Double Double Toil and Trouble, It's Halloween!!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!

It's the morning after here in Korea, and most in the family are still sleeping after their candy high!Being a military family overseas can have it's toll on the family, and to me one of the MOST important things to maintain a happy home life is to maintain traditions while being flexible.

This is not always so easy - you have to improvise, like this year we could not find Popsicle sticks for the caramel apples, so we used chopsticks.

Some years it means trunk or treating rather than

trick or treating, and some years it even means making new traditions, but having traditions helps keep us grounded when we miss home.

This year even though we miss our daughter, who is in the states, we kept with traditions. We started the day making a huge pot of homemade chili - With 3 kinds of meat! Yummm. We also watched the RANGERS WIN!!!!!!! (hopefully this will be another Halloween tradition - watching the rangers in the world series)

The boys really wanted to make the caramel apples this year - and surprising me - Jacob the oldest led the charge!

Then it was off for some trick or treating -

This year Dylan wanted to be his favorite character - Indiana Jones!

Lots of candy to be had in the base housing towers -

I also want to say thank you, I know that with many Halloween has fallen out of favor, and there were many signs on doors saying Sorry we are at church - and candy is expensive ~ So thank you to all who still participate! Who buy the candy and sit and hand it out for 2 hours! The kids LOVE it and we the parents appreciate it! THANK YOU!!!

We also had the opportunity to carve some pumpkins thanks to the community center on base last weekend and Dylan wanted me to show everyone his pumpkins - Another event that was so fun for the whole family!!

So far only one layout for Halloween - More to come soon!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!!! Have a safe one!!!

An Update

What a difference just a little bit of time makes - I don't know if I should just have a really really long blog post or just scrap it for a new blog. I think I am going to just keep this one. SO SO SO much has happened.... Mainly I lost my rock, a big part of my heart and the one who kept me grounded, my hero my mom. She was taken suddenly from us on Aug 4. Yep - that is also my birthday. It was an aneurysm. I know her and I know that believe it or not this is how she would want to have gone. Not on my birthday, but fast and quick. She was an AMAZING woman. A retired Air Force Colonel from the generation that BUSTED through the glass ceiling.

Because of her (and those like her) women can now serve in combat, women can fly jets, and no longer do we assume that if you are in the military you are a nurse. She gave everything she was to her 3 loves, her family, her country and her god. She is my idea of the ULTIMATE patriot and the best mom -

I miss her every day!

After her funeral, I made the heart wrenching decision to leave the home I love ~ Granbury and join my husband overseas in Korea. I don't think I have it in me to face this tragedy alone just yet. I wanted my family to be together to deal with our grief.

So far it has been a wonderful decision ~ We LOVE it here in Korea!!! It is an adventure every day!!! I will be trying to post our adventure in wonderland for you to enjoy!! As we see the county, and prepare to move to our new home in Italy, and know that I will be scrapping along the way! Until then - Hug your mom - let her know how you feel!!! Trust me, it can all be over in an instant!

Catching Up

WOW - a whole month off!!! I had to... so much has happened. We moved. Life - Emily got really sick, Hospital sick.... the house we were getting fell through, we had to get another house and Jay left for a year. And in the middle of it all - the WORST weather in like 50 years - Only in my life!!! So a pretty crappy month. But it is over and through it all, even though I didn't blog or scrap, or even talk to some of my best friends, I took pictures. I stayed faithful to my 365!!! AMAZING - ok - there are a couple of days that I skiped, but for the most part I have it all documented. Granted they are mostly still on the camera waiting to be downloaded, but they are there!!!! So I am starting fresh on the blog with the pics from this weekend and the pages that I have scrapped. So I am taking a deep cleansing breath (along with Yoga at the Y tomorrow) and here you are!!!
Here are some pictures that I managed to scrap - great therapy..... great way to avoid all the boxes I have to still unpack!

Olivia - Bath Time

Jay and I at the Airport -

Dylan and Maddie - Crashed



Caught Dylan Reading in Bed

Thanks for hanging in there with me!!

One Week

Wow - I think I need to update more - But I am still proud of myself for keeping up with my 365 project. 23 days and still going strong!! So many fun things going on this week. We are still gearing up for the move.... We move into the TLF (hotel) Thursday and Jay signs out on the 12th. Then home sweet home at last!

Todays picture is so cute - to me - Jay works on the flight line, so he NEVER wears his blues. It's ok with me - they make him look like he works with delta or something - Totally dorky (that's the Army in me talking) He had to put them on this morning - 6am Commanders Call. There has been 5 DUI's so the group commander called them ALL in 6am in Blues for an ass chewing. Boy was he a happy camper!!!! I laughed so hard! But I did get a picture of him in Blues. It's not even his shirt. When they told him yesterday, we had to dig out a shirt and it was 2 ranks lower! He has never had it on!! So we called a friend ~ Thanks JP!
Here he is in his "Mad Men" pose

Yesterday they came to take all his stuff.... Kinda a hard day for me... But was made easier by the fact that the packers ~ man and woman ~ were the most unplesent people EVER!!! She was NOT happy at me for taking her picture and when I tried to explain the whole 365 thing she just glared at me. But she kept fighting with Mike - like an old married couple! We were rolling in the other room. This is the best shot I could get, I swear she was going to knock me out!



Jay's stuff separated for the move...



I have said it before and truly mean it - There is nothing like having to pack all your stuff and paint to inspire procrastnation - I mean creativity. I have been wanting to get into hybrid for so long!! I am so proud of myself! My 1st hybrid project.



Because I am a quilter, it is in my DNA to have at least 485 projects going at one time. When I can only quilt a min. I whip out this little number, my butterfly garden. It has lots of aplique, that I am going to try by hand, so I am getting it ready for the long drive to Texas



This is what it will look like when I am done (Ya Right)



My Rosenthal China - I Love it - It was my parents set - Before I had to pack it - These plates have been around the world a few times!!!



The boys going to The Chipmunks Movie! I totally refused to take them and left it to Jay! Ursula and I went to Leap Year instead. Boys loved it - Jay not so much - I think he updated his facebook status the whole movie!




In the spirit of procrastination - I have scrapped this week -



This one is from the One Love new Mega Kit - I LOVE IT -




Whew - are you still here??? That was like a novel - I promise to try and update more often! Well Jay has promised that if I help him pull up the pergo floor in the Kitchen I can start on my Dear Jane today!!!! I will be documenting this process!!! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Happy Birthday Boys -

So much to catch up on! I am so blessed to have such a full life, wonderful family and such great friends!! Thank you God!
Yesterday was both Jacob and Jay's birthday! 15 and 31! Jacob celebrated in his typical style and took a bunch of friends for 6 hours of paintball!! They LOVED it - I am expecting pictures shortly! Jay took the more mellow approach. He picked a restaurant he loves - the local hibachi grill down the street and we met some friends there for dinner. It was such a good time - Here are some pictures from dinner and the picture of the day - I love it - I love catching him in moments where he looks truly happy! Here is about to bust into a big laugh!


A little too much Saki for me!!!


Dylan telling Dad Happy Birthday!

The Birthday Kiss!

Look at all that food we ate - makes my stomach hurt this morning!

Because they share a birthday, Jacob's day of the month will be the 15th - so here is his picture for the day -
I really really wish I could of been there for his birthday, it breaks my heart that I wasn't, but he was with family and friends and had so much fun. Such is the life of a military family. - This is the only picture that I fudged on - I took it before he left - I wanted one of him for his birthday .. Soon before we are together again - less than a month left.

For the 14th we took Dylan to Bingo for Books sponsored by the PTA - Thankfully he won!!! I love the picture of intense concentration on his face!! Too cute - He has his juice box there for sustenance!

On the agenda today - More packing!!! Shock of Shocks!!!! Soon hopefully it will be unpacking!! Today I loose my desk :( The computer will go on the kids rickety little crappy thing. So sad! Well off to corrugated heaven - Have a great day everyone!

Starting Dear Jane

I have to say that I am very proud of myself. I have kept up with my 365 pictures! While I have not bloged every day as this would tend to bore the life out of my faithful followers - (oh ya I don't have any :)) and there is just not that much to share right now. I think I can only talk about packing for so long.
Today's picture is just a way to document my LOVE of tea.




There is one big accomplishment ~ I have started the other major project of the year. I am also embarking on a quest to finish a Dear Jane quilt. This past summer I enrolled in a Dear Jane Block of the Month. I had to do it over the summer because they are so very popular. Yesterday my 1st month came in!! I was so happy - This is a Dear Jane -

It is a reproduction of a quilt made by Jane Stickle during the civil war. It is 169 4inch blocks, and a quilt cornerstone. Hence the picture of the day the UGLY fabric that they sent me to start with - BLECH!!!


The Orange is called Cheddar - really??? cheddar as a color? It actually resembles the color of something left in a baby diaper. I did not realize that the quilt would be in civil war reproduction fabrics - Needless to say I think I am going out this afternoon to my favorite quilt shop to fix the awful color dilemma - I am documenting this journey on my other blog - devoted to quilting - Adventures in Seam Ripping http://adventuresinseamripping.blogspot.com/
So it looks like I am making 2 Dear janes, One out of colors that I like and one I think I will sell because I CAN NOT waste fabric. I think its a mortal sin!

I also scrapped - just 2 pages - One about our move (using a 365 Picture)



and one to start the book of me.



The last picture is of Sunday's 365 - It is of Jay playing around with Dylan and lifting him in the air. He really wanted me to take that one! I think I have the picture to use for the no shadows challenge over at the Sweet Shoppe.



Well I need to get going to the quilt shop ... and keep praying that Jay does not keep up with this at work, I'll tell him all about if AFTER I get back!! Have a great day everyone!

Wonderful Day

I have to start out this blog post by saying a HUGE thank you to my dear wonderful friend/sage/surrogate parent/quilt partner Linda ~ I am both lucky and blessed to have her in my life. She makes leaving here even that much more difficult. I will miss you terribly!
With that said I have to tell you about my WONDERFUL weekend. It has been such a great couple of days that I have not even really noticed that it is also FREEZING!!!!
Yesterday, after a "fun" filled day of packing/yelling (sometimes being a control freak has a downside) Jay took me out for some Starbucks and cheesecake. This was my reward for packing up my fabric. Knowing how hard it is for me to pack away any fabric (I took my Bernina on vacation to Hawaii with us. I swear) and knowing how happy it makes me, we went to the Starbucks in the Barnes and Nobel. This is also the one that serves the Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes! I'm telling you whoever came up with that combination should win some sort of Nobel Peace Prize! (apparently they give them away nowadays!) Because of the trauma, I was not able to post a picture yesterday, so here it is.... some, a VERY little bit of my fabric stash....

Quilters are massive horders of fabric and I am no exception.... Knowing that I was starting to pack away some of my stash my good friend Linda took me out to lunch today. This is secret code for hey Nonnie, lets get in the car drive to Virgina Beach (next town over) and hit what has to be the best quilt store across the water, Whats your stitch N stuff to get more fabric!!!! Funny how that works! I think Linda knows it is my personal goal to try and hit EVERY quilt store in America (at least the ones in driving range) and this one was wonderful! It was full of fun and whimsical fabric, even the stuff from my favorite digi scrap artist Zoe Pearn.
so here we are in the picture of the day~



After filling our carts full of fun fabrics .... I so Love new fabric!!!!!.... we headed back across the water for mani and pedis. I have to tell you I love my feet and it was sheer heaven sitting in a massage chair having a man rub my feet. Jay will NOT touch them. If only they nail guy looked more like Matt Damon. I know how much you want to see it and so yes I documented it for you (and so I can scrap it later) ~ and before you ask yes those are my fingers and toes, NOT little Jimmy Dean sausages.

Karma and God being what they are, all good things have a price. My price - an evening at Chucky Cheese!!! Yes... that dreaded parent hell where as god as my witness I watched the people next to me change their child's dirty diaper ..... AT THE TABLE!!!!!! This was my payment for such a great day! The gods have been appeased and I did get some great pictures out of it!



Tomorrow as part of a challenge at the Sweet Shoppe I have agreed to let Dylan have the camera and take as many pictures as he wants. Kinda a day in the life from his perspective. This should be interesting. For now I am going to bed! My husband is calling me ... apparently this is the night of the season premier of Chuck - Lots of chucks in my life today!! To many for me - Goodnight all!