You Know When The Men Are Gone

Grabbed From NPR's Website

Fort Drum recently hosted author Siobhan Fallon to talk about her book You Know When The Men Are Gone. It is a series of short stories set at Fort Hood. The local NPR affiliate was hosting a reading/discussion with her and I attended last week. I am really glad that I went. It was interesting to hear her stories about the book and her experiences as an Army spouse.

 I liked the book, but it was an intense read. All of the stories took aspects of military life that are very familiar to me, and stretched them into the extreme. The book is a work of fiction, and the stories intertwine around each other. It is  a quick read, and you could easily finish it in a day.

Purchase on Amazon

Have any of y'all read this book? What did you think?

Deployment Week Fourteen

Alright so apparently the Saturday deployment updates have changed permanently to Monday deployment updates. I don't know why life has been so crazy, but my goal is to be a better blogger this week. 

May is so close I can taste it. May is my goalpost month. May is when I head home to Atlanta and spend time with my parents. May is when I will hit 50% of this darn deployment done. If I can make it through May and June, and I feel like I will be in the home stretch. Now everyone says how horrible the end of the summer will be; so close to redeployment without any actual homecoming. I am choosing to ignore that. My first goal was to make it to April. April is almost over and I am still standing.

Happy Picture 

For Lane's 21st birthday we went and brewed our own beer. The place was in Alexandria right outside of D.C, but sadly they are closed. We had a great time and the beer was delicious. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for the sun. 

I swear y'all, my entire Instagram feed is going to be pictures of me reading outside for the next few weeks. After months of constant snow and cold, 70 degree weather is heaven. 

2. I am grateful for Asha's good behavior. 

We have gotten into a great routine. She sees me putting my shoes on in the morning and immediately goes into her crate. It makes me smile every morning. 

3. I am grateful for good friends. 

I had a completely friend filled weekend and it was great. I had my introvert time, but not nearly enough. I am a pretty social person, but if I don't get enough alone time in a week I start to twitch a little bit. I like to hide myself away with a book at least a couple times a week. 

4. I am grateful for pictures of my husband!

I woke up this morning to a freshly posted picture of Lane from his unit's facebook group. 

Deployment Projects 

Nada, zilch, none. 

I made a gorgeous wreath for the front door yesterday, but that doesn't really count. My next big purchase is to get a love seat for the living room. It was going to be way too much money to reupholster the chair Asha destroyed, so I am just going with a new love seat. Can't wait =)

I am guest posting over at Love From Home today and talking all about my wedding. Go check it out! 

Skype Rules My World

I have no idea how it's already Friday. I am equally confused as to how April is almost over, so clearly time is not my strong suit right now. Don't get my wrong, I am thrilled that time is flying by. This is such a wonderful change from the plodding pace of February and March. I am linking up with Lauren to celebrate Fridays with her wonderful link-up High Five For Friday. 

1. The biggest high five for my first Skype date with Lane. Seeing his face was wonderful. The internet connection was surprisingly good. I am so grateful for the MWR and the other resources available to Lane and other soldiers. 

2. She hasn't done anything special this week, but I always have a high five for my sweet girl. She is so sleepy and sweet in the morning. This was her using the door frame to help stretch. 

3. High five that my battle buddy Shannon is back from visiting home. It has been nice to have her back in New York. Her dogs get along so well with Asha, and she is a wonderful support for me.

4. High five for finishing my first week of FRG leader. I don't I've ever responded to so many e-mails in my life. Whew, I am loving it but man there are a lot of people asking questions.

5. Did I already mention a high five for skype with my husband? Oh I love that face 

Coffee Love

Sometimes people are wonderful. 

I stopped by Starbucks on Saturday during my normal errands trip into Watertown. I was planning on picking up coffee for a friend who has been having a rough week. I told the barrista, and this was the note he wrote on her cup. He also gave me the drink for free. I love when people go the extra mile to put a smile on your face.

The second reason I wanted to share this is that I have had two different military spouses mention to me that they don't go to Starbucks because the company refused to send coffee to deployed soldiers. Now this story has been repeatedly refuted. You can find the snopes explanation here. Our local Starbucks sends coffee to Fort Drum soldiers all the time. My mom ordered directly from Starbucks and had the coffee sent to Lane. With her order they also included $20.00 worth of gift cards. Now I understand that there are lots of people who don't like Starbucks for whatever reason. However, make sure your facts are actually accurate before you condemn a company for not supporting our service members. 

Deployment Week Thirteen

So all weekend I meant to sit down and blog, but it just never happened. Instead I spent glorious mornings reading and Starbucks and sunny afternoons at the dog park with Asha. I have seen the idea of a social media free weekend floating around, and I am tempted to try it out. I communicate with Lane through fb message, so it won't happen till he is safely home.
So instead of its normal weekend position, here is my deployment week thirteen update. 

Week thirteen was a doozy. The Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent manhunt just put a constant haze over the week. I still had some great moments at the gym and throughout the week. I was thrilled to reach 33% done, and the 100 day mark is just around the corner. 

Happy Picture

This is from the pictures we took the day after our wedding. It was an equally beautiful day, and we were able to be a bit more relaxed and have a great time. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for the awesome gyms we have available on Fort Drum. Having a place where I feel welcome and motivated makes me so much more likely to work out. I always see someone I know. The guys that work there always motivate me to keep going. 

2. I am grateful for warm weather. We have been teased with a few warm days, however snow followed on Sunday. I am so ready for summer. I am tired of cold weather. I want shorts and sun hats, sunburns and cold drinks. 

3. I am grateful for lazy mornings spent chatting with Lane online. He some free time on Saturday and we had a wonderful chat. It was so nice to not feel rushed or trying to sneak in a chat before my next appointment. 

4. I am grateful to my parents for encouraging me to read. Books have been a much needed escape this week. I have been reading constantly, and always feel sad when I finish a book or book series. The world was scary this week, and I wanted to escape. Books allow me to do that without actually leaving my bedroom. 

Deployment Projects 

I got a few things done this week. I kept working on small projects. I organized all my craft stuff in pretty boxes I grabbed at TJ Maxx. I got the throw pillow below this week as well. 

House Goals

 Art for the empty wall in the kitchen- done with free cork board

Map Wall gallery for the Living Room - decided to hang British maps instead

 Curtains For the Living Room

DIY Goals

 Repair Asha-Destroyed Arm Chair

Sand/Paint/Add Cushions to Greek Style Chair

Finish Sanding School Style Desk- Not done sanding, but it's already in the house. Don't think I will make any more changes to it. 

Fitness Goals

 Dead lift my own body weight - Done! Maxed at 200 lbs

Do 1 Pull-Up

 Lose another 2% body fat

Blog Goals

 Do An Outfit of the Day post

Do two giveaways - I did one giveaway 

 Get to 100 Followers

Financial Goals

Pay off $20,000 dollars of student loan debt- We are almost to $13,000 

  Get to a 0 balance on both credit cards - Whoo! Done back in February

Pay Every Month’s bills on time - So far so good 

Things to Buy

DSLR camera- Cannon T3i - Purchased in April 

      You & Me Print

 Sewing Machine

Very excited for Week 14 and the arrival of May! I can't wait to be one more month closer to my husband's return. 

High Five for 1/3

Happy Friday Y'all!
This week flew by so quickly. I love feeling time start to speed up a little bit. After the eternity that was January/February the last two months have sped on by. I am excited to get to May and my trip home!

To celebrate Friday joy, I am linking up with Lauren at her newly renamed blog Lauren Elizabeth .

1. High Five for 1/3 of deployment done. I have so many awesome milestones coming up. We will hit 100 days, then it's only a hop skip and a jump to 50% done. Ah the sweet feeling of progress. 

2. High Five for sleepy puppies. We have had a few days of gorgeous weather and multiple trips to the dog park have been the norm. This results in a very sleepy Asha, which I love. She normally is a little fussy right when we get home, but then passes out.

3. High Five for busy days at work. I have been booked solid every single day. I have at least five advising appointments during my shift, and that doesn't include responding to calls, e-mails and other small tasks throughout the day. I still gotta say, I doubt any job will ever feel as good as getting soldiers through college classes. 

4. High Five for gorgeous evening walks while I chat with my mom on the phone. I so hope this nice weather hangs around. It gets cool as the sun goes down, but the walks are absolutely perfect.

5. High Five for late nights with other army spouses talking about deployments, babies, moving and just about everything. I have a truly awesome group of women up here.

Hope you're having a wonderful Friday =) 

Dress Like a Princess

via

I was doing my normal Monday morning news round up when I saw a headline that immediately made my day. The fabulous designer Issa is doing a capsule collection with Banana Republic. Issa is best known for the incredible dress Kate Middleton wore for the announcement of her engagement to Prince William. 

via

Seriously, could that dress be any more gorgeous? 

From Vogue: 

"Issa London's effortlessly chic style complements our global Banana Republic consumer who is on the go and needs to transition her look seamlessly from day to night," said Simon Kneen, Banana Republic's creative director and executive vice president of design.

The range will be stocked in 450 Banana Republic stores across the US and around 700 international stores - as well as online at bananarepublic.gap.com. Expect Issa's signature bright wrap dresses and kimono-style cover-ups, combined with exotic animal prints and African-inspired accessories."

I don't think the collection will be available for a few months. You better believe my happy self will be stalking the website when it does become available. I need a homecoming dress and I imagine something from this collection might be perfect. 

Please tell me some of y'all are as obsessed with Kate Middleton's clothing as I am? 

Unexpected Sweetness

I attended an FRG coffee last night that included the sweetest idea. The hostess (without letting us know) e-mailed our husbands a list of questions about us. Now all of these guys are deployed, so they had to e-mail her the answers back before our coffee last night. Then at the coffee we played a version of the newlywed game, just with our husbands 6,500 miles away. We tried to match our husband's responses to the questions.

 Some of the guys' answers were hilarious, some were totally off base but all of them were adorable. It was the most unexpected surprise to get to hear what our husband think about us. I absolutely love this idea, and think it would make the perfect activity for an FRG coffee, bachelorette party or other event.

So here are the questions, and my clever husband's and my own answers.

1. Where did you meet?

His answer: High school English class

My Answer: High school in sophomore English class

2. What color are her eyes

His answer: Blue

My answer: Blue

3. What is her favorite candy?

His answer: Peppermint patty

My answer: York peppermint patty (Clearly knowing the candy questions is of utmost importance)

4. What is her favorite color 

His answer: Purple 

My answer: Blue 

5. What piece of jewelry would she most like to receive?

His answer: Necklace

My answer: Necklace

6. What would she say is her best feature? 

His answer: her sense of humor 

My answer: my work ethic 

7. Who is her hero or person she admires most, living or dead? 

His answer: Her grandmother Lulu 

My answer: No idea who he would pick for this (this is actually the perfect answer and I am very touched that he knew this)

8. What is the best vacation you have taken together? 

His answer: Block leave to Virginia last summer 

My answer: Scotland 

9. If your wife won the lottery, what would she do with the money? 

His answer: Take a vacation, get her PhD, and save for our kids 

My answer: Pay off our student loans and go on vacation 

Hearing his answers was wonderful. It felt great to know that at some point he was sitting at his desk in Afghanistan, thinking about me and doing his part to make sure we had a great night. 

Boston

via

Yesterday was the first truly gorgeous day we've had in the North Country. I came home from a wonderful hour at the dog park to news of the bombs at the Boston Marathon. Suddenly the day didn't seem so gorgeous.

 I think everyone is tired of tragedies taking up the news. The same fear every time. The instant flipping through of everyone you know who lives in the city facing the current horror. My aunt teaches in Newtown Connecticut, and my cousins live in Boston with their two children. I have been lucky both times that none of them were hurt. But other people's families are hurt. I don't know what to say or do, but I wanted to include a few ways people can help. 

1. Give blood. 

The Red Cross is always looking for blood donors. I heard they have enough in Boston, but you can always donate to help out others in need. Find out how and where here. I will be giving blood on Saturday at the mall in Watertown. 

via

2. If you live in Boston and can offer people somewhere to stay go here

3. Donate to the Salvation Army. 

They send in trucks with food and counseling services to areas in crisis. Find out how here

I will be praying and thinking about everyone affected by this recent attack. 

Mama's Day

I'm not a mother yet, but I know a lot of them and can't wait to help celebrate their wonderfulness in a few weeks. 

Purchase Here

How gorgeous is this Mama ring from Nora Kogan (used to be St. Kilda). This ring has been featured on A Cup of Jo  a few times. I have a special love for this artist because my wedding ring is her Loved Ring in white gold. I fell in love with this ring the moment I saw it. It works perfectly with my slightly thicker engagement ring band. 

To Purchase

I would love to add the Mama ring to my jewelry box in a few years. It would be the perfect right hand ring to stack with something else. These rings are so dainty and convey such a wonderful feeling of love. 

What are y'all planning to get your mama's this Mother's Day? 

200

I know I just posted about deployment goals yesterday, but today at the gym I blasted through one of my biggest goals. I set a goal months ago to dead lift my body weight. I have always been floating around the low 100's, but I wanted to get above my body weight for my one rep map. Well today not only did I hit my body weight, I went way beyond that.

 I dead lifted 200 lbs for my one rep max.

 That's almost 50 lbs more than my body weight. Y'all it felt amazing. That is not at all something I thought I would be able to do. I had an incredible support team cheering me on and encouraging me to keep adding weight. 

This is one reason that I am so passionate about encouraging other women to lift. You get this incredible sense of accomplishment from being able to do something you couldn't mere weeks ago. There is enormous confidence in physical strength. I feel like I am more confident in other areas of my life when I feel physically strong. 

Now the whole getting bulky thing. I have gotten considerably smaller since I started lifting weights. This is my favorite quote on the subject: 

Obviously everyone should lift safely, but don't be scared to pick up the bar and throw some weight on that bad boy. I absolutely love it and could never imagine stopping. 

Deployment Week Twelve

*This is my series of posts in which I document my feels and accomplishments throughout my husband's deployment to Afghanistan* 

So excited to be reaching the three month mark of this darn deployment. At a recent FRG meeting someone mentioned that the end of the summer would probably be the hardest part of this deployment. Goodness I hope they are wrong. It hasn't gotten easier, but time is definitely going by a bit faster. I can't wait to get through April and then just focus on my trip in May/June. By the time I am back in NY, it will be practically July. That is awesome. 

Happy Picture 

This is one of my favorites from our wedding. I made those Mr. and Mrs signs and they are now hanging in our bedroom. We decided to have a little sweetheart table at the wedding and it was a wonderful decision.

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for other crazy dog owners who will take their dogs to the park in the rain and mud. Asha had an absolute blast playing at the park. However, she hated getting hosed off afterward. Check out that face.  She is passed out asleep next to the couch now thanks to all that exercise. 

2. I am grateful for the financial benefits that come with deployment. As of today we have paid off almost $11,000 dollars of debt since Lane left. Our previous goal was to pay off $20,000 of debt (almost entirely student loans) before he came back. We are upping that to $30,000. It is a pretty ambitious goal, but I really think we can do it. We are so close to crossing another loan off of our debt snowball. It feels awesome! 

3. I am grateful for consistent internet access for Lane. This has been the biggest blessing of this whole deployment, and I don't take it for granted for a second. I know there are so many wives who don't have the same access, and I feel so grateful. I'm pretty sure this will remain on my list at least once a month for the rest of deployment. 

4. I am grateful for helpful government employees. I had the most wonderful experience today at the post office. The nice gentleman helped me make sure I had all my paperwork in order to change my name on my passport. He was so kind and went out of his way to help me out. It made such a difference. 

5. I am grateful for wonderful customer service. A jewelry store in Watertown shortened a chain on a necklace for me free of charge. I didn't buy the necklace from them, but because it was relatively easy they did it for free. 

Deployment Projects 

Buying the camera was a biggie on my list, and I am happy to report that the body of my Canon t3i arrived on Friday. After the advice of multiple photographer friends, I didn't buy one of the lens kit cameras that comes with the body + lens. I bought the body from the Canon's website, and found a a great deal for a 50 mm lens on Amazon. The lens should be here next week. 

Here is a summary of the goals I have for deployment:

House Goals

 Art for the empty wall in the kitchen- done with free cork board

Map Wall gallery for the Living Room - decided to hang British maps instead

 Curtains For the Living Room

DIY Goals

 Repair Asha-Destroyed Arm Chair

Sand/Paint/Add Cushions to Greek Style Chair

Finish Sanding School Style Desk

Fitness Goals

 Dead lift my own body weight

Do 1 Pull-Up

 Lose another 2% body fat

Blog Goals

 Do An Outfit of the Day post

Do two giveaways - I did one giveaway 

 Get to 100 Followers

Financial Goals

Pay off $20,000 dollars of student loan debt

  Get to a 0 balance on both credit cards - Whoo! Done back in February

Pay Every Month’s bills on time - So far so good 

Things to Buy

DSLR camera- Cannon T3i - Purchased in April 

2.      You & Me Print

3.      Sewing Machine

Ok so the things to buy list is probably a lot longer than that. However, I wanted to highlight that I am making some serious progress. I am really proud that we have taken such a chunk out of our debt while still getting so much house stuff done. It feels awesome. 

Can't wait to see what I can accomplish in Week 13. 

Mailbox Happiness

Hello Friday! 

I am celebrating with a morning spin class, followed by a trip into town. To give a high five for all that is Friday, I am liking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for High Five For Friday. 

1. I am getting my haircut today. It has been over a year since I've had one, and it has gotten out of control. I am so excited to get some life put back into this mop of straw on my head. 

2. High Five that Army Tuition Assistance is fully reinstated. I'm sure some of y'all have been following the craziness with T.A. We heard weeks ago that it was reinstated, but it wasn't until yesterday that money was actually available for soldiers to enroll in classes. We did a TON of registrations yesterday and it felt awesome. I am glad T.A is back for many reasons, but one of them is that I would have likely lost my job if T.A was permanently cancelled. I love seeing all these soldiers able to start taking classes again. 

via

3. These pictures of golfer Bubba Watson and his son at the Maters Tournament. I am not really into golf, but these are just the sweetest thing. I love his son's little custom shirt.



4. Thursday was seriously the best mail day ever. I got a sweet package from a good friend of ours. He sent us chocolate, gorgeous Celtic salt and pepper shakers, and a fabulous Game of Thrones mug. Also, apparently we paid too much in taxes so I got a check from the IRS. Our tax refund already came through, so I am trying to figure out what this is.



5. My print from Melissa arrived! I already have it framed and happily hanging on my wall. It is such a lovely reminder of the wonderful time I spent in Italy.

Happy Friday Y'all =) 

Bloglovin

I am finally catching with everyone else and posting: 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I suppose I should jump on the bandwagon and get my blog sorted with Bloglovin. I am clearly behind the curve, but if you want to follow me over there, please do =) 

It's Ok To Be Morbid

Being married to a member of the military presents all sorts of challenges. The moving, the separations, and the demands of the army can all be stressful. One of the factors to which I am starting to get accustom is the chance of something bad happening to my soldier. Before deployment you talk about wills, power of attorney and funeral arrangements. That was bad enough and I had to take multiple breaks to go cry in the kitchen. During deployment, it is a different kind of anxiety. 

Now that Lane is gone, the chance of something happening is always hovering around my mind. Lots of military spouses have ways to deal with the anxiety of their husband's being in harms's way. I have gone with the "pretend it's not happening" approach. Now because of Lane's position this might be a little easier for me. However, every once in while something happens and I am hit square in the face with intense anxiety that something will happen to Lane. I have developed a highly scientific strategy for dealing with different high stress situations.

My thought process when someone knocks on my door: 

• "I talked to Lane a few hours ago. There is no way the Army has its act together enough to get a notification officer out here this quickly."

Also, I want to pass a law that no one can knock on your front door or ring your doorbell during deployment. I am thinking about getting a sign that says, "Please call before knocking on the door."

When I haven't heard from him: 

• "Oh look someone from his FOB is on facebook. There would be blackout if he were hurt or dead. Therefore nothing bad has happened."

When there is a blackout 

• If I just keep staring at his name on fb chat sooner or later that dot will turn green. It's literally the same as a middle school girl staring at the phone waiting for it to ring. Only much scarier. Seriously the worst. 

For my civilian friends, a blackout occurs whenever something happens to a soldier in the area. They want to make sure that no rumors or stories slip out until they can actually notify the family. There is zero communication.

When I hear about yet another helicopter crash or service member death 

• Do an immediate calculation to the last time I heard from him and if he dropped any hints he would be leaving the FOB. 

These may sound ridiculous, but they seriously are what goes through my head in any of these situations. 

What were y'all's coping mechanisms? 

Rainy Wednesday

Happy Wednesday. I am blogging from the couch and not sure if I'll be able to go out. Having super fit friends has gotten me into trouble. We did another Cross fit workout, and I can barely move tonight. I am linking up with Jaime at This Kind of Love for What I Am Loving Wednesday. 

Family Picture and One of My Favorites

1. Snuggling with Asha in bed this morning listening to the rain. It made getting up and going to work much more difficult than normal. Is it terrible that I am excited for rain? It hasn't been warm enough to rain and not snow in months. The fact that it isn't snowing makes even the dreariest weather wonderful.

2. I'm loving that I've made it to Cross fit two days in a row. What what! I am definitely feeling it, but I am happy that I am on my way to increased strength and overall health. 

Canon

3. My new Canon T3i is on its way to my happy self. I got a fantastic deal from Canon's website for the body and Amazon for the lens. I can't wait to improve my photography skills. 

4. Loving 30% done with deployment. I am really focused on hitting 33%, but seeing that first number change is always a good thing. 

5. Yay for two trips to the dog park yesterday. I took Asha right after work and then again after the gym. I am hoping this equals a very sleepy puppy tomorrow. Poor baby will be in her crate way more than she normally is and I always feel better about it if she is really tired.


Happy Wednesday =) 

When Frames Attack

During a deployment everyone talks about Murphy's Law; anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. My list isn't too bad so far. In February my heat broke for 72 hours. Now in Georgia this wouldn't be a big deal, but this is Fort Drum and it is really freaking cold in February. My dishwasher broke and most recently the circuit to my bedroom lights is busted. I've changed the light bulbs and flipped the circuit breaker multiple times, but nada. I should just call maintenance, but that would mean cleaning my bedroom. Eh, I can live in the dark for a few more days. 

Things can also seem a lot scarier during deployment. A few weeks ago I posted about this gorgeous painting I had commissioned for Lane's birthday. I was happy as a clam and hung the pretty thing up in my dining room. Well at about 2:00 AM that night I wake up to breaking glass. 

Now my first thought is "%$%#& someone is breaking into my house". I go downstairs (ok I grab the shotgun first and then go downstairs) to see what is happening. Asha wasn't making a peep so I immediately started to doubt that someone was actually breaking in. It turns out that the hook on the back of the frame came completely detached. This caused the whole darn thing to come crashing to the ground. I called Michaels (where I bought the frame) and told them what happened. Luckily Michaels was very apologetic and let me get the painting custom framed with a significant discount. There might have been some theatrics over the fear associated with waking up to shattering glass while your husband is deployed.

I am hoping that I am spared too many more dramatic events in this deployment. I would love to hear y'all's stories of Murphy's Law. 

Asha Is Crazy

Old picture, but one of my favorites 

I am happily watching the ACM awards on Sunday night when I heard something weird. It sounded like the garage was opening, but there was no reason for it to be doing so. I actually checked to make sure I wasn't sitting on the clicker dealy. I stuck my head into the garage, and sure enough the door was going on up. So my mind immediately jumps from ghosts to serial killers pretty quickly. Then I see my lovely little puppy.

 She has the garage door opener in her mouth treating it like a chew toy. She was pushing the button with her teeth. She didn't do too much damage, I think she was more entertained by the button. I have no idea how long she had it, but it's likely my garage was opening and closing for about ten minutes. My neighbors probably think I am completely crazy. 

Also, since she can open the back door, this lovely sight greeted me a few days ago. 

Oh sweet Asha. You crazy crazy puppy. 

Deployment Week Eleven

Oh April, you are looking so good so far. I am thrilled to making our way toward 1/3 of the way done with deployment. This week was a bit up and down. TA craziness is still making things super slow at work. The slowness coupled with the internet being down one day, made for a very slow work week. I woke up ill on Thursday and felt crappy all the way through this morning. This week had some good aspects too. Communication with Lane was great, and I got a ton of things scratched off my to do list. 

Happy Picture 

This is from the ugly sweat party we attended in December. Lane decided to go for world's smallest sweater. Luckily his abs are ridiculous, so he totally pulled it off. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am grateful for the 1.5 HOUR long phone conversation we had today. We have stuck primarily to chatting online, so this is only the second time we have spoken on the phone. Just hearing his voice was so wonderful. I am sending his webcam in the next care package, so I am hopeful we can get some skype time in too. 

2. I am grateful for sunny weather. I spent at least an hour at the dog almost every day this week enjoying the (relatively) warm weather. Asha is nice and tuckered out as a result. Feeling the sun on my face was glorious today. 

3. I am grateful for the insane amount of time I was able to spend reading this week. I finished all of the Mortal Instrument books in about two weeks. It was a wonderful escape into another world. I am also grateful that my parents instilled such an intense love of reading into my siblings and me. I can never understand when people say they don't like to read. It is a chance to escape into someone else's life and world without even leaving your house. 

Deployment Projects 

Whoo hoo for progress. I framed my UK maps and they are happily hanging in my living room. The breakfast room is basically done too. I am so excited to have the downstairs nearly complete. I just need to get a love seat for the living room and my DIY ottoman. 

Favorite Natural Remedies

I have always been a little bit leery over using too many chemicals in products for both my body and my house. Over the years I have found a few that I absolutely love. 

Skin 

Almond Oil    Shea Butter

I have really dry skin. I also have mild keratosis pilaris on my upper arms. I have tried countless prescription lotions to soften my rough skin. Nothing ever worked until I started using Shea butter. Lots of lotions contain Shea butter, but I get the best results from just 100% pure Shea  It is a little bit pricier than regular lotion, but since nothing else has ever worked, it's worth it for me. I added almond oil to my routine earlier this year. It is a little greasy, but I put it on right after the shower and let me skin absorb it for about fifteen minutes before I get dressed. I use the oil in the morning, and then the Shea butter before I go to sleep. The combination of the two has given me the softest skin of my life. Also, putting on almond oil right after I shave my legs makes my skin feel amazing. 

Sore Throat 

This the best cure ever for sore throats. I simply pour out roughly a tablespoon of honey and shake some cinnamon on top. Then just swallow. Sometimes it can be a little sticky going down, so I just follow it up with a gulp of tea. Honey and cinnamon are apparently cures for almost anything. I have seen articles prescribing it for indigestion, headaches, weight lose, and preventing heart disease. I'm not a doctor, so I have no idea if it actually works for all of those ailments. I've used it for sore throats for a while, and I always see an improvement. ( Again, I am NOT a doctor so I make no claims that this will work for you) 

House Keeping 

Mrs. Meyers

I am a huge fan of Mrs. Meyers products. They smell amazing. They get my laundry, dishes, and floors clean without using harsh chemicals. I love that their website lists the ingredients for every product. They also break down exactly where they come from and what they do. My absolute favorites are; the honeysuckle dish and hand soap, the lavender all purpose cleaner, and the lavender laundry detergent. Our washing machine sees some pretty dirty ACU's and this stuff does the trick. It also leaves a wonderful light scent. 

Do y'all have any go-to natural remedies for ailments or cleaning? I would love to hear your suggestions. 

Change In Wardrobe

Over the past year I have lost almost all interest in shopping for clothes. We had our new house and every single minute was focused on setting up our home. Any extra money went toward the new couch or the other million things houses needed. The house is still a work in progress, but my interest in shopping for clothes has slowly returned. I have bought a few new things recently, mostly oxfords and cardigans.
 My style hasn't really changed over the years. I have always been into skirts and vaguely preppy outfits. However, recently I have been hit with the urge to get rid of everything I own and start from scratch. Clearly this is not the best idea, but I think a huge closet clean out is in order.

 I have been within 10 lbs of my current weight since I started high school. I grew very quickly, and as a result was at my adult height by 15. This also means that a lot of my clothes are from high school and college. Now, some of them are very nice, but 25 year old Molly's style and 18 year old Molly's style are not quite the same thing. 

I have getting the itch to do a closet purge. I don't really have a problem getting rid of things, but there is always that voice in my head "you might need that one day". Army life guarantees a lot of moving. If I can reduce my wardrobe to items I truly love, I think it will make getting dressed more fun and moving much easier. 

Has anyone else experienced feeling like this? Did you go nuts with a new wardrobe? Or did you make due with the items you already had? 

Mirror Mirror

Hello lovely readers. I am happily at work with a gigantic latte ready to start my day. I wanted to quickly finish my Wednesday Loving post to highlight some of the things that are rocking my world this week.

I am linking up with Jaime at This Kind of Love  for What I Am Loving Wednesday. 

Target Mirror

1. This pretty mirror is coming home with me on Friday. I have been looking at it every time I stop by at Target, and finally decided to pull the trigger. I can't wait to add it to our breakfast room. Once I get my framing projects back from Michaels, the breakfast room will be done. Whoop whoop 

Around the World in 80 Frames

2.  This gorgeous photograph from Melissa's lovely shop is on its way to my house. I am so in love with so many of her photographs. I visited Milan a few times while I was studying abroad and this photograph is the perfect reminder. 

via

3. I am loving that I have new DIY plans for as soon as the weather warms up. I am buying an old coffee table from my neighbor and I plan to make a cushioned ottoman for my living room. My garage is way too cold to work in right now, but I have faith that warmer weather will come again. This photo is my inspiration for my newest project. I will probably do more of a blue color scheme, but I adore that pattern.

4. It is beyond wonderful that I got to tear another page off my desk calendar. I can't wait till the fall months start to appear on my desk. I am just so ready to hit 50% done of this darn deployment.

From Amazon

5.  I have been totally sucked into the Mortal Instruments series. The on post library has all of them, and I might have read the first four in the last week. Literally all I did on Sunday was read and eat. It was heavenly. I have always been a fan of YA books (y'all have seen my Harry Potter obsession) and this series is pretty good.

Happy Wednesday =) 

Monogram Time

Ignore the dog hair on the left of this picture. 

I have a pretty serious love affair with monograms. I recently ordered this new gorgeous piece in rose gold and it arrived yesterday. It is absolutely gorgeous, although the chain is slightly longer than I prefer. I am horribly allergic to nickel, so most jewelry is out for me. I was thrilled to find this shop on Etsy  where I could get one without nickel. Usually that means jewelry is crazy expensive. This shop is very affordable, and the necklace is gorgeous. (I'm not being paid to say this, I just want to help y'all other monogram loving out)

Are y'all into monograms? One of my favorite ideas I have seen is to order a necklace with your new  monogram for the wedding. Put it on after the ceremony and wear it to the reception. I think this is such a cute way to recognize your new status as a married lady. 

Deployment Week Ten

This post is so late. I got back from Rhode Island on Friday, and didn't have any interest in turning on my computer for the rest of the weekend. I have seen the idea of "social media free weekend" floating around the blogging world, and I am starting to love the idea. I want to do a full post about OCS graduation, but before it gets too late I want to do my deployment update. 

Hello April! March went by in a snap. Considering that February took a decade to pass, this was a welcome change. If the next six months want to do the same, that would be great.
 Week ten was a breeze. Communication was really good and the trip to RI made the whole week fly by. It was one of those weeks where you think "Yep, I got this. Totally handling it".  Jen's graduation from OCS was such a wonderful experience. I got a little teary when they recited the commissioning oath. It is the same oath Lane said at his commissioning, and the memory was incredibly strong. I remember sitting in the stands, watching him say those words. Knowing that he was making a promise that would shape the next ten years of our lives. I had the same feeling watching Jen and her class recite the oath. Whew, a little intense. Anyway, on to happier things. 

Happy Picture 

Everyone has seen all the pictures floating around Pinterest of ways to mark each anniversary. We had some friends over to celebrate our first year of marriage, and took this beautiful photo. Lane will still be gone for our anniversary this year, and I have already started to think of clever ways to take a "Two Years" picture while separated by 6, 700 miles. 

Deployment Gratitude 

1. I am so grateful for good friends. I hadn't seen Jen in almost a year when I drove down to Rhode Island on Thursday. It was so good to see her and enjoy spending time with her family. We have known each other since the first day of freshman orientation in high school. Seeing her achieve this incredible goal was wonderful. I was so proud I could have burst. 

2. I am grateful for warmer weather. It may be raining and nasty today, but Saturday was glorious. I took two trips to the dog park and had the best time. Come on spring! 

3. I am grateful for safe travels. I drove 7 hours down on Thursday and 7 hours back on Friday. It was definitely tiring, but so worth it. I am grateful that the car is in great shape and I made the drive safely. 

4. I am grateful for long phone calls with my mom. My mom and I both work in education, and being able to talk to her about issues we both care about deeply is wonderful. I am blessed with awesome parents, and I appreciate them more and more as I get older. 

5. I am grateful for long lazy days reading. Y'all, I finished the first three Mortal Instruments books in less than three days. I am heading to the library today to get the next book.

Deployment Projects 
Nope, nothing done this week. Too much traveling, not enough house projects.

Happy April!