tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10887259919653448592025-11-08T09:54:39.345-05:00The goings-ons and what-nots of our military familyHollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-12355188116083321592010-09-08T21:00:00.001-04:002010-09-08T21:05:09.810-04:00

It's inevitable. Murphy's Law grabs hold every time Sarge deploys or goes TDY. Take for example the other week. Monday - Facebook and email accounts were hacked, hundreds of 'please send money' messages were sent out to all I've ever known. Tuesday - Alarm clock failure. Sky missed his school bus - 35 minutes to get him to the school and we live 3 miles away. Wednesday - Failure to remember

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-76732400266697441132010-09-01T13:45:00.000-04:002010-09-01T13:51:36.166-04:00

Permanence. It's one thing that's hard to obtain while living this military lifestyle of ours. When I was a kid, my folks would stand my little brother and I up against a wall in our home, and use a marker to chart how much we had grown. Inch after inch all recorded with a permanent marker. I loved that wall. No matter how often they would paint, those little hash marks and dates were

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-78622442088989813102010-08-25T20:00:00.005-04:002010-08-25T21:23:37.547-04:00

Deployments are hard. No one to chase at the park, no one to sneak you candy when you've already brushed your teeth, no one to give you breath stealing hugs when you feel a little glum ...And it's rough on the kids too. Since we are in the midst of our 4th deployment now, with Sarge thousands of miles and many time zones away, I thought I'd put out a few ideas that have helped my kids feel more

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-46309093622142066612010-07-26T08:00:00.001-04:002010-07-26T08:00:08.184-04:00

Hello. It's me Holly. I have returned to the land of bloggerdom. For today anyway. It's been ... well months since I last tried to write a post. But I swear I have good reasons. For the first few weeks at least.   Sarge deployed yet again. Another short notice one, and another long one. So June was spent preparing, and packing, and a quick vacation.  Since he left however, I've

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-19656545063196396842010-05-21T14:21:00.000-04:002010-05-21T14:21:05.801-04:00

Life as a military spouse can be claustrophobic at times. Our husbands and wives go away for deployments, training, exercises, humanitarian missions, schooling, etc. Sarge has been away 8 times in almost 4 years we've been stationed at this base. 3 deployments, 3 tdy's, and sent to 2 different schools. When we first arrived at this base I looked for work, with little luck as the surrounding area

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-52424237056422603752010-05-21T09:12:00.001-04:002010-05-21T09:14:16.372-04:00

Ahhh ... spring is in the air, sunshine, birdsong, and flower's blooming. And let's not forget about the now biannual Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy of Amy's Creative Side. I participated in this last fall, and really enjoyed seeing all the quilts that fellow bloggers had either made or loved. So I knew I really wanted to join the fun again. Here is my entry - a sweet little circle quilt

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-34132495614287546342010-05-17T22:07:00.003-04:002010-05-17T22:55:56.909-04:00

In our house, road trips are spawned from simple requirements. Either it's a holiday and we feel the need to be surround ourselves in family greatness. Or it's because if I don't get out of the house, I'm likely to come down with a case of   getmeoutofthisflippin'housebeforeIlockyouallout-itis. A gal needs some breathing room am I right? Sarge gets this often too, it's why he's not

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-84817688175928642072010-05-03T10:49:00.001-04:002010-05-17T22:56:06.938-04:00

One great thing about living the military life, is enjoying different activities and cultures at each new base. We are currently down south, and the only thing I still enjoy is all the fresh fruit and vegetables. We generally go and hit up a local strawberry farm a few times each spring. A couple buckets, and my kids are off plowing through the field on a mission to get the biggest berry of all.

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-62739940026618705802010-04-26T23:51:00.000-04:002010-05-17T22:56:13.417-04:00

Bumping along the road to crazy town that's where. Nah, actually I've just been busy - thanks for sticking with me - but life has settled back down, albeit into a new sort of rhythm than a couple posts ago. Sarge returned home from Haiti a while back. Turns out he wasn't needed as long as they originally estimated.  We were extatic.  Our house has been on the market a month now.

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-57582339968457299802010-03-30T15:51:00.000-04:002010-03-30T15:51:48.643-04:00

It wasn't you, it was me. Things happened, life is busy, and I need to focus on other things. I will be back to regular blogging soon enough, till then leave a message at the beep.(Or shoot me an email, I have managed to keep up with that.)

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-63888050662900966552010-02-19T08:00:00.002-05:002010-02-19T08:00:03.973-05:00

I've been following Celebrate the Boy month over at Made. Even though my boy wouldn't be caught dead in anything I'd make for him. Luckily for me, Grace is little and any complaints out of her can easily be bribed away with cookies. I failed to heed the addiction warning, and started making the "90 minute shirt" that Dana has on her site.  No relaxation during nap time yesterday.  

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-83797438839589852122010-02-17T08:00:00.001-05:002010-02-17T08:00:02.023-05:00

With the possibility of a PCS on the horizon, I've been busy day dreaming and meandering about the web - looking at photos and  info on different bases and the available housing on each. Much more fun than laundry. I thought I'd share. These are all exterior shots of base housing that could house my family of 4. Mildenhall AB, England  McChord AFB, Washington  Anderson AB, Guam&

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-65996704249004891132010-02-15T08:00:00.001-05:002010-02-15T08:00:05.264-05:00

to make this Alaskan grown chick realize how magical snow could be.   Perhaps it's because I don't have to shovel here, as it has melted just as fast as it fell.   More than likely it was because I got to enjoy it with my kids.   And a goofy dog.    I really hope everyone had a fun but warm weekend.

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-91596409373160745612010-02-12T08:00:00.006-05:002010-02-12T08:00:09.546-05:00

 Meet Sky. Sky is my oldest brat. I generally forget that he is also a military brat, and out of curiosity I recently asked him what that was like to have a dad serving active duty with the Air Force. I asked him what he thought were some of the good things:     Mom you're weird.  See, that's why he's a brat. Well I guess that I like that we get to move and see cool

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-55577691129391776662010-02-09T14:30:00.002-05:002010-02-09T14:32:25.452-05:00

Ok, it's more like a I-forgot-to-buy-a-gift-and-it-needs-to-be-in-the-mail-now! tutorial. My Dad's birthday was early last month. Every year I agonize over his Christmas gift, and neglect to consider his birthday gift is due only 2 weeks later. And mail takes about that long to get from me to him. He lives in Alaska, and has this odd assortment of art depicting the various wildlife that lives

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-14768926826568564572010-02-05T10:00:00.001-05:002010-02-05T10:18:53.393-05:00

I was sewing up this little would-be quilt when Sky came home from school yesterday. He and the noise-maker that lives next door, plopped themselves down at the kitchen counter and started inhaling snacks. I had finished the top and was attaching it to the back. Just simply pillow turning it with one of Grace's old fleece crib blankets. I figured that if she didn't want it, the local children's

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-89596811816987075552010-02-03T23:37:00.000-05:002010-02-03T23:37:22.911-05:00

Some people say that they hate moving. Or they'll complain that they are too far from family. Or that they have trouble adjusting to the different customs that far flung places and people always have. While I politely pretend to listen to these obviously deranged people, in my head I'm doing the crazy loopy finger by the head thing. I  mean come on, I rearrange my house weekly just to stave

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-54490794581290792062010-02-02T14:03:00.001-05:002010-02-03T23:38:58.325-05:00

... the cupboard?   How sweet was Sarge to hide a valentines card for me before he left?  Lucky? Yes I am.

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-67736711364596661642010-01-29T17:06:00.001-05:002010-02-03T22:03:18.363-05:00

The first few weeks are always the roughest of times around here after Sarge leaves on a deployment. Well, not counting the quiet evenings. Or the cold sheets. Or all the moments when I know he's missing out on something special. Crap, ok the whole time generally sucks.  So far, there have been many late nights. And just as many early mornings. Plenty of goofy dog cuddling. And even a bit of

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-52006122272194607152010-01-26T13:19:00.000-05:002010-02-03T20:55:26.233-05:00

Sarge was tasked to deploy to Haiti to help with the relief efforts. His 12 hour "Hurry Up" orders quickly turned to "Wait" and he spent quite a bit of time gearing up and helping his airmen prepare.  Wait ... wait ... wait. For a guy all about action it drove him nuts to have to sit on his hands for so long when there was a job to be done. He was finally put on a bus, and sent down to

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-83860429295861874592010-01-16T20:47:00.000-05:002010-01-27T09:53:53.801-05:00

Sarge was told yesterday morning to pack. A six month deployment. And his plane was to leave last night. Thankfully he hasn't left yet, but now you'll understand why I won't be around for a bit.

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-88285158119860078172010-01-11T09:07:00.000-05:002010-02-03T20:54:02.984-05:00

Ok ok, I've gotten a little off course. I know I said I'd tell you about being a military spouse - and instead I've just shown some pretty pictures, my spazzy kid, and that thing about the quilt. Perhaps I have blogger ADD? So here's something semi-relevant. I never imagined I'd need to learn a new language just to understand my husband, even considering his accent. Like little boys and their

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-48793514151731458352010-01-08T10:22:00.003-05:002010-02-18T23:31:38.567-05:00

I am in love with this quilt. Good thing the baby shower is on Sunday. Or I might make up an excuse to keep it. It wanted to be hand quilted. Which took forever with all the holiday hubbub going on. All worth it. A friend is due in a few weeks. Her husband should be home from the desert just in time to help welcome their little Jakob into the world. And this cuddly little quilt will

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-19179821483785658112010-01-06T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-03T20:55:58.302-05:00

If you have one of these...   Who often acts like this ... Then you really need one of these... Happy Wednesday all!

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088725991965344859.post-65651212733287512112010-01-04T21:40:00.002-05:002010-02-03T22:03:31.337-05:00

We should be moving again before the year is up, so we decided to cram as much extended family time as possible into the last few weeks. We loaded up the car and hit the road. My sweet Sky read the hours away. My husband complained about the traffic for hours on end. Little Grace either snacked, yelled, or slept. And I was busy hand stitching circles on to a baby quilt that you may have seen

Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18391965332174704698noreply@blogger.com0