Halu-Halo

The one-year itch

It could be that I am stuck somewhere between re-writing chapters 2 and 3 and am totally stuck.

It could also be that I don't want to dive into the steady stream of laundry growing on my bed, of pool towels and swimsuits.

and it could simply be that I'm trying to keep myself from eating up the baked goods I've been making for my recent great meet-ups with friends.

or it could be that I just have the military spouse's One Year Itch.

 

I spent seven days researching Fort Campbell, KY.  The week before that Fort Drum, NY, and this week...Fort Stewart, GA.  

Just because.

Do we have orders? Nope

Do we have even an inkling that's time to move on?  Not really.

Was I given an indication that these are places that we will go to next? Uuu-no.

But I have to scratch the itch.

We have, after all, been here at our duty station for a year.  I've fully settled into my house.  Every bit of everything that's out of boxes is out and where it should be.   We've even added to the current decor.  That must mean it's time to go, doesn't it?

And I never want to be caught off guard on locations we may live.  I've got four kiddos needing a safe place to live and great schools to go to.  I've got to find out where the nearest quilt shop is, and if I have friends in the area whom I can love on.  I'd like to know how how long it will take me to get to my nearest Targe'.

This type A researcher, the control freak who knows she is never really in control, the know-it-before-we-move-it woman, the expert of google and how-to-prepare-for-any-lastminuteFamilyfiasco...me...is an Army creation, a mutation of the typical stay at home mom and wife - slightly cooky to become obsessed about moving after being a year in station.

At least Hubby patronizes me.  He is a great man, I've said already.  He nods when I talk to him about the parks nearby our potential neighborhood I want to live in.  He pats my head when I talk to him about how long it will take him to get to work.  He mmm's and aaa's when I discuss new furniture and curtains.

He lets me scratch it, and scratch it good, because he knows that after I've taken my time to do it, and accepted that the itch will always be there, that I will finally settle down and enjoy, and appreciate, and relax.

 

...to gain my momentum and strength for when it's really time...

So, dear local friends, excuse my most recent topic of conversation, for as I blather on and on about Fort Whatever, know that in a couple of weeks time, I should be a-ok.

 

Have a great Friday, friends!

 

Project Process - Tulle Pom Cupcake Topper

I received a couple of requests for a quick tutorial on how to make tulle pom cupcake toppers.  I had mentioned in this post that I wasn't sure if I would have enough time to make them for Sweet R's 6th birthday party, but found that it took no time at all.

I learned how to make yarn poms when I was an Army Nurse in Germany.  I worked quite a few night shifts on our Mother-Baby Ward (Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum), and on our slow nights, we made yarn poms to attach to the tops of the little white stocking caps (for our new babies) that were standard Army and hospital issue.  A very experienced nurse taught me how to do it one night, and among many other nurse-lessons she taught me, I have never forgotten it.  I have fond memories snipping yarn and waiting for the minutes to pass in our ancient, and I believe haunted, Army hospital - although that is another story in itself.    

The method of making tulle poms are exactly the same as yarn poms, so you may have already seen this method out there on the vast and generous internets.  But I wanted to share my process, and hope that you can use them for your own projects.

Tulle Pom Cupcake Topper

 

Materials Needed:  Spool of tulle (width - 6 inches), yarn or twine, cardstock, scissors

 

1.  PREP:  Measure out 35 inches of tulle, and cut lengthwise.  You will end up with a piece of tulle that is 3inchx35inch piece.  The longer the piece of tulle, the more full the tulle pom will be.  Cut a 6 inch piece of yarn.    Cut a 2x3 piece of card stock.

 

2. Wrap the piece of tulle around the piece of card stock, going around the cardstock long-ways. Hopefully the picture will articulate what my tired brain is not obviously able to...

knowwhatimean?

 

3.  Remove the cardstock

 

4. Tie the middle of the folded tulle, so it looks like a bow-tie, with the folded sides as the edges of the bow tie.  Oh geez, clear as mud?

 

5.  Tie tightly!  Snip the tails of the string, or any leftover tulle that seems to want to escape.

 

6.  Snip the folded edges.

 

7.  Finally, fluff and enjoy

 

The tulle measurements I provided above are for tiny poms that can be glued to popsicle sticks for cupcake toppers, but have great fun and experiment!  Make large ones to hang from your ceiling or tiny ones for clips.

Have fun, and make stuff!

On a side note, if you'll have a spare prayer to say tonight, please send a shout out for one of my Army-wife-friends, whose son is in the ICU, from being hit by a vehicle while riding his skateboard.  Have a peaceful night, friends.    

Friendships that grow by the feet

When I went back to work a few years ago as a civilian nurse on a Postpartum ward, I was given the biggest revelation...that extended families grow and experience milestones together.  Our postpartum rooms were always filled with extended family.  Flowers in vases covered surfaces and balloons engulfed the ceilings, and we constantly had to remind folks when visiting hours were over.  Rooms were so crowded I apologized whenever I had to interrupt.  

It was a revelation because nomadic families don't have this support all of the time.  We learn to birth and grow our families physically on our own.  While we always know of the support of our families, we might not have the opportunity to experience it firsthand, and with such ease.  Such is our life, and we've accepted it.

But what we've lacked in families, we've found in friends.  

We cooked together

We drank and ate together.  

We washed each other's dishes.

We saw each other tired from work. 

We complained about our husbands.

We held each other's babies.

We talked on the phone at all hours of the day.

We giggled at everything.

We cried at almost nothing at all.

 

And while years pass between visits - what else would you expect from nomadic families - the vibe remains, of stability and trust, and the only things really different are the extra feet running down our hallways and the tiny lines on our face.

But I have something to share.

Although we as nomadic families are conditioned to say, "I'll see you later," rather than "goodbye"; although we raise each other in optimism, to seek adventure and friendship in all corners of where we find ourselves in. And although we are, actually, very good at blooming where we are planted, the revelation settles in, again and again.

That, indeed, we are sometimes left to raise ourselves.  And we miss having our families nearby.  And we don't like to say "see you later" to very good friends.

We chose our life without regret, but we wish the world is just a little smaller sometimes.

A summer success

After Baby J decided that she was perfectly comfortable sleeping throughout the night at the wonderful age of one, gifting me with a fairly normal sleeping routine, I shifted my work patterns so that I could write and exercise in the morning.  Over the course of a couple of weeks, I trained myself to get into my bed, tired or otherwise, at 10 o'clock, and set my alarm to ring 5 am.  It worked, and I became in my mind, the most productive person on this side of my suburban neighborhood.

That is, until summer began.  And all he*( broke loose.  All of a sudden, I have at least one stray child wandering my hallways and looking through the refrigerator and cupboards, scavenging for something - food, crayons, food, books, and more food.  By the end of the day, they might as well have been looking for my sanity, who runs away from me and hides itself in my secret chocolate stash. 

I am totally serious.

My children are never tired on these long summer days.  Or at the very least never tired at the same time.  This makes for a logistical nightmare, since Baby J calls me from her crib as soon as she hears my fingers on the keyboard, never mind that I am typing ever. so. delicately.  And poor Jillian Michaels - I haven't had any time for her at all.  The moment I turn on the television downstairs I hear the pitter-pitter of not so little feet.

But right now, dear Internets, my dearest wonderful friends, it is so, so quiet.  Because my goal of wearing these four wonderful children of mine worked today.

...And the other three are under their quilts as well, with all of them except Baby J (who is in her crib) strewn about on a random floor in my house.  I dare not even try to do the dishes or fold laundry, I'm not a fool over here!  I'm going to continue to sit my wishing-to-be-a-J.Lo-backside on my chair and I am going to enjoy this peace and quiet.

Have a great afternoon!!!

 

I might as well have been clubbing

with the way that I feel today. My eyelids are heavy, my head is in a fog, and I'm a second away from falling asleep, for what seems like the 4th time today.  Thank goodness it is actually bedtime!  I don't think Baby J appreciated my inability to distinguish between day and night, with me today aimlessly holding her Little People while she babbled all around me.

I wish I could say that I was out all night partying, throwing back fruity drinks, and dancing my toes off.  Heck, I would have even felt better if I could say I was at book club, and accidentally had one too many glasses of wine.  No, my friends, I can't even say that I was watching one of the Real Housewives and knitting my night into oblivion.

Yesterday, I threw a cooking party for my little girl and her 9 little friends.  And survived.

 

It all seemed like such a great idea - to plan for them to make a three course lunch, THEN eat, THEN blow the candles, and THEN open presents.  I had visions of me fluttering gracefully, smiling and guiding their little hands as they spread the pizza sauce, and carefully cut their strawberries for their dessert.  

Instead, I was a sweaty mama piglet.  And three hours after the first little girl arrived, I was done.  I put my feet up, and I cradled the beer that I had opened before the party, and I took my third sip from it.  And then I ate a little bit of everything I had made for the other adults earlier in the afternoon.

It wasn't all bad, despite all of this whining I am doing.  Actually, it was one of the best parties I've thrown for my children.  All of the little girls that celebrated with us were all just lovely.  My family and the mommies that came along with these little girls graciously helped me organize dishes, label plates, manage the mess and corral the herd.  There was a lot of laughing in our kitchen. 

And my daughter was happy...so so happy.

But wow - what a hangover.  

My pillow calls....I hope you all had a great weekend!

 

 

 

Party animal

The true sign of big families is the almost never ending planning of birthday parties.  We now have six a year to think of! Wait, seven if you include our sweet boxer Sugar.  So, just when I think I can rest from party prep, it sneaks up and takes over my afternoons, my counter tops and my dining room table.

Don't misunderstand me though - I love parties...love to go to them, love to throw them, love to eat through them.  The gathering of people, the loud laughter, any excuse to get together - yes, absolutely, sign me up.

But everything takes time, no?  And I haven't had much of it, or more specifically, I haven't figured out the magic secret of finding time during the summer.  Before this week I had a list of everything I needed to do before R's birthday and I think I've cut it down to about a third.

Luckily, R is thrilled at whatever I have thus far.  I think she is like me, she looks forward to seeing her little friends and eating all of the cake more than the touches I covet in completing.

Thank goodness, because instead of making little cupcake toppers, I am chasing our phenomenal Baby J

 

...who, in this picture, might indicate that she will be a party animal soon herself...

Hope you guys have a great Thursday!  

 

Our Heart

Hello friends!

We spent last week in a cabin hideaway, all six of us, along with our furbaby.  I am barely swimming above the laundry that has accumulated, and am sorely failing at wrangling what was once a fairly manageable to-do list.  

But I couldn't not write about today.

I've been a blessed woman, to have had so many milestones, so many moments when I have been overwhelmed in happiness.  I've tried to not take any of these moments for granted, I pray everyday that I will always see joy even in struggle. 

There have been those moments, however, when it has felt like the Light of God came through and I just.knew. that the moment was for me.  Like the day I realized that Hubby was my One; a light shone through from behind him while and I had lunch, a signal I grabbed by the horns!  Another time was while Hubby and I toured Verona as newlyweds; we turned a corner and a great light came through the street, bringing the buildings to sparkle and shine.  I felt love and history at my feet, and I knew our marriage would create its own story.

And then there was the Birth of my Sweet R.

Six years ago, through my greatest fear, unyielding physical pain, and in great Faith, she came to me.  I knew the moment she was conceived, nine months later I ushered her into this world, and when I held her in my arms for the first time, the world stopped.  There was a moment where the room was filled with light; she was the gift I asked for when my Soldier was away, and God gave her to me.

She must have captured that light which I thought was just for me.  She must have brought it into herself, so that she could pass it on to everyone she meets.  For she has these shining eyes and a glorious smile.  Her expressions are true.  She giggles and squeals without reservation; she takes others by the hand and takes them into her care.  Our family's Heart, she is indeed.  When she was born, she pushed the limits of what I thought my heart could hold, stretching it to accommodate the joy that she would add to our already happy family.

Never change, my Sweet, Sweet R.  This world is a better place with you in it.  

I hope you all had a great week.  We are snuggling in tonight.

First Lesson

I gave my first private lesson today.  

I was very proud.

Correction, I *am* proud.

Not only that my children wanted to learn the sport I know and love best, but today, C was, in fact, able to learn from me.

Never mind that I played tennis for many years, and some of my most proudest moments in high school were of me wearing my cute white tennis skirt, k-swiss shoes and pink rimmed visor; I was more nervous that C wasn't going to feel the tennis love and therefore not learn a lick of it from me.

But at the end of an hour, C learned his forehand and backhand grip, and from half court could actually keep his balls - sort of - in our area.

 

Now I am having dreams of him playing throughout high school and college; I totally am now getting the whole kid-living-a-parent's-dream-thing.  I am already thinking of getting myself a gajillion more tennis balls and a ball hopper so I can do drills with him.

I know, I know, but I can't help it.  When he started asking about when our next lesson should be, I got excited.  When he asked to learn all of the rules in tennis, my heart went a-flutter.  And we watched Wimbeldon today and he yelled when Sharapova double faulted, I almost scooped him up to kiss him.  

I thought to myself, could it be? - I carried him, I bore him, I fed him, and now he is following in my footsteps!?  That he will be the next tennis sensation?   

I know, I KNOW!  I'm getting way ahead of myself.  But can't a Mama ride this maniacal train, even just for tonight?  Please, just let me go to bed thinking of the day my son will take me to Wimbeldon, when I will scream encourage him from those awesome boxed seats, throwing kisses and roses at him when he wins. 

(yes, I promise, I am going to bed now...have a great weekend everyone!)