Chronicles of a Navy Mom

Wow...I can't believe it has been 6 1/2 months since my last post.  I've been busy making lots of whimsy...here is what took the most time...I stenciled this entire wall (it took weeks).  The night stand is a sewing box.  The lamp was an ugly brass lamp that I spray painted.  I bought an antique glass shade for it online.  The headboard I made with my son.  I love the way it turned out.  To complete the room, I still have to paint our dressers.
  

Speaking of my son...He is leaving for Navy bootcamp tomorrow.  We've been anticipating this day for about as long as it has been since my last post.  (I wonder if that is a coincidence...)  


Brent was pursuing a career with the Coast Guard...but things were moving very slowly and one day last summer a Navy recruiter called Brent.  Brent told him he wasn't interested, but the recruiter asked to speak with a parent.  (Smart guy, right?)  After speaking with the recruiter...I suggested that Brent at least meet with him.  I remember that night, Brent researching the Navy on our computer...and getting very excited about the prospect of Navy Seals. (He quickly got over the Coast Guard!) He met the recruiter, took the Seal physical test and got assigned a Seal mentor.  While he was waiting for a Seal contract...the mentor sent me tons of information about Seal training, requirements, etc.  I know the purpose was to make the candidate think long and hard before taking this leap.  After discussing with his recruiter and mentor...Brent changed to SWCC.  (For more info on what SWCC is...see bottom of post.) Within a couple of weeks, he was sworn in and given a SWCC contract with a ship date in March 2012.  I was relieved. Boot camp is in Great Lakes, IL. I read on www.navyformoms.com that recruits that go in the winter typically get sick, pneumonia, etc. (He's a southern, skinny boy...!!!)  Within a short time, his ship date was bumped up to January 25th. (Thanks, Navy.)  A few weeks ago, he got bumped up again.

Brent at his swearing in ceremony

Months have turned into weeks, weeks to days, and now there are just a few hours.  This weekend we had the official farewell tour...went to see Brent's aunt, uncle and cousins in SC.  On Sunday, we had an open house...so many wonderful friends came by to wish him well.  At one point I think we had about 20 of Brent's friends playing football on our front lawn. Today, Brent, Brian and Caitlin and I went to lunch and to see a movie together. We picked up a phone card, address book, and a few bandaids.  Tonight was a family dinner with his favorite chicken casserole.  He's out now...one more round of goodbyes to his friends. 


Tomorrow at 2 pm, his recruiter is picking him up and our lives will never be the same. In my head...I know that is a good thing.  After all, we raise our children to be good citizens, responsible adults, able to take care of themselves and someday,their own family. This is what Brian and I have spent 18 years preparing Brent for. My head knows that God loves him more than I do and that He is in control. I am so proud of Brent and all he has and will accomplish. But in my heart, my 4 pound 4 ounce premature baby is walking out that door with the recruiter. I'm tearing up as I write this...wishing my heart could catch up with my head. But until that happens, I'm going to focus on being the best Navy mom I can be.  (I even ordered a Navy mom necklace on ebay today!)  Starting tomorrow, our family will have a new normal...and that isn't a bad thing...just a different thing.  My plan is to blog about that experience.  


So, tomorrow around 2:30 pm, I'm going to Home Depot to pick up paint for our dressers...after all, I need something to do between now and bootcamp graduation in March!!!  


From SWCC website:
Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, or SWCC, drive well-armed, fast boats in support of special operations missions on coasts and rivers including stealthy insertion and extraction of SEALs, clandestine reconnaissance and combat gunfire support. Using a variety of specialized boats and an aerial delivery system, SWCC operators are always ready to fight and support special operations forces anywhere in the world touched by water.

Wacky Wednesday and Beautiful Peruvian Baby Girls

Wacky's (and my) mom didn't like last week's post about Wacky's poor Brussel sprouts behavior. She thinks Wacky is going to need therapy now...but she's resilient...and she's the one that reminded me about the story. But there is another chapter in the saga.

I could not get the hang of riding a bicycle. I remember getting my first little red bike with training wheels when we lived in Ohio. I'm fairly certain this is the one. (I have some pics with me on it...but my scanner is broken.)  I remember the day my dad took off my training wheels and decided I would learn how to ride on 2 wheels.  It didn't go well.  I think there was a lot of cussing and yelling. He refused to put the training wheels back on and when we moved to Michigan it went into our storage unit in the basement of our apartment building. I kind of forgot it was there.

The summer (after the brussel sprouts incident) when I was 8, my nephew, Kirk, got a really cool bike...he was 6. It was a stingray with a banana seat and the high handle bars. And much too my embarrassment...he could ride it...without training wheels. I was really humiliated...after all, I was older, smarter, and prettier. I remember sitting on it in my sister, Pat's driveway. It was a little too big for me...but I felt like I could ride it...really ride it.  I couldn't wait to get home and see if I could now ride my own little bike. My mom picked me up from my sister's after she got off work. I remember begging her to help me get my bike...but she was tired...had to make dinner...etc. I think my insistent whining  pleading, finally worked on Jackie.  As soon as we were finished with dinner, she went into the basement with me, to dig out my little red bike.  It was filthy...covered with dust and cobwebs...but Jackie cleaned it up as good as new...and with her help (and no yelling/swearing), I was able to finally take off and ride...free as the wind.  Seriously...I remember that feeling...like I could do anything.  And as if that wasn't enough...she took me for ice cream afterwards...not just any ice cream...Baskin Robbins ice cream...yep...the kind with bubble gum.

I know this may sound corny...but it is true...Wacky gave me my wings...the confidence I needed...to do anything.  And she is still my biggest encourager and fan.  So, yes, there was one brussel sprout story, but there are millions of little red bike stories.

And one more (not so) quick story. My friend, MaryJane, had the best idea about my ugly yarn...and that was to over-dye it...I LOVE that idea...so I will do that soon. I love MaryJane...(even if I haven't seen her in 16-17 years.) She was with me during the most whimsical time of my life...living in Peru while adopting Caitlin. She was adopting twin baby girls, Luiza and Turza. The three beautiful Peruvian girls were about the same size and as we traveled through the streets of Lima, everyone thought they were triplets. MJ and I went through a lot together in Peru, more than most people do in a lifetime...a cholera epidemic, an earthquake, several terrorist bombings, terrifying cab rides, scary unexpected birthmother visits, sweet potato chips, pajama meetings with attorneys, and gelato.  We spent our last weekend in Peru at her attorney's beach house...which had flooded not too long before our arrival. There was sand everywhere...and I literally slept on two chairs put together...because I refused to sleep in a sand-filled bed.  Our best adventure, though, was several weeks before that. We were watching Three Men and a Little Lady...when there was a loud boom and our building shook. It took a few seconds for us to realize what had happened, but a bomb had gone off near us. Now...most people would be terrified...but not MaryJane. She got someone to watch our babies and grabbed me...and headed out the door...yep...to the bombing. As we got closer, glass was everywhere from where windows broke.  (Oh yeah...we were in slippers...she didn't want to take the time to put on shoes.)  And of course...she found a piece of the car that was used for the bombing.  Now most people would leave it there for evidence...but not MJ...she picked it up and brought it back as a souvenir. MaryJane...thank you, for also giving me wings to fly...you took me places that I never would have gone alone...XOXOXOX

Wacky Wednesday (plus Ugly Yarn)

I decided that Wednesday blogs need to be dedicated to Wacky...so whimsical and not so whimsical tales will follow.

When I was 7, my parents and I moved from Ohio to Michigan (where they were born and raised.) We moved into a lovely 2 bedroom apartment with a deck (this was a big deal to me...we never had one before.) After Wacky married Jim and he left for Vietnam, she joined us. While I remember almost every detail of that apartment...I don't remember the bedroom I shared with Jackie. (Except that I had a goldfish on a bookcase that Sudsy overfed while she was supposed to take a nap and he/she died...but that is another story.) I must be blocking out some horrible childhood trauma...like Wacky made me sleep in the closet or something. It must be so bad that that only hypnosis will drag out of me. I do have another Wacky trauma that I will never forget.

At this point in my young life, I never had been rollerskating (or iceskating). I always blamed that on the fact that my parents were over adventures like that by time I came along. (My mom always blamed it on my "weak" ankles.) But my Brownie troop had a rollerskating activity planned. I was so excited. I envisioned myself whirling and twirling around the rink...gracefully gliding...perhaps on one leg, hands perfectly poised in the air. I knew I was going to be fantastic.

For some reason, my mom wasn't home that night. So it was Jackie's job joy to make dinner for my dad and me, and then take me to the rollerskating rink. That is went everything went terribly wrong. I'm not sure if she was given a menu by our mom...or if she thought this one up all by herself. I have no idea what meat she served...but I do know the vegetable...BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!!! I don't even think I had ever seen one before let alone eat one. They were the most absolutely horrible thing I ever ate. Even now, I shudder.  But she wasn't going to let me get away with not eating them.  I remember yelling and screaming...and lots of tears...but I'm not sure if they were hers or mine. Then there was the dreaded threat that brought me back to reality..."If you don't eat them, I won't take you rollerskating." (Looking back, she probably didn't want to take me and was hoping this would be her way out...she was so devious.)

Faced with the potential of not living out my rollerskating fantasy, I managed to get them down. I was pretty certain on the way to the rollerskating rink, that I would never love her again. (I was wrong.) Putting the vegetable trauma behind me, I excitedly put on my skates and stood up...ready to show everyone my skills and grace. Little did I know that it was called rollerskating because the skates rolled. I couldn't get one foot in front of the other...I have no idea how I made it to the actual rink. What I do remember is clinging to the walls and rails all around the rink. As my Brownie friends skated by me, they encouraged me to let go...once or twice I got brave and did...only to fall flat...just like my rollerskating dream fell flat. I didn't go skating again until college. (I still didn't know how...but cute boys were always willing to help me...which was a definite plus.)

So, the moral of this story is don't feed your children (or adorable younger siblings) brussel sprouts, otherwise, they will never learn to skate. And you will have to pay for their therapy when they are adults.

And now to the ugly yarn (...and this isn't even Wacky related.) I belong to a "luxury" yarn club. Every other month, I receive a surprise kit with fabulous and outrageous yarn. A pattern is provided with a project to make out of the yarn. June's yarn is really luxurious in theory. It is a soft, wonderful cashmere sock yarn. But the pattern was for a lame eye mask with lavender. (The lavender was included in the kit, BTW.)  So, 2 problems...1) I don't want a lame eye mask and 2) the colorway is horrendous.

Incase, the pictures don't capture the full horror...the color is a mid 1980's country blue and peach. But, the actual feel of the yarn is incredible. I decided to get over the ugly color and buy another skein and make socks that might not be stylish...but really comfy. Unfortunately, this skein must really be from the 80's, because I couldn't find any more, anywhere.  Not even the store that sends the kit had anymore. (Don't even get me started on that one.) So, I need your help and ideas. Get creative...tell me what you think I should make out of 160 yds of hideous cashmere. If I pick your idea...I'm going to make you something...and it won't be a lame eye mask!

I look forward to hearing from you, but right now, I need to go rest my weak ankles.

A Wild Weekend of Whimsy

I haven't blogged for a while...I've been busy...creating whimsy.  So, today, I must share it all!!!

First is my Mikasa Teapot.  I posted before that I saw it at an antique store without a price on it...but at Replacements.com it was $199.95.  Well, yesterday I got brave and asked the price...$9.99!!!!!!  Here it is in my dining room:

We had a shower for a co-worker last week.  She's having a boy (Lincoln!) but it is so hard for me to find cute boy things to knit...but I found this pattern on ravelry.com and copied the frog idea that someone else did.  Here's mine:

On Friday night I went to Masterpiece Mixers with ladies from my church.  We had an incredible time...and I really liked my painting...but decided to outline the flowers with white puff paint like the sample in the studio.  Well...it turned out like this:

We covered the canvas with chalkboard paint, so I thought the white would make it more chalkboard looking.  I HATED IT.  My sweet friend, Kerry, outlined hers in yellow and didn't like it either...she had the great idea to peel off the puff paint and do over.  So, that is what I did...of course, it took some of the paint off the flowers, too...so I had to repaint them.  I also got some gold and green paint that was closer to my kitchen colors.  I  decided we would never use this as a chalkboard, and using this idea from pinterest.com as inspiration...here is my final product:

So, much better, right?

And just when you thought I couldn't fit anymore whimsy into a single weekend...there is more!

I made this bowl from an idea on pinterest.com.  Basically, you take an oven-safe bowl.  Pour oil in it and rub it up the sides.  Pour a package of plastic beads in it.  (I used perler beads from perlerbeads.com.)  Then you spread the beads up the sides of the bowl and pat them into the bottom.  I put the bowl in an oven at 200 degrees F, but it wasn't doing much...so I upped it to 250 degrees.  After about 30 minutes, I took it out...let it cool...and viola...a cute little bowl...that I have no idea what to do with...but it is cute, right?

I also found this RIDICULOUS dessert on pinterest.com...(yes...I know...pinterest is my new love.)  Anyway...you pat cookie dough into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  On top of the cookie dough, place a layer of oreo cookies.  And over all of that...goes one box of brownie batter.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes...and this is what you get:

As you can see...I am on whimsy overload...so I am going to go crawl into my new Tempur-pedic bed that we got yesterday...and relax!

Weekend Whimsy

I'm not the only one that has lost whimsy...so has Walmart. I'm not a Walmart fan. I have to be desperate to enter...but I gave myself a $10 budget for some weekend whimsy and decided to go there to buy pony beads (to make the really cool bowl below) and crochet thread to make doilies for this table runner. I want to make the table runner for my dining room. I'm envisioning mason jars of varying sizes with flowers and candles in the center.  (BTW, what would you use for flowers?  Silk? Dried? Other ideas?)

What I found out is that Walmart no longer sells crafty stuff except for cake decorating and scrapbooking supplies.  Don't get me wrong...I think those are wonderful crafts...but not on my whimsy list.

So, I took my $10 and went to an antique mall. I had the best time! (Way, way more fun than Walmart.) I found so many treasures...to start with, 2 absolutely gorgeous doilies for my runner. It amazes me the work and the detail it took to make these. I'm sure the sweet ladies that made these decades ago would cringe if they knew their handiwork now sells for about $2 a piece. I also found a teapot for $8. (If you are counting, yes, I did go over my budget...but if you know me well, you shouldn't be surprised!) I'm going to do something very secret with the teapot...but I'll post a pic in a few months. The teapot was the perfect size and shape for my project. It has this really ugly rub-on decal of a rooster on it...and the seller put on the tag that it was hand-painted. (I'm still laughing.) It doesn't matter though, because the ugly rooster will be covered up.

Some finds that I didn't buy, but are on my whimsy wish list:

• 6 little spice jars shaped like tiny old glass milk bottles for $8.
• Several wicker rockers...in price range from $40 to $240.
• A mason jar turned into a soap dispenser for $12.95.
• A very cool (smallish) pie safe that would fit perfectly in my bathroom for towels and such...for about $150.  (It seems like a lot...but it was awesome...I wonder if they do layaway?)

I also found this absolutely beautiful pink Mikasa teapot tucked away in a corner booth on a corner shelf. It didn't have a price tag on it. But my whimsdom (my new word for whimsy wisdom) told me that if you have to ask, you can't afford it. So, I didn't ask. The teapot haunted me all day yesterday with its loveliness, so I googled it and found it.

I get that it may not be your style...but I love it...it has Maureen-whimsy written allover it. I found out that I have a lot of whimsdom...because at www.replacements.com it sells for $199.95. So, for the price of the teapot, I could get all of the other treasures on my wish list. 

I'm horrible at bargaining at antique stores...so, if you are any good at it...want to go with me the next Saturday and see what kind of a deal we can get? (I'm not sharing the teapot with you, though, you should just know that upfront.)

My Sudsy

My Sudsy

This is an adorable picture of my Sudsy...some of you may know her as my niece, Lisa.  She is so cute!  I literally want to reach through that picture and pinch her cheeks!  Look at how she is rocking that hula-girl-hair-thingy.  Wacky went to Hawaii and must have brought that back for her.  Lisa is also holding a hula girl doll.  I remember getting one of those dolls...but not the really cool hula-girl-hair-thingy.  It makes me a little jealous...because I think I would have really liked to wear one of those.  

Lisa is only 4 years younger than me, so we grew up more like sisters.  And with that came a little (teeny tiny) bit of sibling rivalry.  I always had to be the older, more responsible one and as the baby of my family, that didn't come easy.  There was a school near their house that had a great playground.  I remember a time that I was heading up there for some intense swinging and Lisa wanted to come along.  I really didn't want to take her...well, because her hair was a mess.  (I'm sure mine was too...but that is besides the point.)  I told her she had to brush her "Raggedy Ann" hair if she was going with me.  The details get a little sketchy at this point...I don't remember if I took her or not, not sure if she brushed her hair or not.  What I do remember is the lecture I got from my sister, Pat (her mom).  Apparently, it isn't nice to tell someone that they have "Raggedy Ann" hair and I promise you that I never made that mistake again.

While Lisa was my constant playmate, she did kind of annoy me with copying everything I did.  One time she asked me what my favorite color was and I told her green. She proceeded to tell me her favorite color was green.  So, I decided to change my favorite color to purple...and guess what...she changed hers to purple!  Like any mature 8 or 9 year old, I told my sister that Lisa kept copying my favorite color.  My sister replied with that dreaded saying, "Imitation is the best form of flattery."  I really hated that one.

Lisa has grown up to be a wonderful woman of God and pours her life into teen girls at her church.  She has 5 children.  The oldest 3 are girls.  All four of them have great blogs...Lindsay's is about being an ordinary girl, but she is anything but ordinary.  Her twin sister, Courtney, is a gifted photographer and just got back from a 6 month mission trip in Thailand (and I think) New Zealand.  The oldest girl is Brittany.  Brittany is an ER nurse and much of her blog is about fixing up her home in an urban renewal area of Detroit.  I love to look at pictures of what she and her roommates have done to this place.  (Yes, I'm a lurker.) I love her sense of style and decorating.  The first time I looked at the pictures is when I realized I had sort of lost my whimsy.  I remember thinking (months ago), if I was her age, I'd decorate my house just like that.  It occurred to me this week, I can decorate my house like that, even at my age!  And so, step two of getting my whimsy back is to start collecting and making awesomely whimsical "stuff" for my house.  (Step one was this blog, not that anyone asked.)

One last thing...if you looked at my blog and Brittany's (makingitinmidtown.blogspot.com) you might notice a slight resemblance.  I'm a copier.  I even had her background at first...but thought it might creep her out if she ever saw it.  But then again, there is that old adage, "Imitation is the best form of flattery."  There is another saying..."what comes around goes around"...so, Sudsy, I guess that's true, even if it means the daughter has to pay for the sins of her mother.  <3

Whimsicaliness

I stole my post title from my whimsical friend, Cheryl.  She is one of the most creative, funny, smart people I know. She has tons of whimsy (and was the inspiration for starting this blog.)  But it got me thinking...where does whimsy come from?  Let's be honest...not everyone has it.  So, is it something you either have or don't have?  Does everyone start with whimsy and some lose it along the way? Can you catch it from someone else? Are you born with it?  Can I look at my family tree and trace it back to my great aunt Harriet?

Yesterday, I talked about my partner in (whimsy)crime...but we have an older sister, Pat, that overflowed with whimsy.  She was 18 years older than me and had children close to my age...she frequently felt like  a second mom.  She saw whimsy and joy in almost every situation.  Many whimsical memories come to mind. Like the time that she made my niece, nephew and I, join hands with her and sing, "O, Tannebaum" around the Christmas tree before she took it down.  There is the time she decided I would look good with a shag and cut my hair...right there and then.  (I'm not sure if my hair ever got over that!)  When I graduated from high school, she made a huge deal out of it.  Every morning during my last week of school, she gave me a small gift or token.  Before I got married, both her and Jackie worked tirelessly on decorations and showers and all that wedding stuff, to make their little sister's wedding beautiful.

For my 16th birthday, Pat had a "Sweet 16" corsage delivered to me so I could wear it to church.  I'm sure when she was 16...all of the cool girls got one.  Not so much when I was 16. I guess back in her day, sugar cubes were put in the corsage to symbolize the "sweet" part.  Well, my corsage had 2 inch blocks of styrofoam in it...yep...big, huge, faux sugar cubes. I think some of my friends were slightly jealous that I had a corsage (because what girl doesn't love flowers).  And even though I spent most of my day explaining over and over again why there was  styrofoam with my pink flowers, my whimsical sister made me feel very special.

She passed away much too young at the age of 44.  But she left behind a rich legacy of whimsy.  When I look at her children and grandchildren...I see her whimsy in all of them. That made me realize that whimsy is a gift.  Whether it is a gift (or talent) from God or a gift from a friend or relative...it is a gift.  One that is meant to be passed on or shared with others...so if you have a little extra whimsy, please share it.  You might make someone feel very special.

Pat with Jackie's husband...
not sure what kind of shenanigans
were going on.

Christmas 1972
I think Pat gave my niece the same
hair cut she gave me.  (BTW, I
really love that wallpaper...really!)