This boy grows at a phenomenal rate. He’s learned to pick up his own bottle and hold it himself to eat. He eats many kinds of baby food. He can nearly crawl. He babbles constantly. He says “da-da-da” though has no association yet. We love, love, love him!!
I have always dreamed of having a full length freestanding mirror in my home. I wanted a vintage white one with decorative accents. I dreamed it would be placed in my dreamily shabby chic bedroom with white hotel bedding for that ultimate, beachy, vintage feel. Then reality slapped a $400 price tag on my mirror. I ran across a pinterest post: A Trumeau mirror from Blue Roof Cabin
She uses a piece of plywood, a walmart mirror and crown molding.
For my project I wanted something a little heavier, a little bigger. I went to the habitat for humanity Re-Home store and found $10 door. 
I was very proud of that $10 find in the “as-is” door section. She has a few gouges but its solid wood. I don’t mind gouges! We are going for vintage! I also picked up a couple pieces of molding there too for $3!
I then smeared on Zinsser Cover Stain. It clings to latex or oil based paints. It is an oil base but can be painted over by a latex base paint.
I had some leftover grey paint from my chair project.
Primer on the molding.
I used a diaper cloth to rub grey paint around the edges.
I tested the placement of my molding and my decorative piece.
Another angle of the decorative pieces.
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here you can see my grey paint was rubbed on haphazardly.
decorative piece primed.
Moulding cut, brad nailed, and mirror glued on with mirror glue. Please note, it takes 72 hours for the mirror glue (liquid nails mirror) to cure! Don’t be a goober like me, not read the tube and stand it up only to look an hour later and the mirror has slid down about 3 inches. Luckily I was able to get it back in place.
I’m so in love with the final piece!
*I forgot to mention – I found that door handle hook at Hobby Lobby in the knob section. It was half off making it $6. All in all my mirror cost me $50 to make. A far cry from the $400 one I saw in the store.
I have looked since JANUARY for a pair of nightstands to go with my bedroom furniture. The headboard is a rustic garage sale find for $40. The dresser was my father in law’s when he was a boy, that I took many layers of paint off of to restore. Once the paint was removed, I found that it perfectly matched the headboard! Lucky! To find a set of nightstands that weren’t overly gaudy, overly texas, or overly rustic was a challenge. I was going to give up and just buy some black metal suckers until I ran across the website of Ana White . I could spend hours planning my next project on that site. Lo and behold I also ran across this little table. PERFECT!
I asked my dad for a little help with the saws, not that tool happy husband hasn’t taught me how to use them. But I thought it would be fun to have a project to do with my dad. We changed a few things from the original directions. I wanted to use one solid piece for the top and bottom shelf. I also wanted the top shelf to be a 1x12x16. The legs were cut to 24″ off the back which changed the length of the front. I believe we cut that at 27″ and a 10 degree angle.
First we cut all of the wood.
Of course grandpa and I needed a little help from Gram and Gene.
wood glue all joints!
fill in the holes with putty… save a step and buy it in the same color as your stain.
one table
DOH! We ran out of daylight!
routed edges
project done!
Estimated Cost for 2 tables was about $45. I did however have a few pieces of leftover wood due to buying a little more than I knew I’d need for those inevitable “uh-oh” moments.
Has your magic mouse’s bluetooth connectivity magically vanished before your eyes? Mine did! I was losing connection every 3-4 minutes. I took to consciously making an effort to not jostle the mouse. I finally figured out it was the battery connection and after failed tips about tin foil and other rubbish I made up my own and it’s worked flawlessly for a little over 3 days now. Here’s how I did it.
Post It Note.
Fold in half, twice.
Cut about an inch off.
Tuck into mouse battery compartment.
Reinsert batteries. Voila! You have now completed your .01 cent fix of your magic mouse. Don’t have a post it? Well break out those scissor and cut a piece of paper…
It seems as though having a baby makes you a bit busier than you were previously in life.
I. had. no. idea.
But alas, he’s here! Gene Chandler was born May 9th, 2012 at 8:06 am and weighed 8lbs and was 20 inches long. My C-Section for him being breech went swimmingly and I recovered faster than anyone thought I would for sure. I was sad Husband didn’t get to be there because of training but he did spend 10 days with us after Gene turned 11 days old.
I wanted to share my C-Section experience because there is a lot of hype out there about it. I got to the hospital at 5:30am with no food, no water since midnight. They took me right back to prep. Screw 20 questions this was seriously 150 questions, I can’t even remember the crazy crap they asked. After about a half hour interrogation they finally started the medical stuff. First the IV went in… they told me it was a larger gauge than normal because if the anesthesiologist has to push meds it’ll have to happen fast… It stung a little more than a normal IV but really wasn’t bad. What was killer was the catheter. I had watched a MILLION and one videos where this step happened after the spinal so that people weren’t uncomfortable. Let’s just say it’s completely up to the hospital’s discretion. I don’t want to scare anyone but holy crap that stings! I’ll share my embarrassing moment with ya’ll too, I totally farted on the nurse. It was my body’s natural reaction to the nerves she gave me when she told me she was giving me a catheter with no anesthetic! Just poot and out it came! I about died right there. So then they come in with your lovely hair accessory and have you put back your hair. Then comes in the anesthesiologist who has another 50 questions, and honestly they are the same questions! So now it’s about 7:30 and my doctor comes in to say he’s ready if I am… I’m ready doc, let’s do it. I’m wheeled back to the coldest room of all time. Seriously, I’ve been in a meat locker, it’s that cold! I’m shivering because I only have a piece of paper thin gown between my bare skin and the frigid air. They help me get over to the tiniest table I’ve ever seen. I’m seriously questioning if my wide butt is going to flop over each side of this table. I have to throw my legs off one side and sit with my back arched gripping a pillow for dear life, while this RN stands in front of me making sure I don’t fall… or faint… or both. She decides I’m shivering too violently for this to be safe for a needle to be piercing near my spinal chord… She very nicely wraps my shoulders in a warmed blanket. If you know anything about me, I don’t just shiver for cold, I shiver when I have extreme anxiety. I start begging her to take the blanket off because suddenly this meat locker feels like it’s a thousand degrees….anxiety!! So now Mr. CRNA is inserting the needle for my spinal and I about jumped off the table. The biggest electric shot ran down my leg. I apologize profusely because it wasn’t something I was expecting to do! I feel him back out and try again this time a shock down the other side… I describe both sensations to him to which he replies, “interesting…” This confuses me. So he finishes and tells me to swing around and put my feet up on the table. I’ve gone back to extremely cold except my toes…A curtain goes up so I can’t see below my chest. I feel this incredible creeping sensation… like warm water crawling up my shins… My CRNA (anesthesiologist) tells me a million times that if I feel even slightly nauseated to let him know and he’ll fix it. Spinal blocks cause a drop in blood pressure that make you gag/vomit/ and feel like you can’t breathe. About the time the incredibly warm bath water sensation hits my stomach I say, “Hey Dr. Feel Good, I’m getting nauseous.” He tells me ok he’s pushing med… about that time I went from “I feel icky” to “I’m going to hurl” I start gagging profusely about the time the warm water hits my chest and NOW I can’t breathe… Doc feel good tells me he pushed something for all of the above and what felt like a lifetime I’m sure was only about 30 seconds before I felt better. After the nausea and breathing thing passed I felt amazing. I was sitting in a hot tub… “I could totally do this again,” I think to myself… Seriously, what the hell was in those meds? My OB walks in and says he’s pinching the snot out of my stomach, “Have at it doc, I don’t feel a thing.” Now everyone is ready to start and they bring my mom in the room. My mom is asking if I feel anything, I really couldn’t feel a thing, I was still enjoying my pool of warm water. I was laughing and joking with her when they told me they were bringing him out. I shut up and listened hard. Those first screams were shocking. I was just in awe that he had been born. I was in awe that this little human I hadn’t even seen yet was mine and I could hear him! It took another 5 minutes before the pediatrician brought him to me. I just wanted to stare at him because I still couldn’t bring my mind to grasp he was out and he was mine! They took him to the nursery with my mom. I think I was in the OR for another 20 minutes and in recovery room for another 30, though by the recovery room I don’t remember a thing… I don’t know what drugs they started pushing but I’ve never in my life had black spots of time til now…
I was told by many to get up and walk when they offer it. By that evening I was walking to the toilet and back for them to clean me. My doctor would check on me in the morning and he was shocked I had been up 3 times during the night. I went home a day early. All in all it was NOT a bad experience. Given the choice, I would do it again this way. 7 weeks later I’m just now getting nerves back in my scar area… it’s still slightly tender but doesn’t prevent me from doing things. I’ve even started back on the treadmill at the gym and extremely light weights. What does bother me is my back where the spinal was inserted. I’m not sure if that hasn’t healed or if I am just sore from picking up a baby.
Alas, my boy is here and I’m still very much in awe of him.
Good Friday to everyone! 
Well, it’s official. I am the wife of a United States Marine. Trey finished the crucible sometime around 0730 Thursday (yesterday) morning and had his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor ceremony sometime around 0800 making him officially a Marine! I couldn’t be more proud of him and I cannot wait to finally see him next Thursday after 13 long weeks! I’ve bought him several things for graduation thus far.
A silver box with the EGA that houses an engraved “gold” coin marking the end of his journey. But the coolest gift I found that is from the entire family is the Texas flag that will be flown over the state Capitol 13 April 2012 just for him. (Work with me, I figured I better get used to this Military date/time thing!) The state flag will then be folded and placed in a display case that they will mail to me with an official certificate stating the reason it was flown and the date. I thought it was a pretty fantastic way to memorialize it just for him. So I put together a mock certificate and placed it in a document frame that’ll eventually house the official document. I also put on there that it was from the entire family and a note that stated what was up with all of it.
I am trying to pack things as flat as possible, but this wasn’t going to be a fun one to wrap in a hotel room. Hobby Lobby was out of the right size of bags and then a stroke of genius hit me on how I wanted to wrap this frame.
USMC giftwrap! If you don’t know its suppose to resemble the trousers with the blood stripe down the side. I thought it was pretty fitting even if he doesn’t have a blood stripe on his pants yet. I just took navy blue ribbon and glued it to the kraft paper. Then the same with the red velour ribbon. The bow was simply done by making two loops back and forth then tying a long piece around those loops. I then glued the bow onto the stripe. Sometimes I just amaze myself!
Now if my week would just hurry up so I can get to Thursday and Friday!
So one of my best friends and I have the exact same due date. Hopefully her son, Levi, and my son Gene will grow up being good buddies. *snicker* That still cracks me up a little. Levi and Gene. I’m easily entertained. Anyway, I wanted to make her something and with these lovely back spasms making another quilt wasn’t really an option at this time. I haven’t even finished Gene’s yet!
So, I wanted something special. Something custom. Something done with the handy dandy – vinyl cutter!
First coat.
Second coat
Peel!
Monkeying around.
The final production!
BAH- You are entitled to BAH from the moment his feet touch yellow footprints. Tell you husband to take a voided check with him. If you need the BAH payments for bills he will have to request from his DI to take the voided check with him to the RAB office (Recruit Admin Branch 619-524-8174). They will be able to set him up about 2 weeks after boot start with payments that are sent home to you. I did not get this benefit. It has taken me nearly the entire 3 months of my husband’s boot camp to find this information. Luckily we only have 3 weeks left (as of 3/21/12) and our BAH and FSA is being paid directly to his account at boot camp. Never fear ladies, you ARE being paid!
So your husband is off to Marine Corps Boot Camp? (Any boot camp really)
To Do BEFORE he leaves:
Draw up a Power Of Attorney and have it notarized
Fill out form DD 1172-2 and have it notarized
Place social security cards, birth certificates, marriage licenses, POA and 1172 in some sort of portable protective sleeve (i.e. an accordion folder).
Power of Attorney – Get one before he leaves. Have some sort of signed and notarized document stating that you are his power of attorney while he is gone. This will grant you access to his bank accounts, allow you to sign for him if anything happens in an emergency, and also allow you to get your dependent ID which will allow you to be enrolled in DEERS and the Tri-Care program. *** Please note, this is the statement from all ID card issuing offices If your Military Sponsor is unable to accompany you to your visit(i.e. bootcamp), a valid “General” or “Special” Power of Attorney will allow you to conduct business on your sponsor’s behalf.The POA must state you are authorized to conduct DEERS updates/card issuance/enrollments. You may get this document at your local Legal office. Please, for the love of all things holy, have this statement placed in your POA. The run around you get if you have a POA without this statement is ridiculous. Make sure you have this before he/she leaves!
DEERS - This is going to sound funny. You do not have benefits of your Marine until you are enrolled into DEERS. You do not pass go, you do not collect $200. You are automatically enrolled in DEERS during your ID card processing. You really will want your 1172 form with you for this process if you get grief over your POA “not being worded correctly” (experienced this) http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd1172-2.pdf filled out and notarized before he leaves, ladies! Instructions to fill this out are here: http://www.cac.mil/docs/1172-2-Instructions.pdf. Fill out sections 1, 2 and 4. This little puppy right here is a voucher that will save your butt a million times. It’s called the DD 1172-2 form if that link ever stops working. Google it and a PDF should pop up. Print it out, fill it out and notarize it. Take it to your nearest RAPIDS office and get enrolled in DEERS after he leaves. Sometimes, people will just hate your POA and the 1172 form is what will get you out of hot water.
Military ID - To use TRICARE, you must be registered the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and have a valid uniformed services or military identification (ID) card. The ID card states on the back, in the “Medical” block, whether you are eligible for medical care from military or civilian sources.When getting care, your provider will ask to see a copy of your ID card and will make copies for his or her records. Please ensure you have your ID card with you whenever you are getting care or having prescriptions filled.
Ladies please realize that he is in the United States Military now. Just because he is not officially a Marine until he graduates, does not mean you both haven’t signed up for the military. Benefits start immediately (though they may not be in the system until 30 days into boot) and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Go to this site: https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil/appointment/default.aspx to make an appointment with your closest ID card issuing office. Have your social, marriage license, Power of Attorney, Form DD 1172-2, and Driver’s License ready when you get there. Don’t expect anyone at any of these offices to be in a good mood. It’s the DMV of the military.
Tri-Care- The second you have your military ID in your hot little hands, you are enrolled in Tri Care Standard.
Let me explain the difference between Standard and Prime in simpleton terms. Tri-Care Standard will allow you to see doctors off base and doctors of your choice. It also means that there is around about a $1000 deductible for catastrophic events. For just regular visits there is a 15% payout. Meaning the military is going to pay 85% of your bill and you will pay the other 15%. You have a copay of $15 for each visit, each time you pay $15, your $1000 catastrophic deductible goes down by, you guessed it, $15!
Tri Care Prime is completely different. You HAVE to see a base doctor at the base clinic. So if you’re needing to see your regular family physician off base you have to call the base hospital doctor and have them refer you to that other doctor. There is no way for them to just see you up front. The benefit of Tri Care Prime is that your medical is 100% covered. No out of pocket expenses.
It’s really up to you and your family which package you’d like to enroll into. If you choose Standard now you can always enroll in Prime later. So long as you enroll by the 20th of the month, your coverage for Prime will begin on the first of the following month.
BAH- You are entitled to BAH from the moment his feet touch yellow footprints. Tell you husband to take a voided check with him. If you need the BAH payments for bills he will have to request from his DI to take the voided check with him to the RAB office (Recruit Admin Branch 619-524-8174). They will be able to set him up about 2 weeks after boot start with payments that are sent home to you. I did not get this benefit. It has taken me nearly the entire 3 months of my husband’s boot camp to find this information. Luckily we only have 3 weeks left (as of 3/21/12) and our BAH and FSA is being paid directly to his account at boot camp. Never fear ladies, you ARE being paid!
This is basically a post about a future post. I’m going to stand up on my soapbox for a moment and whine about the serious lack of information for us wives who were married before I men joined the armed services. I have asked 20 different people the same question and received 20 different responses. I do understand the military is geared for the fresh out of high school, 18 year old, who hasn’t even thought about marriage. Surely we are not the first people to go through this. Of course we aren’t! So why the lack of knowledge? This is where I am going to start writing down everything I find out and publish it so that, in the future, some other poor wife can finally find the answers she NEEDS to know now! I think it’s something that should be taught to every recruiter because even though 99% of those guys coming through the door are 18, occassionaly you might have the 25 year old stroll through your door who has lost 140lbs and been married for a while and can finally feel confident stepping through your hatch. I can’t wait to share my knowledge with you ladies. Good luck!