25th Birthday Tea party!

A few months after I got to NJ it was Christmas. I was helping my Aunt take all the Christmas China from the cabinet; That's when I found the most beautiful tea set I've seen. That's when I decided to have a tea party for my 25th birthday. I started to look on pinterest and other tea party websites. this is what I came up with:

 This is the main food table

This is the other table in the living room

   
     My theme was rose color and a hint of Alice and Wonderland. The picture above, I bought Alice in Wonderland paper from the original book, door knob and key hole, the heart keys, and the aged cards I got off of Etsy.

The beautiful invitations I got off of zazzle 

Napkins:

Broach I got off Etsy.

Bar pins I got at Michaels

 

Hot glued the pins onto the back of the broaches

Rolled up the rose colored napkins I got off Amazon and

pinned on the broaches

 

I made about 10 of them

 

 

 

 

Table Cloth: 

 I bought Rose color solid table cloth and then put

a white lace cloth on top.

 

 

 Chairs:

I bought bows like you see at weddings; added the perfect pop to the chairs.

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberry Pizza:



Oil the bottom of the cupcake pan. Put a small ball

of sugar cookie and cook for about 5-7mins but

be sure to check frequently cause it burns fast

 

 Cut strawberries small, add sugar and put in the fridge for 24hrs

(optional)

add strawberry cream cheese, and the sugar covered

strawberries on top. Taste sooo good

 

 

 

Banana Pudding:

I found little appetizer cups and spoons at Party city.

Crumble pie crust, add a few thinly sliced bananas, then vanilla pudding,

then a few sprinkles of crust for the top. yum!

 

7 layer dip:

Bought tumblers at the store, perfect size for

individual portions of dip.

1. refried beans 2. guacamole 3. sour cream 4. salsa 5. grated cheese 6. olives 7. tomatoes 

 

Cucumber sandwiches:

In FL there is this grocery store called Publix. They make this bread

called Rainbow bread for back to school. Its just italian bread

with food die. we used cookie cutters to make flowers and butterflies.

inside is cucumber slices, mayo, cream cheese and garlic salt.

 

 

 

Other appetizers we made were croissants, strawberry butter, cupcakes, Pillsbury strawberry lemonade cookies, Pinwheels, chips, salsa, fruit, veggies, and tea

 

 

 

Strawberry butter:

   - Stick of room temp butter

   - strawberry preserve

 

mix the two together and wa-la strawberry jelly which tastes amazing on warm croissants

 

 

Here is more pictures of the layout :)

 

 

 lamp shades (David Tutera), candle holders, tooth picks, and lanterns I got off of Amazon.

Alice in wonderland Tea cup and saucer:
take a porcelain cup and saucer and draw on the dish with sharpies. put the dish in the oven and set the oven for 350* for 30mins. when the timer goes off turn off the oven and allow them to cool with the oven. now the markers are baked onto the glass. hand wash only to make the colors last :)




 Love you all,

 

The few inbetween

It's getting closer and closer till Zack comes home. Oh boy am I ready. In the beginning I felt excited because that's money to pay off our credit card (which is only for emergencies or plane tickets) our TV,  mattress and my student loan (which we did... cue the happy dance) but there is a lot of anxiety, what if's and the unknowns (HATE the unknowns) that you feel before they leave. I know for Zack and I, the past 2 deployments we would kind of distance ourselves a month before he left, and we would get into fights about silly things. This deployment I had to pack up the house pretty much by myself. He work 12 on 12 off (12 hrs of working straight, sometimes 13hrs) which meant when I got off work of my part time job I had to go straight into packing up our 2 story house, which was a fight all its own. On the weekends him and his friend would fix up his truck so he could sell it, which seemed like a month of them taking it apart, cleaning everything and rhino lining the bed of the truck. I was getting very annoyed, sometimes I even caught myself saying "will you just deploy already?", then leave to go to the gym or work. That sounds horrible but the hole situation was very stressful and this was his 3rd deployment; I was over him leaving me for 10+ months at a time... I just wanted HIM! The last week was emotional on another level... kind of felt like a break up. I was packing my stuff, he was hauling it all away, and we were hardly talking. My heart ached. After he left I was at the house cleaning up everything... again I was stressed out because not everything got done the night before and I felt like he left me with EVERYTHING, I just broke down and started crying while cleaning. It wasn't fair I felt, I had to clean the hole house, I had to make the last minute storage unit runs, I had to sign back over the house, I had to take care of the animals now by myself, and I had to move to another state that I've never been too (I was moving to NJ with my dad). I felt alone and miserable and no one in the world could ever possibly know how I was feeling.

*Let me tell you, everything you feel is perfectly normal even if you feel alone, there are thousands of spouses and significant others who are going through the same thing as you.

After I got on the road I was doing ok, I got to see my family and I was ready for this new adventure! As the months progressed I got a job, made a friend or two and hung out with all my family up here in NJ. I was having a good time, hated my job, but having a good time. I got on a new schedule day to day, visited my sister in CT a few times, and met up with a few military friends who were in NYC, so, we got to hang out all day and have dinner. I went on a train for the first time, went on the subway, took a million pictures, met a few celebrities, went to a live showing of a tv show, and saw time square... life was good

Such a beautiful city

Kelly Ripa

Michael Straham

 1st subway ride 

 Grand Central Station

 Christmas tree

 Time square

 My friends I met up with

 Fathers girlfriend and I on the FAO piano floor

Family friend works as the manager so we got to try all sorts of goodies :D

 

*Sometimes I felt guilty that I was having fun and couldn't email Zack right off the bat but that's perfectly normal too. They want you to have a life while they aren't there, they love hearing stories from you... they are living through you!

 I felt a few times I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs... I tried to pay the bills and one time I needed to talk to the company and they refuse to talk to me because I'm not on all the accounts just yet, So I couldn't get anything done that I need to because its a hassle driving 20 minutes to the library or staples to fax over my POA in a busy town. His 2nd deployment I was trying to buy a car and I faxed over the wrong POA (I faxed the housing POA first) and I got red flagged, so even when I faxed over the correct POA they wouldn't help me. When calling navy federal, your POA only last 24 hours so I had to constantly send them the POA. Finally, after yelling and screaming and calling them a thousand times I gave up and just drove with my sister in law to Miami (3 hrs away was the nearest navy fed from my house in FL) walked in, showed them my ID and POA and then got the loan right then and there.... I wish I would have done that first. That was a ruff week and my husband wasn't able to call because he was on a boat with 3,000 people and 2 working phones.

Coming up to the last couple of months of deployment is ruff again. I miss him like crazy and we only have a few months standing in our way. Today was my last day of work. My mom and sister are coming up from FL to help me move back to NC. Im so excited... the quicker we move back the quicker he comes home. I am so irritable right now; Everything makes me mad or upset. I am such a happy person so this isn't in my character to act like this. I just want to sleep all day and never get out of my bed.

Sister and I in central park

 

On the way home to NC we stopped at Washing DC for a few days. It was A LOT of fun!!

 



 

 

 Easter egg hunt at the White House

 Science museum

 Hope Diamond

 My beautiful mom

Pretty church with all the Cherry blossoms

 



*It is crucial to keep your self busy; the busier you are the less time you have to think about your situation. that's the key... ALWAYS stay busy, time will go by fast and you'll spend less time thinking about him. Its ok to not think about him every two seconds, I promise!

*Don't ever feel guilty for any of these feelings. This is all the process of deployment. When he comes back, its normal to say things like MY stuff, MY house, MY kids etc. you spend the last X amount of months fending for yourself, making a new schedule/routine, and doing things by yourself. Just remember that it will pass and you'll have a new routine INCLUDING your significant other. Remember he will be stressed and not the same when he comes back, just as you wont be the same to him either. It will take some time but everything will be ok! Keep your chin up and there are numerous way to fix that and people who are willing to help you and talk to you after deployments. Talk to your FRO (family readiness officer) and they will help you with any feeling that your feeling or any thought that you have. They've heard everything, don't be afraid to express your thoughts and feelings, they will help! Also, if possible try and surround yourself by family and friends during this time, even though they might not know what you are feeling, they will listen and that's what you need to do, talk about it, be open with yourself!


I found this online and it breaks it down for you

If you have any question, comments, or a story please let me know :)

Love you all,

Valentines day for the deployed

The holidays were hard enough with out our loved one... now coming up is the most romantic holiday of the year. Lets try and make them feel like they are home and with us on this day. So, what travels well? What's unique? What wont he hate? I have scoured through the inter webs and came up with a pretty decent list to start your valentines day package.

What travels well:

• Not chocolate. That's the one thing you think of when it's valentines day. I know, that puts a damper in all the gifts I was thinking of too!
• Hard candy
• Home made cookies- They will travel pretty well. they might be stale a few days after he gets them but if you seal them in a Pringles container or well sealed Tupperware, they should make it. On the upside, if they happen to not stay fresh, stale home made cookies are better than anything that they are eating out there, I promise.
• Cake- Mason Jar cake to be exact. Just make sure that you use bubble wrap and news paper and anything you can think of to protect that glass.... shard glass in cake doesn't sound fun.

What's unique:

• Anything home made. Cards, scrap books, picture frames, any pictures of your hometown, kids, and other familiar places and faces. If your not that creative Shutterfly makes this easy. Just upload all the pics you want, pick out the colors, theme, choose the picture you want on the page and it does everything else for you. Pages and pictures are of great quality too. 
• Calander- good idea if he just deployed. you can put every ones birthday, and special holidays or events to celebrate. They loose track of time out there so this will really help them out. Also, you can get on Shutterfly and add pictures to each of the months to make it extra unique.
• Pillow case. Find the highest thread count, and softest fabric, spray his fave perfume of yours on it (load it up). Place it in a plastic bag and tie it really tight so the smell stays on the pillow case. When he opens it he will get a wall of your perfume and should send him tons of memories of you!
• Teddy bear. Sounds lame but go to Build A Bear and you can add your voice to the bear and say cute sayings to him. If he's staying anywhere like where my husband is, its hard for him to call or Skype so all he will have to do is push the bear's paw to hear your voice :)
• Video- cant go wrong with a video of you telling him you love him and his family saying hi, kids playing in the yard, or your dog licking the lens. Edit them together and add his favorite song; it will defiantly bring a smile to his face. I did this for Christmas for my husband one year of the snow falling, friends that were home for the holidays that he hadn't seen since high school and us decorating the tree. He said that was the best present he ever got. :)
• Photo blanket of you and loved ones- I got one for my friend from Walmart online with a collage of her family. They are decently priced, really soft and warm.

What he wont hate:

• Anything he needs. i.e a new watch, sun screen, new sheets for his bed or a new camera
• Snacks- granola, chips, hard candy, gum, mints, microwave mac and cheese, Jerky, and his favorite cereal
• Recreating his favorite dinner. For Thanksgiving this year I did a recreation a turkey dinner which included turkey jerky, sweet potato chips, dried cranberries, Dole cinnamon apple crisp (its a play off of the Stoffer's cinnamon apple sides) and load baked potato Pringles

Mason Jar Cake Recipe:

• 6 mason jars
• Cake mix, and the ingredients on the back
•  Cooking spray (Pam) 
• Bamboo skewers
• A rimmed cookie sheet

- Preheat the oven as directed on the box

- Make the cake batter as shown on box

- Grease the inside of the jar with cooking spray

- Fill the jars to just below the one-cup mark. make sure you wipe down the jar real good so there isn't any excess batter

- Place the jars evenly spaced on the cookie sheet.

- Bake the cakes until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. They say 15 mins less than the box directions but I've read that it actually ends up being longer, just keep an eye on them. Mine took a lot longer than what the internet said.

- While the jars are still hot, place the seals and rings on the jars; the seals and rings should be at room temperature or warmer. Make sure not to tighten the rings too much. Within 15 minutes the lids should seal themselves so the center button can no longer be depressed. Add a cute scrapbook tag or decorate it and your done

 

 

 

 

As always; For every package:
Their favorite:

• Shampoo/body wash
• Colone
• Tooth brush/paste
• Snacks
• Baby wipes
• Pictures
• Playing cards
• Video games
• Movies
• PC computer games
• Powered juice (for water bottles i.e. crystal light, gatorade, mio)
• Vitamins
• Air activated heating pads
• Paper and pens (incourage writing letters instead of emails)
• Local news papers
• Magizines
• And anything else that will help them feel like home

Also, get creative, decorate the box.. with stickers, markers, construction paper... :)

-enjoy

My bargain style

I was on Pinterest the other night and I was looking up clothing ideas when I realized that alot of the clothing on there I had in my closet. Not to say that I have the most amazing style but I think I have pretty good taste in clothes. I also notices the brand names... I hardly ever paid full price for any of my clothes. I like to shop at the sale racks at Rue 21, JC Pennys, Target, TJ Maxx, Ross...etc. So for those of you thrifty people, I have some examples of my style. They are pretty close to the expensive clothes so I thought just because you, like me, shop at thrifty places, doesn't mean you cant look good or that you don't have style. I am in the middle of packing so all my accessories are in boxes everywhere so I just chose to focus on the clothes

I got this dress and cover: Rue 21 on clearance

 The cover up: Pac sun on clearance last winter

black tank top and necklace: Target

Dress pants: Bells Outlet

 

 Shirt: JCpennys on clearance

Jeans: Pac sun BOGO free

 

 Shirt and shorts: JCPennys, clearance

 

 

 Whole outfit: Rue 21

Shoes: Converse, Target

 

 Blazer: Rue 21 clearance

Shirt: target

Pants: Pac sun BOGO free

Shoes: traffic clearance

Clutch: Clearance on the Royal caribbean cruise $10 sale

 

 Whole outfit: Rue 21, including watch

 

 Top shoe: Target

 

Sweater: Goodwill

Shirt: Rue 21

Pants: Ross

Boots: some random shoe place in FL on sale

 

 

 

 

I know that they aren't exactly like the brand names, but they are pretty close and the concept is down. Now you can feel confident rockin' the clearance section of your favorite store, and know that just because you cant or wont pay $100 for a pair of jeans, doesn't mean your not gonna find a cute pair that looks just like them :) good luck bargain shopping all :)

 

Until next time,

 

 



As a house wife....

  I am a cleanaholic... sometimes... mostly when I know people are over. I don't like anything out of place. I kind of go a little bit insane when I don't know someone is coming over. Sometimes my husband comes home from work and says "by the way [name] is coming over for a minute, but don't go all crazy, they aren't coming inside" by the time he says "by the way..." I'm rushing around the house like a maniac picking up pillows, folding blankets, quickly Swiffer vacuum the living room (we have a husky and she sheds like nobody's business). Even though he says they aren't coming in, I don't want to take the chance. Even when I'm by myself and I actually notice that the house is getting dirty, I kind of lose my mind. I think everything needs to have a place, and not scattered around. I hated when I worked because the house gets slowly dirty and I'm so tired that I don't clean. The dishes pile up, the mail and random papers pile up all over the kitchen and coffee table, it sucks, I feel dirty. Luckily I found a daily checklist off of Pinterest. It helps me a lot because when I don't know people are coming over, I already have a lot done through out the week, so all I have to do is pick up a bit.

I don't have a kids room so I edited it to say mudroom and added the things I need to do on mine but other then that it really comes in handy. Its ridiculously simple if you keep up with it. I've noticed the pet hair doesn't pile up, the laundry is easier to do, and the dishes take only a few minutes because I do them every night now. I also found that if you are lazy (most days I am) you can do them in between your shows; instead of fast forwarding through the commercials let them play and do one chore at a time... by the time the show is done, I'm pretty much done. There is no excuse... anyone can find time to do at least one thing in between anything that your doing.

Tricks of the trade:

Mirrors: spray pledge on a rag and wipe down the mirrors, it actually clean better then Windex
Windows: use a vinegar and news paper... the newspaper leaves no streaks or fuzz behind.
Hard water stains on faucets: cut a lemon in half and rub it on the faucets, the citric acid cleans it
Dishwasher: take vinegar and put it in a microwave safe container on the top rack, sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and run on the hottest setting
Microwave: fill up a microwave safe bowl (I use my measuring glass) with water, turn on high for a few minutes and the steam will loosen the grim
Baseboards: take a bounce sheet and clean the base boards, it cleans them amazingly and it repels lint and dust from coming back longer
Drain: sprinkle baking soda down the drain and add white vinegar and it will naturally clean the drain and reduce smell. Also, you could throw lemon/lime wedges down the garbage disposal and turn it on and it will reduce the smell.
Cut down on dishes: after you eat rinse off you plate... easy
Heat rings on wooden table: they say coat the ring in mayo and leave for about 12-15 hrs... I haven't tried this one yet but I will shortly and get back to you :)

Love you all,

Craft: head phones

  When I worked for Glass Production, a few of the girls I worked with all went to Bolivia for missions work. I was never allowed to go to another country for missions work, and it was always too expensive for me. One day I saw the girls making these bracelets, I asked why are they making so many and she told me they were making them for all the little boys in the orphanage that they stay in Bolivia. I, of course wanted to help as much as possible, if I cant go to Bolivia I will help with this cute idea. So I bought a bunch of colored string and hemp string at Michael's and everyday during work, at home, and in the car (not driving of course), I would just make bracelets to show that, even though I couldn't help them get to Bolivia with donations, I could help in other ways.

  With that said, I was looking online at craft websites and blog after blog after blog where I stumbled upon a website that had thousands and thousands of crafts... pretty easy crafts (not that I could ever find the website again to keep looking at it). Well I found these head phones that were wrapped with yarn. It looked really cool so I thought, well I have hundreds of different color string up stairs that I'm never going to use again, why not?? So this is what I came up with:

You will need:

• colored string or yarn (I like string because yarn gets fuzzy after a while and I carry my headphone with me every where.. including the gym so I didn't want it to get ruined so easy)
• Head phones
• Tape

 

I used the same knots that I used to make the bracelets. Tie like the picture shows and then do the same to the opposite side, alternate between sides. It'll have the knot on either side of the cord making the effect that its flat.

When the head phone split I chose 2 more colors and used a single knot all the way to the head phone piece. That makes a cool spiral knot look.

 

 

 

This craft was easy, it just took me a few hours. I always get compliments on the head phone when ever I bring them out. There is so many color combinations you can choose. I think kids would really have fun with this craft too. Kids usually want cool looking head  phone, or their favorite color, now you can buy the plain white ones and spice them up with every color of the rainbow :) Have fun!

 

 

Love you all,