Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Last day of april

Tomorrow is May. You know what that means! Hubby comes home soon! Ah, I can't wait any longer. I just want him home, on the couch, watching crap tv with me. :)
All of the emotions I have had during this deployment are starting to bubble up again. Excitement, anxiousness, worry, flustered and the comfort in knowing he is coming home soon. I am waiting for the peace and calmness that comes when he is home.
I cannot wait for the sigh I will release when I finally get to hold him. I will let all of my emotions, positive and negative, out with that breath. It will be a cleansing breath.

I LV NY


Pardon my absence these past few days but I had a mini vacay with my sister in her home in the big apple. I miss being there already. There are just so many things to do and see in that city. During the days, when Kat was working her little ass off at work, I did all of the touristy things I never had the chance to do before. My tourist week was magical. To begin a NY vacation you always have to start with a New York breakfast. And breakfast is always delicious when you go by this place for a bagel and lox! Lox is Yiddish for smoked salmon, and it is damn good. I miss them already.


After breakfast on the first day I literally got lost in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I could not find the way out, so I stayed for 4 hours and maybe saw 1/4 of the wonders they house. The treasures that they have in those walls are beyond words beautiful.


Magical. I could live in the recreation Frank Lloyd Wright room and be at peace with myself and all my gorgeous surroundings. And one of the best parts about this wondrous museum is the available discount. The recommended adult admission is a bit pricey at $25, and with children (over 12) in tow it can become expensive. The base admission can be altered by paying what you want to explore the hallowed grounds. In order to pay the alternate, don't buy the tickets online and wait to purchase them at the museum. The student price is definitely reasonable at 12 bucks. Oh I love museums! After the museum it was onto the next tourist destination. And if you are a girl in the City where do you go but...     


Don't worry hubby, I didn't spend a dime here this time :) This time was strictly window shopping, and it was a gorgeous window. The current display is for the jewels Tiffany made for The Great Gatsby movie. Dazzling baubles were shimmering in the champagne like the bubbles in the bottles. Oh to be an ear that gets adorned with those beauties. But this tourist trip wasn't just about being on the outside looking in. No sir-e-bob. I got my sister and I into one of the hardest shows to get in on Broadway. You know a little show by the name of...


It was beyond amazing! Witty! Hilarious! Raunchy! Whimsical! And of course offensively awesome! The cast was perfection, the songs were pure and the jokes were dirty. All I have to say is if you get the chance to see this show, even if it's standing room only, do it! You will not regret it. Hasa Diga Eebowai. 


Who can go to NY and not go to Central Park? Not me. It is simply a stunning park. I was looking forward to a nice, long walk through the park with Kat for my last weekend in town. What I didn't realize is when Kat says "Bring running shoes." she is going to make you run! That is Kat in the white motivating me to run with her. I did it. All 4.3 miles. I think I'm still a little sore, but it was a radiant spring day that needed to be spent outside. Totally worth it. I wish I was still in New York, getting dinner with my sister and drinking weird Dimetapp flavored drinks. It was a great time. Superb in every possible way it could have been. 


I love that city. My kind of town. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

NY NY

I came up to the big apple today to bug my sister Katie. I miss my sisters so much now that we are older and truly appreciate each other. Anytime I am able to sneak away and visit I do it. Kat was stuck at work so i had an entire afternoon to myself in the city. I arrived midday and right away started to explore. Every time I come I find something new: A small park, a vintage shop, a bar.
I love this city. New York is one of the greatest cities on the planet. I love a city that allows you to walk around and explore every nook and cranny of it. It's dirty at times but its beautiful. It's honest. It's real. It doesn't put on a mask to entice you. It's reality is what makes it magical. It truly is a city that anything can happen in.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Nesting?



Can nesting happen to ladies who are not pregnant? All day today I've been cleaning, and it still feels like no matter how much I've scrubbed it is still messy. I even cleaned out the garage! Yeah, that much cleaning. I found boxes that had our old address on the label; we moved three years ago. Yeah, it was that bad.
Oh man, I think I'm losing the battle with the deployment. I've ventured to the edge of running out of things to clean.
It is time to start another project before I clean out my closet. And that is one thing that should never happen! lol.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Nightstand redo


Craft time! This is the brand new side table I finished up today. Oh I love it. I just wish I had a space for it to live in my house.  Not to shabby for a $20 find and $20 in goods to fix it up. 
All it took was Bulls Eye 1.2.3. Primer, Valspar Spray Paint in Brushed Rose and a small interior woven paint roller (trust me on the woven ones, they soak up less paint then the foam ones). I kept the original hardware it came with but I am half tempted to purchase some crystal ones. The overall process is very simple. 
  • Remove the drawers and their hardware and clean the outside and inside of the table with a large paintbrush. Just brush out any cobwebs or dirt that may be in or on the table.
  • Start priming all the pieces in the direction of the grain. I prime inside and out of the table and drawers. It helps to seal out smells if your piece has a little of a musty smell. I use the roller for the primer. It allows the paint to evenly distribute in the grain without the lines that paint brushes give. Wait two hours then add another coat. 
  • Now leave it be. I let my pieces dry overnight to ensure that they are completely dry. This is one of the things I do different from other crafters. The label of the primer says it is dry in an hour, but I just like to make sure every part of the piece is bone dry. 
  • Spray paint away. A light, even spray from side to side will do. Two coats is best to make sure every bit of white primer is covered. Let the first coat dry completely before applying the next or else you could end up with paint runs down the sides (not cute). I spray paint the inside of the table and drawers as well. It looks nicer then the color contrast with the original wood color. 
  • Allow everything to dry overnight.
  • When everything is nice and dry reattach hardware, put the drawers back in and admire your work! 

Now go raid a Salvation Army, Goodwill or any thrift shop that is close to you, pick up a piece of furniture you would normally never give a second look to and make it beautiful! 
   

Happy crafting yall! 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

We named the dog Indiana

You know what movie I'm talking about. 



Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The one with Indy and James Bond aka Sean Connery. A cinematic classic And it makes me miss hubby so much, that and the glass of wine in my hand :) It is one of my favorites and it is delicious. Oh me, I should have bought stock in wine for this deployment; and Cox Cable Communications for that matter, for they are the ones providing me with the movie tonight.

This movie was one of the first things me and my husband bonded over. Yeah, we're movie people. Big movie people. We speak in quotes at times. Cheesy, crass and classic movies the same. His friends used to call him mobile imdb. My family has called me Sammi-pedia for years. I remember he was shocked when I told him the Last Crusade was one of my favorites on our first date. I like to think it was when he started to fall for me. Le sigh. I miss him.
Back to my movie and libation of choice. Cheers and 'night yall.  

Sun Day Fun Day

Groceries- check.
Bike ride/dog walk- check.
Bills- check.
Lowe's- check.
Beginning a new project- Double Check!

The side table redo was started today and it is looking good, if I do say so myself. lol. It feels really good to breath some new life into a disregarded mid-century nightstand from a thrift shop.  :)  So good. Pics will be uploaded tomorrow. Until then....

Saturday, April 20, 2013

I popped some tags

What started out as a trip to get some lab work done in Chesapeake ended with a few new projects courtesy of The Salvation Army. I constantly have to be in the middle of some kind of project. Any project. It could be a painting, making a new skirt or a piece of furniture that is screaming for fresh coat of fun paint. Crafts make me happy. So when I left the clinic to head back home and saw the store, you know I flipped a U as fast as I could!
I left with two new bed side tables, a tower of plastic drawers to house spray paint and some navy uniforms that can be easily transformed into bags for ladies! Ahh sewing projects make me giddy!
Oh sigh. I am in utter bliss already. Tomorrow starts a new day of crafting. I can't wait, I might even wake up early to begin them all!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Road trip!

Family Fun Adventure Day! Today the need for excitement took Luna and I to America's Birthplace: Colonial Williamsburg and the Yorktown Battlefields!

These are a few of my happy places. These are the destinations that I never get tired of because I find something new every time I go. So I'm sure it comes as no surprise that we have had annual passes to Williamsburg since we first moved to the area. In fact it might have been one our first purchases when we settled in :) I know I am a history nerd. I can't help it, some people like to visit the Mall of America every summer, I like historical areas. Although I would not mind a trip to Minnesota too. lol.

Here are some pictures that I took of Lu and the historical area of Williamsburg.

Luna is in front of the historical Eastern State Hospital, a.k.a. the Eastern Lunatic Asylum, a.k.a. America's first loony bin! How appropriate. Lu at the loony bin. 
The next photo is in front of Josiah Chowning's. Mr. Chowning opened his tavern in 1766 to "appeal to the ordinary lot" and they certainly still do; I got a sandwich. lol. The restaurant is even better at night when they turn it into a family friendly, but still fun, tavern with games and drinking songs and yummy beer. The Union flag flying means that the English are still in control of Williamsburg. It changes through the weeks to show how far along they are in the Revolution. The actors really get into it when you point the flags out to them!
And the last picture is of the Governor's Place. It is a beautiful and dramatic recreation house that should really be seen. The foyer alone is worth the trip. Fun fact: Both Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry lived here. You know Mr. Henry, the founding father who said "Give me Liberty, or give me death!" I think I just heard a collective 'Oh yeah that guy.'

Then there was the round magazine, it housed the ammunition for the town. The courthouse is the red building on the right. It is one of the original buildings that has stood since the 18th century. They even have stocks and pillory out front for photo shoots and sometimes actors being "punished" by the court. The little white house is either the printer & bookbinder's shop or the tailor's shop. I do not remember. Notice the flag. Red coats still have control. Damn lobsters! (I love getting in character along with the actors!)   

After lunch and quick nap in the shade for Lu, we went further down the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown. 
Lu wanted to explore all of this land so badly, I almost had to jog to keep up with her. These battlefields are the same bunkers and trenches that were used by the British, Americans and French in the Revolution, and both the Union and Confederate Armies during the Civil War. It is wild to think about the events that arose here in two wars separated by less than 80 years. It is sad but beneficial to visit places like this. You learn so much more when you actually get to see and somewhat experience these things. They have volunteer unit reenactments in the main battlefield all the time. Check it out sometime, It is really neat to see how both men and women lived in the camps during the battles. Complete with horses, tents, food and gun demonstrations. Kids love it, especially the adult ones! 

I love these places. I love all of the culture and history that is here. One day you can learn more about the real Pocahontas in Jamestown and the next you can have a conversation with Mary Washington in Williamsburg. I would be very content with living in one of the recreation historical houses and absorbing everything that I could all day, every day. Hey, you can live where ever you want after retirement right? wink,wink!  

     



     

Thursday, April 18, 2013

I miss you like crazy!

You know those days where no matter what you do, who you see or where you go you just miss your deployed spouse so much more then other days?  That was me today. It's getting exponentially worse since we are so close to the end of this deployment. The first couple of weeks and the last ones are by far the worst in a deployment cycle to me. One is so far from being over that you think it will never end and the other is so close you can taste it! I'm now on that tail end. Grrrr. Angry Sammy. So what do I do to feel better during a down day? I can't just force myself not to think about him so I do things that remind me of hubby in silly ways. And this gem on YouTube is one of the tops. I just click play...and I immediately feel better. It's the little things that help :)

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Headboard Re-Do


I was wondering if anyone else ever goes on Craigslist just to see what is out there? Not for anything in particular, but just to browse. I do it all the time. It's my version of window shopping from home. This past week I was craigslist shopping and I came upon a hidden gem. A queen sized, slightly broken, wooden headboard for 20 bucks! Massive Craigslist score! I have wanted to make a new headboard since I saw the first tutorial on Pinterest. But honestly, I don't have the power tools or workshop area to construct one from scratch. So this is my version of the tutorial with an existing headboard. Here it is in all its pre-worked glory:

  
After I picked up my rough diamond, I went straight to Lowe's and Jo-Ann's to load up on the necessities to polish this baby up:

Paneling Foam- $9
Liquid Nails for foam- $6 
15'x 4' Burlap Drop cloth- $20  
Batting- $9 for 3 yards
1/2" thick foam padding- $17 

I already had a heavy duty staple gun (which I highly recommend everyone get asap. They can be used for almost any project) Now to the assembly: 

  • Remove the wooden legs that attach to the actual headboard. Measure and cut the foam to fill in the bottom of the headboard. Then apply the liquid nails and press the foam into place. 


  • Repeat the measuring and gluing until the entire front of the headboard is covered in foam. 


  • Allow the glue to dry overnight to make sure it is in place and solid before moving on to the next step. 
  • After the drying process is finished, place the foam padding over entire headboard and staple to the sides and back of the wooden part of the headboard. Cut off excess padding. 

  • Now place the batting over the entire headboard and staple. 

  • This was when I reattached the legs to the headboard because I wanted the tops of the legs to be covered in burlap as well. If you wait to make reattaching the legs the last step, the upholstering with the burlap is easier. 
  • Move the headboard from the surface it was on and lay out the burlap. I ironed the burlap to try to release as many wrinkles as possible. Next is the tricky step depending on how heavy your headboard is; place the headboard on the burlap leaving as much burlap on the ends as you can. 


  • Fold over the top of the burlap and staple into place. Then move onto one of the sides and staple. Before stapling the other side and bottom, pull the burlap taught so there are as few wrinkles and bumps as possible. 

  • Cut off the excess burlap when you are completely finished. Reattach the legs if you haven't already. You may or may not need longer screws then the ones the headboard came with. This is mine with the extra burlap over the legs. Your legs may or may not have this depending on when you reattached them. It's all a matter of taste. 

  •  Before you hoist it upstairs or set it up, I recommend running the iron over it a few times and clipping any stray fibers. Then you are finished! Nothing better then spending less then $100 for what some places are charging $300 or more for. Now sit back, relax and admire your handiwork! 






Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Good day today

Although my mother may still not believe it but one of my favorite things to do is clean my house. To this day if she calls me when i'm cleaning my house there is still a hint of shock in her voice! But seriously, I love going through all of my stuff and throwing out the old and making everything just look nice. Going to the CHKD (Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, local children's hospital ) thrift shop to drop off goodies is one of the best things you can do to feel good. I made a rather large donation today of the equivalent of three garbage bags full of clothes and shoes. I guess this is my version of spring cleaning.

And I also installed my new headboard in the master bedroom. Today was a very productive day. I went from this... 


yucky, broken craigslist find. To this...


Pretty, finished, burlap headboard!
I wanted a nice, neutral headboard for the new duvet and artwork. I think I did it! I'll post the step by step tomorrow for how to 'transform' the old to something new.

 Night yall. 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Boston.

Today is one of those days that will never make sense to me. Why do people do these things? What goes through their minds that makes them believe what they are about to do is justified? Why? I will never understand days like today. They are just black days now. Days full of sadness instead of how they should be, full of hope and promise. The tomorrows are now the hopeful days. Make tomorrow the best day it possibly can be. Be grateful for everything you have and everyone in your life. Tell them you love them, hug them if they are close and cherish every moment.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Oh no...

I went a little crazy today :) 



Shop crazy.  What started out as a trip to Sephora to pick up some face wash turned into an accidental shopping day. As we all know Sephoras are often located in magical areas called malls. All malls are very dangerous places for me to be sans hubby or a friend to keep me in retail check. I can't help it. Things start jumping off of racks and shelves begging me to take them home. "Over here, you need me in your closet!" "No me, I was made for you!" So dangerous.

I entered the mall wearing blinders and a will of something more like tin then iron. I did pretty well at first. I made my purchase in 5 minutes and left the makeup dreamland without even so much as a batted eyelash towards the rainbow colored wonders. "I did it, boom." Eye of the Tiger is playing in my head. No big deal, let's go home. To get back to my car I have to walk through a certain store that gives out those notorious yellow plastic bags. Yeah, you know what happened next.

Cha-Ching, impulses won. I left with some goodies in a yellow sac. Damn. Oh well. At least I got a purchase high. Yeah, I feel awesome! On the way home I made a few more stops here, a few there, TJ Maxx, Lowe's (It's one of my crafting happy places) and Jo-Ann's fabric store. I always have to stop in just in case a fabric I have been lusting for is on sale. And what do you know, a swiss dot that I have had my eye on for about three months is finally on sale. Yay! New summer skirt, get ready to be made. I love fabric stores. I feel so inspired to start new projects or finish the ones I haven't gotten around to yet. Which reminded me of a certain daunting project I have been avoiding for a few months. The Master Bedroom Headboard. I was so full of optimism and cheer from my day of shopping that I found a massive roll of batting on sale and thought why the hell not; Let's give the boudoir an update. So now I have two projects to start and complete before hubby comes home from deployment. I may have gone a little over the top today with my purchases, but now I have lots and lots to keep me occupied these last few weeks of deployment. Crafting Sammy is coming out. Let the games begin!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Just call me Gidget

Today was the third day of "spri-mmer" in Norfolk. You know that sweet spot of mid 80 degree weather that allows you sit in your car for about 15 minutes without AC and not feel like you are going to melt into your upholstery. It is a wonderful time of year that only lasts a max of 5 weeks here. After mid May it's so damn hot you could spontaneously combust if out in direct sunlight for too long. So what do I do to celebrate, I take my furry little love bug baby Luna to the beach for some sand and sun of course!

  
Yes that's my baby girl in all her panting glory. She has a love for the beach that I never thought I would find in a puppy. Coming from South Texas I grew up on a beach and my hubby is about as white as white can get; So him + sun = lobster. Now I finally have my guaranteed beach buddy! If I take her off the leash, she will bolt into the water and try to chase it back out to the ocean. (Not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed, but a sweet one) She is also totally enamored by the jets that fly over the beach. NAS Oceana is just a few miles from the beach and they fly right overhead. I think that was what she was so heavily focused on in the picture. Gotta love her.

Beautiful day to beach it. Maybe this will be the beginning of a weekly outing. I feel an excursion to Colonial Williamsburg coming on! Oh I love new adventures! After our duel beach bunny day it was time to go home....Luna was wiped out. Gotta adore a sleepy puppy, even when she sleeps on your new pillows.

 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Hello there

Well, any story worth telling has to start somewhere and this is my beginning. Sam is my name and I am a Navy Wife. Though I don't sit and pine all day I am a real life cooking, cleaning, laundry doing, occasional artist and wife to my helicopter pilot husband and mommy to our puppy Luna. We are winding down our time here at NS Norfolk with a little less then one year left and I personally cannot wait to see where we are going next on our journey. It has been a wild ride this navy life of ours...and it has only just begun.