quote of the day

Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar,

 but the best improve with age."

 Pope John XXIII

quote of the day

The basic principle behind behavioral therapy for OCD is that you cannot be bored and scared at the same time.

~Fred Penzel

quote of the day

Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love, and understanding.

--Louis Gerstner

color, design, texture and fabric

This is my formal living room. I've got a lot of color and texture going on in here...and I love it!

I finally found a lampshade for my Burleigh Lamp. I went to a shop that specializes in custom fitting lampshades to lamps- it was worth every penny!

Here's a close up of those antique brass pineapple finial drapery panel holdbacks. Ever have an idea if what you want and then spend months looking for it? This is that very thing from to life!

I simply LOVE the finial! The shop owner at the lamp and shade store picked this out and it was perfect for this lamp! Its the intricate design that sold me on it!

The whole room plus the cat. Apparently my cat loves this rug.

I'm always rearranging stuff in this little corner. Antique milking stoll, Polish Pottery crock, some small American flags and some Americana themed Longaberger Baskets.

Looking into the formal living room from the foyer.

a deeper look...

Looking out into the foyer

I'm always changing out my displays. I received these lovely Burleigh cannisters as a farewell gifts from my closets girlfriends when we were stationed in England.

A view from the foyer ,,,now to take you into the half bath...

Looking in- it's pretty enough but I'm not really into wall paper. Now the Kohler toilet and pedestal sink are rather cool.

So here's the True color of the wall paper and yes the ceiling is painted some sort of grayish green. I have plans for a reno in this bathroom and will be shanging it to fit my ideal New England half bath.

quote of the day

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.
-C. S. Lewis

Welcome to my home...

One of my favorite rooms in our home is the foyer

quote of the day

Any idiot can face a crisis -

it's day to day living that wears you out.

Anton Chekhov

quote of the day

Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

more thoughts for my new Scrapbook Nook

I made the decision that I want all of my paper crafting cabinets and drawer units to be "white". I like the white and chrome look as it gives me free rein to other aspects of the room. The sewing and quilting stations will be a warm wood. That way there will be an obvious separation of spaces and crafting components. At first I had wanted a tile floor, I know what I like but then the more I started thinking about the flooring the more I've decided to go with wood flooring. I just don't want to deal with the grout lines. You'll laugh at my reasoning...the wheels of my desk and sewing chairs will get stuck in the ruts of the grout lines and make for a bumpy ride, oh yeah I told you it would be funny! I need to make a drive out to an Ikea store and check out the latest innovations on display so I can get inspired.

quote of the day

Without friends no one would choose to live,

though he had all other goods.

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

My military life moments...

Moving every few years means always having to go through your "stuff"; weeding out what you no longer need, want or have a use for. Even though our last duty station was only a 2 year assignment, I swear that we has aquired at least 1500 pounds of "stuff"- if not more!

Yes I've been in this house almost 3 months now and I'm "still" unpacking boxes. Heck my entire Scrapbook Nook is still packed in cardboard packing boxes. I'm not even going there until my new and improved scrapbook nook is finished. I still have quite a few boxes in which I have not opened from our South Dakota storage delivery. There's no way I'm going to open that can of worms any time soon! Not until I can properly go through it all, sort out what I want to keep and what I'm going to donate.  
  
It's funny how I go through things and purge until I feel as if can't purge any more. Then we move into a new place and I suddenly feel compelled to purge some more. I swear I've turned mental with all of this purging! So here I am today, looking at the cardboard boxes in my basement and giving a HUGE sigh as I shrug my shoulders and walk to where I have cake plates stored and I put yet another one on the shelf -that makes 14 in total (most were gifts). The sad thing is, that number doesn't reflect the ones that are a part of my china and dinnerware patterns. It's an illness, it really must be! Why oh why can I not just say, "Thank you for the lovely cake plate but really I have so many already, wouldn't you like to keep it for yourself?" Maybe if I'm lucky there will be some Charity Event in the very near future where I can make some scrumptious desserts and donate some of these cake plates along with it! Oh I can only hope! I know I've got a problem when I look at the latest cake plate and say..oooh I really like this one!
Now to go back to getting this place sorted and put together. We're having friends and neighbors over this weekend to celebrate our moving into the last house we'll ever buy!

quote of the day

I really do believe I can accomplish a great deal

with a big grin,

I know some people find that disconcerting,

 but that doesn't matter.

Beverly Sills (1929 - )

quote of the day

Poverty cannot deprive us of many consolations. It cannot rob us of the affection we have for each other, or degrade us in our own opinion, of in that of any person, whose opinion we ought to value.

Ann Radcliffe (1764 - 1823), The Mysteries of Udolpho, 1764

Inspired

It's safe to say that I feel rather inspired today. I have a basic planned outlined and now to fill in the blanks and make it happen. I have to give credit to my husband as a large part of my inspiration stems from him having taken me to a really nice craft store over the weekend. This crafting store puts on events and  does outreach events to local communities not to mention that it's also hiring. I have applied for the job. I figure that will all of my experience in hosting military spouse functions, co-managing the base thrift shop and and hosting crafting groups that I'm well suited for a job with their company. We shall see what they think. Now for me to get things organized for me to create my latest crafty endeavor :-)

quote of the day

Talent hits a target no one else can hit;

Genius hits a target no one else can see.
--Schopenhauer

Getting involved locally

I am who I am- creative, dedicated, hard working and so much more. So here I am this afternoon having just come back from my first meeting with a new to me social group in my little neck of the woods. It was fun. Am I the youngest woman in this group? Probably. But this is my first big group social interaction with civilian spouses- that right there is a HUGE change for me. They do a lot of community service work and fund raisers for college scholarships. There's some smaller committees for various sub groups- looks to be like it could be a lot of fun. So I joined!

I'm also getting myself back into being creative. I've got projects that I want to finish, heck I've got projects that I want to start. But until I start on new projects I want to finish up a few little things here and there around the house. First off is getting the rest of the Christmas decorations wrapped up and put away-ugh! It's down to a few little things that need to go into boxes but it's just dragging on. That's why I'm getting rid of at least half of our Christmas ornaments. I plan on boxing up the kids special to them ornaments and labeling each box with thier name on it and giving to to them for their first Christmas away from home. Well with our son being in college and all , well that does pose a small problem. So maybe I'll wait until he's married.

I bought a couple of new counted cross stitching projects- cute stuff abounds here at my house! Well I've got to wait for the one of the charts to arrive in the mail but it's gonna be adorable once it's finished! I'm all about instant gratification and this dish towel project will fit the bill! The other is a two toned counted cross stitching project that is a little more intricate but will look nice framed and hanging on a wall.

Time for me to change from this dress and high heels to clothing more appropriate to schlepping around cardboard boxes to the recycle bin and then working some more in the basement getting Christmas decorations stored away fro another 11 months.

quote of the day

A creative genius cannot be trained.

There are no schools for creativeness.

A genius is precisely a man who defies all

schools and rules, who deviates from the

traditional roads of routine and opens up new

paths through land inaccessible before.

A genius is always a teacher, never a

pupil; he is always self-made.

-- Ludwig von Mises

Is it 2012 already?

I know, I know...I've turned into this horrible blogger who hardly ever posts anymore. Shame on me for not updating this blog! But since I've had to put all of my crafty endeavours on hold because of this move, not a whole lot of sewing or paper crafting is going on around here. My plans on having a crafting emporium in my basement are coming along.  I've got loads of cardboard boxes full of crafting goodies-but until I get the room finished I'm leaving it all in the boxes. Funny thing though, I will be setting up my sewing table and sewing machine amidst all of the cardboard, I love my ¾ size travel sewing machine but I've used it for 2½ years and frankly I've had enough of it! I want to using my regular sewing machine!

I have pictures- oh do I have pictures to share! We've painted a couple of rooms and wow what a difference a new coat of paint makes to brighten up a room! I've got furniture arriving this week and I'm hanging up pictures on the walls! I know, I'm behind the curve on getting things done around here but hey! We moved in on Halloween, had Thanksgiving, then it was Christmas and all that went on while I was unpacking! I'm still unpacking! So hang in there with me, I'm getting with the program and I'll keep you all up to speed I promise!

quote of the day

It is not because things are difficult

that we do not dare,

it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
--Seneca

quote of the day

We are more often frightened than hurt;

and we suffer more from imagination

than from reality.
--Seneca

An Ocean of Cardboard

All I can see in our basement is what seems to be to be an unending ocean of cardboard boxes. Some people tell me "It's just like Christmas". Christmas in hell maybe but it certainly has no resemblance to Christmases I know, LOL! I'm shaking my head at the fact that all of this stuff fit into our house in South Dakota. Okay so most of it fit. We did buy some stuff while we lived in England, we had to buy a new push mower (we did get rid of our old one while in SD). I went through and donated all sorts of miscellaneous furniture, tons of books, paper crafting tools &  crafting supplies, not to mention all kinds of house-ware items. Now I find myself opening boxes and instantly wanting to put stuff back into those boxes. I'm ready to "reduce and recycle" the "reuse" part of this phrase is for someone else to do because I am going to reduce the amount of stuff I have.

I have to laugh at the amount of towels we have. Once upon a time we  had a house that had 3 full bathrooms (and loads of visitors.) I had shower curtains and bath towels for all 3. Well we're down to 2 full bathrooms and only 1 of those bathrooms needs a shower curtain.  My visitors now live locally and drive back to their homes. Yup, it's reduce time! Break time is now over and I have to get back to work since I don't have any house elves to help me.

quote of the day

If we remember that we have so much to be grateful for, then we can rally more courage, strength and empowerment

 -- and then we can move more mountains!

--Bibi Farber

I'm an over achiever

Well at least I admit what I am. It's hard to not want to get this house set up as soon as possible. I've waited so long for this "forever home" that I want to enjoy it as soon as possible. Granted, we've not gotten as far as getting the walls painted (yet) but we have our new curtain rods up! I'm about to hang the sheers in the family room (thanks honey for buying them for me yesterday). I'm waiting on my latest order from Amazon (you can get just about anything from them) the  gauzy weave type-Waverly© sheers for the formal living room and I'm in the process of ironing all 6 drape panels for the living room (what a chore). But it's a chore that will end up giving me great satisfaction in the end. I'm enjoying piecing together all of the rooms, giving them each a different look and feel.

I'm almost ready to take pictures and then of course I'll post them :-)

quote of the day

I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams.

Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition.

In fact, there are so few people this crazy that

I feel like I know them all by first name.

Larry Page,

University of Michigan Commencement Address, 2009

quote of the day

"Be glad and rejoice with all your heart."

Zeph. 3:14

Future Space for my all new Scrapbook Nook and Quilting Corner

Getting on with it...

It's really happening, I'm able to get on with moving into this house! So in one of my metaphoric terms- I've got a better grip on my greased pig! I found out at around 5:30 last night that our HHG shipment from VA is here. My husband tried to get the moving company to bring it today but alas there was not enough time to get that happening. So I get my stuff at 8am Friday morning! I am doing the happy dance! I say "Bring it ON"! The household goods shipment that was in New Hampshire was transfered down to Virginia. That's why there will be 10 crates arriving tomorrow, 8 from one shipment and 2 from another. Next week it'll be the HHG shipment from South Dakota. As long as it's all here before Thanksgiving I'll be happy!

quote of the day

Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving;

make every day a holiday and celebrate just living.

--Amanda Bradley

Mia Bella Cucina

That's Italian for "My Beautiful Kitchen".

quote of the day

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.
---Mother Teresa

Poke me in the eye with a stick

...and get it over with! Moving is like wrestling a greased pig- just when you think you have a handle on it, it slips from your grasp!

quote of the day

My second favorite household chore is ironing.

My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.

Erma Bombeck (1927 - 1996)

quote of the day

Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself,

and know that everything in this life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences,

all events are blessings given to us to learn from.

--Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

It's the little things that make me smile

From watching my cat spaz out and jump in the air all because I surprised her to listening to the little melody that my dryer plays when the load is finished (the washing machine does it too). It's raining now, the soft sound it makes as the rain drops splash against the windows sound rather musical to me. As I take the time to appreciate the peace and quiet of living in my own home I find myself enjoying simple things like listening to the rain or my appliances letting me know that the cycle is completed. Life is indeed Good!

quote of the day

If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, I guess it's pretty nearly bound to happen, wind and weather permitting.

Laura Ingllas Wilder

What a weird feeling

This thing the "forever home" things, it's got me doing things I've only ever dreamed of. The #1 thing I've done for years and now am happy to do but feel weird doing it is...tossing out all of the boxes to things that I've kept for "the next move". Boxes to little things like my special to me items such as my Willow Tree Angels. Those huge boxes we all drag around with us from assignment to assignment like those for our TVs and other little and not so little boxes are all going to the recycle bin! Its a strange feeling but a good one at the same time!

Each day I find myself going through my mental list of things I want to accomplish. I've got to take those curtain rods down in the master bedroom, I've got to get that bed skirt on our bed, I need to put away that box full of books...I'm getting closer to getting our bedroom organized. Take each room and make it my own- that's the goal!

quote of the day

If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
That's the lesson.
That lesson alone, will save you a lot of grief.
Even doubt means don't.

Oprah Winfrey

Stanford Commencement Address, 2008

Honey...I'm home!

Here it is, our new to us home. After 7 months of temporary apartment living, we are finally in our new home. This is hopefully our last move. It's a beautiful house which with love and care we'll turn into a warm and loving home which will be filled with family and friends often. This picture is actually one that the realtor took, I'll eventually post pictures of our house with the things we have have done to it. I've actually unpacked 99.9% of the boxes from our move from the apartment to here plus I've started to hang some pictures (I currently have 2 hung up but have great hopes to have more done by the weekend. I'm working on getting the kitchen organized but that will take some more time as I'm waiting on getting our 3 remaining HHG shipments from the USAF- which has my British pottery and all of those kitchen appliances that I so dearly love. Stay tuned for more to come...

quote of the day

Happiness depends upon ourselves.

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

Getting ready for the move and getting myself motivated

Finding my motivation to go through things (again) in preparation for this move is simple...all I have to do is to listen to my clueless upstairs neighbor who has no sense of common courtesy when it comes to apartment living and I've found my motivation! There's her kid who seems to have this need to scream uncontrollably every single time they in the stairwell, their nonstop barking dogs and the fact that it sounds as if there's a bowling alley AND a herd of elephants living above us.  Oh my gosh I'm so ready to move it isn't even a laughable subject any more. I pity the people that get this place after us. The apartment it's self has been great, it's the people who live above us that make this place (at times) rather miserable.

Yesterday I went though our shared walk in closet. Organized it, and found more things to donate :-) Today it's the spare bedroom/craft room. I went through the closet and was able to condense several boxes and WOW! Look at that, there's oodles of closet space in there now! Too bad that the bedroom is so darn small though (it could use to be bigger, LOL). Next stop is Hannah's closet, just thinking about it gives me the heebie jeebies! I'm sure there's stuff in there that she could use to get rid of, but do I really want to go there today? No not really. I should have her go through it, but that would be like nails on a chalkboard, eewwww!

Now to get on with the chores at hand...laundry!

quote of the day

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it.


Don't settle.
--Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

quote of the day

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.

 All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.

                                                   -Helen Keller

Appliance Shopping for the new house

It's been about 8 years since we bought our last washer and dryer set. As you know, we left them with our house in South Dakota as an aid in helping the house to sell. I loved my Duet washer and dryer and for that time they were the best things next to sliced bread for me!  Washing machines have really come along since my last purchase 8 years ago; there are steam features, and sanitize settings that remove 99.9% of germs. After looking at what's on the market and reading the great reviews and seeing that it was rated highest in customer satisfaction by JD Power and Associates for 2008/2009/2010 and 2011- well I don't think that we couldn't do any better with another brand.

I've always bought plain ol white machines, never really had the desire for colored ones- until now. When I first saw these blue ones I knew that they were for me! And yes, we even bought the pedestal drawers that go under the machines (no hunching down to retrieve the laundry). I like that the dryer door is reversible if you need to switch it around. We'll be installing these babies on the day we move in! The thing I'm most looking forward to- no more hand washing of lingerie and delicate clothing!

Liking where you live...

As you know, I'm moving. It's a great little place kind of in the country per-say. There were lots of things I liked especially the 'home town' feel the place has about it. Well you could only imagine my surprise in finding out that one of my all time favorite TV show hosts Nate Berkus along with Oprah Winfrey had built a home for a woman who has lost her limbs to a horrible flesh eating bacteria. It doesn't surprise me that they would do such a kind and wonderful thing such as that as they are very compassionate and philanthropic people. The big surprise for me was that this happened in the town to which we are buying a home. To read about the community and how so many people pulled together for this family fills me with so much pride and joy I can hardly contain myself. To know that we are moving to a town that does reach out into the community and pull together is wonderful beyond words. I look forward to being able to volunteer in my new hometown, to be a part of something good and wonderful. So here's a link for you to read http://www.ayermovingandstoragereviews.com/221199/2011/09/07/area-businesses-pull-together-for-ayer-resident--ayer-moving--storage-inc-ayer-ma.html
enjoy!

quote of the day

Our life is frittered away by details...

Simplify, simplify.

--Henry David Thoreau

quote of the day

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself.

To melt and be like a running brook

that sings its melody to the night.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart

and give thanks for another day of loving.

--Khalil Gibran

Shopping with my husband

My husband and I decided to go do some window shopping- to check out things for our new home. To our surprise we found many lovely items, and we even came home with a few. Some wall art pieces for our Bella Cucina (that's Italian for "beautiful kitchen"), a lovely 5 foot round oriental rug for the entry way and a new Le Creuset 3½ quart braiser (little gift for my soon to be new kitchen). One of the things on my list is to get some new drinking glasses. Ours seem to be dwindling down due to breakage over the years. So that's something else to look for in the future.

We looked at loads of carpets- oriental style rugs for the formal dining room. I know what I'm looking for- now to quest to find it. I don't want to rush the process, I want to get a quality wool rug. I can't wait to be reunited with the rug we bought while in Germany from the Turkish rug store. I get all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about it. From bathroom items to kitchen goods and more- I am excited about getting things together for this soon to be new home of ours!

quote of the day

Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.

--Anthony Robbins

Eeeeeeee!

I'm all nerves right now. You see, today is inspection day for the house we are buying. A professional house inspector is checking everything out making sure it's all up to par. If there happens to be anything wrong with the house, the inspector will make note of it and the current home owner has to either get it repaired  or schedule it to be repaired before we sign the paper work to buy the house. I'll be there with my note book, camera and tape measure. I've got to measure the space for the refrigerator and the laundry room as we will need to buy new appliances as we left those appliances with our house in South Dakota. Woo hoo I get to order a new refrigerator, washer and dryer to be delivered on move in day!

To say that I am excited about this is an understatement!

quote of the day

One of the secrets of life is that all that is really

worth the doing is what we do for others.

--Levi Strauss

quote of the day

I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes,

I had one thousand and sixty.

Imelda Marcos

Kicking off a new week

I love Mondays. It's the "all things are fresh" appeal of a new week that pulls me in and leaves me in a warm embrace. This morning that warm embrace was ME wearing a most of a full cup of coffee on the front of myself. My only consolation is the fact that as much as I liked the color of the shirt that I was wearing (Fuchsia Pink) I did not like the way it hung on my body. So yes, I laughed at myself for being ignorant of the fact that as I grabbed my mug and swung at at my mouth with such force that I sloshed it all over myself. The fact that it was FULL and not half empty as I had thought it was particularly funny. As I see it, life is indeed too short to not be able to laugh at yourself.

quote of the day

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
 while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
~Lao Tzu

So now we wait...

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'm terrible at waiting. I'm ready to start packing this place up now and get the moving process started.

Well I suppose that we can check off one move related item from our list- we transferred schools for our daughter. Starting Monday she will be at her new high school. On Friday when I registered her at her new school we both received a very friendly welcome from the office staff, several students and even the school principal came out to meet our Hannah. Ayer makes me think "home town", with it being small and friendly, a place to settle down and sink roots into. I can see myself becoming involved in town events and developing a social life out here.

Now back to my coffee and to start my check lists for the move :-)

quote of the day

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
-- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

My version of Pemberley

Here it is...our forever home. We take possession of it next month. Each one of our homes has a name, there was the little house  on the Air Force base in South Dakota I dubbed "the cottage" or as my friend Donna called it "The Rose Cottage" because of the roses out front and the rose colored dining room. There's the house we bought in Virginia I named "Green Gables", the temporary house in England I called "Beehive Cottage" because of the nest of bees living in the walls (I was very glad to move away from that house). The commanders house I names "The Big House"...yes at times it felt like I was in prison while living in that house all because I had to constantly wait for maintenance people to fix things in that house. So THIS house I want to name after a home in one of my all time FAVORTIE novels. I can't see calling it Longbourn but I do see calling it Pemberley. I know that it's not a big mansion but it's full of everything I've ever dreamed of having in house. So with it being my "dream house" per say...giving it the name "Pemberley" is quite perfect for me!

quote of the day

The artist is nothing without the gift, 

but the gift is nothing without work.

~Emile Zola

I'm back in the saddle again...

I know that you must have heard the Arrowsmith song "Back in the saddle". I can tell you all that the songs lyrics say it all for me today.

It's been a while since I've felt as if I've had something going on. I don't mean to say that I've turned into a total couch potato quite the opposite in fact. BUT, it's been a while since I've "had to be anywhere" besides a doctor appointment if you know what I mean. 

So now for my BIG news...we're buying a house! We've got one under contract. With that comes transferring schools for our daughter. Believe it or not, she's fine with it. Granted she wishes that her soon to be new school offered Italian as one of it's foreign languages, she's willing to take French instead. Now that's a child that can adapt! Now the real fun begins... first thing is enrolling youngest in new school (that's tomorrow) ,getting inspector to check out the house, and of course there's arranging for movers to pack us up here at the apartment. There's loads to things to do and FINALLY I have something of some sort of importance going on in my life.  There's also that little bonus of knowing that I'll soon see all of my  crafting supplies and kitchen appliances. I've truly missed my food processor and stand mixer and of course all of my paper crafting items.

quote of the day

As you recognize your wholeness and worth,
dysfunctional situations will evaporate

 like bad dreams exposed to the morning sun.

-- Alan Cohen

This chicken is organized!

As you all know, I can be some what anal when it comes to having my stuff organized.  You've seen it in my various Scrapbook Nooks,  my closet space and even in my kitchen. This apartment is a wee bit cramped for my tastes and well I've had all of the "temporary" that I can take. In all honesty, we weren't allowed to do much to this place and it's making me cranky.

Get ready for all sorts of organizational posts...for when we buy a house here in New England. I will be walking you through what we plan to do to it to tweak it our way. From the kitchen to the bathrooms  and all rooms in-between. Right through to finishing off the basement to make it into my new improved and oh so BIG Scrapbook Nook and Crafty Emporium! If you're gonna dream...Dream BIG!

quote of the day

Much good work is lost

for the lack of a little more.

--Edward H. Harriman

More rain? Really?

If it wasn't for the fact that my husband is at work and my child at school I could easily become depressed with this weather. It's because they are at work and school that I'm not depressed. Hallelujah! My husband has a job and school has started! Finally I can clean the house, do errands and work on creative pieces in relative peace. Keep in mind that we still live in an apartment.

We're working with a realtor...that right there is a story in it's self that I will save for another day. I don't want any to spew coffee at their computer monitor.

quote of the day

The winds and waves are always

on the side of the ablest navigators.

--Edward Gibbon,

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Good news comes in three's

It's true you know, good news truly does come in 3's.  So here it is...

 My husband has been hired and now is officially employed. We sold our house in South Dakota  and the best part is that we sold it to another military family. Now as for #3, well we're hoping to have that happen today or by the weekend at the latest. If you haven't guessed it, number three is buying a house here in MA.

Now to get back to having my morning coffee ♥

quote of the day

When it seems impossible,

when it seems like nothing is going to work,

you're usually only a few millimeters away

from making it happen.

--Tony Robbins

quote of the day

I've got a theory

 that if you give 100 percent

all of the time,

somehow

things will work out in the end.

--Larry Bird

quote of the day

Face the facts of being what you are,

for that is what changes what you are.

Soren Kierkegaard

Waiting....

OH the joy of practicing being patient. I confess now, I've never been very good at it. I was the kind of kid who shook presents that were placed under the Christmas tree (hey, every does it and at least I admit to it).  But this waiting game is not the same. At least with Christmas there's an end date to the long wait. This- it's almost torture. Everything focused on getting the job. Once the employment situation is in place then we can truly look for and put a bid on a house. Get the house, then we can have all of belongings delivered from their various storage locations across the USA. Have the house, then we can relocate our daughter and have her start in a new school for this fall. Yup, every hinges on "employment". 

I know that something is going to happen soon, I can feel the change in the current.

quote of the day

Happiness resides not in possessions
and not in gold,
the feeling of happiness

dwells in the soul.

--Democritus

quote of the day

The deepest craving of human nature is

the need to be appreciated.

-- William James

I sense a change in the tide...

To me, the ocean is a vast expanse of space, kind of what I see representing my life in a way. As currents ebb and flow so things in my life change. From being this happy go lucky Northern California Girl to meeting my husband and quickly becoming best of friends with him, to falling head over heels in love with him.  Love...Why else would I marry a career military man and move away from everything and everyone I loved and cherished? Our love brought us two beautiful children, and his career moved us around the USA and even brought us to England. But the depths of the glorious Ocean, which can seem to go on for forever are not as deep as we think they are. The waves of his military career, the ones that brought us back to America and with it retirement. It was the end of what I've considered a sort of vagabond life style. Granted we've never moved as much as many other of my husbands contemporaries have (of which I am grateful). I got to experience life in so many different places and I've collected many seashells along the way. The last couple of years I put myself on hold and even now, I find that I'm still waiting for all of me to come back together. Like a vision, I see that coming, I can sense it's going to it happen. Not right now at this very moment or anything crazy, but it's there and I feel it circling around me like water in a tidal pool.


Being here in this apartment for as long as we have has given me an insight to myself- I need to constantly keep my mind and my hands busy. Alright, so I already knew that about myself. The part of me that really came to focus is that I'm always worried that whatever I do, that no one will take me seriously. I dislike feeling that way but there it is. I really do feel as if my life can be summed up to being something similar to the sea grass of the coastal marsh lands- always changing and adapting. 

quote of the day

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.

-Ronald Reagan

Doing something girly and fun

As you know I've been missing being creative.  And it took my daughter to make me realize that I AM being creative, just not in my usual sense of the word.

So here's my latest endeavour into my creative side...manicures and pedicures. I have a little secret, not only can I cook, sew, do needlework, garden and design things I can also do hair and nails. So get it over with and hate me now.

How far does this talent stretch? My best kept secrets are... I can do acrylic nails- as in apply them to other peoples fingers, do fill in repairs and such. There's also that eyebrow waxing/shaping thing- but then again that's something anyone can do (or at least I think it is). I've been doing this stuff for over 30 years without ever giving it a second thought that most people can't do it. My daughter and my closest friends all tell me that the things I do are not things that most people can do. Or that people can do some of these things but not "all" of them. It's got me thinking about myself and how my brain tries to keep my hands occupied. These so called "talents"  are things that I like sharing with others. If my friend Alisha were here she'd let me "do her up". I never thought about doing/sharing these things/talents with my girlfriends while we lived in England. I only did them for myself and for my daughter. I thought that it would make me look like I was one of those "Martha types" and I didn't want that label, hell no! So here I am rockin' the latest in manicures and having a blast doing it all while knowing that I did it myself.

quote of the day

I love pink, it's so girly!

Ashley Tisdale

My oh so boring life...

Once upon a time I was a vibrant social butterfly kind of person that always seemed to have loads of things going on. Now that "we've" retired from the Air Force I can say that my social life has taken a serious nose dive. Of course I still keep in touch with many friends through snail mail, e-mail and on-line social networks.

I've thrown myself into reading. Once upon a time I was an avid reader- more so than now because I didn't have the distractions that I have now. I find it so easy to tuck that Kindle into my purse when ever we go out (you can never tell when you might need it). Just the other day while at the Museum of Science in Boston I found myself mighty glad that I had brought it along with me "just in case".  It's so much easier than bringing a book in ones purse (and lighter too).

Needlework- still working on that same damned kit with the sheep. I regain interest than lose it again-ugh! Same goes for my quilting. Don't get me wrong I love working with my hands but the confines of the small bedroom that's also some sort of storage room makes me feel crowded. Not to mention the fact that I'm really missing my other Janome sewing machine. My little ¾ sized sewing machine is fine for piecing stuff together BUT it really isn't all that great when I want to do actual "quilting".

Scrapbooking and card making- well that's one where I tossed the baby out with the bath water. Thinking that this was only going to be a handful of months I said sure put it ALL into storage (since I knew we would not have room here for any of it). Little did I imagine that I would be without any paper crafting supplies for this long.

This whole ordeal is giving me flash backs to when we first moved to England all over again.  The temporary house thing with only a handful of our belongings with us while everything else is neatly tucked away in storage somewhere. Meanwhile my creative life is once again put on hold. I want so much to be sketching and designing and making things with my hands. I find myself working in conditions that make me want to scream. No I'm not working in a sweat shop, this is actually a very nice apartment complex.  The screaming part is that I want to sketch/design and make things for our home...the only thing that's missing from all of this. We live in an apartment, this is not what I would ever consider to be "long term" in any way shape of form. I want to plant flowers in  flower beds in our yard, I want to go for long walks in the neighborhood meeting new neighbors. I want to have friends over for dinner and drink wine out on the deck.  Alas I'm here living in an apartment where the rent costs as much as a mortgage on a $550K house (no joke). 

I find myself sincerely wishing for something to happen.

quote of the day

You find peace by coming to terms with what you don't know. Knowledge is subtractive, not additive- what we subtract is reduction by what does not work, what not to do...not what we add.
--Nassim Taleb

quote of the day

When you can't make them see the light,

make them feel the heat

 - Ronald Reagan

House Hunting is not for wimps

Oh my word, the houses we have seen! I don't think that I'm expecting the world BUT I do have standards! From ghastly peeling wall paper (from the 1970's) and stained carpeting to hideous bathrooms (don't people scrub toilets any more?) and the humongous over grown shrubs in the garden that look as if they've never been trimmed (the word "jungle" comes to mind) to down right nasty smelling homes! We've been going to Open House events off and on since we arrived here in MA and let me tell you we've seen it all! From one end of the spectrum to another and one thing they all seem to have in common is that no one seems to clean their house or do any sort of yard work in preparation of showcasing their home to potential buyers.  Seriously I've seen maybe 2 houses that had some sort of curb appeal but once we got on the front porch we get to see the spider webs and unswept porches. What happened to "pride of ownership"?

 "Disenchanted" Is the word I'd use to describe our Sunday of driving around going to various Open House events. What is it when the realtor can't even be there on time to open the doors? Twice we were at an open house before the realtor even got there...a full 15 to 20 minutes! Yards not mowed, front porches not swept, air conditioning units not running. No prep work done in anticipation of this open house. Not a single one of the Realtors we met were very professional. And what kind of realtor wear shorts and t-shirt? Seriously? I was dressed better than any realtor we met that day.

So the house hunting continues....

quote of the day

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

William Shakespeare

Things are back to normal...

Well, for the most part anyway. The temperatures are up in the 100 degree range here in MA and right now it's feeling as if I'm living on the face of the sun.

Our trip to Florida was a bust as far as sunshine was concerned.  It rained just about the entire time we were there; even on our trip to the beach in Destin. I think that the sun was out for about a total of 6 hours while we were there and then it was seriously too humid for anything that had a beating heart to be outside.

However, I did manage to read 5 books on my Kindle on this trip...life is good. Yup it's summer time and I'm spending some serious quality time with that Kindle of mine! (thank you honey for the best Christmas present ever). I'm finishing up some UFO's from my Counted Cross Stitching collection and I've even hand sewed on the binding for a baby quilt. Not too shabby I dare say!

As I was reading up on some posts from friends who've moved to England this summer I find myself a little envious that they have set up their scrapbooking spaces. You see, since we're still looking at houses ET all, I've got ALL of my stamping and scrapbooking things in storage. Heck 98% of my quilting, needlework and cooking items are in storage as well (not to mention all of that terrific British pottery I bought while living in England). Ugh! All I can do it to enjoy what I have and get to know the workings of many great authors while I wait.

 Now back to avoiding the heat of the day by having a nice glass of iced tea.

quote of the day

There are two ways of spreading light:

to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

--Edith Wharton

My thoughts and the answer...

The first thought that rolled through my mind with all of this was...

Crap! If I have cancer, that means that I can't participate in the blood marrow donation program!

 I already had a positive attitude about everything....there's nothing I can do to change the outcome. It is what is it and all I can do is to meet it with open arms and deal with it as it comes. I have the love and support of my husband, family and friends. I still plan to live my life as I did before and deal with things as they come. I wasn't about to sit around waiting for the biopsy results, I planned on going to Florida with my husband to help his brother move.

I have my biopsy results, my nurse practitioner called me with what she said was the quickest biopsy results ever! I am (drum roll please) Cancer Free!

From my recall to go in for another series of mammograms to the day of the biopsy, I've had several health care professionals calling me asking essentially the same question- "how do I feel about this?". The "this" that they all spoke of was the possibility of having breast cancer. I never once thought of it the way others did; With the why me? Or oh my gosh what stage is it?or will I have to have my breast removed? Those thoughts never once entered my mind.  I was more disappointed in the fact that I wouldn't be able to be a bone marrow donor than anything else.  

So here I am in Florida, it's VERY hot and super humid! Hannah and I are hanging out in the nice air conditioned hotel room since we're both unable to enjoy the pool at the moment. Me, I can't get my incision site wet for at least another 24 hours and Hannah is taking sympathy with my cause (she's such a great support) not to mention that she's still recovering from her sunburn from her trip to the beach on Sunday with her dad. We're hanging out together doing girl stuff- which is alright by me!

quote of the day

Being assertive does not mean
attacking or ignoring others feelings.

It means that you are willing to hold up
for yourself fairly-without attacking others.

Albert Ellis, Michael Abrams, Lidia Dengelegi

Life's embarrassing moments

I've survived several of life's little embarrassing moments today.
As in... I survived the embarrassment of having several strangers (although they were health care professionals) touch, hold and exam my breast today ( I started to wonder if this is what cantaloupe feels like in the produce section of the grocery store). I survived having several needles of various lengths and gauges (thickness of said needles) poke into said breast (just call me the human pin cushion). I survived the embarrassing experience of shopping for a sports bra so I can wear it for the next 24 to 48 hours plus to wear it at night for the next week (there are somethings that women who have a D cup or larger should not attempt to wear and this IS one of them).  I thought when trying on those stupid sports bras that I was going to need to have the jaws of life remove it from my body because it was squeezing me so damn hard that I could barely breathe. Then I realized that I had the wrong size, I was shaking my head at myself thinking "Now what part of me thought that this was a good thing to try to do?". So I survived the shopping experience- one I hope to not to have to ever do again!
Those anti anxiety pills...I highly recommend them. They don't make you loopy, they just make it so your heart is beating so fast that if you were a humming bird you'd be flying around.
 The more I think about it, the more I wonder who in the mammography department didn't see my naked upper body today?  Seriously, this is just too darn funny the more I think about it. (insert laughter here).  There are times in one's life where you just shake your head and think "Thank the Lord that that is over" and yes folks, today's experience was one of those kinds of "moments".
I still have my humor and am still laughing at how I went in feeling as nervous as I could possibly be and end out coming out of this experience feeling like I'm Erma Bombeck and making fun of the entire ordeal from shopping for a sports bra to wear after the procedure to feeling like Elsie the cow when I had to lie down on a table and hang my breast down through a hole and be squeezed like an orange being juiced so the doctor could stick needles into me like a pin cushion. Oh yeah, Loads of fun here people! BUT and it's a big one too...humor will save you even in the most embarrassing situations (you've just got to trust me on this one). All of the doctors, nurses and technicians were gentle, treated me with respect and even better they all laughed at my jokes :-) If you lose the ability to laugh at yourself, then you lose the ability to enjoy life.  So be well everyone and get out there and laugh at life's ridiculous moments!

quotes of the day

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.

W. C. Fields

In the matter of 1 week...

I was writing to a girlfriend yesterday (a real snail mail letter no less) on the subject of "how many things can change in the matter one merely 1 week".

You see, it all started when I received a phone call from the mammogram department of Lahey Clinic requesting me to come in for a 2nd mammogram and they wanted to schedule me for as soon as possible. You see, they found something in my left breast and I had to have yet another series of mammograms of that breast. After a few initial pictures I had to sit and wait until they were read. I waited and waited and then was called back for more "pictures". Then I met with the doctor and well now I'm scheduled for a biopsy for next week. Here's a little tidbit for you- one needs to stop taking multivitamins at least a week before any surgery. Yup it's true!

I'm not freaking out with this revalation that I may or may not have breast cancer. It's just something to deal with as the times comes. I'm going to continue to live my life and do the things I've got planned. I'm not about to sit around and worry about things that I have no control over. Hence my plans for leaving the day after my biopsy for Florida. Yes with a bandage on on my left breast and an ice bag in my hand,I still plan on our taking a trip to Florida. Gutsy huh? Now who in their right mind wants to wait around for a week to get a phone call with the results of their biopsy? Well not me that's for sure! Why not be somewhere having some fun?

Now for more news...

My husband had a successful interview with a company. He's also got a call back for another interview for Tuesday. Sooooo, it looks like we might not be leaving on Tuesday for Florida. I can leave a little later if it means him getting a job :-)

The lovely couple who have rented our house in South Dakota these past couple of years let us know they they will be receiving orders this fall. That means...we get to put our house on the market. I'm excited about that! For some it would be stressful having someone else living in their house while a Realtor is trying to sell it. Not me, I truly like our renters and I adore our realtor.

While our Hannah was fretting over her grades on the report card from her US school that she attended for a handful of months- well it arrived yesterday. All A's of course! That's our girl, setting the grade curve! Her worry was for nothing. Although she was sure that one of her teachers didn't like being a teacher and was wondering if anyone in the class would receive a decent grade for all of their hard work.

Our washing machine crapped out...while a load of clothes were in it. Perfect eh? At least it was on the rinse cycle. Now the real fun begins...the apartment management had it replaced with another one 24 hours later. Now for me to let them know that this replacement isn't working properly. The tub doesn't fill all the way on the rinse cycle. We looked up on line the reviews on it and every one of the people who put in a review complained about the machine and how it "ate up or tore up" clothes. Hello, I've spent a pretty penny on our clothing and am in no hurry to have it all ruined by a cheap machine. Now to get the replacement machine replaced with hopefully one of the same quality as before.

Needless to say my life can get rather hectic in just the matter of a week.

quote of the day

In matters of style, swim with the current;

 In matters of principle, stand like a rock.

--Thomas Jefferson

July 4th and other things of Patriotic nature

As I see it, it's kind of funny that no place celebrates the 4th of July (Also known as Independence day) on the actual day...the 4th of July. It's always held on the day that's most convenient to the military installation or the local community. Yesterday we went to the town of Wilmington and enjoyed a carnival and a  fireworks display. We met up with my husband' old running coach from high school and just enjoy being one of the thousand or so of people in the crowd. It was so nice to not stress about entertaining the mayor of some local community- I'm telling you, anonymity has its benefits!

Today we spent time with the in-laws for dinner. I enjoy being able to spend time with family.My mother in law is a total hoot! She drug out old pictures of herself before she was married and of the kids...my husband has some serious explaining to do about  some of his choices of childhood Halloween costumes.  Afterwards we went to see some of my husbands friends from high school. We've all experienced life's ups and downs these 20 plus years but the bonds of friendship are just as strong as ever. As I see it, it's always nice to catch up with old friends!

Now I'm off to enjoy what's left of this rainy day with my husband and daughter.

quote of the day

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

-Theodore Hesburgh