Loving Paint With Grand Design

Lovelies! Here we are again with another fabulous line up of guest bloggers to entertain you all while I am busy cleaning our new house from top to bottom, grocery shopping, and all of the ever-important mani/pedi, spray tan, waxing, and hair appointments in preparation for the big HOMECOMING!! I am so glad I have all of these wonderful Lovelies stepping in for me so I can focus on the important things not to mention so I can be sure to take breathers in between my anxiety attacks. So please be sure to show all of my wonderful Lovelies lots of love because they deserve it. Today, I can't even tell you how stoked I am to have Nikki here. She's the BFF Forever I've mentioned before that I met while in Arizona. Her hubby is an officer in the Army National Guard who finished his first year tour in Iraq flying Black Hawks late last year. I also want to give a big fatty shout out to her hubby because he just got an incredible new position as a flight instructor!! She's a bagenius and an incredibly talented designer. Here's her take on making houses into homes when you move a lot. I also included pics of her own gorgeous house and be sure to check out her design blog. All of her projects are incredible.

I was completely stoked when my husband and I got the call that he had orders to go to flight school. I was so tired of Arizona and the stupid desert and wanted a new adventure. Not to mention I romanticized the South after watching movies like Gone with the Wind, The Notebook, and Sweet Home Alabama. So I loaded up all our stuff, my husband flew home from BOLC and two days later we were on our way to Fort Rucker.

When we got there I was in awe. Imagine my surprise to learn that grass, trees, and flowers could grow in the wild without constant drip lines! There was water everywhere we looked (although some of the lakes on post were inhabited by crocs and the like) and amazing historic homes. I loved to drive down main street in Ozark looking at old houses and fantasize about owning one of my own.

But that isn't where we lived. We lived in a house built some time in the 50's that was infested with mold and other critters (Alabama lingo for bugs). Animal control actually called themselves the "critter gitters". And even though the house was ugly as sin, smelled questionable, and made everything I hung on the walls look crooked, I LOVED it because for the first time in my life, I had a home that I could make look any way I wanted. With paint. And boy did I paint. I painted every wall in that place. 

I suppose that's where I developed my love for paint. Because it took my house on post from ridiculously hideous to a place I wanted to show off. Now that we have settled down and bought a house of our own, I have enjoyed painting the walls of my new house just as much as I did then. Its one of those things I don't think I'll ever get sick of. Being able to paint makes something gnarly into something beautiful and helps make a house into a home. Even though my husband isn't active duty, we have moved quite a bit and I'm one of those people who gets stir crazy after 2 years. Paint is one of those things that makes transitioning easier and I'm not going to complain about having a fresh canvas when we do move. Decorating a blank slate of a house is the best part about moving.

(Ingeniously painted wall. She used flat pain, a stencil, and clear acrylic spray paint.)

(

(Her fabulous master bedroom)

(The baby's nursery/office/craft room.) 

(Her little girl's room. Best princess, girly room ever!)

You can tour her entire fabulous house HERE

Homecoming Jitters With ACE

Lovelies! Here we are again with another fabulous line up of guest bloggers to entertain you all while I am busy cleaning our new house from top to bottom, grocery shopping, and all of the ever-important mani/pedi, spray tan, waxing, and hair appointments in preparation for the big HOMECOMING!! I am so glad I have all of these wonderful Lovelies stepping in for me so I can focus on the important things not to mention so I can be sure to take breathers in between my anxiety attacks. So please be sure to show all of my wonderful Lovelies lots of love because they deserve it. I am so happy today's blogger is here once again. I love this girl! She is one of the very first people who I started reading and who started following me. Its the gorgeous ACE from The Flightline Life. Yay! She's been through quite a few deployments and homecomings with her husband in the last couple years so what better person to host while I'm preparing for my first right? Thanks ACE!


You can’t eat, can’t sleep, you have to pee every five minutes, can’t sit still, and are constantly cursing the clock for not ticking fast enough. What’s got your nerves in a bunch? Homecoming! It’s finally that time. Months ago you thought it would take forever to see him again. Touch him, smell him, wrap your arms around him. About a month ago you were probably mad at the world. You were so close to the end and now time was dragging. Now you’re moments away. Just moments and time seems to have frozen as if to make your suffering worse.

I feel the same way every time on homecoming day/night. It doesn’t matter how long he’s been gone for, how many we’ve been through, I always feel the same. Anxious and like I am going to puke or piss myself out of sheer excitement.

Our first deployment we were “engaged” and I couldn’t pick him up. Why? It was my senior sendoff ceremony for my sorority. I had my arm in a brace because I had just found out I have carpal tunnel. I sat at our state wide celebration knowing I was 15 minutes away from my apartment where he was and wanting to die on the inside. I stayed as long as I could handle it and jetted off campus and probably broke a ton of driving laws. I remember hitting every light and nearly crying from excitement. Would he still think I was beautiful? Would he want to kiss me? Will I still feel the same when I see him? Does he look any different? What if he thinks my outfit is stupid? All these immature thoughts crossed my mind. We’d been apart for 4.5 months and only together for 8. What if it wasn’t the same?

The moment that door opened and he wrapped his arms around me, all my insecurities, worries vanished. I felt whole again. Complete. It was the most amazing feeling in my life.

I remember all three of my homecomings vividly. But I only have pictures of my last. This past one, I remember laughing so much because I was nervous and being insanely loud on the flight line. The plane had landed and was taking forever to unload. We waited, waited, and waited for what seemed like hours but was probably only 30 minutes or so. I wanted to just run out there to the huge plane, but I knew that was not a good idea. I felt as though the group of them were walking so slowly towards us.

 
There they were! So close, but still too far for me to run. Then I saw him break away from the group and move towards me and I ran. 

 
I remember he lifted me off the ground and carried me back to where I was allowed to be. I remember sobbing, sobbing so hard and telling him “Don’t let go yet” He was laughing his amazing laugh.

 
Finally he set me down and I could let go of him. I couldn’t believe it. Each time I feel as though it can’t get any better but it does. Each time is just like the last. Amazing. All my worries about what it will be like fades away.

I know Mrs. S. would like some advice, and instead of giving the advice of “don’t plan anything, take it one day at a time, etc” (because I know you’ve read all that already and probably numerous times over), I want you to let the world fade away to where it is just you and him. The two of you. Let the noise disappear, the people fade, and just be with him. Hold him as long as you need to. Kiss him as long as you want, grab onto those ABUs and don’t let go if you don’t want to. Because eventually you have to come back to reality and nothing, ever compares to those first few moments when you are back in the love of your life’s arms again. Nothing.

 
Happy Homecoming Beautiful!

Not Out of The Woods.... Yet With We See The Same Stars

Lovelies! Here we are again with another fabulous line up of guest bloggers to entertain you all while I am busy cleaning our new house from top to bottom, grocery shopping, and all of the ever-important mani/pedi, spray tan, waxing, and hair appointments in preparation for the big HOMECOMING!! I am so glad I have all of these wonderful Lovelies stepping in for me so I can focus on the important things not to mention so I can be sure to take breathers in between my anxiety attacks. So please be sure to show all of my wonderful Lovelies lots of love because they deserve it. Today I have the beautiful Carmen from We See The Same Stars. She is such a good friend and I am truly blessed to have her in my life and on the blog sharing her wisdom. Thanks doll!

First, I want to thank Mrs. S. for letting me guest post (once again) while she is off anxiously awaiting her homecoming! I'm so proud of you girl, you did it!

Lately on a lot of my guest blogs I have been talking about EAS (can you tell it's been on my mind lately?) However, Mrs. S. asked me personally to write about my most recent experience with the military.

Here is some background info, my husband's EAS (end of active service) is coming up in May and so when I rung in 2011, I was certain the Marine Corps couldn't possibly do anything or mess anything up right? Oh Carmen, you should have known better than that.

I had gone to pick up my mama from work with my brother and one of her friends needed a ride home so naturally, I obliged. We were on the high way driving to her friends house after I dropped my brother off at the bar. My husband called me and I immediately told him I would call him when I got home (thinking he just wanted to chat) but no less than 5 minutes later I receive a text from him saying:

"We need to talk, it is extremely important."

That could have meant a multitude of things, but it wasn't just "anything" compared to what I was about to hear. So I dropped her friend off and waited until it was just me and my mama so then I called him. He said he had bad news (at this point, I'm thinking someone died) and he told me that hew as being sent to Afghanistan due to an emergency in his unit. My heart stopped and dropped into my butt while my stomach rose up into my chest and throat. I felt like throwing up, crying, punching the wall, and just all other mixes of emotions. I immediately started tearing up but didn't want to break down and cry while still driving. 

As soon as I got home I told the news to my family. My mama thought I was joking and my sister's jaw dropped to the floor. They were in as much disbelief as I was. I didn't want any support at the time but I called my best friend and my husband as I cried my heart out to them. Then when I finally emerged and saw my family, they embraced me and I bawled my eyes out int their arms. I'm lucky to have them in my life. :)

My husband left the next morning and I just felt so empty inside (yes, he was given less than 24 hour notice). Nothing can compare to that feeling. He called me when he got there and was probably going to stay throughout the rest of his enlistment (which was still 3 months then).

"NOOOOOOO!!!!! I had a surprise trip planned to visit you next month! Come home sooner!! I need to see you!!"

He just laughed and told me how cute I was for wanting to surprise him. He said he would do his best to get home before I got there. I was super paranoid he would not make it home in time. He came home 10 days later and I will be seeing him this coming Saturday :)

It just goes to show that no matter how much experience you have with the military they always manage to keep you on your toes. Not to scare anyone, but an EAS date, I learned, doesn't mean all clear until the date he signs his release. Hopefully we have no more surprises!

El Completo

In case you missed it on Facebook and Twitter, Deployment Number 1 is over! Yayyy! My friend Sammy's hubby came home on the same plane as Mr. Superman and she hired a photog. I saw today she was sweet enough to capture our first kiss too. How sweet! Be sure to go check her out and like her FB page and then go look at the rest of the photos! They are beautiful!

Deployment Brain Fo' Shizzle

Dude. 

We've all heard about 'deployment brain'. 

It makes you forget, you kind of lose track of days and what time it is, things are helter skelter..... but NOBODY told me that I was going to freaking lose my head and almost every personality trait that made me a good house wifey in the course of my husband being gone. 

Why??! 

Why didn't anyone tell me? 

I feel like I am seriously going crazy. 

I wake up and always feel like its two days later than it actually is. 

Countertops are all a jumble of unopened mail, two week old ads, empty Sonic cups, dirty and clean dishes, screws, nails, paint brushes.... 

I feel like I'm in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and I can't escape this person I've become over the last two hundred some odd days. 

Its mind boggling.

I start a project and get distracted then I put my phone somewhere then I have to pee then I can't remember where my phone is and I start freaking out then I realize I need food since I can't remember the last time I ate then I sit down to watch tv and I check my email a hundred times before I convince myself its impossible because Mr. Superman doesn't have internet.

I'm losing it. 

Actually, I'm pretty sure I've already lost it.

The other thing about 'deployment brain'... 

THIS

 

Describes me to a tee. 

I sincerely hope Mr. Superman's return marks the glorious and very much welcomed return of my brain.

Over-Statements

I have been trying to mull this over for a while now. When I am irritated, tact and grace hardly ever come through my words and to say I'm irritated would be a gross minimization of what I'm feeling. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may have seen me post this article that was published on Examiner.com and written by a military wife. You could have seen it posted by someone else you know as well because I alone had 15 fellow Milie's share it along with their disgust with this woman. What's so wrong with the article? Why am I so fired up?

I am all for freedom of speech and freedom of press, I am. This woman has every right to say what she wants but when she is sitting there blatantly attacking an entire community (and one I am proudly a part of) and is spouting off her negativity for anyone to see or read, you'd better believe I am going to get angry and speak my mind. Even more so when I know that everything that person is saying is false. Grossly over-stated.

We as a military spouse community try so hard to fight against the stereotypes we are ignorantly labeled with and then here is a wife doing nothing to help. I just had to respond.

"After I read your article, I was more in shock than anything else so I had to go take a peek at the woman behind the words.
 
'Debi Ketner, an award-winning military life columnist, has focused on military marriage as a writer in Norfolk for over 14 years. Married to a Navy senior chief, she's also the mother of five sons, one currently on active duty in the Armed Forces. Her articles on military marriage have been featured in Military Times and military websites in the past.'

All I can say is that I feel so sorry for you if you truly believe everything you wrote describing us fellow military wives. It is such a mound of negativity and then reading that you are described as 'an award-winning writer' who has been featured several times in many different online outlets expanded my worries even more to think about the amount of new military spouses and civilians you now have convinced of what you see as the truth. The majority of military spouses I know and have come in contact with, along with myself, try so very hard to dispel the common misconceptions and stereotypes that are widely believed and readily accepted about us all. For a fellow military wife to blatantly spout off negative rhetoric as if its factual is offensive and disappointing but even more so since you are in a position of power to get your ideas published and spread.

I can only hope that someday soon you are able to let go of whatever negative experiences you may have had in the past that poisoned your perception of military wives and the relationships we have with one another. Maybe you'll get lucky and you'll find a hell of a friend in a military spouse because I myself, have found some of the best friends in the world in the 2 years I've been able to call myself a military wife."

This is also the woman that published that article saying that a "vast amount of military couples partook in oral-sex pacts" with other couples while spouses were deployed. Yeah, that's her. I just honestly cannot understand what would make someone do that. She isn't making herself look any better, that's for sure. Thankfully, the majority of feedback she has received has been from fellow military spouses not holding back. I just hope this opens her eyes but I have a feeling she is loving all of the attention and will continue to pollute the internet with her negativity.

Final Salute

"War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead." 

 --Tim O'Brien

So a Milie friend of mine had this really heart-breaking photo posted on Facebook and I just had to do some research on it. After finding out all about it, I had to share it.

source

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of "Cat," and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."

There is an incredible gallery that is a collaboration of photo journalism that was printed back in 2005 and acknowledged and featured in 2006 on Digital Journalist. It's called Final Salute and all of the photos and their back-stories, as well as the piece written all about the photographer Todd Heisler and the reporter he worked with (Jim Sheeler) can be found HERE. I strongly suggest and encourage EVERYONE to go and read these stories and see these photos.

War is real. 

More real than most people recognize it to be. So please, never forget, never push it aside, and never, ever doubt the sacrifices that men and women are making every single day, for YOU.

 source

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process: "See the people in the windows? They'll sit right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home," he said. "They're going to remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should."

source

On the tarmac at the Reno Airport, 23-year-old Katherine Cathey waits in a limousine next to an empty hearse, preparing to watch the arrival of her husband's casket. Five days earlier, she learned of her husband's death in Iraq. Two days later, she learned that her baby would be a boy.

Japan Relief Effort

Alright Lovelies, here's the deal. We could all use some warm fuzzies every once in a while and I know everybody is aware of our brothers and sister in Japan who have had their lives torn apart from the earthquake and tsunami. Its time to step up and I'm not talking Channing Tatum style. Yummy. Its time to put your couch's change where your mouth and Facebook and Twitter statuses are. 

For every five dollars donated to the Red Cross through Living Social, it gets doubled! Now I know money's tight and every body has a budget but seriously, if you were to take the spare change from your wallet, top of the washer, and cup holder in your car, you'd have five dollars. Ready for some warm fuzzies? Okay, GO!!

In Honor Of...

507 posts and 372 Followers I'd like to give a big fatty thank you to all you LOVELIES for your sweet comments, emails, and messages.

You guys are the best.

Also welcome to all you newbies! If you haven't already, be sure to read up on the cute little intro to the blog and please don't be a creeper, leave me comments and let me know who you are and where I can find YOU! 

As you all should remember, when I hit 350 followers I started brainstorming ideas for a "Mrs. S's Favorite Things" giveaway. I have a few things I'll be throwing in there when I finally get around to setting it all up but I also want to know, what you guys want! What of my favorite things would you be interested in having as well? Remember the winner will already get some of my favorite chocolate as well as my favorite perfume but what else strikes your fancy?

Now that we're in the 200's of days I've been without my loverface, I finally figured something out. The only way I have even an ounce of chance of getting sleep...

Funk Funk Funky Funk

Yeah. I'm in a funk. No bueno.
I got a very exciting somewhat surprise phone call this evening.
Despite hearing constant helicopter lift offs and airplane landings, I got to hear my lover's voice.
Phone calls are sparse and rare so I loved every second of it.

He asked how I was. I said, "Just fine."
He asked again and I said, "Okay, I'm in a funk. A really bad one and I hate it."

I went on to tell him how I have all these ideas for stuff around the house but I just can't bring myself to head to Home Depot to pick up paint and drop cloths or to Walmart for an extension cord, or any of the other places I need to go to get the stuff needed for my projects. I then told him about getting a text from my handyman saying he couldn't make it over tonight. Then how in my head I was thinking, "Oh well good thing because I had no idea you had plans to come over to fix such and such thing tonight and you would have been ignored since I haven't showered in two days and I'm sitting bra-less in a wife beater full of holes because I have zero motivation to stand in the shower or clean the tub to sit in a bath."

His response? "Wow. So what you're saying is its just been another string of epic failures on your part?"

I love that man.

He makes no apologies but said he has to say something to get me out of my funk.

"Nothing you can say will get me out of my funk." 
"Well what will?" 
"Come hooooommmmee." 
"Ha ha well then epic failure on my part because we both know I can't do that."

Oh well, I tried.

He really is so incredible. 
Poor guys over there don't have internet OR water.
No water for at least a week.
Good thing I can't smell him.
He said everyone is pretty cranky due to the much, much longer shifts, no more days off, and next to zero contact with loved ones. Disgruntled is the word that was used. But as he was saying all this, I could still hear a smile in his voice and his buddies joking with him about being all lovey on the phone with me.

For those few minutes on the phone with my loverface, my funk vanished. We were talking (more like yelling and saying, "What?"), laughing, joking around, and just being us.

The phone call ends and guess what? Back to my funk.

I Googled 'in a funk' and was hit with the top three search results.

Learn to speak American English with British people on English Daily.

Pretty funny. 
Their take on 'in a funk'.

 

Second result was a no-go.

Ten Healthy Actions to Get Yourself out of a Funk 

The fact that self-power is included in the link url, completely shut me off from this one. I have zero self-power currently so much so I didn't make it past the line that said I could only have a pity party for a maximum of 2 days. 

Fail.  

Third result was InAFunk.com. Self described as 'the moody ramblings of an average guy' this too was an epic fail. 

I am an overly-emotional due to PMS, cramps, exhaustion and sexual deprivation female who hasn't seen her husband since triple digit days ago. The last thing I need to read about is a moody male whining about having a man cold. 

My faith in Google went down drastically when I saw the 3 results after that all linking to news media sites listing headlines such as, "With Dems in a Funk, Obama Charts New Hopeful Course." 

Reading about Obama isn't going to only worsen my funk, its gonna wanna make me puke. 

So Lovelies, I'm leaving it to you. What the eff do you do to get yourself out of a funk??

 

True That

I got into a discussion with a fellow Milie this past weekend. 

It was about Lover's Day. 

Most of you Lovelies know how I feel about Lover's Day. 

I think its kind of ridiculous the over-commercialization and how much time and money it wastes. 

I wrote all about it here. 

Anyway, she was almost indecently offended at my disinterest in the holiday. 

I don't think it helped that I concluded the conversation with, 

"Seriously, the only good thing about that day is an extra excuse to get laid. That's probably the reason I hated it even more this year. No action for me."

Can I get a True That?

What A Rebel

Way to be bold.

Trash The Dress Shoot

Right before I left Arizona to head home to Georgia, my gorgeous friend Amelia and I headed out to the Salt River to do my long awaited and highly anticipated trash the wedding dress shoot.
Here are some of the delicious photos that the ever talented Millie took.

Please go check her out.
She's beyond talented.

The chair was delectable.
The lighting was delicious.
The water was frigid.
The laughs (and Sonic drinks) were amazing.

Love you Amelia Earhart

What's YOUR Song? Week 3

Amber over at Goodnight Moon started this brilliant link up a few weeks ago.

We all post the song that's been striking our fancy that week, link it up at her page, then jump around every other Lovelies page to see what she's been poppin', lockin', and droppin' it to.

This is one of my deployment theme songs.
Its been on repeat a ton lately.
Snow Patrol is divine.

Thrifty Nifty Furniture Refinishing

My original post of this can be seen here at Annoyed Army Wife's bomb-a blog.

I adore Michelle. Seriously. Annoyed Army Wife makes me so happy and when she emailed me asking to blog for her I was like, "Duh!" Even better is that she gave me a topic. She's the best.

You see, Michelle has a problem. When I was at her adorable house back in November & December (yes, I got to go TWICE!), I saw this piece of furniture. It is the cutest dresser ever and I was fawning over it for quite a while.

She let me know that this particular treasure has been painted no less than 14 times. I know right? That's a lot. I love her even more for that. Did you know you don't HAVE to strip or sand paint down on a piece of furniture before painting it again? You can, and in some cases its best if you do, but it really isn't necessary. Depending on the look you are going for will help to determine the process you should go through when refinishing something. Now I won't go into refinishing a project in stain too much because that is so not my forte and to me, finding treasures and slapping on some new fabulous shade of paint is the way to go.

Michelle let me know she doesn't want to just paint over it again so there are two things she can do to thin out the 14 other layers before giving this dresser a face lift. One option would be to sand it down with a power sander and just get it smoothed out. I usually lightly sand wood furniture I plan on painting with a power sander and then wipe it down several times to make sure there are no left over particles before I paint. The other option would be to strip the wood completely. This is a bit more tedious but fairly effective if you have the patience for it.

You need to choose a varnish and paint stripper. There are two options, oil or water based. If you choose to use a water based for this particular project be prepared to re-apply it a few times. It is less effective at stripping multiple layers at once but is also the perfect way to go if you want to do your project inside. Since you are in Utard, inside is probably easiest and warmest. If you are able to refinish your furniture in a very well ventilated area or outdoors, I recommend using the oil based, it smells nasty but it works better and quicker. Also purchase a putty knife or steel wool scraper because this will help in removing the finishes if there are any below the paint. When scraping off the finishes go in the direction of the wood grain if you plan on staining. Since you're painting it again, don't worry about it at all. Strip the wood down a few layers and then take a power sander to it. If your piece is rather large, strip the finishes in sections. Make sure you take note of drying times before sanding, they'll be listed on the varnish stripper.

After sanding, you can use sanding sealer, although it isn't necessary and little ol' me NEVER does. If your piece has knicks or holes that you don't want there, go to your local hardware store and pick up a wood filler. There are different types for different wood types and colors. Pick one looking closest to the natural wood color of your piece and follow application directions on the package. Again Michelle, you won't need to worry about the color of the filler since its getting painted over. Afterward, sand with 150 grit sand paper till its smooth and blends in with the existing wood.

I never ever worry about wood filler because I like my furniture looking old. Knicks and scratches add character in my eyes and the more beat up something is, the more I like it.

Now I'll tell you about brushes. Whether you are painting or staining, the same sized brushes can be used but when I've used stain, I use an old rag or towel and just douse it before slapping it on the wood. Stain freaks a lot of people out and honestly, up until my latest project, I was a stain virgin and terrified. Lovelies, when staining, don't be scared. Worst case scenario you sand it off and start again. When you paint, its pretty self-explanatory. Don't just glop it on, use long, even strokes, and be sure to let each coat dry. As for stain, water based are easier to clean up and are much better for doing a project inside but the oil based stains do work better. When it comes to choosing brushes, I suggest getting a few different sizes, a 4", 2", 1" and small detail brush. They pretty much cover all the bases. Also don't get the synthetic bristled ones. You know the fake hair or plastic bristled ones. Invest in a good paint brush and you'll use it forever. Also consider a roller, not the sponge rollers but a bristled hair-like roller. They give you a nice even finish as well.

Depending on the type of paint you used, you may also want to use a finish clear coat. You don't have to go and splurge on a clear varnish or anything just go and get the clear acrylic spray paint. It is amazing and helps protect from scratching or scuffing. For stained projects use a polyurethane that you apply with a brush but realize additional sanding may be required to smooth it out.

That's pretty much it! I know it sounds like a long process and a little intimidating but once you've refinished your first piece of furniture, you'll realize how quick and easy it really is. Plus, think of all the money you'll save doing it yourself and how much pride in that freshly painted beauty you'll have.

Mr. Superman's Birffffday

The entire time Mr. Superman has been gone, I've tried my very best to just do whatever I can to make it better, easier, homier, and a tad funner.

Like I said, I've tried my very best and not just for Mr. Superman but for myself as well.
It gives me peace of mind.

For Mr. Superman's birthday, I knew it'd be tricky to get something to him on time because I would be right in the middle of driving cross country and house hunting.

That and we all know how uh.... unpredictable USPS can be ESPECIALLY heading to a NATO base in Assghanisandland.

So what would any other Milie do? Stock up on a ridiculous amount of unnecessary goodies?

Yeah, I thought so. 

I headed to Walmart and went straight back to the birthday party aisle. I saw Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, and Yo Gabba Gabba everywhere I looked but for some odd reason, I just didn't think those characters would be very pleasant for Mr. Superman to open up.

Then I spotted Toy Story. Score!

I of course had to throw in a ton of goodie bags for all of the guys he works with so it really could be a birthday party in a box. I also sent him two quart size jars of cake in a jar. His favorite, funfetti. He said it was great.

Here are some bits of emails we got lucky enough to exchange over the course of his Bee-Days. I say plural because with the time difference, its like every holiday and occasion last two days.

Mr. Superman: "Well thank you for the birthday boxes.  I opened them up but there's only a few people here right now so I'll do cake after breakfast probably.  The people that are here are enjoying the goody bags however.  It really doesnt feel like a birthday, even more so than the last few years.  It is weird to
think that I'm 23.  Oh well.  I havent even reached a quarter of my life yet.  But today has been slow so far.  I'm currently sipping an ice cold somewhat slushy Dr. Pepper that I saved especially for today. I hope you have a great day baby! I love you!!"

Mrs. S: "Its your bday now and I hope you slept really well. Don't forget to take lots of pictures. I'm serious. Stay safe lover and I'll talk to you tonight. I love you!!"

Mr. Superman: "As for me I slept turrubly (think Charls Barkley voice).  I think it was a combination of artillery, jets, helicopters, siren tests and just not being able to shut my brain down. I love you!!!"

Wanna know what else he got for his Bee Days? More flooding. Suh-weet!

Now that we are once again the same age, we have to wait another 10 months before he can call me his cougar.

I am so happy you were born loverface. You make my life.

Lion Crip

I love Mr. Superman. A lot. Even though he's kind of nerdy at times and condones stuff like this in his friends. Pardon the language. They're a bunch of men in the military.

"An example of why its not good to have this much time on our hands.  This is courtesy of Ssgt Smith.  I think you'll enjoy or just shake your head."

Where In The World Has She Been?

Yeah I know that's what all you have been thinking right?
Let me tell you, its has been a cuh-razy couple weeks.
Here's a run down of what I, along with Mr. Superman's mom, have been up to.

February 17th: The last time I got more than 4 hours of sleep
February 18th: I realized all of my procrastination in packing was severely detrimental to my need for sleep and goal to get on the road by 0500 the next day
February 19th: Woke up and tip-toed around the house with my MIL gathering last minute things, got in the car and finally on the I-10 at 0640 then crashed out while she drove. When did I wake up? Oh, once we were PASSED El Paso. Yeah, it was gooood. Made it all the way to freaking SAN ANTONIO that day, Insane.
February 20th: Began early again and guess what? I got to sleep through even more of TexASS! Best thing ever. I woke up around passed Houston then passed the heck out again all the way to Louisiana! We got brave (impatient) and drove all the way to Tallahassee, FL. Yeah, I loved being that close to home.
February 21st: Got into Valdosta at 2:30 PM, checked in on base and found out they had given us Family OFFICER'S Quarters. Ballerrr! Called on 3 houses ASAP, two were not available, went to look at the 3rd. Cool house, good price, great area, I was 2 hours too late. I was uber sad but went to this agency just to see their other listings. Bada Bing Bada Boom! I looked at one, came back with a countered price (I was trying to be smooth even thought its a rental), and guess what Lovelies? They accepted and I got it! Yeah baby :)
February 22nd: Signed a lease, turned on electricity, water & trash, and set up cable and internet. Stopped by our storage unit to figure all that out, set up a Uhaul and some guys from church to help me move. Found a handyman to come mount our TV on the wall and actually kind of started to have a major breakdown at the amount of energy, time and MONEY it takes to move.
February 23rd: Furniture shopping ended up in two of the greatest antique treasure finds of ALL time. For reals. Then came paint shopping. HOE LEE CRAP and we aren't talking Chinese prostitutes here. Picking colors is ridiculous but I did it and they are fabulous. We did a lot of running back and forth between the house and all over town then we picked up the Uhaul then headed to storage. Storage packing, loading, then unloading at the house went on from 4:30 PM to past 10:00 PM. I also had my new (and favorite) handyman show up with a buddy of his to mount Mr. Superman's giant TV. The night didn't end until it was nearly the next morning but this was our last really hectic, stressful, difficult day.
February 24th: This was my first night in the house. I went to go take a shower. Guess what happened? No hot water. After waiting for a long while, we discovered we were lied to and the water heater is in fact GAS not ELECTRIC. Suck.
February 25th: After a ridiculous run around and calling some 800 number in Atlanta, I was told I wouldn't have hot water until MONDAY. Suck again.
February 26th-March 4th: Stripping wall paper, scraping trim, painting, moving furniture, decorating, mounting things on the wall, thrifting, re-finishing furniture, home depot runs, and SO MUCH OTHER CRAP but I'm just exhausted and I can't think.

It is nearly midnight on Friday night.
I am sitting in our new home in Georgia missing Mr. Superman pretty dang bad.
Everything is officially switched over as of today.
All of our info in DEERS is now back in Georgia.
All of my info for Tricare is now back in Georgia.
All of our utilities and our new home are back in Georgia.
I am now back in Georgia.
The only thing missing from Georgia, is my Mr. Superman.
I am so ready for him to be home.
He is so ready to be home.
Now, we wait.

le sigh.

Some Snippett's From Afghan-Land Part 2

I love my man.

"It's flipping cold and muddy here.  Since the dust is like baby powder when it's dry, it makes the nastiest, gloopiest mud.  I just got back from a 2.5 hour round trip out to the Reapers to give them a whole bunch of goodies so they can go kill people. Hopefully I can just chill for a little bit until breakfast.  But I'll of course be thinking about you baby.  I love you so much!!!"