End Table Makeover

While my husband is deployed my biggest project is to redecorate the house. Yes, the WHOLE house. Little by little I've been finding things here and there, gathering new furniture and painting. If you don't know, I have a secret love for paint. I found this amazing end table a few weeks ago at the thrift store! I saw it and ran over with excitement and my friend Renee was looking at me like I had just told her "I have three boobs!"

Here is my beautiful new table (the before). It was baby powder blue(ish) on the bottom and a honey stain on the top. So I set to work sanding the ugliness off to turn those beautiful turned legs into something amazing.

It took 3 coats to cover this up in Churchill Hotel by Valspar (spray paint) but it was finally done. I found new hardware for the drawer at Lowes and HAD to have it. How cute is this?!

There is my beautiful new end table, bee and all! I love the way it turned out, I was so anxious to get it up in my living room I didn't even take time to distress it  make it looked well loved! I have a new dining room table and chairs that I'm working on next. They were great Craigslist finds! The table was all of $25 and the chairs (Queen Anne's) were $80 for all SIX of them!!! I can't wait to share them with you all!

Lucketts & Leesburg

When you're from northern Virginia and you hear Leesburg, you think of one thing: Outlets! It's not a terribley far drive and you can find some great deals out there. I have found another hidden treasure out in Leesburg! The Old Lucketts Store. It's not your momma's antique store. It's old meets revamped, classics with a modern twist and just flat out amazing. I could spend a fortune in that store...if only my husband wouldn't care. The best thing is that they are antiques at reasonable prices. They are holding their annual fair coming up in May. If you will be in the area make sure to check it out! I know I will be there!!! We're going to make a girls day of it! You can find all the details at The Old Lucketts Store blog.

Ball Jars and Betty Crocker

Ball Jars and Betty Crocker = A cake in a jar! I don't know who first thought of this fabulous idea, but I'm going to share it with you all because it is one of the best things to throw into a care package. I mean, who doesn't love cake and mail?!? Here is what you'll need:

 * Ball canning jars
 * Your favorite cake mix
 * Boiling water

1. Make the cake batter according to the instructions/recipe (***note*** I only used one box and it made 5 jars)

2. Grease the inside of the jar by spraying with cooking spray
3. Fill jar no more than 1/2 way with batter (about 1 cup)

4. Place jars on cookie sheet on rack in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean @ 400 degrees

5. While baking, boil jar lids in a pan of water (make sure lids are dry when placed on jars)

6. When cake is done, take one jar out at a time and cover with hot lid and ring.

7. The lid will seal as it cools. Listen to hear the "ping" as they seal. The center of the lid won't make a "pop" noise when pressed if it has sealed properly.

 Voilà!!!! You have made a delicious Cake-in-a-Jar. When you put them in your care packages make sure you pack them in bubble wrap. Don't forget to send along a fork or two and some frosting. I like sending the funfetti frosting because it has the frosting AND sprinkles in one package.  PLUS...they come in just about EVERY occasion! Perfect for any care package theme!

Hello Murphy...

  You know you're starting a deployment when Mr. Murphy's Law shows up. He's an old friend to us all. You know what I'm talking about, right? Your husband leaves for the field, training school or deployment and something breaks, your basement floods, you lose your cell phone and you have to take your child to the Emergency room all in the same day. We've all got those stories! As my husband has just left we had our own clandestine meeting with Murphy. After we dropped my husband off and said our goodbyes we started for home. My daughter didn't eat that morning and when we got home I made her favorite for lunch, mac n' cheese. She wouldn't eat it and ended up throwing it at the dog. I spent the next 20 minutes trying to pick mac n' cheese out of the poor ol' dogs fur. 

  Finally we reached nap time! She played for a little while and drifted off for a lovely 3 hour nap. I was emotionally drained and took a nap with her thinking the day would be better when we woke up. Silly me! I knew better than that, but alas it was not to be. When my baby girl woke up we were playing and she ran to her favorite spot in the house; the front window. (Enter Murphy) I hear the kind of thud that mommies know ice, band-aids or a trip to the ER are about to follow. I dart over and pick up my poor baby who has a geyser of blood pouring out of her mouth. My heart breaks for the second time today as my poor little angle is screaming. When the dust settled it wasn't as bad as all the blood made it seem, just a little cut on the inside of her lip. At dinner time the little princess decided she would not eat again.

  The day ended with one wore out fat-lipped baby, a frazzled Mommy who was covered in tears, blood and chocolate. We kicked Murphy's Law in the bum and wrapped up the day with a glass of wine and a phone call from the husband.

Half Full or Half Empty

  I am starting to notice a new trend with Military wives. I've posted about this a few weeks ago but have started to notice it more and more in the past few days. I am so disappointed in my fellow Military wives! Are there that many of you out there that are viewing the glass half empty? Perhaps I am just running into a lot of angry wives lately. I don't know.

  Why do we feel like we can bash people because they haven't experienced a deployment or being away from a loved one? How can you say "Well he's only going to be gone for X amount of days/weeks! You can't compair that to a deployment or a Field exercises!" I'm sorry to say this, but YES they are allowed to miss their husbands too. Just because our husbands are in (sometimes) dangerous situations doesn't make their time away from home better or worse than another situation. I feel like this can be said for some Military vs. Military wives too. A deployment on the ground can be just the same as a deployment on a ship. What's the difference, really? 

  I'm sad that you wouldn't offer support to your civilian counterpart. I know that when my husbands is deployed I can count on BOTH my Military wife friends and my Civilian wife friends. There's one thing that remains the same, we are all WIVES. We go through some of the same struggles; communication, conflicting schedules, kids, in-laws and I'm sure other things I'm leaving out. Sure there are differences, I'm not saying that there aren't...BUT I am saying, why sing the "Poor me" anthem? We all have our different struggles in life, but I would hope that you can look past the Military vs. Civilian thing, put your big girl panties on, grab your old friends and enjoy the company of Jack, Jim, Jose, Johnnie, and the Captain (because these are the only acceptable men to hang out with when your husbands are gone) and enjoy your half full drinks with all the wives (military or not).

CHEERS!

Deployments and Power Tools

 Every time my husband deploys I find new ways to fill up my days until he returns home. Our first deployment years ago I poured myself into work. I was working 60+ hours a week, volunteering and doing the Sea Turtle walk once a week with one of the other wives. My days were FULL, and it was fabulous to have my days going by so fast with some great distractions! Our next deployment was going to be filled with traveling. We had just gotten to our new duty station a few months before my husband left and my parents had just gotten stationed in Europe. While my husband went on his dessert "vacation" I went on my European getaway. I was gone for 3 1/2 weeks and it was wonderful to explore new cities (and some I'd already fallen in love with). Then when I'd gotten home I realized that "hmm, I was gone a few weeks...and I'm late..." I took a pregnancy test the morning after I got home...positive! My time was now filled with OB/GYN appointments a little bed rest and a lot of trips to Babies 'R Us.

  Now we get to this deployment. I now have a business that I'm growing, a one year old to run after and my newest love...building furniture. I am in love with it and I'm saving so much money by building it myself! How am I doing this you wonder? Ana White...and she is amazing! My first project is the 6 Cube Cubby. I was so happy to find these plans to make it myself and save $200. I like to keep busy when my husband is away and what a better way to do so than to work with my hands and create something fabulous for our home? With the wood, paint, nails and new drill bits my total cost to make this was $52.13! When I first found Ana's website I had a hard time choosing where I wanted to start. There were so many fantastic plans. I hope you have found things you love to keep busy with while your spouse is in the field, TDY or deployed. It really does make the time go by faster and before you know it you'll be showing off your fabulous talents and fun adventures when they get home!

Just about half way here.

Building complete...time to paint!

FINISHED!!!

 

Cabernet and KitchenAid

  I confess, I am in love with with baking. My newest undertaking is ice cream. I recently got the ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. I couldn't wait to get it in the freezer and start making some frozen treats! When we lived in Carmel, CA there was a fabulous French restaurant called Le Normandie; a husband/wife run establishment. If you are ever in the area you should stop in, the food is cooked by Francois and the tables are waited by Christine (both from Normandy, FR). Christine often made a blackberry Cabernet sorbet to go with some of the desserts. As we are sadly no longer on the West coast and able to enjoy Le Normandie I decided I'd try to make my own blackberry Cabernet sorbet. I was so happy with the way it turned out! So here it is for you to try!

You'll need:

2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg white, whipped

Directions:

Make sure your ice cream maker and/or attachments have been properly frozen.

Whip the egg white until stiff peaks form.

In a blender combine blackberries, water, sugar, wine and lemon juice until smooth.

 Transfer to a bowl and stir in the egg whites; cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Run the mixture in your ice cream maker (check your manual for your models suggested times.) I ran my KitchenAid Ice cream attachment for about 35 minutes.

Transfer your sorbet to a container and place in the freezer to reach your desired consistency and ENJOY!

***I found the recipe at Erika's Sweet Tooth.***