Don't Forget the Teacher's at V-Day Parties

When I was teaching English in Japan at a preschool there was nothing better than showing up with a room full of the cutest kids ever bringing little presents. Yes, I know the parents are usually the one's picking them out but it just made it so nice that they thought about me too. Now that I'm on the other side of things and Mr. Chrispy goes to a preschool twice a week I understand completely the gratitude parents have for teachers, or should have for teachers. Just in the few hours I'm able to run errands, workout, or even just do something for me (or do nothing at all), the point is during that time I don't worry because I left them with someone that I know will watch over my baby as I would.

I have developed a huge spot in my heart for the two women that watch over my baby and love him as their own so whenever there is a holiday or something fun, like a Valentine's party, I get all excited knowing not only will I be bringing in treats for all of his friends but I get to do something special for these ladies!

First off, no coffee mugs!! Seriously, unless its like the cutest cup in the world and has a Starbucks gift card in it, don't bother. Baked goods are nice, but they should come with something a little extra, especially if that's what you are giving to the kids as well. I usually aim for things that I would like to receive and if you know your teachers well enough you start to get to know the things they like, so put a little effort into getting to know your kids teachers.

This year I decided to get them both wall wax warmers, wax melts, and I baked them their own individual banana breads with chocolate chips. It's really not a lot, but something out of the box and both will enjoy. I also made sure to write out, in my own handwriting (it's more thoughtful), the recipe if they should try to duplicate it later. Lets face it, I hate getting to love a food from someone but they never gave me the recipe and then there is the game of "please send the recipe" like a thousand times before you finally get it…months later…I have experience!

Remember that these teachers are the one's taking care of our children, teaching them, are not high on the pay scale, and are the one's hosting these little parties in their classrooms so show a little love and give them something for all the hard work because lets face it, not everyone can be a teacher, that is for sure a calling! Can I get an AHEM?!!

And don't forget to make a little extra if you are baking because if your like Mr. Hubby, you get jealous of all the good eats everyone else is getting ;)

What are your favorite gifts to give teachers or coworkers?

Have a Happy Day Y'all!

The Day We Fell in Love….with a Location, and I turned 29

So if you haven't already known, Mr. Hubby and I are pretty well traveled and have seen some beautiful places in the world. We love experiencing new places, even if they aren't the best, just to say we did it! And who knows, one day we might find the place of our dreams to live out our wrinkly years ;)

For my birthday last year we decided we wanted to do a little road trip to Arkansas…I know, really, no where crazy like the Himalayas, which would have been awesome also. I have always read these awesome news articles about people finding diamonds at this old diamond mine in Arkansas and wanted to try my luck at it too for my birthday, I guess I thought the stars would a line and somehow I would magically walk out of there with a huge 30 carat diamond, a girl can dream. So for my 29th birthday we made the trip from Ohio to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AK. It really wasn't too bad of a trip since it only took one day to drive, even with a toddler in the backseat. We made a few stops along the way but managed to get there as the sun was going down.

First off, this little town and the surrounding areas have a lot of camping sites and nature parks so I wouldn't suggest packing for a trip to a Ball if you know what I mean. We ended up staying in a little hotel right on the highway, because that is all we could find open, and decided that was it. This by no means was going to be a glamour trip, we would be spending the majority of the next two days in the dirt digging, dry and wet sifting (you'll understand when you get there), and of course, it would be blazing hot since it was in May. I'm so glad now I opted not to wear my favorite white workout shorts the first day because by the end of it we had to strip off all of our dirty shoes and clothes before we could even sit down in the car, so bring extra clothes and shoes. Also, we had to pack a cooler every day we were out there for lunch since the nearest place to eat is about 10 miles down the road and packed at lunch time and they only served things like nachos and hot dogs at the food stand.

To a toddler this was so much fun! Chrispy literally spent the entire time having a blast! He got to get dirty, dig with his own shovel and help us sift…to a true boy at heart this was amazing! After two days of being hunched over in the sun and no luck finding a diamond we were done…or at least I was….done! The experience is something I will never forget and to be honest, we might do it again one day but next time we want to do it in a RV so we could be closer to the park and little town hidden in the woods.

On my actual birthday which was the second day of digging, I managed to get crazy sun burned, yay me :(, and turns out we were staying in a "dry" county….WTF?!!! Seriously, my birthday is Cinco de Mayo (for the people that don't understand that, May 5th) and since my 21st birthday I have not gone without a Margarita on this day. So my sweet hubby and I decided to drive to the next county which we were told was Hot Springs, just two exits down the road to grab an adult beverage.

So two exits down the road turned into a hour of driving in one direction after the exit sign to the most beautiful, hidden gem, amazing, OMG I can't believe our Arkansas friends never told us about this place, Hot Springs, AK!! We are completely in love with this city on a lake. Seriously, there were boats upon boats all tied up along the side of the highway and restaurants on the lake with docks for customers that want to come in off the lake! We stopped at a gas station and picked up a Margarita for my birthday in a can, we keep it classy folks ;), and drove around for about another hour admiring the lake, the beautiful houses, the awesome little city they managed to keep hidden in the woods that anyone would be happy to live. We are in love!

After visiting this magical destination we decided our next family trip is going to be Hot Springs, we really want the chance to get a good feel for it because we could possibly retire there some day…that is the level of love we have for this place! We said our goodbyes, headed back to the hotel to get some sleep and make the voyage back to OH the next day.

We did manage to stop at the new Bass Pro Shop in Memphis, TN and believe when I say this is one for the books! It is in the shape of a huge pyramid and people actually can stay in the actual store! The rooms are all called cabins and some even have balconies that look out into the store. Once again Chrispy was in heaven and we decided if we could get a cabin we would totally be staying the night there, well, they were booked up and would be for the next year! Oh well, you win some you lose some.

Either way, just another place to add to the long list of "I will visit again one day" and hopeful we can book a cabin for Mr. Chrispy one day. All in all, I did have a amazing birthday! My hubby was home from deployment, Chrispy finally figured out how to ride his scouter, we found a place that could potentially be our forever home, and I got to go dig for one of my favorite things…diamonds!

I love trips like these because they are out of the box in terms of vacations and we love the adventure of the new. Hopeful this year will take us on more little trips.

Have a Happy Day Y'all! :)

Hello, It's me, I was wondering if after all these years (like 9 months) you'd like to meet ;)

No, but seriously, where the hell have I been?! Yeah, I know, I kinda dropped the ball on having a "blog" and all but seriously, the Hubby came home from deployment and I swear when this happens, the life you once had full of "spare time" turns into no time for anything. Also, what most people don't talk about on TV or what many spouses don't talk about (still don't know why) is how it is difficult/time consuming task for the deployed member to transition, and for you to transition as well. Like seriously honey, the dirty laundry does go in that laundry basket…that's why we bought it in the first place…remember?! Oh wait, that's everyday life, but you get the idea, it's hard for two people that have been living apart for months and months, sometimes years, to get back in the groove of having to share your time/space/breathing air again and it can take awhile, even when you dearly love each other.

So, the Hubby coming home was obviously the most exciting thing that happened to us in 2015! Chrispy and I couldn't be more thrilled at his arrival, even though I'm pretty sure he had no idea what was going on the day we went to the airport to pick him up. Either way, having Hubby home is the amazing and we will cherish him here and of course try to live everyday as normal of a family as possible until he has to venture off again, darn military!

His homecoming was magical, and yes, I cried, but only for a second and I am going to be honest, besides how happy I was to see him I was more tearful because I didn't have to "parent" alone anymore…now I get to "parent" and take breaks! Yay baby!

We stood in the airport with little flags and a sign and of course, many people staring us down, some already crying for us knowing that we were waiting for a man in uniform to appear and change our lives. Friends, USO staff, and some other military guys showed up all behind us waiting to see the Hubby also. When he finally came walking out I smiled, pointed and told Chrispy "to look, there's Dada" and he flew out of my arms and went running full speed ahead. It seems like it only was seconds for the hours of preparation of what I was going say and wear. I was of course two seconds behind Chrispy to get my bear hug and kiss, something I truly had been missing for months, human contact.

     

After hello's and congrats and about 10,000 pounds of equipment we were on our way home, to be a family again. Words still do not ever describe the depths of emotions that take place when you see your loved one after such a long absence apart. The fear, excitement, joy, love, and anticipation of it all is almost too much to bare. As hard as it is to be apart, I have never regretted my choice to be a military spouse because I know it is for a cause higher than myself but for the freedom of our country, so…your welcome :)

See what else has been going this past year in posts to follow…..

Happy Monday Y'all!

Where the F(th) Have you Been?!

Yes, I've been a little MIA lately and to say I'm sorry would be an understatement. I've been living life. If you follow me on Facebook you already know that we were hit hard in the house with sickness. First it was a cold for the Chrisper and I, which turned into something viral that hit our tummies hard, and finally, a case of the Strep for the little man that had me in tears in a Emergency Room and him completely lethargic and unresponsive. To say this Momma has been hit hard would be a complete lie, we have been at war for weeks taking massive blows left and right but are finally seeing the horizon beyond the smoke. Also, he has been stuck with me for weeks on end so I haven't had time to blog ;)

Today was a different day, he finally went back to school, something I think he was more excited about than me. I had grown really attached to our "being together all the time" since Dada had deployed so it was a bittersweet moment. Once he was dropped off I found myself trying to decide what to do and wasted a valuable, and expensive, 10 minutes sitting in the school parking lot. Instead of going to the gym, my would be normal, I decided to wonder off to my favorite thrift store to check out the furniture, not because I need a new piece, but because I need to create, make, and rebuild. Something in my very nature that always has me pushing myself and moving. As I roamed the aisles looking for inspiration I came across yet another french cane chair, I swear these chairs just leap into my cart at this point, knowing I would give them a fresh shot at life before they are thrown in the trash.

   

Guess the excitement of creating got the best of me and I managed to finish a project in just an hour, which I could say is a new record for a chair but honestly, I was hoping it would take a little longer. But I'm still very happy with the sweet little result and have already had interest. To say my dreams of one day opening a shop/cafe/children's boutique are always on my mind but with the military beckoning us every few years to pack up our belongings and move to a new location, those dreams have to be put on sidelines. Maybe I will get the nerve to open up my own Etsy shop. Lets just say, I'm a super strong and confidante woman, but when it comes to my own creations, I get a little overwhelmed with the thought that no one would like my stuff or even want to buy. Once that hurdle is concurred I will get busy..till then, Happy Tuesday Y'all! :)

Oh Dear Cane

I can't remember when I fell deeply in love with cane chairs, cane love seats, and pretty much anything of the cane and rattan family, but it is deep and never ending. To most people when they think of cane dining chairs they are immediately taken back to Grandma's house when they were covered in a rainbow assortment of crush velvet fabric….um, yuck! What grabs me mostly about these unique chairs is A: how easy it is to change the fabric, B: the wood frames are made of strong wood, C: they call to an era of traditional basket weaving that I find so beautiful. Now companies produce mass quantities of pre made cane that can be cut and fitted to replace the old, but once upon a time, furniture makers (mostly of the English colonial and French) used to actually hand cane these awesome chairs. Yeah, I do lots of research and go deep in terms of caning…it's like a fine art to me.

Mostly when I think of caning, I get homesick, and not because we had tons or any pieces in our own home, but it was the basket weaving of the ladies from Charleston who spent hours sitting and weaving gorgeous baskets (sweet grass baskets), a tradition that dates back to West Africa. Something about caning just makes it feel more like home, especially since being a military family and constantly moving, these little details can help.

So now that I given you a rather ridiculous history lesson in why I love cane so much! I.LOVE.CANE!!! I was in search of some cane dining chairs, something I could obviously DIY myself because as I was researching online for new ones I came to a quick realization, we weren't going to be able to afford a set, they run very expensive and since Restoration Hardware came out with a new line of awesome cane dining chairs, everyone is remaking them. Oh boy, I was never going to get my cane dining chairs because I needed six and who in the world has six cane dining chairs in good condition that won't cost me a crazy about of money?!

One day after dropping Chrispy off at one of his preschools, I decided to go to this Goodwill Outlet, which is not for the weak or weary mind you, with bins of "crap" and old furniture. Yes, I went in and started just looking around, mainly at the weirdest people you have ever seen with gloves on digging through bins. Gross! I managed to make it back to the furniture section and all of sudden, I saw a chair out of the corner of my eye….and it looked like cane :) I ran with the passion of a tiger hunting walked over and discovered that six cane chairs were gathered together, holding up the top of table. Could it be? Could the heavens really be giving me this awesome amazing gift of cane chairs? (insert teary eyes)

I stood there next to the chairs and as soon as a manager came by I yelled asked him to come over. The first question was can I buy these chairs and the next was, do I have to buy the table that goes with them? I got the best answers. Yes I could buy them, but I would have to wait two days before I could purchase without the table. I snatched grabbed the tickets off of each chair, so someone would think they were already sold :), and left. Two days later, I showed up at opening time ready to bring home my cane chairs (already very possessive). My excitement would be short lived as a new manager was on the floor that day, now I had to convince him that I wasn't a crazy woman and that this deal was made two days earlier with a different manager. After about 30 minutes of sweet talking but not letting them go, he agreed to let me have the chairs, probably to leave him alone, and at only $8 a piece!!! OMG!!

After he wrote out a new slip for the chairs and handed it to me I happily ran walked to the front of the store to purchase my new babies! I couldn't have handed over my Debit card fast enough and with the purchase complete they were already bringing the chairs to the front of the store to load up in my Jeep. I pretty much smiled the whole way home, like my cheeks hurt kind of smiling, and once I got them home I couldn't wait to start on stripping the paint off of one immediately.

Like this picture? Chrispy is actually in the car with me, but directly behind me this picture!

They have been a real labor of love stripping all the dark white/beige/ivory paint off and reupholstering but every time I finished one, mind you there are six!, I would get excited again. As of now, four are complete and two are out getting the cane replaced by another crazy cane lady. It is honestly one of the best thrifted purchases I've ever had!

I seriously am just so in love!!! I really went for the Restoration Hardware look and was considering nail heads but with a toddler I have a feeling that I will have to reupholster a few times so I'm leaving them as they are. Aren't they just so awesome?!!!

Is there is particular style furniture you just can't seem to let go? Special reasons why? I know its just furniture but I love furniture and decorating and making really beautiful spaces. Happy thrift shopping weekend to look for your favorite pieces :)

So Not Perfect

The past few weeks I feel like I've been trapped in a rat race and finally now reaching the finishing line of it all. If you don't follow me on Facebook, which you would have to be an actual friend anyways, my grandpa died a few weeks ago. It was sad and it was so hard on my loved one's but in all I was simply thankful that his suffering had finally ended. He had battled with Alzheimer's and an extreme form of Dementia for years, and in his last months, it was found that he had cancer yet again, but this time, no treatment was done, he was already too far gone and to top it off no one told him because he just would forget a minute later.

After a trip up to Indiana to visit the family and say goodbye to this man who lived a long and full life, I couldn't help but wonder what would Chrispy have to say about me when my days are finally drawn to a close? I know, WAY DEEP! But seriously, would he think I'm a good mother even though some days it seems like all I do is yell at him for doing things, or when I have to give him the ultimate discipline (a spanking, which lasts about a second and I'm crying as I do it)? To be perfectly frank, I hope that he doesn't really reflect back on this time while his Dada was gone and his Momma had to be the good/bad cop every day..ALL DAY!

There are times when I feel like I should have done this or said that to him instead, he would love me more if I did it that way. The problem I face, and what every parent I imagine face when left to raise child the majority on their own is, YOU ARE NOT PERFECT! I lose my temper faster, I tend to stress out easier, or even worse, I don't care at all that you just used my $50 bottle of foundation as paint for your coloring book. I just tend to go through the motions of the day, and lately with all the stress of life coming at me like a roll-a-coaster, I sometimes lose my nerve and freak out on the one person I would lay down this very minute for if it meant HE would be happy. 

What I think stresses me out the most during these times, and it's usually not Chrispy, after all he is only two and I can't expect him to understand, is the lack of support you find yourself getting from other parents. I would love it more if a person would say something encouraging to me like, "your doing a great job" rather than a fake "let me know if you need again" and never actually fulfill their offer they just gave you. Or even worse, the one's who I love to call "helicopter mom's that are judging you not knowing what you could possibly be going through. I find it hardest when I feel really abandoned by friends and family when I need it the most, but yet I'm always there at their side when it is needed.

I love my son so much, and I try everyday to be that "picture imagine of a great mom" and some days (most days) I can pull it off without a hitch, but than you have those bad days or even bad weeks where nothing goes right and you are at odds with yourself and your poor baby is along for the ride. Did I mention I buy him lots of cars and ice cream :) All joking aside, even on our worst days, when I have tears running down my face because I feel like I can't take another minute of it, I still manage to hug and kiss my baby and mean every. single. minute. of. it. I'm not perfect, and I don't have to be, but hopefully to him I am at least a good Momma.

New Year, New Resolutions

I can't even believe its going to 2015 in a matter of hours! Where has the year gone? It just seems like yesterday I was getting off a plane from Japan and starting our next chapter in America!! My calendar for the new year has already started to fill up which goes to show how quickly time can really pass if you stay busy.

This year has been a mix between major highs and lows. Important things that have happened to me this past year was moving back to the states after years living abroad, moving to Ohio, Christian starting a part-time daycare, visiting family on both sides of the coast, my sister-in-law finally got hitched to the man she has been with for years, my brother-in-law will finally make his life official with my soon to be sister-in-law, my hubby finished his Master's degree, I started getting all my paperwork together to start my Master's degree, the hubby deployed, and most importantly, I lost the only man in my life that I have ever called Dad and compared all men to.

To start the new year off on the right foot I cleaned the house, restocked the fridge, and even got my hair "did"! By the way, I never get my hair done so this is a big deal y'all!

Chrispy and I also make it our duty to donate time to a local pet shop that allows you to play with the pups for "donations" so we played with a total of 20 puppies yesterday! But one little girl in particular caught my eye, but unfortunately my hubby was not down for adding another fur baby to the pack :(

Seriously, who could resist that beautiful face?! I need another girl in the house, I'm being overran with nothing but boys!

I'm sincerely looking forward to 2015! It's an opportunity to start new adventures and end old chapters. Most of my new resolutions this year consist of family and friends, and making more efforts to stay in touch with loved ones. And of course….maintaining my healthy diet and fitness routines ;)

Our plans for this evening are going to be filled with games, festive bubbly, gorgeous cocktail dresses, and plenty of sweets at a friends house. Hopefully we can manage to stay up till 12. Seriously, when did my life change from getting ready to go out to the hottest club to now playing board games in a friend's living room?! ;) At least some yummy macaroons are going to be involved!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Years Eve!