Change is good right?

  As an Army wife I know that change is inevitable. Nothing ever stays the same and it's never carved in stone. It will happen when it happens and don't get upset when plans change. It isn't worth it and it will happen. Often.
  My husband is approaching retirement rather quickly and it's that time again. Time for a change. This change however is something new to both of us as all we have ever known is military life. What will civilian life hold for us? Will we enjoy it?
  Most don't understand these questions and those that do, well they are also military and more than likely it's all they have known as well. The past 20 years have been great. We have met wonderful people along the way some of which we still keep in touch with. We have lived in some great and not so great places and seen things some only wish they can see. We have lived coast to coast as well as Alaska and Hawaii (twice). My kids don't know what it is like to be born and raised in the same town and live in the same house until they graduate school. They know that most of their friends will move and while they try to keep in touch those habits will gradually fade away. There will be a small handful though that will make it through all of the moves and the years. These friends will turn out to be lifelong no matter how often or little they speak to one another. Military life is a hard but rewarding adventure. Our adventure is now coming to a close.  We will move back into our home, our lives will go on but they will be "different."  We won't move every few years, my kids will go to the same schools (which I am sure they won't mind) and only say good bye to friends that are still part of an active duty military family.
   While change is good (or so they say), I know I will have to say good bye to my life here on the island as well as amazing friends I have made during my time here. Moving is never easy no mater how much you want to get back "home".  Time is running out and I am getting more anxious about it all. Change is good though right?

Dusting things off and starting over

  I am cleaning things up around here and will be posting more often. I will be posting things I make, photos I take and things I bake! Now just to figure out how to change my layout again :P

It's been awhile...

....a year to be exact. (almost)  Things got busy and the blog got pushed aside with many other things I had started. With the new year, come new beginnings and new adventures. I am going to do my best to post regularly things I create, cook and more. Happy New Year to everyone!

Colors Cased..They leave too soon.

I went to my husbands BGDE color casing ceremony today. This ends their state site status and starts a new venture them. They leave soon and I am already counting down to the uncasing ceremony in about a year from now.

Photo a day. Day 5

January 5,2012 photo of the day 5.
The ever elusive package. I have been expecting this box since the Friday before Christmas. Lesson learned, don't send things parcel post. :) sorry Ellen! Lol. I was excited to get this box for 2 reasons. 1 it has new fabric in it, and 2 it has the DCU jacket I have been waiting for to make memorial pillows for a friends kids. These kids are awesome and so is their Mom. I wish I was able to get to know Ellen better while we were in Texas. Our girls are friends and I can only hope they will continue to be friends through the miles and years we are gone.

 

Photo of the Day 4

Jan 4,2012
This is how most soldiers start their day. Tougher than most of us. They don't have a choice in "going to the gym". They do this plus south more. Daily. Their day starts at about 6 for formation and typically doesn't end until their 5 o'clock end of the day formation. And that is just stationed stateside. I am very proud of my husband and all he does for this family. The Army is a big part of my life. This is just one small part of what it looks like.

 

Split Pea Soup recipe finally!

A few days ago I made Split Pea soup on the crock pot for the first time. It was very easy and, quick to put together and turned out really good! The pictures I have posted don't do the soup justice at all.

Crock Pot Split Pea soup

1 package dried split peas
5-6 cups of water
1 cup milk
3-4 carrots chopped
1/2 onion chopped
3 cups chopped ham

Combine all ingredients into crock pot, set on high, cook for 6 hours.
Stir periodically, if you want the soup to be soupier and not as thick, add water here and there as needed while cooking.

Photo a Day~ Day 3

The husband went back to work today and the kids head back to school in the morning. Starting tomorrow, it will just be the dog, my music, the sewing machines and me. Still no recipe, maybe I will post that tomorrow during all of my quiet time. For now, I am just posting the photo for the day.

A photo is worth a thousand words. This one is not as it seems :)

Was busy with projects today and still haven't uploaded the recipe for the soup.  It is coming I promise. I spent the day working at my embroidery machine.  I didn't finish but 2 projects due to my machine and I having different opinions on how it should be working. I won in the end, however I did lose a lot of time for what I needed to accomplish. My photo for today is the beginning of my day when my machine and I still agreed on things.

My project material laid out, my machine all plugged in and ready to go and my coffee. I used to drink hot chocolate out of this mug at my grandmothers when I was about 4 years old. As far back as I can remember this mug was at her house. Now it is at mine.

Hau ‘oli Makahiki Hou! (Happy New Year in Hawaiian)

I have decided to start a photo project. A photo a day for the year 2012.  It may be a rainbow, a flower, a kid, who knows what I will post. Today's photo is dinner.
Homemade split pea soup and homemade clover rolls.

I will post recipes for both tomorrow :) I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year!

Family Outing

Yesterday we took the kids to Hanuama Bay to play. Chloe has been wanting to go before we even moved here from Texas. It was her teachers favorite place while they were stationed here. So after sitting in bumper to bumper traffic going no more than 10 miles an hour for almost an hour (due to an accident) we made it.  We paid for parking, stood in line for tickets and watched the video. While waiting for the video I was able to get some pretty nice shots of the bay from up on top. This is just one but I love the edits I was able to put together.

    It's almost the new year and as always I have so many things I want to do.  Craft wise, photography, family, health and more. Is it every overwhelming to you as to where to start?  This year I will be starting with all the loot I got for Christmas.
     I have recently started sewing and crafting with  my embroidery machine. I have even branched out and started selling items I have made for a little extra money. My husband must have lots of faith in me because for Christmas, he stocked me up on different supplies and machines to make my work a little easier. 

 I have an order right now for a monogrammed purse and that is where I will be starting, after that though my ideas are limitless. I have so many ideas running through my head. For now though I am enjoying the last few days of everyone being home on leave and Christmas break. This time has gone by so fast.

This is it, I started a blog!

I officially have set up a corner of the web for my babbling, postings of crafts and whatever else my heart so desires. I cannot guarantee I will post every day or that the posts will be entertaining but that is ok. Let's see where this takes me and who I will meet along the way.