXJUQQ/s1600/IMG_0392.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQwIMgapJHErOECHKaOYKC9ZiPZ942HQm8KcPTCZ8zoGF5JSHB2-32mxP6iON4W_BGgKxbNpp_jIBZI9tXA93j6y-5W9fqANgemlIgZPpUYIp4kdruUuaWvQ0AJqIwrSrjeaEMaXJUQQ/s320/IMG_0392.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610380345306534882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnbKNC_xHGEnT0mHgCiXv9hqPdhtSqCT37n5Xi_U6KLCIeW7eD3_OVqK9oz9t_ur3R9izd-iZ1S9OyMzbouBbF6OK8ZLB4wq1j1F6woY970fi62uegadszRr1E4eJ00nO4fbAUt8mG3A/s1600/IMG_0434.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnbKNC_xHGEnT0mHgCiXv9hqPdhtSqCT37n5Xi_U6KLCIeW7eD3_OVqK9oz9t_ur3R9izd-iZ1S9OyMzbouBbF6OK8ZLB4wq1j1F6woY970fi62uegadszRr1E4eJ00nO4fbAUt8mG3A/s320/IMG_0434.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610380905168877506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhYxih1FQxGbkEezIs0vI3ESgEKVn22prhtBBTxOze5R7Tc20yOUSekNJkrhD4oAFx56zCv9rSpkdfsW3Q1KuV4LvYNmabzWpMC2rHj7NfgPpU1T0clBkVOgTFgahb7i8KfwbvTVq5GI/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhYxih1FQxGbkEezIs0vI3ESgEKVn22prhtBBTxOze5R7Tc20yOUSekNJkrhD4oAFx56zCv9rSpkdfsW3Q1KuV4LvYNmabzWpMC2rHj7NfgPpU1T0clBkVOgTFgahb7i8KfwbvTVq5GI/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610387216177991890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNc1wCPNziXGyJsUzHUUMONQeleTIJzM3Pv-Izc5kEokUg6LqRoM_9fTv5jwBp4aDPzgVLkYOuBT3ctuJUvh0Mlxujsbq8muX6UY13Oi4Z2AL7NeWaB-iJX9nLaoyF7Zn74XeQj9yGmM/s1600/IMG_0374.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNc1wCPNziXGyJsUzHUUMONQeleTIJzM3Pv-Izc5kEokUg6LqRoM_9fTv5jwBp4aDPzgVLkYOuBT3ctuJUvh0Mlxujsbq8muX6UY13Oi4Z2AL7NeWaB-iJX9nLaoyF7Zn74XeQj9yGmM/s320/IMG_0374.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610382588987887698" /></a><br /><br />I could have taken dozens more pictures of all the details put into this hotel, it was that pretty! Tim kept giving me funny looks when I would take a picture of a piece of furniture or a panel of tile. He probably thought I was crazy but I just wanted to take lots of pictures so I could remember how amazing the hotel was. And who knows...someday when we finally get out of military housing and buy our own house I may look back at these pictures for decorating inspiration.<br /><br />I can't possibly fit our entire trip into one post so I'll save the rest for later. Until next time!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-23333702164867621522011-05-20T10:30:00.000-07:002011-05-20T10:33:03.539-07:00Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, here we come!!!<br /> <br />Tim and I are about to head off for a weekend getaway BY OURSELVES!!! No kids waking us up at 6 in the morning. No bottles to make. No poopy diapers to change! Woo-hoo!<br /><br />I plan on taking lots of pictures while we're there so when we get back I'll show you all how gorgeous it was! <br /><br />Until then, have a great weekend!!!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-16245508867995939012011-05-13T13:42:00.000-07:002011-05-13T14:07:09.215-07:00Sleeping AngelsI just realized that I take a lot of pictures of my kids sleeping. A LOT. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7D34kTY7GNZ_fFwQ1pDrBbcbvnh5MBLvdG7Elyr8d3ie0p6pwflAGJJzY9S0qnHXnt-Iala3J5IJ9G923Pu0j_ohPJQR8uJ3W2CLXi0xj-E531Nhu-icF8pbBjLjcQNpbW1GCWY35gQ4/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7D34kTY7GNZ_fFwQ1pDrBbcbvnh5MBLvdG7Elyr8d3ie0p6pwflAGJJzY9S0qnHXnt-Iala3J5IJ9G923Pu0j_ohPJQR8uJ3W2CLXi0xj-E531Nhu-icF8pbBjLjcQNpbW1GCWY35gQ4/s320/IMG_0303.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606304798208702850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzB2bTtyFrObo47ZIUOMGfwzyauhTTJ2tJI2fknThfZHxSE7JYUNG0-mlMG6Mk1yjWlb8rwbBaN5uqori6I_JqDzDzZjbTPwYppFb1cVO49nEy9AovQacgPuycTg6jCR65Gfzv1cGAzw/s1600/IMG_0275.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzB2bTtyFrObo47ZIUOMGfwzyauhTTJ2tJI2fknThfZHxSE7JYUNG0-mlMG6Mk1yjWlb8rwbBaN5uqori6I_JqDzDzZjbTPwYppFb1cVO49nEy9AovQacgPuycTg6jCR65Gfzv1cGAzw/s320/IMG_0275.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606305298148468242" /></a><br />Especially Gigi. Poor child is always photographed sleeping. I swear she has narcolepsy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPf6qdytqpfb2HB5RramymOd0zcpobZDvdxUOm3tnqXzDjIKc8znwpBi0PlobNmLGzD5CgaojhkJ5ZXBO8hY66JQ5ZOZuHVNo1wzyrfO-Vpd-UF5QdP6V_1nW_8n5ut1fiLpFgzrjI08/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPf6qdytqpfb2HB5RramymOd0zcpobZDvdxUOm3tnqXzDjIKc8znwpBi0PlobNmLGzD5CgaojhkJ5ZXBO8hY66JQ5ZOZuHVNo1wzyrfO-Vpd-UF5QdP6V_1nW_8n5ut1fiLpFgzrjI08/s320/IMG_0005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606305723922117586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23agACTx2fFOsy8gC8bdaG8-mVBhCzoYwY725zbhTr4AvIu4KwK39_wAMFdvmHn49sBzL6y3Hb1FOYIMBr1gCMElVhXZD2g8rGBZtWaJ3KwVttpyoWpqMQ9XFINS69l9SnxJWIh9Lgws/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23agACTx2fFOsy8gC8bdaG8-mVBhCzoYwY725zbhTr4AvIu4KwK39_wAMFdvmHn49sBzL6y3Hb1FOYIMBr1gCMElVhXZD2g8rGBZtWaJ3KwVttpyoWpqMQ9XFINS69l9SnxJWIh9Lgws/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606306399659522962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDEp5qmUiMwXmG8zcnoE5UTEWNZy4Rp83YhnM1O-gDczMfA2l9rkl_42j5v4ESQkxoahOBaXsoQhs5hXLMsCZ-2xa9t-o6Ll-6MziZMEfc950TtZNVbhgY247W4cYVKlerOHMaYkXkBc/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDEp5qmUiMwXmG8zcnoE5UTEWNZy4Rp83YhnM1O-gDczMfA2l9rkl_42j5v4ESQkxoahOBaXsoQhs5hXLMsCZ-2xa9t-o6Ll-6MziZMEfc950TtZNVbhgY247W4cYVKlerOHMaYkXkBc/s320/IMG_0243.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606307036233002738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ay4KF0AQSDctHGbEswyVbFPYNkwyOYu_kFlyFovH09xatKNXHmp8q3A3nFsG0GamU3vJkrSGT6pPYZkQ1deVS5M7q5-o8wHLLzcyItUfi7wRUQfR0ePgQ4Uoo710Lh7I0JYkdeD3CHA/s1600/IMG_0248.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ay4KF0AQSDctHGbEswyVbFPYNkwyOYu_kFlyFovH09xatKNXHmp8q3A3nFsG0GamU3vJkrSGT6pPYZkQ1deVS5M7q5-o8wHLLzcyItUfi7wRUQfR0ePgQ4Uoo710Lh7I0JYkdeD3CHA/s320/IMG_0248.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606307568117629538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IzB_9dqoaDgnjIKwrQKM-i7KfIaTFzjLeEiWgInj35ktPVYiB3OBQSjPlUdjBV4qGkHBQ0Zkn-cugR7g1eXW03YF_Phy1RjgqbhMeXdQB5Yd8Bdrpej120HyHtvwMQOhttAydhk0pR8/s1600/IMG_0335.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IzB_9dqoaDgnjIKwrQKM-i7KfIaTFzjLeEiWgInj35ktPVYiB3OBQSjPlUdjBV4qGkHBQ0Zkn-cugR7g1eXW03YF_Phy1RjgqbhMeXdQB5Yd8Bdrpej120HyHtvwMQOhttAydhk0pR8/s320/IMG_0335.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606308049015742898" /></a><br />I would say that at least one third of all the pictures we have of Gigi are of her sleeping<br /><br />I miss naps.<br />Oh well, maybe I'll just take a hint from them...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8C4p3kuoINyOB49-uDUmMDlAwVM8I68JsEQNbeck_BusAZRg9gdABFwrteG5QEiZwed8CcA2unbGmnZU4cEZnDT45c7fUMJVeM8cBPUpyiOBZ5p9QP1mBcdnjA02dr8JsniFp6NRz7lc/s1600/IMG_0336.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8C4p3kuoINyOB49-uDUmMDlAwVM8I68JsEQNbeck_BusAZRg9gdABFwrteG5QEiZwed8CcA2unbGmnZU4cEZnDT45c7fUMJVeM8cBPUpyiOBZ5p9QP1mBcdnjA02dr8JsniFp6NRz7lc/s320/IMG_0336.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606309034605927714" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-91459176636549747102011-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:002011-04-01T17:04:03.348-07:00Corners are Evil!My second quilt is done!! My friend and neighbor, Jodi, is having a baby shower next weekend and I want to start making baby quilts as gifts. I remember someone doing this for Mark's baby shower and it was one of my favorite gifts...it still drapes over the end of his bed. Considering I've become fairly proficient with my sewing machine and really all I'm doing is sewing straight lines, I think I'm up to the task. Except for those darn corners...I despise them with every ounce of my being! I'm sure I'll figure it out someday (many, many moons from now) but for now they are the bane of my existence. I'm just praying no one notices them at the shower or maybe if they do, they will be kind and give me some tips for defeating them.<br /><br />So other than the EVIL corners, I'm pretty happy with how the quilt turned out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xQUA-FJGp_vL-6w3rGGM2aAA5_4V9R6ZfufHtaj3-UYvjQbyI13znZONIaAnjMONrBQXfW3OBaPlVAx9jz1tYMl8AdF7iY74_6uGpSLdQxchJME7cCUWjCifs0HkQxn3iMSuO1muaFA/s1600/IMG_0257.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xQUA-FJGp_vL-6w3rGGM2aAA5_4V9R6ZfufHtaj3-UYvjQbyI13znZONIaAnjMONrBQXfW3OBaPlVAx9jz1tYMl8AdF7iY74_6uGpSLdQxchJME7cCUWjCifs0HkQxn3iMSuO1muaFA/s320/IMG_0257.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590764456470691474" /></a><br /><br />Here's a close-up of one of the corners.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03hIHPvKBQW4-uW-79-_ZgDmoahKCZ8WtHRBm_reqdFJZ8VKVLJqKLq8XEU1jCOZrdWlIRR0_Ebiy2VD5ppZq_WqC5yhpkZwZNWwkMMydwJyvpFlvhz2LQ78Sx3zZgScYcbz-g0hMiY4/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03hIHPvKBQW4-uW-79-_ZgDmoahKCZ8WtHRBm_reqdFJZ8VKVLJqKLq8XEU1jCOZrdWlIRR0_Ebiy2VD5ppZq_WqC5yhpkZwZNWwkMMydwJyvpFlvhz2LQ78Sx3zZgScYcbz-g0hMiY4/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590765362098103986" /></a><br /><br />Yes, I know this is not the proper way to sew up a corner but hey, at least it looks normal if you squint your eyes...sort of. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_u_KN4hPTE7mlJZbACVGPMNrh-2OlRDJXAauSgtQ3vHQfpJ5Uc6KJxzbhZScRyE1K7R-2vMou3fuSTK-Rw1eoukC3gHnt5fJlXu5geh2CgQeQSH2Z98NR399qYJt2vYwtEy_d983nbI/s1600/IMG_0251.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_u_KN4hPTE7mlJZbACVGPMNrh-2OlRDJXAauSgtQ3vHQfpJ5Uc6KJxzbhZScRyE1K7R-2vMou3fuSTK-Rw1eoukC3gHnt5fJlXu5geh2CgQeQSH2Z98NR399qYJt2vYwtEy_d983nbI/s320/IMG_0251.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590766354710527698" /></a><br /><br />These are some more things to get done on my project list...both the desk (which I got off craigslist for $100) and the file cabinet (hand-me-down from the parents) are getting a brand spankin' new paint job. I'm thinking it'll probably have to wait until Tim's next deployment but maybe I'll be able to squeeze it in somewhere between potty training Gigi and our trip to Virginia in June. I doubt it. <br /><br />Speaking of Gigi, would you like to see what she is doing right now?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEruYyKVC4hvraaucCDupCIFIXkzHOVv383UU_BNNfB_IGC8Mad0uk77xaEQpUWXwKhQ0SbcsreHxzAAuKrbiVRTpsEUFcZvf4Vr-45cQla1W5NnfYaMY5J_gmpqsD5lKMWVqKHwbwr0/s1600/IMG_0245.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEruYyKVC4hvraaucCDupCIFIXkzHOVv383UU_BNNfB_IGC8Mad0uk77xaEQpUWXwKhQ0SbcsreHxzAAuKrbiVRTpsEUFcZvf4Vr-45cQla1W5NnfYaMY5J_gmpqsD5lKMWVqKHwbwr0/s320/IMG_0245.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590767918808431442" /></a><br /><br />Heehee! This is what my children look like after an hour at the pool. Tim got home early from work today and decided to go to the pool since it's 90 degrees today. Oh yeah, East Coast, be jealous! That is the one thing I will miss when we leave for our next duty station...being able to wear flip-flops 9 to 10 months out of the year.<br /><br />And now since posting that picture, Mark is asleep too, poor boy!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-24014882284920863922011-03-28T20:43:00.000-07:002011-03-28T21:39:00.285-07:00Happy Birthday to my Little ManMy little boy is three today. It's hard to believe that much time has gone by since we had our first baby. Maybe that's because so much has happened in between then and now; a cross-country move, a second pregnancy, a first deployment, a second baby, health set-backs, a THIRD pregnancy, a second deployment, a mini-move to Virginia, a third baby, mini-move back to Cali...and this is all in less than three years. Just thinking about all that makes me ill. So I don't. <br /><br />I'll think about my mini-hubby then. Seriously, Mark looks NOTHING like me. The girls, yes. Him, not so much. Nothing. Nonetheless, he is an adorable little boy. Like how he wakes me up in the morning with, 'I hata pee pee, mommy.' Or when he'll just randomly shout out, 'I so happy!' and then when I ask him why he gives me a long string of jibbery-joo in which I'll only recognize one or two words like 'pancakes' or 'train.' <br /><br />He's got some pretty cute faces too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLPeckpuIAUZH0LFVKyjHEw4RzQjIjwEXtDthG-CZUT_woCuLaHjOHHZ7nPPL_fRyAVUzpIn7or24AG6Ym712STjAq-wcQBEQV5kGycNtb018hzgqdtwV9GvL_JxmhTpHop7HYVqVOSM/s1600/P1030090.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLPeckpuIAUZH0LFVKyjHEw4RzQjIjwEXtDthG-CZUT_woCuLaHjOHHZ7nPPL_fRyAVUzpIn7or24AG6Ym712STjAq-wcQBEQV5kGycNtb018hzgqdtwV9GvL_JxmhTpHop7HYVqVOSM/s320/P1030090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589350339564521442" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQqzMI969xAiw89Zt6frAqmnlP8ZT96Y2fy-PLn5UJuN7dfw5dUvOecuEeTJyMCAHplK4rdVkO92bh7-bQsozrt8gBV3fZwrRuqPyeVkNiNbyoPrQkkMu3FKX_FOEd8qDAiOfqSMR9F0/s1600/P1030131.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQqzMI969xAiw89Zt6frAqmnlP8ZT96Y2fy-PLn5UJuN7dfw5dUvOecuEeTJyMCAHplK4rdVkO92bh7-bQsozrt8gBV3fZwrRuqPyeVkNiNbyoPrQkkMu3FKX_FOEd8qDAiOfqSMR9F0/s320/P1030131.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589350706152768946" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDLI1mNVOprRF7X05sRCKMPaU60NRtxETxkdtcFyLSjSzDX3ZuI0Kpu6CKo1LkE5KvIcmtSQDSKpk1lcoUBqDyXhHIcChZEwW_7Du8BUeanlSbvslAtuzBkeDc6av1YqKXBlbjH5pWiA/s1600/P1030214.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDLI1mNVOprRF7X05sRCKMPaU60NRtxETxkdtcFyLSjSzDX3ZuI0Kpu6CKo1LkE5KvIcmtSQDSKpk1lcoUBqDyXhHIcChZEwW_7Du8BUeanlSbvslAtuzBkeDc6av1YqKXBlbjH5pWiA/s320/P1030214.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589351115363429634" /></a><br />This picture makes me laugh...he looks like a giant!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0qfACxmN9rp5PfS-QpzrCmQztM1kI1yQ-kvBSSPgmVSN0r3x9Uf7qVMQuVJEfep3v8oZ3ezPwRATvcgFd5Ubr19YwSJU500nNxrh5UE7uLtgW61OtdQJyuIWxsSiFyfTfz8Rvmzq1wM/s1600/P1030278.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0qfACxmN9rp5PfS-QpzrCmQztM1kI1yQ-kvBSSPgmVSN0r3x9Uf7qVMQuVJEfep3v8oZ3ezPwRATvcgFd5Ubr19YwSJU500nNxrh5UE7uLtgW61OtdQJyuIWxsSiFyfTfz8Rvmzq1wM/s320/P1030278.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589351511085199970" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZe2FlyEYJtdaZJs_qvSQ6E1V56feqlLh3fTPidnMAE9xEDYRbGmcInSL2Q32wSubTqaL_0EUZrHPZ40DevwbP7ItAw-euHVH1xwn-L-kwF3HiqkfaSWt_lUATnUlEeyVKvY4F0zQKffM/s1600/P1030296.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZe2FlyEYJtdaZJs_qvSQ6E1V56feqlLh3fTPidnMAE9xEDYRbGmcInSL2Q32wSubTqaL_0EUZrHPZ40DevwbP7ItAw-euHVH1xwn-L-kwF3HiqkfaSWt_lUATnUlEeyVKvY4F0zQKffM/s320/P1030296.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589351939428030082" /></a><br />This is his daddy's face all the way<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajU4FIb2oShrYWoSamKpho-qtSPNtIYoOyo8SbIgovicjmfca2jQKVtHRs-IrlU80wti_AJymPSjOwxaBnSe6tx3BuPSLrvrgQGFMvIG9xPXmSbWMCvXkFI6gI6gcuNpRHOqMcuUH4ng/s1600/P1030364.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajU4FIb2oShrYWoSamKpho-qtSPNtIYoOyo8SbIgovicjmfca2jQKVtHRs-IrlU80wti_AJymPSjOwxaBnSe6tx3BuPSLrvrgQGFMvIG9xPXmSbWMCvXkFI6gI6gcuNpRHOqMcuUH4ng/s320/P1030364.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589352369099596114" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTtDxEnEGTEXhF4oTEw7pp2rxoq92KP9XtPd3CyW46IBwVqirdAz89sctFQlYv2WzQQ1vgoBk9Ir-BClL_NBluzxGAWdLFayLEomXX-g0e2ZlfQx7nd3wF2lN8e9k4hqRj7Sbdvj-fBU/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTtDxEnEGTEXhF4oTEw7pp2rxoq92KP9XtPd3CyW46IBwVqirdAz89sctFQlYv2WzQQ1vgoBk9Ir-BClL_NBluzxGAWdLFayLEomXX-g0e2ZlfQx7nd3wF2lN8e9k4hqRj7Sbdvj-fBU/s320/IMG_0019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589353755572121538" /></a><br /><br />He is just so precious. Now that he can say 'I love you mommy' and give me a great big hug, I love him even more, if that is possible. <br /><br />Happy Birthday to my first baby, Mark!! You are turning into one handsome little man and I love you so much!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-36715966657075740082011-03-18T19:50:00.000-07:002011-03-19T19:08:09.153-07:00Happy Birthday Sweet Gigi!My little girl is two today. My, how time has flown by! I still remember inwardly laughing during her birth because she couldn't wait 24 hours for her daddy to get home from Iraq. She came on HER time and I remember thinking, 'oh boy, if this is how this child is going to be we are in for a ride.' So here I sit, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the terrible two's to kick in...<br /><br />But let's think back to cuter days...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SP0Sffsk-19e56q-UWjqUD-rvSxfu4fuXO3tN86hwAOWnd_U-KVzAVgeJ59Eqp-BEp-SvNShgqqjc8HRu628IAIDXUbh8X0v7uifRUe9b3D_WABj4185zqV6WYDDyTxsG_nz8Ajg9_Q/s1600/P1030123.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SP0Sffsk-19e56q-UWjqUD-rvSxfu4fuXO3tN86hwAOWnd_U-KVzAVgeJ59Eqp-BEp-SvNShgqqjc8HRu628IAIDXUbh8X0v7uifRUe9b3D_WABj4185zqV6WYDDyTxsG_nz8Ajg9_Q/s320/P1030123.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585977683448042034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSrNUHiu8SGbeUfA6ovf6XC4lMJEqDDbdV5VC_68xfUL-txX1z9nR_FYB8hFXYWEC2HmA6yUdvV7NRcBL-R-aZTvZ_u9FslKs7GFkNH1Ug-HoKa1Z6Mw-op2n52d3gTDrOf_zvmR6iRU/s1600/P1030132.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSrNUHiu8SGbeUfA6ovf6XC4lMJEqDDbdV5VC_68xfUL-txX1z9nR_FYB8hFXYWEC2HmA6yUdvV7NRcBL-R-aZTvZ_u9FslKs7GFkNH1Ug-HoKa1Z6Mw-op2n52d3gTDrOf_zvmR6iRU/s320/P1030132.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585977444191077138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzzJounsqi9PIFdiTvUl6xF3g01XvyCgnrKo4lgmm1jD7nOt29R8J4kNQuJ-ZofL0lDA_Suo0iHLxuKkr_VZ9GubUWaml50VhlIMkCiJ7bvQgQxxHLE9vkfOa6jMaCTunVT3Dz0fOtYo/s1600/P1030149.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzzJounsqi9PIFdiTvUl6xF3g01XvyCgnrKo4lgmm1jD7nOt29R8J4kNQuJ-ZofL0lDA_Suo0iHLxuKkr_VZ9GubUWaml50VhlIMkCiJ7bvQgQxxHLE9vkfOa6jMaCTunVT3Dz0fOtYo/s320/P1030149.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585977198841380402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3SwyAxJe4B2UWAYbkId1BxIB_8S_7Lwm7esovkQANsDYQpvRs9kpbwfKfL7PLK5Uii5Olg7XkhwUm7cZ28m7NhrmRMre88_wo5gPunCc7oZuym9e1YkM9r3HGf5BX6ki-7xrFyxMudY/s1600/P1030197.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3SwyAxJe4B2UWAYbkId1BxIB_8S_7Lwm7esovkQANsDYQpvRs9kpbwfKfL7PLK5Uii5Olg7XkhwUm7cZ28m7NhrmRMre88_wo5gPunCc7oZuym9e1YkM9r3HGf5BX6ki-7xrFyxMudY/s320/P1030197.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585976648979364706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SOQFlm3FwmfZeBTk992ziGFkO0q3JO-JnyfO551-NK6j4uoh6df3uxYEF8IqqbTz1SqZC7XkSp2kWHMZfKF0GEC-9cVnOWMGdvtB9dhGUxxe-ckYQQqkOP5ID-JrCyWKRjv5PtW3bFs/s1600/P1030260.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SOQFlm3FwmfZeBTk992ziGFkO0q3JO-JnyfO551-NK6j4uoh6df3uxYEF8IqqbTz1SqZC7XkSp2kWHMZfKF0GEC-9cVnOWMGdvtB9dhGUxxe-ckYQQqkOP5ID-JrCyWKRjv5PtW3bFs/s320/P1030260.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585976217689179954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFJMhkCoi7i6hqUdCgXY7qJgoCbqyYj6sydZrmtPuqKb70V-zCyjMbGjww2nZ2finOy0TMHpLpRSHSkzaKz71LD8dZr6CuQKIkXwJxHcX0LOyqg5d4qKkNro9n2HIKs3fBUZgIZfWN1g/s1600/P1030399.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFJMhkCoi7i6hqUdCgXY7qJgoCbqyYj6sydZrmtPuqKb70V-zCyjMbGjww2nZ2finOy0TMHpLpRSHSkzaKz71LD8dZr6CuQKIkXwJxHcX0LOyqg5d4qKkNro9n2HIKs3fBUZgIZfWN1g/s320/P1030399.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585975853081408098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpy3kTrqFkSRrWkHAzqQZcc1oXCsF2nuQML0VqklHTXMHXZXmakdhONBkR-H8vOFRmqa92sxpRP3MICH6kB9X4_2vwbt0mIoHytDE4ALgUMjsik4d995W_95dnxaCMTGvkHqNBx8mIymA/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpy3kTrqFkSRrWkHAzqQZcc1oXCsF2nuQML0VqklHTXMHXZXmakdhONBkR-H8vOFRmqa92sxpRP3MICH6kB9X4_2vwbt0mIoHytDE4ALgUMjsik4d995W_95dnxaCMTGvkHqNBx8mIymA/s320/IMG_0022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585974874418102306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqdi_WHBNZAs8Rwln2WPnPWPvKbquP4Uja_9ZR89d5T8AMEaym8QYVEF-9I7eyUpandzD2gQMCE6jE0xAwSXlS-VRnC4Ghq_cbJet10wQIOV37gJQRaWLiQV0GueIR6hkcV5w-h_Ftuw/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqdi_WHBNZAs8Rwln2WPnPWPvKbquP4Uja_9ZR89d5T8AMEaym8QYVEF-9I7eyUpandzD2gQMCE6jE0xAwSXlS-VRnC4Ghq_cbJet10wQIOV37gJQRaWLiQV0GueIR6hkcV5w-h_Ftuw/s320/IMG_0065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585974715393557474" /></a><br /><br /><br />She is such a spunky, sassy little pistol! Oh, how I love her! Even when she's screaming.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-65190717417045111112011-03-12T20:37:00.000-08:002011-03-15T11:31:06.991-07:00Can Anybody Relate?I've been in a bit of a rut the past few weeks. I wouldn't exactly call it writer's block since I am not really a writer. Not even close. Writing is hard, for me anyway. I know it come naturally to some people and those are the people that I envy, the ones that can pull a witty comment out of their brains when needed (I also envy people with great hair). But I am not like that. It takes me a very long time to put together a thought to put on paper (or computer) and then when I do find what I want to say, I often end up changing it about two or three times. I might need to come back and change this entire paragraph in a few minutes. We'll see. I think I over-proofread, if there is such a thing. Or maybe I'm just anal.<br /><br />So writing aside, it's been very busy in my house lately. I'm going to chalk it up to having three very small children and a hubby who has had to work a lot the past few weeks. And I'm not gonna lie; it is tough having all three of the ankle-biters by myself. Sometimes my friends without kids refer to me as 'super-mom' and while that is flattering, the truth is, I barely make it to the end of the day some days. I thought I was tired when I was pregnant. This does not even compare. Most of the time I wish I could do this all day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAdFYq_SY0WBmsCVU8ITPLvCiONP_TcEkNjtnRwMn7dkw0B_0mhz43WkYHrNDXdGSTdjvQw7VKJlNZ2ErpxMO1k1y-ytv0UKcHvsGhPVo2xl7DviZ1VEWw9DUQ-XzeCu6ebFehqnXGug/s1600/P1030679.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAdFYq_SY0WBmsCVU8ITPLvCiONP_TcEkNjtnRwMn7dkw0B_0mhz43WkYHrNDXdGSTdjvQw7VKJlNZ2ErpxMO1k1y-ytv0UKcHvsGhPVo2xl7DviZ1VEWw9DUQ-XzeCu6ebFehqnXGug/s320/P1030679.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583426211072175058" /></a><br />I love my girls...and my boy too, of course, but he wasn't in the picture. He was probably busy...thinking. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MT5f-66y3kX7uuXU6uIdpXQ4Ce8QY1tF7k9btbtORSbZeZyMp-_X9YqyIZZFk9Ty3EsF2vQQbbzze4My0QGbztKuXIbtTgYA030hggJGyG0GBMu9MjObxKjrd1HDFZO_y4d4cvrkayQ/s1600/P1030694.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MT5f-66y3kX7uuXU6uIdpXQ4Ce8QY1tF7k9btbtORSbZeZyMp-_X9YqyIZZFk9Ty3EsF2vQQbbzze4My0QGbztKuXIbtTgYA030hggJGyG0GBMu9MjObxKjrd1HDFZO_y4d4cvrkayQ/s320/P1030694.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583428106687522658" /></a><br />Isn't that where all men do their deep thinking? On the toilet? Well, my boy is just following suit. And yes, I put his potty in our living room because it was easier during potty training. Don't judge me. <br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlELsaAqfP_65uitMTYnz3yoqzU7E8PjSskF5tWInw6r9ezWCzdNzQX361WKJ0kbKmjpfCCbk_4QA6Ap7LwDJlfR8U-2coOov7s8nDaP-9HL4bZ0IHxbLfbpy5JnYCTXCnWpzZkEQigcE/s1600/P1030690.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlELsaAqfP_65uitMTYnz3yoqzU7E8PjSskF5tWInw6r9ezWCzdNzQX361WKJ0kbKmjpfCCbk_4QA6Ap7LwDJlfR8U-2coOov7s8nDaP-9HL4bZ0IHxbLfbpy5JnYCTXCnWpzZkEQigcE/s320/P1030690.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584372949122277186" /></a><br /> Are these not two of the cutest little girls? They are so sweet. Gianna decided to kiss the pavement a couple days before I took this picture...I swear that girl is always smacking herself somewhere!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMpgLaZlCT_6Bdk3as2GAav3azVp6jA7AxqoK1czcPQ1O6az4UIMzPGaGaUrFZTmek3Sd1ZjTa9FxzvLeXOnjTohvXF2pqyh-zpIJDuS6ffHtJZmc9UprVFKHbaKutV3n9P3WFIqQNwE/s1600/P1030691.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMpgLaZlCT_6Bdk3as2GAav3azVp6jA7AxqoK1czcPQ1O6az4UIMzPGaGaUrFZTmek3Sd1ZjTa9FxzvLeXOnjTohvXF2pqyh-zpIJDuS6ffHtJZmc9UprVFKHbaKutV3n9P3WFIqQNwE/s320/P1030691.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584373825116806626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUB26NqlbREoPvIyl22IxuNcNPHYukVFrSkeRxnxj_rwN72H2YgToGNMqxHJVrB6OZgPXXGJkNjVRmfdmYHvt0hNQwHjD6vcnS5QW1AJ9Ev0NiSxlogF4lSbPHkCMvvkhEoEetSOtj04/s1600/P1030702.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUB26NqlbREoPvIyl22IxuNcNPHYukVFrSkeRxnxj_rwN72H2YgToGNMqxHJVrB6OZgPXXGJkNjVRmfdmYHvt0hNQwHjD6vcnS5QW1AJ9Ev0NiSxlogF4lSbPHkCMvvkhEoEetSOtj04/s320/P1030702.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584374308647332162" /></a><br />He's such a sweet boy<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaObKb5-KkDxhgflCsoIXaWw95rXA976-QApAFuOFxqk34ZWnjcpeAJsHoAqjf_05N7uY_4Uh9765BvLUvvEyyKybTev-zWCHSGoQC-WFFvDGeWcr7MuZePQswIG54FGnLpy31gnKPFEY/s1600/P1030704.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaObKb5-KkDxhgflCsoIXaWw95rXA976-QApAFuOFxqk34ZWnjcpeAJsHoAqjf_05N7uY_4Uh9765BvLUvvEyyKybTev-zWCHSGoQC-WFFvDGeWcr7MuZePQswIG54FGnLpy31gnKPFEY/s320/P1030704.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584374853215606850" /></a><br />I still haven't been able to get a good picture with all three of them...I'm working on it.<br /><br />That's it for now. Hopefully by my next post I will have finished a project or two so I have something interesting to talk about!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-70584048544949868602011-02-23T12:29:00.000-08:002011-02-23T16:01:22.394-08:00I Might Have an AddictionI've discovered the awesomeness of spray paint. In particular, a wonderful color called 'Heirloom White' by Rustoleum. I'm pretty new to this whole DIY thing and I recently stumbled upon a blog called 'Centsational Girl.' It's by a woman named Kate who lives in Northern California and is possibly one of the most creative people ever. Here's the website if you want to check it out: http://www.centsationalgirl.com/. <br /><br />After finding her, I now have a list of a million things I want to make or refinish. It'll keep me busy when Tim deploys again next year. One of the projects she did was to refinish some ugly, brassy, crystal lamps; a little spray paint, a new lampshade and voila! A brand new beautiful lamp! So I started thinking, 'I can do that too!' I just needed to get some lamps in need of a new home and all the essential supplies and I would have some gorgeous lamps for my master bedroom. So I started looking on ebay to see what I could find and I came across three lamps that I had to have. Two were crystal and brass and the other was this awesome driftwood lamp: one crystal lamp for my nightstand, the driftwood lamp for hubby's nightstand and the other crystal lamp for my craft and sewing desk. And the best part was I got all three for under $100, including shipping! I actually think the shipping was the most expensive part of the whole project.<br /><br />I just finished the two crystal lamps today and they look gorgeous! Here is a picture of one of them before:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUakKLXvsnOzoiJux4T3HyNTdcPhEWbEC3BjjPI_C_1BHVMTFSgfk0feF5WvnlU71hcMKhojUdkuXC68kRK_pvHqf_R_B5cuqblDL0GCLT3IuDojOIgFx-YK1HQGKSpBsH9R2__xZNEs/s1600/IMG_0181.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUakKLXvsnOzoiJux4T3HyNTdcPhEWbEC3BjjPI_C_1BHVMTFSgfk0feF5WvnlU71hcMKhojUdkuXC68kRK_pvHqf_R_B5cuqblDL0GCLT3IuDojOIgFx-YK1HQGKSpBsH9R2__xZNEs/s320/IMG_0181.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577012145142311874" /></a><br />Notice the rust on the bottom...classy.<br /><br />I forgot to take a before picture of the other crystal lamp but it's basically the same idea, although the crystal design is a bit different. And no wonder the shipping was so expensive...those suckers were heavy!<br /><br />During this project I discovered that I really like taking things apart and putting them back together. Here are the lamps after they were disassembled and before I started spray painting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ViNQmMF28ASyDlq8ZqZzvLZDnL39QC5uInjwNXhAfE7RV1WViFDqj6KnHXivdElP_yYzWVi9kwPonTQ1a1ZfSBORIqJza5BkjlmB-OIKIlHSCz8BMFgglABTI6O7Zno-pvKDJTQQqDs/s1600/P1030639.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ViNQmMF28ASyDlq8ZqZzvLZDnL39QC5uInjwNXhAfE7RV1WViFDqj6KnHXivdElP_yYzWVi9kwPonTQ1a1ZfSBORIqJza5BkjlmB-OIKIlHSCz8BMFgglABTI6O7Zno-pvKDJTQQqDs/s320/P1030639.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577014101892006930" /></a><br /><br />Gianna was NOT in the mood to have her picture taken.<br /><br />Yesterday it was warm enough to start painting and since it was my first time spray painting anything, it took a little while. But the results made it all worth it and the 'Heirloom White' was the perfect color for this project.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9qDLUuSsiNvexQwfwCXJSkHLJPphFdeynJegMr8N9s2w8RuorPKfS2P4LZ-Rs-yWTWcYFgxNp52N9RGKDDz4UGxm_tYvX_23G90vZGFEIVc2Hiq9KuEr47eOpvsFThBr_qsldqs75pQ/s1600/P1030643.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9qDLUuSsiNvexQwfwCXJSkHLJPphFdeynJegMr8N9s2w8RuorPKfS2P4LZ-Rs-yWTWcYFgxNp52N9RGKDDz4UGxm_tYvX_23G90vZGFEIVc2Hiq9KuEr47eOpvsFThBr_qsldqs75pQ/s320/P1030643.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577015427641943506" /></a><br /><br />Finally it was time to put them together, the moment I had been waiting for! I purchased some lamp re-wiring kits at Wal-mart because who knows how old the current wiring was. And the lamp shades were quite a find. The white shade to go with the lamp for my desk I found at TJ Maxx for $10. And the shade for the other lamp I got at Pottery Barn with a gift card so it was FREE. So, after all the scrounging for deals and elbow grease, I have a couple of (NEW!) gorgeous crystal lamps!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBzaqZe_ulyiVzELcDPLt4W10RD7jQCKebdKpGihxkHqtwWJ29kE6gnYFYLZNKAfXPP3EfL-iUFhif1MbtpZHFtLuefFd8nKrb0kRJkckCqjb1w9OiMtY4JoEFB0JTCk-FxxPS8Zj5vA/s1600/P1030653.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBzaqZe_ulyiVzELcDPLt4W10RD7jQCKebdKpGihxkHqtwWJ29kE6gnYFYLZNKAfXPP3EfL-iUFhif1MbtpZHFtLuefFd8nKrb0kRJkckCqjb1w9OiMtY4JoEFB0JTCk-FxxPS8Zj5vA/s320/P1030653.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577017948372996914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdsi9O0T08GmxciMhOVf7hB97oIEwc_kqaq11PBEuLAl3HuZnhZf9Z5Qn-P_Hhp2osh8m6sY52TJzlOBOMuBnVTkEez3inRBuGSwjP9Q9xRQ9As8L9nWKwBXw8QeRKaAwGPl8zsmZBio/s1600/P1030655.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdsi9O0T08GmxciMhOVf7hB97oIEwc_kqaq11PBEuLAl3HuZnhZf9Z5Qn-P_Hhp2osh8m6sY52TJzlOBOMuBnVTkEez3inRBuGSwjP9Q9xRQ9As8L9nWKwBXw8QeRKaAwGPl8zsmZBio/s320/P1030655.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577018060756997106" /></a><br /><br />I paid 99 cents for the first lamp and 9.95 for the second lamp...for real! A crystal lamp can retail for hundreds so I'm pretty happy with what a steal these were. And now I have a lamp for my nightstand and it looks perfect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3dYBYWNWbi6Is_Be5Oe_9zqSp0bx-AjX-Zjq6m1hENXv0LqyZOiZPAtRIjPHfho0l9x_KZc_s6m3sOxOGwWdDIVY7YEjwkQouHV6abKdgye27twV26apVK9EjbPbrnZJJza3VETBprM/s1600/P1030657.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3dYBYWNWbi6Is_Be5Oe_9zqSp0bx-AjX-Zjq6m1hENXv0LqyZOiZPAtRIjPHfho0l9x_KZc_s6m3sOxOGwWdDIVY7YEjwkQouHV6abKdgye27twV26apVK9EjbPbrnZJJza3VETBprM/s320/P1030657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577019551637287090" /></a><br /><br />I know I said I got a third lamp...a driftwood lamp...but I will have to save that one for later. It needs LOTS of tlc because it is the ugliest thing right now! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGBcXTI8P_-n60-HHiN10zsj41LuRbMfShik_aIK8w3DgeiQirplpFwDCuBNPoK7kyyAngxQaFiHlmxx69lsOWBSi8ObvDL918mV0VOD_oao5SRDMpLjAl7SGCYX40yAevztSKkx3ZsU/s1600/P1030675.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGBcXTI8P_-n60-HHiN10zsj41LuRbMfShik_aIK8w3DgeiQirplpFwDCuBNPoK7kyyAngxQaFiHlmxx69lsOWBSi8ObvDL918mV0VOD_oao5SRDMpLjAl7SGCYX40yAevztSKkx3ZsU/s320/P1030675.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577020673402708578" /></a><br /><br />But just wait. When I'm done with it, this nasty, narly piece of driftwood is going to be the perfect masculine lamp for my hubby's side of the bed. But for right now I'm going to peek into my room to ooh and aah over my new feminine crystal reading lamp...again.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-42055080734296634962011-02-22T15:10:00.000-08:002011-02-22T15:54:47.335-08:00My First QuiltI LOVE quilts. I think they are beautiful. I prefer sleeping under a beautiful, warm quilt to a traditional bedspread any day. Martha Stewart has some incredible ones at Macy's and I actually have one of hers on my bed that I got on sale. Here is a close-up of the embroidery.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRyg4TsTs7COwMYPKcxvVpdpdBgrbEgXNwLuf7bnVw_gHI4U6PkYr_DryxeeNjvvPb4XNaJhjuJoOBrZ-H88R-jgYgQdp2YKnDB0Mv_Sje-X8D1rp0ru7Ms1ziiJ7t1y6vndNVyuZxjQ/s1600/P1030647.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRyg4TsTs7COwMYPKcxvVpdpdBgrbEgXNwLuf7bnVw_gHI4U6PkYr_DryxeeNjvvPb4XNaJhjuJoOBrZ-H88R-jgYgQdp2YKnDB0Mv_Sje-X8D1rp0ru7Ms1ziiJ7t1y6vndNVyuZxjQ/s320/P1030647.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576659180841169970" /></a><br /><br />Love it! I have lots of color in the rest of my house but in the bedroom I like to keep it warm and neutral and light. I find it more relaxing.<br /><br />So I got it into my head a few weeks ago to make a quilt. I took some of the girls' old receiving blankets and made a small quilt. It was tough and it took a few weeks to get it done but I am extremely happy with how it turned out. <br /><br />Here is the front, cut from receiving blankets.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGswE7JuyeRDrTymew7LBBGaN4GS6mm8dCJTsTOzS4O_O2WT4X32-3DCmtBE-g3zfmB0ZG7EhcjXGoezz8a2pcXSsaB7r3jbBW5C9BzWcZsszifRg-FFfXFHmURgqCrCZAmHIo1fjFIE/s1600/P1030645.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGswE7JuyeRDrTymew7LBBGaN4GS6mm8dCJTsTOzS4O_O2WT4X32-3DCmtBE-g3zfmB0ZG7EhcjXGoezz8a2pcXSsaB7r3jbBW5C9BzWcZsszifRg-FFfXFHmURgqCrCZAmHIo1fjFIE/s320/P1030645.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576663911715778258" /></a><br /><br />The backing fabric I found on Amazon .<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFLwBf6d5QX3jGWJBSDuM_l0Q164LPRxkdOHhNcHuZ3dt016nNk9quYmAVcWso2J4fHSzS96lim5ds0B7xMSNRQZP95tFR5m8JRd77O6F_C8ja2Pv0g6G9dlNrwDQsBOZhdfSLoh5h4o/s1600/P1030646.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFLwBf6d5QX3jGWJBSDuM_l0Q164LPRxkdOHhNcHuZ3dt016nNk9quYmAVcWso2J4fHSzS96lim5ds0B7xMSNRQZP95tFR5m8JRd77O6F_C8ja2Pv0g6G9dlNrwDQsBOZhdfSLoh5h4o/s320/P1030646.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576664577641615474" /></a><br /><br />It was not an easy undertaking but I'm so proud of myself for finishing it and now the girls will have a comfy quilt to snuggle with that mommy made for them.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-81825662710575713972011-02-16T15:41:00.000-08:002011-02-16T16:04:56.932-08:00Naval Aviation CentennialThis past Saturday was the 100th birthday of Naval Aviation. North Island on Coronado hosted the event and had booths and military aircraft on display and had an air demonstration of all the different types of aircraft in today's military. Tim was lucky enough to be able to fly in the formation of 53's from his squadron, HMH-466, The Wolfpack. He told me how excited he was that he would get to be a part of history. After all, Naval Aviation only turns 100 once!<br /><br />For about two seconds I considered going to the Centennial with the kids. By myself. In a huge crowd of thousands of people. With a 2-year old, 1-year old and 4-month old. Okay nevermind, bad idea. I mean, I wish I could have gone and gotten pictures of Tim flying and actually been able to SEE him fly (I still have never done this and he's had his wings for almost four year), but after hearing that some people were stuck in traffic downtown for FOUR hours, I'm so glad I did not. Can you say nervous breakdown?<br /><br />Anyway, Tim took our camera with him and had his crew chief take pictures during the flight. They turned out so well. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatzP-RQZ0l0H85TaAQHxCj8IUTsg-QHgSbp1pqJiJusm58_4kOufK3_JLg0_s2nME-LWtUjqWtyrbUz0Yn54jyrflUEl4JQKJ_t9UZauejvQ89P1qzWab1ax_zuyDFq_Sl582DbwMye4/s1600/P1030583.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatzP-RQZ0l0H85TaAQHxCj8IUTsg-QHgSbp1pqJiJusm58_4kOufK3_JLg0_s2nME-LWtUjqWtyrbUz0Yn54jyrflUEl4JQKJ_t9UZauejvQ89P1qzWab1ax_zuyDFq_Sl582DbwMye4/s320/P1030583.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574439479226345266" /></a><br />You can see his name on the back of his helmet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFzmyVOehbYrxrwr9SFhQQKEeBlMUF0vK4CTo2gctxSl-lPInb1eJyFYud4fOhuX7AHduGkRwCq9AeOH6sHvSKBCnnfBV3tRk-JoEGz6s9aGRaRNDgpgvg2FHGAsaWOsgO_xAei4N2sE/s1600/P1030582.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFzmyVOehbYrxrwr9SFhQQKEeBlMUF0vK4CTo2gctxSl-lPInb1eJyFYud4fOhuX7AHduGkRwCq9AeOH6sHvSKBCnnfBV3tRk-JoEGz6s9aGRaRNDgpgvg2FHGAsaWOsgO_xAei4N2sE/s320/P1030582.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574440110417915794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQtu14oTrO7PDW1Abmwde3-kl81w5xdIlRqYVEOupbGCGzkLpfQIJoGLCO_q5V4eT-LhF-OWpOZQNKYXVfbbewQ7MLpUTaKZjWQtHAimtkr2Dy5b_5NjXMHQFqEZzSTO5vHNxuuK1df4/s1600/P1030596.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQtu14oTrO7PDW1Abmwde3-kl81w5xdIlRqYVEOupbGCGzkLpfQIJoGLCO_q5V4eT-LhF-OWpOZQNKYXVfbbewQ7MLpUTaKZjWQtHAimtkr2Dy5b_5NjXMHQFqEZzSTO5vHNxuuK1df4/s320/P1030596.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574440392774593186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJS37zIBGvUJ-z4W_LPUb7HKZNdqLXGM-MZWXD0kZDE9_FYQNaIEtBA033wFvxe7YmUTZCxg4rSZUe1WtOX9I_WsHGyEkrM1tSuz8jV4iMGcK8pjNYqSa9Hti2Mi9Q0_y62GszM4VUvpM/s1600/P1030604.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJS37zIBGvUJ-z4W_LPUb7HKZNdqLXGM-MZWXD0kZDE9_FYQNaIEtBA033wFvxe7YmUTZCxg4rSZUe1WtOX9I_WsHGyEkrM1tSuz8jV4iMGcK8pjNYqSa9Hti2Mi9Q0_y62GszM4VUvpM/s320/P1030604.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574440708583496754" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXTwZrcIgXqhCpuXYiiTiwSvEIa8Fi57XNR6OYrMjIDr5e420wEgAAmLt34tN-VxjUmsQ7Upi1yb59E8ZXL44bdhobZk43nF6gZexDS_OuaYtt3HRmThWTc60zoJ4H1vn6B3edDYcKP0/s1600/P1030611.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXTwZrcIgXqhCpuXYiiTiwSvEIa8Fi57XNR6OYrMjIDr5e420wEgAAmLt34tN-VxjUmsQ7Upi1yb59E8ZXL44bdhobZk43nF6gZexDS_OuaYtt3HRmThWTc60zoJ4H1vn6B3edDYcKP0/s320/P1030611.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574440962290987874" /></a><br />Look at all those people crammed onto the U.S.S. Midway<br /><br />I'm so proud of my husband for what he has chosen to do with his life. And I'm so proud to be able to say that I'm a Marine Corps wife. Semper Fi.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-85453376267998284542011-02-15T16:05:00.000-08:002011-02-15T18:05:51.497-08:00Dirty ThirtyMy birthday was such a great day this year! By far it was the best birthday I've ever had. <br /><br />Tim made me gluten-free pancakes for breakfast. I finally like pancakes, now that I can't eat real ones. Kinda ironic. My birthday gift already came in the mail. I told Tim I wanted a brown tufted leather storage bench for our bedroom; he told me to get it, so I did. And I love it!! It looks gorgeous in our room, see...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSivVTjEwJzl2YpPsXiLDVvf9VfudQLTo41TeFaDcY3UxWI6SV6VLIGHcNAEhMVwpPu7g5MXMgV36Kcq3W0uPvyICIaepy8eHboG0j6Te82-rXOitRVw92i9yXfj6lez7FCdagmzppWrM/s1600/IMG_0182.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSivVTjEwJzl2YpPsXiLDVvf9VfudQLTo41TeFaDcY3UxWI6SV6VLIGHcNAEhMVwpPu7g5MXMgV36Kcq3W0uPvyICIaepy8eHboG0j6Te82-rXOitRVw92i9yXfj6lez7FCdagmzppWrM/s320/IMG_0182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574081841905511762" /></a><br /><br />Gor-ge-ous! I found it on Overstock. LOVE that place. If we ever built a house, we could decorate and furnish it entirely from overstock. Hmm...some day.<br /><br />Anyway, back to reality...for lunch I wanted Zpizza so we went to the location we usually go to and they were OUT of gluten-free crust. Whatever. Carmel Mountain also was out of gluten-free crust. Okay now I'm a little panicky. We called over to the La Jolla Zpizza and thank goodness they came thru for me. I might have cried. Blood sugar back to normal. Mmmm...my thai gluten-free pizza was delicious! My hubby is wonderful for driving for an hour just to get me what I wanted on my birthday. <br /><br />So, after the pilgrimage to find my pizza was over, I had to drop Tim off on base because he was leaving for two weeks for work. Yeah, it kinda sucks that he had to leave in the middle of my birthday but that's military life. You get used to it. After that it was just me and the kids at home. They played with their toys and I played with my sewing machine and finished my first before & after project. I made some curtain for the kitchen window.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2lRZOKsW829Eau_-eaCdkpk5iZSAdknuCOaqncAMdzqsYbm71r4DUpENa3bsXmmFTltxiniim-_SehxR1L-j6ZV7S9G2nl_20tLslXAQzlIgogVVMhRhxU81wDEDK3QWfbW3zMJ2vMg/s1600/P1030618.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2lRZOKsW829Eau_-eaCdkpk5iZSAdknuCOaqncAMdzqsYbm71r4DUpENa3bsXmmFTltxiniim-_SehxR1L-j6ZV7S9G2nl_20tLslXAQzlIgogVVMhRhxU81wDEDK3QWfbW3zMJ2vMg/s320/P1030618.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574086861714562914" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIJJ48KxNNtyh7AKp1TcA71_XnyS1JzpmwAkd4WFPWWBeM30pQFZW2kq37V0opyn9rPSCNAxm1bbbNlKWCBVl_SDjctA8PaUpZUxG1Sb5vwnizPVnBX_nHl4GUzYWBrW0htB80Pz0xck/s1600/P1030621.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIJJ48KxNNtyh7AKp1TcA71_XnyS1JzpmwAkd4WFPWWBeM30pQFZW2kq37V0opyn9rPSCNAxm1bbbNlKWCBVl_SDjctA8PaUpZUxG1Sb5vwnizPVnBX_nHl4GUzYWBrW0htB80Pz0xck/s320/P1030621.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574083327786331794" /></a><br /><br />I'm still not sure whether I like them or not. No, let me rephrase: I like them, I just don't like them there. I might move them into the laundry room, which also needs some curtains. I think I want something more colorful in the kitchen since it is completely white. Oh, the joys of living in military housing. This is the first time I have my kids all alone too so I was a little overwhelmed and wasn't able to go to the 466 Wives' Coffee because I needed to relax after all the driving and craziness of the day. BUT (this is the best part!) two of the wives, Kathryn and Jessica came to my house after the coffee and brought me a gluten-free chocolate cake with gluten-free chocolate icing! Can you say 'exactly what I needed after this crazy day?' I sure can. It was delicious and didn't taste like a gluten-free cake at all. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecHnO_cDnDmG7Qf82QJ5dCrMFBBW1uLDbur27RTWvFXkXLA8R6c9_2jsJtEyMS88ZNmGyK27arT1eYcFIL4H_16zKTX7nxmXSbc1qAr_XAEMbQhVOXE07suEQ6G5ES1yb-tiHvU0yRl0/s1600/P1030620.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecHnO_cDnDmG7Qf82QJ5dCrMFBBW1uLDbur27RTWvFXkXLA8R6c9_2jsJtEyMS88ZNmGyK27arT1eYcFIL4H_16zKTX7nxmXSbc1qAr_XAEMbQhVOXE07suEQ6G5ES1yb-tiHvU0yRl0/s320/P1030620.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574082132457079218" /></a><br /><br />That was also my Valentine's Day dessert. Yummy! So that was my day. It was very eventful and in between everything that happened I got to skpe with family which made it just about perfect. Now I'm off to put the kids to bed so I can enjoy some peace and quiet and Glee.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-86956070622527158642010-03-27T16:38:00.000-07:002010-03-27T16:46:19.706-07:00Snug as a BugLast night, I got an email from Tim. I was just about to write him back but thought I'd check on the babies first. I'm so glad I did. What I found was this...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgTVx5CAt4l6qQUkM-5mZUfjySIoykVDhnIG6KvOjXSgHOY9PV8AzQ2pV0ikaFCB7g7JR9Ryez8xzreSAMctRZpu3r0pW8BXPKbfTWAyh1h-7obxswvh0y0qpnNJ-7zvAy9RCkMuE_Lc/s1600/P1030083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgTVx5CAt4l6qQUkM-5mZUfjySIoykVDhnIG6KvOjXSgHOY9PV8AzQ2pV0ikaFCB7g7JR9Ryez8xzreSAMctRZpu3r0pW8BXPKbfTWAyh1h-7obxswvh0y0qpnNJ-7zvAy9RCkMuE_Lc/s320/P1030083.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453463840853424450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrSPP64TD1YuJ6spsUnjgTO6-91HF5Jz15zozf3UH-5r_h9t6K5kyiJArTZV2LhifGDAyYuXJwOPhHYJqKZia3nOB4CYJYiqZgZJ4t5zqU9vN14vb4MZhhcgWleblXMt6ck5xQtX_7mM/s1600/P1030084.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrSPP64TD1YuJ6spsUnjgTO6-91HF5Jz15zozf3UH-5r_h9t6K5kyiJArTZV2LhifGDAyYuXJwOPhHYJqKZia3nOB4CYJYiqZgZJ4t5zqU9vN14vb4MZhhcgWleblXMt6ck5xQtX_7mM/s320/P1030084.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453463496722008834" /></a><br /><br /><br />I grabbed my camera and prayed that I wouldn't wake them. Luckily, they didn't stir so I took a couple pics, quietly left the room and proceeded to send the pictures to Tim so he could see what the rugrats were up too.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298829768723590879.post-58400089273716889082010-03-25T16:25:00.000-07:002010-03-25T17:04:34.232-07:00BirthdaysMy house is peaceful at the moment. Both babies are sleeping and I've just taken a shower and brushed my teeth for the first time since___(fill in the blank-gross). It's amazing how something as small as a shower can make a person feel human again, not to mention putting on real clothes, rather than schlupping around the house in pj's all day long. <br /><br />It's only Thursday and Tim left for deployment on Monday. Already this one feels very different from the last. I'm not sure why, but even though my responsibilities have increased, my stress has decreased. Instead of one child to take care of while pregnant, now I have two. With that comes more toys, more laundry and more messes and clutter in general. I miss Tim terribly, but I have a sense of peace and calm that I didn't have during the last deployment. Before, I worried about things I had no control over, big things. I'm learning to let go of those big things, the things that God is keeping an eye on for me, and enjoy the time I have right now. I have a list that I want to accomplish during this deployment like learn how to sew, get Mark potty-trained before the new baby comes, and get to know San Diego better. We'll see how many items actually get checked off...I'm a litle nervous about the potty-training.<br /><br />In a way, I am very lucky. I am a stay-at-home mom and, even though I need a break every now and them from, 'No, give it back to your sister,' 'Share!,' and 'Don't touch that!' I get to be the one to see them walk and talk and learn new things. Tim will miss a great deal of their little lives and it saddens me that their Daddy will miss so many cute things that they do. But I try not to dwell on that too much. I am trying to make it a point to not dwell on the multiples of negatives in my life right now, but instead look at the blessings we have. And there are many. I just need to be reminded occasionally, especially when I'm covered in spit-up and dirt.<br /><br />This past weekend, before Tim left, we celebrated both babies' birthdays. Gianna's 1st birthday was the 19th and Mark's 2nd birthday is coming up on Sunday. So, yes, right now, I have two one-year olds. A little daunting. We bought them a cake (Sesame Street...they both love Elmo) and lit the candles and sang them Happy birthday. They both stared at us as if we had lost our marbles. But they sure had a great time making a mess and eating all the sugar!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWlGazgJ2qiQS5in6REx7v4yE3kV1eQ5vhqo67l35SI1eZnD7hCKJpB0YPhtjWsuH3H0RXNXLiACWXzEQ8jlnFnKXx4CTW_hzRTBjISJDoiqh32MAaXLfwiQSLD37QbmdjX4aIVm7x7Y/s1600/Birthday.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWlGazgJ2qiQS5in6REx7v4yE3kV1eQ5vhqo67l35SI1eZnD7hCKJpB0YPhtjWsuH3H0RXNXLiACWXzEQ8jlnFnKXx4CTW_hzRTBjISJDoiqh32MAaXLfwiQSLD37QbmdjX4aIVm7x7Y/s320/Birthday.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452725647139950690" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQpNaaV_aeVC-1s3gEwRDWojMqomMRnGcFdQru_v7jlh0X45-vAuTJy7TLotlVXSlxUNcO7KVYWf-qQLd4OplvE-kFVvCARn0xNNZ7Ru1gtRIaHnTwWjy3g21UYZSbkZtK1zGEKhyphenhyphenL_k/s1600/Birthday2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQpNaaV_aeVC-1s3gEwRDWojMqomMRnGcFdQru_v7jlh0X45-vAuTJy7TLotlVXSlxUNcO7KVYWf-qQLd4OplvE-kFVvCARn0xNNZ7Ru1gtRIaHnTwWjy3g21UYZSbkZtK1zGEKhyphenhyphenL_k/s320/Birthday2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452725971872816434" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsoLqnRiAaYbG5ioZPOOboWBVYS_vz7orJ726FT5koEkHgFkJiQtebSwRHUWqLlS9jfRNV5JstBEKRHncPVNv3YYu9znb-v75l3l2DCvuanJYt2QjtUXJZ3yVdK-8-HpwOaJG-Nbb-M8/s1600/Birthday3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsoLqnRiAaYbG5ioZPOOboWBVYS_vz7orJ726FT5koEkHgFkJiQtebSwRHUWqLlS9jfRNV5JstBEKRHncPVNv3YYu9znb-v75l3l2DCvuanJYt2QjtUXJZ3yVdK-8-HpwOaJG-Nbb-M8/s320/Birthday3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452726216230289890" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06723233822906925756noreply@blogger.com0