Where Did the Time Go?

This past few months has been a blur of adventures, visits, field trips, and puppy play dates. Labor Day weekend is upon us and the first day of school is just hours away... where did the time go? I am part of a wonderful team of teachers and am really looking forward to this new school year. Hopefully, Fall will be lovely and the snow will take some time to find us. Right now, my priority is spending time with my growing family and enjoying every moment to the fullest extent possible. I may or may not have time to write, but I assure you that I am happy.

Where did the time go? Oh, I just spent it on little things... the best kind of little things.

Summer Days

Oh, how I love the summertime! It is finally warm in the North Country and the pups can spend plenty of time outdoors enjoying our new backyard. The new puppy, Gaius, is learning all the tricks of the trade from Tyberious and we couldn't be more pleased. At this moment, we are also taking care of Charlie and Lucy so our house is very full or puppy playtime and excitement. Definitely a blast this long weekend!

I have taken the opportunity this summer to spend time around the house with my husband getting things settled and turning this house into a home. We have made some decor decisions:  furniture has been rearranged; artwork has found a home on the wall; items are being sorted and organized... progress, friends, it is so delightful. We are completing projects around the house and I am confident that by the end of summer our home will be complete.

My most recent project was to create a personalized chalkboard for the kitchen. We purchased the chalkboard spray paint, a wooden Y, a small dowel, and a nifty plank with the bark still on the sides. I taped the board so the bark wouldn't get paint on it and spray painted the rest of the plank with the chalkboard spray. While that was drying, my husband cut the dowel to make a little ledge for the chalk to sit on and I sanded painted it and the Y white. Once all the paint was dry, I hot glued the Y and ledge onto the chalk board and fastened a saw toothed hanger to the back. The little chalkboard fits wonderfully in our kitchen and is a nifty accent to our evolving decor. I am proud of my little craft project and have also begun to work on homemade french memo boards. Hopefully this bit of inspiration lasts for a while and we can really feel at home.

For now, we are just enjoying summer days.

Happy Independence Day, friends! Take time to celebrate and remember; have fun and be safe.

Memorial Day

Today is a day of opportunity to honor those brave men and women who have defended our freedoms and made the ultimate sacrifice. Many will host cookouts and gatherings with family and friends to celebrate, yet let's be sure to remember the reason for this holiday and offer a moment of silence for those lost. Enjoy the day off and offer a prayer for all those who have died in the defense of our freedoms that we experience today.

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." - John F. Kennedy

Missed the Stillness

So much has happened since my last post; however, let's suffice it to write that we have been busy and things will stay busy for quite a bit longer. I have missed the stillness, and I have decided to dedicate time for myself in stillness... even if I don't blog about it. I hope to someday catch up and write about all my recent adventures. But, that, my friends, it another time.

All Settled In

It seems as though months have passed since I took the time to sit and write. The first weeks after my husband got home seem to be precious and worthy of uninterrupted evenings and weekend afternoons. Though I will admit that I have missed my quiet moments in front of the glowing screen to reflect on and think about and record the happenings. Suffice it to say that I am very happy and am eager to welcome spring and summer after such a long and cold winter. We are planning a number of excursions in the coming months and hope to enjoy all the North Country has to offer. To all my diligent fans, keep me accountable... I plan to blog at least once a week. Until next time, enjoy the little things.

Home is Where We Are

Deployment has ended and he has been safely returned to me. All the beautiful little things have started to fill my days and they are incredible. It has been a wonderful homecoming. Excellent food, good wine, phenomenal company. My heart has never smiled wider. We have enjoyed home cooked meals like never before; including flavorful potstickers and curry chicken. The pup is overwhelmed and ecstatic that his daddy is home and he has his most favorite playmate back. I am so happy to have my husband, and best friend home. As we always tell one another, "Home is where we are." Welcome Home.

So Close!

We are down to the wire, folks.

I am a nervous wreck; every minor concern or superficial blemish around the house is now a glaring, ugly, horrible nuisance that must be rectified before my husband gets home. Circumstances that I have lived comfortably with for months now seem to be absolutely unacceptable and in desperate need to readjustment. For instance, during a puppy play session weeks ago, one of the dogs knocked the doors to the entertainment center off the track and broke the latch; it didn't bother me then but I am now frantically trying to contact the manufacturer to order replacement parts. I know my husband probably won't even notice these minor discrepancies but I just can't have him coming home to it. Not on my watch.

To give you an idea of what I have accomplished in anticipation of his homecoming:
Reorganized and cleaned all the closets (with the help of my lovely and talented twin sister)
Picked up all the poop (Thank you, Stinkin' Dawg Waste Disposal!)
Cleaned the carpets (Stanley Steemer took care of that and tossed in a free deodorizer spray)
Oil change for my car
Cleaned out the garage
Reactivated the cell phone
Reactivated car insurance
Coordinating with friends and family for his surprise :)

What still needs to be done:
Scrubbing the kitchen
Swiffer the hardwood
Deal with the clutter
Replace lightbulbs in outside lights
Order replacement parts for entertainment center
Clean the office
Oil change for his car
Serious vacuuming for my car (lots of dog hair)
Decorating for his homecoming

So, if you need to find me anytime in the interim I wish you luck. We are so close!

Counting the Days

We are counting the days, folks. I dare not share specifics but I will share my excitement! This is a very exciting time in my home; as it is our first homecoming experience, I am nervous and excited and overwhelmed and ecstatic and and... you get the idea. Let me suffice it to say that I am ridiculously, incredibly, unyieldingly stoked!

Counting the days has never been such an emotion roller coaster before... bring it on and bring him home!

Love and Support

All we really need is love and support... always.

Families are a tough nut to crack - on the one hand, if you are too delicate then no progress is made, while, on the other hand, if you act rashly then you may shatter the shell and risk damage to the nut. Somewhere in the in-between is a lovely balance where nuts are perfect and families thrive.

So much is lost when we don't take the time to communicate genuinely with one another. Feelings are disregarded, tempers flare, no one is truly satisfied, and, worst of all, the family is left ruptured and torn, beaten down and defeated. This weakened shadow attempts to limp on yet it is only a matter of time before it collapses and is left heartbroken. To accept defeat seems the only viable option and the decision rests on heavy hearts, unwilling to give up but too tired to carry on. It is impossible to imagine that anyone would wish this devastating conclusion upon a family, but sadly it happens all too often. One can only hope that the slightest glimpse of hope persists to tugs at the heartstrings - a willingness to mend the downtrodden and lonesome family.

It isn't fair or appropriate to pass judgment on family. Family is a dynamic, living component of our lives - just damn complicated. Yet, even as complicated as family may be a little love and support always goes a long way. Just a thought.