Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Especially when I am moving into my great new house! I know I haven't been posting much or reading many blogs often but I haven't forgotten my lovely internet friends. I have been busy packing & getting ready for our move and tomorrow is the big day. I got my keys today & moved a few boxes over but the rest will go tomorrow. Tomorrow my internet will be disconnected & I'll have to wait for an appointment to reconnect at the new house, though I'm not sure when that will be yet. I can promise that I won't pull a Heather on you - it's been nearly 5 months girl! Get your connection already. ;) I do hope that the time without internet will help me to sort through, unpack & decorate more quickly. When I return I should have pictures, not promising of what but I'll have pictures.

Thanks again for all of the encouragement & support! See ya soon!

♥

All Too Familiar

So I could gripe talk about how far beyond frustrated I am that the housing office called me up today letting me know that my moving dates have been pushed up because it doesn't work with their schedule. I guess the manager decided to pull a redo or do-over on an appointment I personally saw her authorize. This means I'll be getting my keys on Thursday, as in 3 days from now, and I don't have any boxes packed yet, well aside from things like Christmas decorations but that's been packed since well after last Christmas. The kids & I were sick over the weekend so I hardly got housework done let alone packing. The cold/allergies/whatever it was kicked my butt and I was so tired. Not sleeping well at night hasn't helped.

Or I could whine talk about how much I miss my husband because he would have no problem calling up a few guys to get help moving. I did call Rear D and I'll get some help, it's just hard to pinpoint a time and guarantee a day with them. He would probably also know how to take down these stupid blinds so I can wash them - yes, washing blinds in a house that will be getting renovated, even downstairs where there will be drywall dust messing them up again. :/ This would all be so much easier with his help.

This won't focus on either of those things though. Something happened yesterday that hit me harder than frustration with housing offices and the realities of my hubby's absence. My neighbor's mother died today. At first I was numb, sad for her but distracted with watching the children and attempting to clean - which by the way doesn't fair so well with 3 kids ages 3 and under if you were wondering. Her husband had come over a couple times to check on their daughter but when she came over and we started talking we were both in tears. Her mother died from an accidental overdose of some type of pain pill(s). I don't know of the details and really they don't matter. Her mom had struggled with an addiction, still loved and cared for her family and now she is gone. It was all too familiar. I shared a quick version of my story with her so she would know that I understood what she was going through and she could talk to me, passed along some advice that I received from friends at the beginning of my grieving process and listened to her. She was going to be picking up her mom from the airport today and she was going to be staying for a while to help with the new baby, did I mention she's due to have a C-Section in less than three weeks? So she can't even go back home for the funeral, my neighbor is from California also. Actually, she's from the same town I started out in. She is younger than I am, will soon have two small children, her husband will be deploying in a month and she's just lost her mom. My heart aches for her and though I am glad I was able to be there for her, I wish it was only to watch her daughter. How I wish I couldn't relate so much to her situation. How I wish my mom were out here to help me pack and get things taken care of, she'd be all over it - half my house would probably be packed by now.

So here I am missing my husband and my mom, wanting to just grieve and do nothing but love on my kids but I have a house to pack and move. And a neighbor who has become a friend to help. Life goes on even when it doesn't.

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Smart Habit Saturday {week 2 September}

So according to Joe's Goals I have flat lined. Really I have done some cleaning and cooking (or heat applying) around here I just haven't been keeping track. Don't worry, no need to call CPS or get too concerned for my kids. ;) This week I'm going to get back on track with recording my habits (adjusting where necessary) and my new goal for the next two weeks is going to help me in my move.

Yes, I'm moving. We were informed two weeks ago that our house would be part of a new renovation project and we'd have to be out by January, so to ensure we still have on post housing I'm volunteering to move sooner. Yesterday I got my new address & move in date so I need to start collecting boxes, packing & cleaning for final inspection. I want to do one or more of those things each day. Though the timing could have been better, like moved before my hubby left, I'm really excited about my new house. It's a one story duplex - great with Lydia starting to WALK!, has a newly renovated kitchen, separate laundry room (as in not in the kitchen!), double vanity in the bathroom (may have second bath or half bath in master bedroom), tan/beige paint rather than stark white, guest parking on the street, easier to find & it's shaded. Also the move shouldn't be too bad because it's just down the street and my hubby's Rear D (Rear Detachment = the part of his unit that stays behind) is going to help me with the move, all I have to do is pack & point to where large items need to go. We will also have a carport, and still a shed. I'm really looking forward to being moved and decorating. It will provide me with some distraction and keep me busy until it's time to visit my family in New Mexico.

Also! I got a phone call from my hubby @ 1:30 in the morning yesterday. I was half asleep, congested & it was only a couple minutes but it was so good to hear his voice. He's not at his final destination but arrived at his training location and will be there for a few weeks. I don't know when the next phone call will be; it could be tomorrow or in two months. I am excited to hear from him again. The kids are doing well, Michael watched the video message Shawn left for him on my cell phone and was smiling ear to ear and responding to the message saying "wuddu too". I teared up a little. My sweet hubby also left a video message for me & I've watched it a few times. He made one for Lydia that she can enjoy when she's a little older. For now she just tries to eat the phone.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a great weekend and I really appreciate all of the supportive and encouraging comments you all have left. I'm still not reading blogs as much as before & it may take me some time to get to yours but I will. The kids & I have been under the weather for a few days and there's a lot I need to do.

♥

The Longest Goodbye

So here's a quick breakdown of my day. Get to company by 3, which in Army talk means 2:45 (14:45 really). Upon arriving be told that he needs to take his A-Bag to Brigade, on the way back to the company after dropping off his bag I realized I forgot the letter for hubby & on the way to get the letter after dropping hubby off I got a phone call saying he forgot his Kevlar (his helmet!). I got back to the company rushing like a mad woman panicked that I would miss him. 6 hours and 5 or so 'last kisses & goodbyes' later we got home. I don't know if this is routine because it is my first deployment but OMG it was so emotionally draining. I'd prefer to rip a band-aid off instead of taking it off as slowly as possible. Don't get me wrong I was happy to have the extra time with my hubby but it was just exhausting.

Fortunately the kids did pretty well & we got lots of pictures, taken by one of my hubby's friends girlfriend because my camera is broken so I'll get an e-mail with them in the next few days. He looked so good in his uniform with all of his gear and I am so so proud. Michael wanted to play with his 'boom boom stick' (his gun) but settled for wearing his boony hat, the ones that look sorta like fishing hats. Our daughter is too little to know anything that is going on but my son wanted to go bye bye with daddy and kept asking for one more kiss and one more goodbye after he was already off to the bus. We both had a cry before heading back to the car and they both went to bed well, esp because they missed nap times and were well past bedtime.

When Michael woke up this morning asking where daddy was I reminded him about daddy going on the bus to go bye bye for a long time. He responded like he remembered but then coming down stairs he said 'uh oh, daddy missing'. I think he'll have some trouble because he understands 'bye bye' but he doesn't understand time yet. I can't even tell him things like "tomorrow we'll go to the park" because he wants to go right then.

Now I've got to focus on getting ready for moving and all that goes along with that. I may not be on very often still because of that. I have to get boxes, start packing, and go to various offices to get everything set. I will be on more often than the past few days though. When I get some pictures I'll share them with you all.

Thanks for visiting! And thank you for all of the support & encouragement from everyone.

♥

Taking A Break

Just a quick post to update on what's going on with us. Shawn is going to be leaving a little sooner than what we anticipated. We still don't have an exact date but it will likely be by Wednesday. He's off for the rest of the day (enjoying a little nap) and has the rest of the weekend off, tomorrow included. Not only do we still have details to take care of (working out our new budget, suspending his cell phone, etc) but more importantly we want to enjoy these last days together as a family. Yesterday we got some nice family photos taken, him in his Class A's. Michael wasn't so cooperative but I was assured that my new friend got some great photos. I am very excited to see them! Tonight we have a meeting to find out about our housing situation (a post on that next week sometime), tomorrow we are going on a date!, Saturday we're going to spend the day at CAV Fest - free family fun to honor the soldiers here (& I'll be working a Mary Kay booth for a couple hours), Sunday we will go to church and enjoy the day as a family. Next week is up in the air. We'll enjoy each day we get until it's time to say goodbye. I'll be back to blogging (posting & reading) regularly next week. For now I am going to enjoy the time with my family and getting my priorities back in order (post on that next week as well). If I happen to have a few moments I may do a quick post while hubby is at work, we'll see. I hope you all enjoy your weekend. While you are enjoying your friends & family please remember the many soldiers who are away from the comforts of home and company of family & friends. Politics aside there are many homesick soldiers and many homes missing their soldiers.

Quick Update: So we found out at the meeting last night that we are in the first group of houses set for renovations. They are good renovations that need to be done but the timing just SUCKS. So because people who volunteer to move get better pick of available housing I'm volunteering. Either way my hubby will be gone so what's the difference? Plus I'll be moved before I vacation to my dad's house. Monday I've got an appointment for a walk through inspection and after that I should be able to get an address & move date. I'm planning around the first. So I'm starting to gather boxes now and will have the help of hubby's Rear D (rear detachment = part of the unit that stays back during deployment) for moving. Though it is going to be a bit rushed and life will be a little hectic I am starting to feel better about all of it. We'll likely have a nicer house and I'm actually getting a little excited about it after looking at some of the other floor plans. Gotta run! Just wanted to let you all know what was up with it. :)

Thanks for visiting!

♥

Six Years Later

And I still cry. This morning as I watched the news & they replayed the events of that day my eyes welled up. There were so many lost that day, so many people in fear and confusion. I was fearful that day. I was 19, going to community college and working part time at Round Table. I remember that day though it still seems like a blur along with the days following. I woke up to the TV left on from the night before and didn't understand what I was seeing. An airplane hitting the World Trade Center? What was going on? I went to the living room to see if my dad & step mom had seen it and they were watching. Then we heard about Flight 93 going down in Pennsylvania and I thought of my friend who was going to school there. I had a dental appointment to get a cracked tooth pulled later and my mom took me. After turning in a paper at school I went to my moms & was glued to the TV the rest of the day, wanting answers but answers they couldn't provide. At the time my step mom was pregnant with my little sister Hannah - we didn't know at the time she would be Hannah, most everyone thought it was another boy. I remember a conversation I had with my step mom, asking her how God could allow something like this to happen. Telling her that I still had too many things I wanted to do in life, that I wasn't ready to die. I was very fearful, having no idea if more attacks were being planned. Living 10 minutes away from a prominent Air Force base didn't help matters & my running wild imagination certainly didn't help. I don't remember her exact words but I remember her telling me that all we could do was trust in God, because the plan is already laid out, he's gone before us.

In the days following I was still watching the news, still wanting answers and crying as I began hearing stories about the people who had lost their lives. The brave passengers & crew of Flight 93 who wouldn't go down without a fight, remembered as heroes. The precious children who were in the bottom story of the towers. The brave fire fighters, police officers and volunteers who gave their lives trying to save others. And of course all the innocent who simply showed up for work and couldn't get out in time. I remember hearing the tribute songs that played on the radio, they'd bring tears to my eyes. Thinking of all the families who lost loved ones, babies still in the womb who wouldn't meet their daddies. Wives left to be widows. It was all my friends could talk about. We no longer felt safe as we had before.

Though I know why we were attacked it still doesn't make sense to me. This is a day that I will never forget. I'm sure my children & grandchildren will ask me about it as I asked my grandparents about there experience when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Masterpiece Monday {page 7}

I am digging through the old stuff this week. We had a busy week and I don't think the kids took their proper naps one day this week, if there was a day I must have been in such shock or to worn out to scrap. The last few times I pulled out my stuff to work on pages I noticed that I'm running low on my cardstock stash. I either don't have the colors I want or only one piece so I need to replenish my supply. I also need to reorganize my scrap case {again}, I feel like I just did that a few weeks ago - maybe two months ago. Between the kids getting into it and doing quick clean ups it's all a mess and I don't work well that way. Plus if I had the supplies, time & energy or order to scrap I couldn't have shown you my progress anyhow. My camera is acting all weird, sometimes working sometimes not - very frustrating thing to have happen two weeks (or less) before your hubby leaves for 15 months (at least). Luckily I have my dinosaur age film camera so I just need to get some film, a battery & cross my fingers that it still works because I have vague memories of my pictures printing out funny. So below are some layouts that I've done in the past year or less that I haven't posted because they were done before this fun scrap sharing meme started. Too see more masterpieces of sorts or to join in on the fun click on the button. Also, my craft is scrapping - you can share any crafty thing you enjoy.

These are some various snow trip pages I've done. I've noticed a trend - when it comes to snow or water pictures I immediately think blue. I typically pull colors from my photos when choosing the papers and well even though snow isn't blue I still gravitate towards it. A challenge to myself will be to scrap a snow trip on a different color and as I type this I'm thinking gray but that may be too similar. Anyways, thanks for looking.

Snow play at the park down the street from my dad's house January 2007. Chloe & Lydia stayed at home with Carrie but the rest of the kids had a great time. And yes, those are my siblings, only Michael belongs to me.

This was December 2005. We drove to the mountains this visit and 'skated' over icy patches. Michael was so cute in all of his snow gear and had fun on the sled even after the fall.

Oops! I need to check if I've done the journaling on this. Shawn went up with our churches youth group for some snow play in February 2006 & brought Michael with him. I had already made plans to scrap with Chriss & Shell so I didn't go. Of course he forgot to get a picture of him with Michael taken but the pictures he did get were cute. And look - I did slightly veer from the blue in my striped paper - yay me!

Thanks for the visit!

♥

Smart Habit Saturday {week 1 September}

Okay this is going to be short & sweet. We've got to figure out something to do today because the rain has foiled our plans of going to Riverfest. (A festival by the river in Clarksville). Besides walking around there were bounce house things that Michael could enjoy but not if they are all wet - I know some are enclosed but many of these were wide open. Overall I did okay this week, some days I checked my list off the next day or two days later and couldn't remember what I did or didn't do. For the detailed check list refer to my Joe's Goals. There are some things that I am still slacking on. The dinner one looks awful, we did eat I promise, I just didn't always cook or it was later than I'd have liked it to have been. And this week I got another book to add to my reading list. I really do want to read more often, I enjoy it once I get started but need to make myself sit still to read (and get off the computer). I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by & to see more SMARTies click on the button above.

My hubby has two weekends left so my posting may be a little sporadic. I wasn't planning on posting this morning but then he & Michael got busy playing with his train set and the baby is napping. So I took the opportunity!

♥

Faithful Friday {week 9}

This will be a quick entry because I need to get the kids {& hubby} ready to go to the park. It's a meetup & hubby has the day off so we'll make it a family thing also. A couple days ago we found out that we'll have to relocate sometime around January because they are renovating all of the townhouses in my neighborhood. Of course this will be after Shawn is gone so you can imagine how *thrilled* I was. I wasn't going to mention anything about it until I had more information after next Thursday's meeting but was reminded of something this morning. In Matthew 6 it talks about worrying. I am a worrier. Immediately after reading the notice I went into 'panic' mode and started worrying about everything I'd have to take care of while hubby is away and how hard it would be & what our new house would be like. Would we have a backyard with a fence? Would I have decent storage? Will I have to move off post? Will this interfere with my holiday vacation plans? I was even more frustrated after housing told us we couldn't do anything until next Thursday. I've already talked to a few people about this and they have been encouraging - my sis said that God was giving me something to keep me busy while hubby is away. No, she doesn't have children. ;) Anyways, back to the scripture. We are not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough to worry about. (I can't remember if that's in the same chapter but it goes along) From Matthew 6 (I think) it talks about God's love and provision for us. He provides the animals & plants with food, shelter & 'clothing' (makes the flowers pretty) and how much more does he love us that he wants to provide us with those things as well. So I'm not going to worry anymore. I know we will have a house and will make do - I'm hoping it's an 'upgrade' from this place. I'm still not looking forward to packing/unpacking but have been offered much help so that may even turn out to be a fun thing. I'm sure some of you may think - what about the homeless & starving in this world? Does God not love them? My response: Of course God loves them, He loves EVERYONE, He made us to love & be loved by him. Unfortunately there's this thing called free will & our own actions & the actions of others have natural consequences (not punishment). In a poor country where the leaders are not taking care of their people bad things result. If you don't work you don't eat or have a home. For more Faithful Friday click on the button above.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend!

♥

More Contests

With over 500 comments I know it's a long shot but I'll give it a shot anyway. I would love to have this little printer at my fingertips. Often times I sit down to scrap & realize I didn't print one photo in a set that I want to use or think it would be nice to have a 5x7. This thing also does 4x8 photo cards or panoramic 4x12. I'm getting fun ideas for my scrapbooks already. If you'd like a shot at getting this printer go to 5 Minutes for Mom and enter. Contest ends Monday, Sept. 10th.


Another contest is giving away copies of her new book "Sushi for One", basket of more books & IPods - 3 IPods to be exact. Go check out Camy's Loft for more details on how you can win. If you decide to enter tell her that beccalynn613 {yahoo id} referred you. :)

Masterpiece Monday {page 6} part 2

I feel like I'm posting a day late but really I posted early yesterday. Anyways I woke up, took a look at my journal and decided I didn't like it so much. The colors, papers, the whole thing - just wasn't excited to continue working on it. So I started over. This time using a paper bag album. I'm using a small paper pack I got from Target a while back so the album will be consistent throughout. It isn't bound yet & I'm not decided on how I'll bind it because I don't know how many topics there will be or how many pages/pullouts I'll use on each topic. Thanks for looking! And remember that if you want to see more Masterpiece Monday or join in on the fun click on the button. If you want to learn more about, join in or see other journals check out This Is Me.

This is the album cover and first pullout. I will add a photo to the front of the pullout. I inked the pages {brown} and the fabric flower and put a jeweled brad in the center.

This next topic is "In My Honest Opinion", I added the humble part. This was an open topic, you could write your opinion on any one thing or multiple things. I listed random things that have been on my mind lately. I may add more doodling or embellishments to the bottom of the pages.

For the next topic, my hobbies, I used the pullout in the pocket of the IMHO pages. On the front side I listed my hobbies in a collage sort of way using various stickers, stamps & handwriting. On the back of the pullout I journaled briefly about when I make time for myself.

This next topic is "My Favorite Friends at the Moment" I changed mine to favorite friends always. I liked it so much on Scrap Fairy's layout that I had to use it. On the first page I talked about my sister & best friend Chriss. On the second page I will add photos of each of them in the blank spaces. I added a quote about friendship that was preprinted on vellum - adhesive is hidden under the flap created by the paper bag. On the front side of the pullout I wrote about my best childhood friend who died when I was 14 - you can't read the sticker quote below my writing, didn't scan well. On the back I listed other good friends of mine but didn't scan because their last names are included.

The next topic, and last one that I've finished, is "Daily Drive". I don't have a daily commute so I journaled snippets about my driving in general on the first page. On the second page I journaled about my other mode of transportation - walking. I'll add a picture of my car to the front of the pocket pullout and a picture of my *future* pink Caddy to the back.

Thanks for dropping by!

♥

Masterpiece Monday {page 6}

Have I mentioned how much I love this meme? There's no telling if I would have scrapped a bit in the last few weeks. But thanks to Masterpiece Monday I scrapped 3 pages last week & 2 pages this week. Saturday while the kids were napping I took advantage of my free time and got caught up on some old photos. We're talking 2003 old. I was a babe of 21 and barely pregnant with my oldest. Geesh that made it sound older than I am but it really does feel like so long ago. Do I remember what life was like before diapers & early wake up calls and constant "mommy I want"? Barely - seriously I think I'll go into shock when they are all in school (I say all because I do plan on having 2 more) and that's if I don't end up home schooling - still haven't decided. I also took some time Sunday while the kids were napping to start a new project. I found this blog Saturday night while surfing scrappy sites. I'm a little late on joining but that's okay because you can start any time. I'm excited about my "this is me" journal. I'm making it a "this is me at 25", it will have all kinds of things about me, my thoughts & interests right now. Each week or twice a week they add a new topic to add. There are journals of all sizes, mine is a paper bag album. I still need to add some photos, will do by the time I'm done with this. I'll be posting my progress each Masterpiece Monday. To see more crafty peoples progress on their projects click on the pretty button.

I really like the flowers on this patterned paper - reminds me of Poinsettias. Plus I was able to use a new variation of the typical red & green Christmas colors. I didn't mat any of these photos though the bottom ones on the second page look matted with how I placed the paper strips above. I used my exacto knife to cute the frame around the title & scissors for the corners around the bottom photo on the first page. The lines under the text should be gone by now. I used my nifty vanishing ink pen to help me keep my lines straight. And the bazzil used for the background are the same colors the pictures just came out looking a little different. I want to add some embellishment to the second page below the journaling but the baby woke up {earlier than I was expecting} so I didn't have time to finish.

Updated: I woke up this morning, looked at my journal & decided I wasn't thrilled with it. So I started a new one - same text but new layout. I'm using a paper bag album instead, complete with pocket pullouts {yes, that's the technical name ;)} It's not bound yet because I don't know how many topics there will be or how much space each topic will take up. Photos & description are in a new post.




Thanks for looking!

♥

Say Click! & Take a Pic!

Now that you've got that stuck in your head. This morning I found a snappy summer photo challenge and decided to participate because it's the last day to enter. Here's the basics: she provides a list of 65 things to take pictures of over the summer {this was posted in the beginning of June}, there must be a person {or part of a person - hand, head, foot, etc} in the photo as well. Some are open for interpretation, others are pretty direct. So here's the photos that I found in my files from June through August that go with the list. I have just over half - not bad for only finding out on the last day. And yes, there is a contest involved. For each photo you submit your name is entered for a drawing to win some great scrappy & stampy stuff. Enjoy!

1. Airplane
2. Aunt (my son & my little sister)









3. Baby
4. Bare Feet









5. Bathing Suit
6. Beach Towel











7. Blue
8. Crying












9. Dancing
10. Fire











11. Garden
12. Gloomy









13. Grandparent
14. Grass











15. House
16. Laughing









17. Messy Hair
18. Money (Mary Kay pink Caddy Escalade, fully loaded)











19. Orange
20. Party (b-day pancake party)












21. Pink
22. Pool











23. Race
24. Rain












25. Red
26. Refreshing Drink












27. Running
28. Sand









29. Sprinkler
30. Suitcase












31. Suntan
32. Swimming









33. Teasing (hair - oops!)
34. Toddler












35. Toenail Polish
36. Travel









37. Uncle (my 12 year old brother)
38. Walking












39. Yellow (Risk!)
40. Youngster (Michael with kids @ playgroup)

♥