Deployment 101

Deployment 101: Whatever obscure, weird, random thing that could go wrong- WILL. Save yourself the added headache and just be ready for it. If you're standing next to your printer/copier and you ask your soldier to please make a copy of his ID for your deployment binder, just grab that ID from him and do it yourself. Fifth deployment and that man still forgot to leave me a photo copy of his ID and guess what! I needed it the week he left to mail off his drivers licensed renewal stuff.  Luckily, he was able to copy it and email it to me within hours of asking for it. But the point is, try not to rely on him/her being able to send you what you need. YOU, as the spouse, need to make sure you're ready for what ever comes your way.


Here is a quick run down of a few things that you are going to want to start a handy dandy deployment binder.

 

You can request a Deployment Kit from USAA here. Some FRG's will provide this for you. I didn't want to use this big bulky thing, so I used some of the info and put into my binder.

Power of Attorney: You want a General POA for sure. Don't forget a Special POA if you are planning on any major purchases while your soldier is gone.

I had my man get a special POA specifically for taxes and one for anything dealing with the house. We own our home and I just wanted to have it JUST IN CASE something was to happen.

Passport: I still haven't taken the steps to do this, but I do recommend it. If your soldier gets hurt in combat, they are most likely sending him/her to Germany. If you want to be with them, you need your passport!

Customs forms: You know how friends and family are always asking, "Hey get me ________'s address & I'll send them a box!" but when they get to the Post Office many are faced with the challenge of figuring out a customs form. Filling those babies out are second nature to many mil spouses, but not all civi's know what its all about. What I do at the beginning of each deployment is go to the Post Office and grab a handful of forms and fill out the addresses in advance. I try to keep them in both my binder and in my purse. This saves the lovely friend wanting to help out, the headache at the Post Office and its a lot easier on me as well.

 
Soldier's ID: Copy his/her Military ID front and back as well as their drivers license. You just never know what you will need! {{{Having a copy of military ID is against DOD, do this at your own discretion. We have needed it in the past, but often times you are fine with just having a copy of his/her state ID}}}

Red Cross Info: In case of an emergency, before calling your local Red Cross chapter make sure and have the following information handy: servicemember's rank, address (unit, company and location where he or she is stationed), social security number, and branch of service.

I keep a copy of all this in my binder just in case something was to happen to me.  I have also told a trusted friend where my binder is if she needed to be the one to contact him.

FRG info: I, for one, am not big on the whole FRG thing. I know they are there for a reason and they are a very important part of the military. They are there to help! I recoment keeping the phone tree roster in your binder as well. You may need to contact someone if they have not contacted you about Home Coming information. No one wants to be the spouse not at the dag/hanger/field when your honey gets home. TRUST ME. It almost happened to a friend of mine a few deployments back. Right, Rain.

There you have it. A few tips that have helped me in the past. This is a tried and true method of keeping all info right where you know where it is.

Reminder: You will have sensitive information in here. Keep it in a safe, but convenient place.

Oh, Pinterest.

"Tie a baggy of vinegar around a shower head" ~  they say.

 "Leave it there over night"  ~ they say.

 "It will clean all the residue and lime away" ~ they say.

     {Putting Pinterest Tips/Tricks to the test}     

Since my shower head is so awkward, I ended up having to tape and tie the bag. 
I left it over night, I forgot about it and left it for probably about 10 hours, to be honest. 
Before doing this, the shower head was clogged and few holes worked properly. The water wasn't coming down in single streams like it should. It was all weird and wonky...

After spilling vinegar all over myself, I am happy to report that it worked like a smelly dream. 

You'll poke your eye out...

I am going to do something that I do not do very often. I am going to talk about a #PinterestSuccess.
I know right. Typically, I think the original pinners are just messing with us and waiting to see how many #PinterestFail they can get people to do ( like this one. ) Well not this time!  
No-sir-e-bob! 
This one was too easy to mess up!

I found this idea on Pinterest and thought huh, that looks easy and cheap. I'm down!
A quick trip to DollarTree (where everything's $1) and a quick round of up of supplies and this is what I came up with:

This little creepy Halloween DIY cost a total of $3.
I had black spray paint & hot glue on hand already, then bought the creepy bird, rubber snakes, and small wreath. BOO(m)! <-- see what I did there. Yea, I'm witty like that. Success!

Arrow In The Eye

Today, you can find me blogging it up at Arrow In The Eye. Head on over and see whats-what! 

Do It!

[ Stewart / Stuart ]

Blogging is one huge 'LOOK WHAT I CAN DO' from the Madam Martha types all the way to the MadTV types. If the phrase 'Look what I can do' is lost to you, check out this video to bring you up to speed. Its ok. I'll wait. I know its a 7 minute long clip, you can fast forward to 4:15 to jump right to the reference.

now that thats done.

Look What I Can Do ~ with a Chi!

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One of my little sisters came for a visit after my trip to Missouri. You see, she was suppose to be here while the hubs had surgery on the nerves in his ankle. However, his surgery was pushed back a week and he ended up having it just three short days ago. He's recovering well (more on that later.)
Where is my entertainment now, sis! The hubs is laid up in bed sleeping most of the day away and she is now back in Mo. So what do I do to pass the time? I'll blog about what we did :)

While she was here, we did a little quality bonding, sister time playing with hair.  I got this idea off Pinterest, but I chose not to do it quite as she has done. Look at me putting my own twist on things.. so punny. My sister recently had her hair trimmed and braiding just didn't sound like something I wanted to do with her shorter layers. I ended up pulling together small bunches of hair, spritzing them with some Redken fabricate 03, twist, then use the Chi to warm things up a bit. I used my fingers to move the hair around a little and pull apart the heated up twisties. I think the finished product was perfect.

She had some waves, some volume, some sass and some texture. Not to shabby for a first try.

As far as my sisters visit- we chatted, we bonded, we watched the Game Show Network, we fried potatoes at midnight,  we laughed, we goofed off, we thrifted, we shopped, we swam, we ordered delivery. We had a much needed visit with each other. Its hard to believe that she (and her twin) were just 8 years old when I left home. Wow. My son is 8 years old now. Its crazy to think of how much of their lives that I missed out on while starting my life. {insert sad face here} and my little brother too. Can't forget about him... err I say little, but really he is going to be a senior in high school. He's no longer little. He's a big kid.

I love my life. I do not regret 'running off and getting married' and moving away when I did, but I do regret not being there for those three. I am 12 years their senior. It is still hard to say good bye to them. 

2012 Summer Olympics

Today is the eve of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and my household is over the moon excited! We love watching the Olympics and cheering on the underdogs. I had never really paid much attention to the Olympics in the past, but my non-sports-watching man enjoys them and has inspired us all to get involved (from our sofa.)

Yesterday, in the midst of summer boredom, my little sis and I sat down with the kiddos and helped the them pick out 6 countries each. Of course, their only criteria on country choices stemmed from how 'awesome' the flag looked. She helped them draw out the flags, then the kids colored them in. When finished, it was my job to attach said flags to a stick... or straws since I have an abundance of them on hand. Now we have 12 random country flags to use to cheer on teams. YAY! Bring on the official start to the Olympics!

This festive & educational little craft took about 30 minutes and minimal supplies while sparking their attention to countries they may not of heard much about before. *Win/Win*

• paper cute into 1/4
• colors
• we used straws as our sticks
• staple flag to straw
• countries participating in the 2012 summer Olympics

easy peasy.

Home ownership - one DIY at a time

I feel like a snail on the treadmill of life. 

There is SO much to do to this house. I'm trying to document everything on here so I can look back later and be proud of our accomplishments. But blogging about painting a light fixture or replacing a door knob seems so tedious. 

   Oh well. 

   So Far We Have:

•  Lime green paint in the sun room
•  New light switch plate in the sun room
•  Planted Morning Glories out front
•  Added a lattice for said morning glories
•  Dug up all cactus in the front yard
•  Fresh paint for the entryway
•  New light switch plates in entryway and hallway
•  Fresh paint in the living room and dining room 
•  New refrigerator
•  Convert & painted wet bar to a built in bookshelf
•  New Carpet in living room
•  New tile in dining room
•  Replaced light fixture in hallway
•  Repaint light fixture in sun room
•  Replaced master bedroom door knob
•  Removed dead palm tree from the front yard
•  Replaced toilet handle & faucet in hall bathroom (here)
•  Fresh paint in the hall bathroom
•  Laundry room makeover

Ahhh its so ongoing. Our to do list is fooooorever long. blah. All this work just to list the house for sale as soon as we get orders to PCS somewhere else. 

DIY Upcycle Kitchen Curtains 

on the horns of a dilemma

I have acquired a 'few' pieces of.... silver plated? things ranging from a tea pot to spoons to trays. I am at a loss as to what to do with it all.
Polish it up or paint them??
Suggestions?

So many treasures. So many possibilities. I wish I was as inspired now as I was when I toted these lovelies home. sigh. Whats a girl to do?

GOAL

My goal is to go through and post all my half thoughts/drafts. Here goes nothin'.
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My kid rocks. And she has mad drawling skills.

Yea, Its Yoda. She's pretty awesome.

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 INSANELY Large Pizza!

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The Hunger Games means date night with the Mr.
and Jack & Coke

Movie Review: I give it a solid B

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Well wouldn't ya know, more Valspar in the mail for me.

Yippee!! - Pretty sure they know me by name.

Free Sample Color: Fireside

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Check out these rad hand-me-down chairs!

Totally stained up, but they are comfy (sittin in one right now) 

and screaming with potential.

I'm thinking about getting some of that spray on upholstery paint, but haven't found any reviews yet. Have you used Simply Spray Upholstery Paint? 

Care to tell me what you thought?

I'm thinking a plum color :)

Wow, that wasn't so bad and I got a lot cleared out of my drafts.

Win Win.