Friday, December 27, 2013

Christmas Trauma.......

 
 
 
 
 Christmas trauma is when your Mom makes you sit on the lap of a very big stranger with white hippy hair, a long beard and wearing a very out of style bright red suit!
 
I couldn't resist posting this picture of Kailyn's visit to see Santa!  She's 17 months and thinks she's a big girl, and in this pic, a very unhappy big girl!
I haven't been posting much lately, been busy with life, wedding, holidays, etc.  I'm leaving to visit my family in California, yeah, heading for the "OC". ( I'm not planning on meeting up with any of the "OC housewives)!  I'll be gone for 2 weeks and when I return, hope to get back into the blogging mode, still have wedding pics to show you guys!
 
Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!
 
Till next time......
Rebecca

This week I will be partying at:
Monday
Boogieboard Cottage
Rain on a Tin Roof
Knick of Time
Cedar Hill Ranch





 


Sunday, November 10, 2013

2 Boys - 2 Veterans

Just to give you a head's up, this turned out to be a longer post then I intended!
I've been a bit of a slacker at blogging lately.  Honest, I have a really good reason!  Sunday, October 13th, was finally the wedding day we'd been working towards since March.  Will be posting about that soon, but since it's Veteran's Day, I thought I'd do the proud Mom thing and tell you about my two sons who both proudly served their country.  They both went into different branches  of the military as soon as they graduated high school in June, at age 18.  Chris, my oldest joined the Marines and left for boot camp in July, much to my chagrin, Paris Island, South Carolina, the other side of the bay from Hilton Head is the hottest, most humid place to be in the summer!  I tried to talk him into waiting till fall but no luck!  I've vacationed in Hilton Head and it seemed like a whole different weather zone then Paris Island.   He was there for 3 months, which seemed a whole lot longer to me!  When we went to his graduation, the end of September, the weather was still horrible, I literally thought I was going to melt away it was so hot and humid!  He looked like death warmed over, pale, and thin.   From what little I found out later, it's a wonder any of the kids survive what they are put through there!  I guess what "they" say is true, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"!   He said it was really hard and a couple times thought he wasn't going to make it.  One of his accomplishments was to make the highest level of marksman,  which thankfully was never put to the test, to my knowledge anyway.   His job was to work on and repair the electrical systems of the big choppers that went out on missions and medical  runs. Most of his experience was positive but like most soldiers he had his hard times which he didn't really talk about except for one truly traumatic incident.  About 6mos or so before he was to get out, one of his choppers was going on a routine mission to get medical supplies.  The pilot was a female captain going out on her last trip, she was going home in 2 weeks. Every one on board was in his group of buddies.  He waved them out when they left, they did not return.  The Talban shot them down and everyone was lost.  To make it even more horrible, they filmed the whole thing and then put it on U Tube.  It took him a long time to get past it. He only talked about it once and has never talked about anything else.  Truthfully, I think I'd probably rather not know anything else!
 He was in for 5 years and did 2 deployments to Iraq.  When he came back, he finished out this tour in California, down by San Diego which even though it was far form TN, was close to my sister and his cousins which he'd visit on weekends when he could.  He's 27 now and doing well, working for a private airline company here and loves what he does.  A lot of the country music stars and celebrities keep their jets there and fly in and out.  They've also used the hangars there to shoot some music videos and have some big charity events.  Needless to say, he's having a great time.
Aaron, my middle child, joined the Air force as soon as he graduated also and signed up for 4 years.  The Air force is kind of a family thing, being that his dad and grandfather were both in, in fact, his granddad retired from the Air force after 20 years.   Aaron scored in the top 10% on the placement test they all take when they first join to determine what they might do job wise.  He got to pick his job choice which was to be a crew chief on fighter jets which is one of the top jobs you can have.  He was over the guys that checked out the jets and made sure everything was in working order and if not, repaired.   His boot camp was in San Antonio, Texas, another super hot, humid place.  Compared to the Marine boot camp, his seemed more like summer camp!  It was nothing like the Marines!  For his first tour,  he lucked out and was sent to England for a year.  He got to travel and see places he wouldn't have had the opportunity to visit otherwise.  He was then stationed  outside Raleigh, NC for the rest of his time in.  Luckily for me, he was only deployed to Afghanistan once.  I was a pretty lucky Mom, both my boys had jobs that kept them pretty much on base, not out in the middle of things.   The bad part for them was that both their bases were bombed quite a lot but they said it wasn't that big of a deal! You heard them coming, you hit the ground and, that was that!   It sure would've been a big deal to me!!  He's been home now for 2years, works for a landscape company that specializes in doing green roofs on commercial, office and government buildings.  He travels out of state a lot but enjoys what he does.  Joining the military wasn't something that I really wanted for either of them, especially since we were in an active war at the time but it was their choice and I'm very proud of both of them!
I don't have  many down loaded photos of them during this period cuz I wasn't doing stuff on the computer then so bear with me!  Some of these  pics are photos of pics and are not the best.

 
This is Chris when he was 4 or 5, we were visiting my sister in CA.  My brother-in-law's brother was a Captain in the Marines and flew these choppers in Desert Storm.  He took Chris down to the base to see them. He actually got to get in one and sit in the pilot's seat.  Who would've guessed  that years later Chris would spend 5 years stationed there, working on these very choppers when he wasn't deployed overseas. 
 


 
This is a pic I have of Chris in his dress uniform, he was getting ready to go to the Marine ball in San Diego.  (my friend printed this off for me and was low on ink, that's why it's a tad purple but it does fit with his units nickname)!
The patch was his unit's name and insignia.
No one has a better looking uniform then the Marines!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is Aaron, graduating from boot camp in San Antonio
 
 
 
 
 Aaron and Kate after his graduation




 
 
This is one of my favorite photos of Aaron and one of his jets
 








 
 
This was taken one Christmas when we were lucky enough to have them both home.


 
 
Till next time......
Rebecca


This week I will be partying at:
Saturday
Be Different Act Normal


Saturday, November 9, 2013

Remembering....

 
 
 
 
 Exactly one year ago today at 6:15 in the morning, my life was changed forever!  I came quite close to leaving ok, the big D word, dying!  I had a major heart attack but was lucky enough to make it to the hospital in time!  A friend talked me into writing about it and  I thought I'd repost it for those of you who may not have seen it.  Heart Attacks in women have quite different symptoms then in men which at the time I didn't know.  So, hopefully, you all can learn something from my experience!
 
(click on title to go to post)
 
 
 
PS.  To lighten the mood, here's my sweet  Kailyn ready for fall!
 
 
 
 
Till next time......
Rebecca
 
This week I will be parting at: 
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
 
 


Monday, September 23, 2013

Dress for her, dress for me.....

Hard to believe it's almost October and for me, that means a wedding is FAST approaching!  This summer I've been busy planning Kate and Josh's wedding.  Sunday, October 13th is the big day and it's almost here!  Things are coming together, and if it all works out like I want, I'll be one happy girl!  This is my first and will be my only foray into the wedding business!   Needless to say, the closer it gets, the more I wonder if I've done everything I need to do, have I forgotten anything, is it going to look like the vision in my head, am I going to be able to put it all together on the day?   I will be doing a few posts to fill you in on the progress.  This one is about the dress, no, not her dress, my mother of the bride dress and Kailyn's little flower girl dress.  I DREADED looking for something to wear, I don't even know when I wore a dress last!  I saw this one at David's bridal while Kate was trying on her wedding dress.  I liked the color, it was a bit fancier then my taste but they happened to have my size so I tried it on.   Kate really liked it, surprisingly fit well and looked ok.  I hem hawed around for a couple of months, couldn't make myself go out looking so ordered it.  You all know me, I love a bargain, it was on sale for $99.00! I looked for shoes, they had some dye able ones there that were cute.  The ones I liked were $59. which I didn't want to spend so kept going back.  I lucked out, they were marking things down for the end of summer and I found a pair that I liked, now, don't faint, for only $12.99, marked down from $60.00!  With a $5.00 dying fee, they ended up being less then $20.00!
 
On to the photos! 
 
Kailyn's dress 
 

 
 
We couldn't decide what we wanted Kailyn to wear, all the dresses at David's were pretty pricey and not what we really liked.  I got on Etsy and surfed flower girl dresses and found the perfect one ! It's from a shop in South Carolina, a linen/cotton mix with her monogram and a handkerchief hem.  The monogram is done in tan as is the sash.  It came quickly, the owner of the shop, Ronda was very helpful, and price wise, it was $54.00, much less then all the ones we'd looked at up till then.  It fits her perfectly, she looks adorable of course!  The pic of the one from the shop has anchors on the bottom of the sash, ours does not.
The name of the  Etsy shop is Zadabug, (click on name to visit), the owner is Ronda Lancaster.  I highly recommend it if you need a special dress for your little one!  She also has other monogrammed items that are just as cute!
 
Photo from Zadabug's website on Etsy
 


 
This is ours
(hasn't been pressed yet)
 



Kailyn's monogram
 

 
 
Hem detail
 
 
 
Kate and all the wedding party will all be wearing cowgirl/cowboy boots.
This is a picture of the ones (or one) I found at Khol's for Kailyn.
They were $54.00, I waited for a coupon and not only did I get 20% off, they were on sale for $21.00!  They ended up being less then $20.00!  This pic is from Kohl's website, I ordered K's but they haven't gotten here yet.  They are brown with embroidered flowers. She loved "stomping around" in them.
 
 
 
Now, my dress
Sorry this pic isn't the best, it's from David's web site not so good, but it will give you an idea of the details and shape of the dress
 


 It's a really pretty taupe color which this photo does not do justice
 








 
 
Next time, I'll tell you all about the place we found to have the wedding!
 
Till next time.....
Rebecca
 
This week I'll be partying at:
Monday
 
 
 
 
 


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Ladybug...Ladybug Don't Fly Away

I find it hard to believe how fast this year has flown by.  So much has been happening!  First, we celebrated Kailyn's first Birthday July 28th!  I look at her and find it hard to believe she's been with us that long already!  She's not baby anymore!  She's walking, saying words and just started Mommy's day out 2 days a week at their church!  The girl's in "school"!  She looks so cute with her little backpack and matching lunch box!  I drop her off and Kate picks her up on her way home from her classes at MTSU.  I'm so glad I still get to spend time with her on Mondays and Wednesdays while Kate's in class.  She is always happy and there's never a dull moment.   Kate did her first party planning for about 20 family and friends.  She got pretty stressed out which I thought was kind of funny, (probably shouldn't have) but did!  (You'll know why shortly)!  She did a ladybug theme which was adorable.  We had it in Josh's family's backyard which is beautiful. Tables and umbrellas were set up and it was perfect.  My contribution was to make the Birthday Girl's birthday banner and got her ladybug outfit. I got her a onesie with her name, no 1 and a ladybug applique from cute shop on etsy.  I found her tutu by accident at Hobby Lobby in the clearance aisle for 80% off., my lucky day!  Josh's sister made a adorable ladybug cake for the guests and a smaller one for Kailyn to (smash) eat and let me tell you, her eating that cake was a sight!  Thank goodness Kate stripped her down to her diaper before she got started!  In the end, she had to be "hosed" off!   Now, the bad part for me was that Kate told me not to bring my camera cuz my family thinks I take to many pics! Is that ridiculous or what!!  She said there was a friend there who did photography on the side who was going to take photos for her.   Well, DUMB Me didn't bring my camera and was very sorry!!  Pictures were taken before the party but not during, very sad for me!! After all that, Kate said she'd been kidding and didn't think I would come without it!
The other big thing happening is that I've been planning Kate and Josh's wedding.  They got engaged last January and decided that they wanted to get married in October.  The date is Sunday, October 13th which I think is kind of cool,  10-13-13.  Unfortunately, there was 1 appointment before theirs at the venue they had picked out and they chose Saturday the 12th, the day Kate had wanted.  Anyway, will get more into the wedding later.   For now, here are some pics of Kailyn's party.
 
 
 





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Till next time......
Rebecca
 
This week I will be partying at:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
 
 
 
 
 



Sunday, August 4, 2013

Equestrian Style

The ideal high school graduation present for most kids would be a car, not for me!  Mine was a horse, and not just any horse.  My Aunt and Uncle who lived in Illinois, had a half Arab mare who had been bred to a gorgeous Arab stallion and had  given birth to a baby colt.  The summer I was 16, I got to stay with them to learn to ride.  I spent every day at the barn where they boarded their mare.  There, I worked, learned all about horse care, and best of all learned to ride.  I was able to choose the style I wanted to learn and picked English hunt seat. I was lucky enough to get to do basic hunt seat, a little jumping and some dressage.  ( It didn't hurt that the owner's had a gorgeous son who was in his first year of college!   Yeah, it was the best summer ever!   I not only got to learn about horses,  I got to know my Aunt and Uncle who I hadn't spent a lot of time with since they lived so far from CA.  They were the best!   Sadly, the summer after I was there, while out at the barn with their mare and her baby, my Uncle suffered a major heart attack and passed away.  At the time, they were planning on moving to a small farm near us in California and raising horses.  My Aunt made the choice to go ahead and move out to CA and bring Tewa, the mare but was going to sell her baby.  I'd been babysitting since I was 12 and working at a neighbor's carwash, (ugh, that's another story), and saving my money.  I convinced her and my Mom that I'd send her whatever money she needed to
take care of Ahweha, ( sounds like it's spelled, Indian name meaning the wanderer).  They agreed and my Aunt and the 2 horses came to CA.   I couldn't afford to buy him but took care of him and paid for his upkeep.  My parents surprised me with his papers on my graduation day from HS.  We had many fun adventures and some misadventures during our years together, and as horse people know, we had that special bond where we could almost read each other's minds.  Anyway, what this means is that I have loved everything horse forever and one of my favorite decorating styles is Equestrian Style.   
 
Here are some examples of my favorite of Equestrian Style
from one of my favorite places that I visit  to be inspired,  Pinterest.

One of my old riding hats and some of my favorite books. I love books
with outdoor titles.  Notice the title of the last one?  One of our favorite
 dealers in our old store gave it to me and even managed to find
one with my BF and store partner's name, Wanda in the title.

















 
 



 One of my favorite books!

 
 




 
 
Had to add this one, becoming an equestrian is hard work!



modern day riding outfit

 
 
Vintage riding outfits
 


Ralph Lauren dinnerware

 
 

 
 

 
 
 Ladies, I couldn't resist ending with some
Equestrian eye candy, Nacho,
the most famous Polo player around.
You may have seen him and his beautiful
wife in some of Ralph Lauren's adds.

œ
 
 
Till next time,
Rebecca
 
This week I'll be partying at:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
 
 
 
 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Summer Cabinet

My chippy, white cabinet is ready for summer with some of my favorite beachy things decorating it's shelves.  I love the photo of the toddler bathers all lined up in a row.  I got this a few years ago at one of my favorite antique malls in Franklin.   My newest find is the turquoise dump truck that I got at the Nashville flea market last month.  As the seasons change, I think I'll be able to find lots of fun things for it haul!  I got it for $10.00 which I think was a very thrifty find.  For awhile there, I was obsessed with sea shells and started finding lots of them at yard sales for cheap.  For the time being I've managed to overcome that addiction! I think I've got enough.  Is that even possible?  The little Florida plate was a $2.00 yard sale find, loved the colors and gold trim.  Then there are my clocks and little fan,  you always need a clock to know how long you've been in the sun and a fan to cool off with when you come in from that 90 something degree heat!   That my friends, is how I justified using my clocks and fan in my "beachy" cabinet!  The little sailboat in front of the basket says Cedar Key Florida.  I got it on a visit there one summer with my husband's sisters, he has six.  That's where they spent every summer growing up with their Nanny and Aunt.  Their house down there is still in the family.  I've only showed you the top half of the cabinet cuz the bottom 2 shelves haven't been changed, they still have the stacks of ironstone platters that have been there for a while. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 





 
 





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Till next time......
Rebecca
 
 
This week I'll be partying at:
Monday