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A Guest Post By Emma Banks Of

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http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/

Whether you [...]]]>

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A Guest Post By Emma Banks Of

http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/

Whether you are retiring from a lifetime in the military or transitioning into the work force after a minimum commitment, it can be tough and challenging to re-enter the civilian life. What’s important to keep in mind is that you can’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the process. It does take time, but following your dream career makes it all worth it in the end. I want to help you dispel some of the myths that all former military servicemen and women will recognize so that you’ll be able to be as prepared as possible as you enter the workplace.

Myth #1: Applying for jobs is difficult and time-consuming.

Truth: While this might have been the case in the pre-Internet days, many of today’s top companies are acknowledging how busy life is by simplifying the application process. Gone are the days of snail-mailing a thick application packet to a company. Many businesses now have comprehensive online application forms with the tech-savvy generation in mind. Companies like Walmart, GM, and AT&T even use platforms like JIBE, a mobile recruiting specialty company, to allow applicants to apply directly from their smartphone or tablet.

Myth #2: Job-seekers who change jobs often are frowned upon by employers.

Truth: Gone are the days of employees remaining with one or two companies for their entire career, rising through the ranks, and retiring. Today’s market values well-rounded candidates and that means acquiring new and various skills. One way to do that is to change companies as better opportunities arise. Just remember that by staying for a year or more with each company you work for, you show that you’re not moving around too much and can commit to longer contracts, should that be a hiring consideration.

Myth #3: There are no civilian jobs allowing me to do similar work to what I was doing in the military.

Truth: In fact, many of the skills and activities that you acquired in the military do translate to the workforce back home. The skills translator function located can help you compare your active military duties to civilian jobs with similar skill-sets based on your military branch, pay grade, and position. While the nature of protecting the nation at all costs will be different with civilian jobs, the things you learned doing so will be beneficial.

Myth #4: It’s too difficult to find non-military jobs after I’ve been in the military so long.

Truth: According to Recruit Military, many of the job skills you received in the military are transferrable to a wide range of jobs in the private sector. It is often the case, in fact, that many employers seek out the skills and character learned by former military personnel. Recruit Military and other recruiting firms can also provide career assistance in the form of resume writing, job boards, and national job fairs.

Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/!

I also have been waiting a while to say anything because, with all things military, it’s a good practice to be careful of what you say.  I wanted to avoid getting hubby in trouble [...]]]> I have been holding out on you guys for a while now because, honestly, I have been at a total loss.

I also have been waiting a while to say anything because, with all things military, it’s a good practice to be careful of what you say.  I wanted to avoid getting hubby in trouble since we were already on shaky ground.

I can no longer be quiet anymore, especially since our days with the military are numbered.

I cannot believe that we are leaving the military…AGAIN!  And this time, it’s final.  There is no coming back.  Before I get into the emotions I’ve been dealing with, let me explain to you the process of getting to this point:

What Happened?

A Diagnosis Of Asthma:

About 2 years ago hubby started having problems with breathing while running, and therefore he began to decline in his PT scores.  It got so bad that he nearly fainted several times from lack of oxygen.

Meanwhile his doctors did a battery of tests on him.  The confusing part for everyone is that the inhalers he used didn’t really help at all, and for the most part the only time he had a problem with his lungs was when he was running.  He could work out on an elliptical all day and have no problems, but as soon as he started running he couldn’t breath.

Despite all of this, the doctors diagnosed him with Asthma and put him on a walking profile.

The Dreaded Med-Board:

Then we entered into a med-board.  If you don’t know what this is, consider yourself lucky, because it’s pretty much a military career killer.  The med-board is a group of “panelists” that get together and review your medical profile.  They will determine what percentage you rate as far as how bad your condition is, whether you are bad enough to be medically discharged, decent enough to keep in the military, or bad enough to medically retire.

I’m not going to get into all the details here, but if you ever find yourself in a med-board you want to be medically retired rather than just discharged.  The benefits are far greater with a retirement.

When we first started the med-board we were in denial.  We thought it would be no problem to fight this and stay in, which there was a bit of a chance to.  But thanks to the horrible support (or lack thereof) in hubby’s current battalion we began to lose the battle.  We still could’ve made it through without hubby getting discharged, but then something worse happened…

Hubby’s shoulder gave out:

One morning started as usual for me, but hubby was NOT himself.  He has always been cheerful and laid back, but not this particular morning.  He seemed confused, frazzled, stressed, and very angry.  He even slammed the door on me when he left.

Stunned I sent him a text saying “I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

He replied, “I’m not mad, I’m just in a lot of pain.”

That night he explained to me the tremendous pain in his shoulder that was radiating all the way down his bicep to his elbow.  One thing you need to know about my husband is that he has a very high threshold to pain.  If he’s ever in pain I can rarely tell because he doesn’t show it.  I became terrified as the days went by and I could tell that my husband was in a massive amount of pain.

He was fearful of what they would find should he go see a doctor, but after 3 days I plead with him to get some pain meds.  After many tests, dozens of pain meds, and lack of sleep we finally found out that there was a tare in the cartilage of his shoulder.  Apparently the car wreck he was in 10 years earlier did more damage than they expected, so his shoulder didn’t heal properly, thus causing a tare.  And apparently it’s what was causing the so-called asthma.  His muscles were tightening up so much to keep his shoulder in working order that they were causing his lungs to bind up.  That explained why he only had problems when running.

stay tuned and I’ll explain to you all the emotions I’ve been dealing with during this process.

Are you going through a med-board?

In my last post I showed you how I assembled and created our headboard.  Today I’m going to show you exactly what hubby and I did to hang it.

This thing is a monster.  If it were just the door [...]]]> Wanna see the rest of the makeover??  Take a look at it here!

In my last post I showed you how I assembled and created our headboard.  Today I’m going to show you exactly what hubby and I did to hang it.

This thing is a monster.  If it were just the door it would be very simple to hang, but because of the added weight of the appliques (don’t let those dainty lookin’ things fool you; They’re heavy!), we had to get a little creative.

We could’ve gone out and bought a heavy duty hanger, but we didn’t feel like spending the money, nor did we feel like braving the lines just to get one item.  I wanted this thing hung already!

Materials We Used:

1. (2) 1 by 2 ripped at a 45 degree angle removing only the corner (better image bellow)
2. 7/64 in. drill bit
3. (4) 2-1/2 in. and (6) 1-1/2 in. drywall screws.
4. Tape Measure
5. Pen
6. Drill

Ripping The 1 By 2

Hubby tried to simply explain this to me and all I could give him was a dumbfounded look.  It wasn’t until he showed me what he had in mind that I finally understood it.

I’m figuring you’re probably the same way, so here’s a better image of the cut he made:

He did this to 2 boards.  The small piece is to be discarded from each board.  We used the 2 larger cut pieces as our hangers and discarded the smaller piece.

We mounted one on the headboard with the one inch side on the headboard with the arrow pointing DOWN, and the other with the one inch side also facing the wall but the arrow pointing UP.

Now, a 1 by 2 is soft enough that it’ll split if you don’t use a drill bit to create holes for your screws (I sound so smart don’t I? My husband just gave me this info, lol!).  First, we used our tape measure to determine the center of our wall and the center of our headboard.  Then we determined the center of our 1 by 2 and lined it up with the headboard.

After that, we held it against the back of our headboard and at the top, matching up center to center (with the 1 inch side facing the headboard and the arrow pointing down) and drill 4 holes at the top of the board.  We Repeated this step for the wall making sure that the arrow was pointing up and the 1 inch side was facing the wall.

We then screwed the board into the wall using (4) 2-1/2 inch screws, and then did the same with the headboard using (4) 1-1/2 inch screws.

Then we took another piece of 1 by 2 and screwed it into the bottom center of the headboard using the remaining 2 of the 1-1/2 inch screws.  This helps to make it a little more stable on the wall so the bottom isn’t constantly knocking it  when we get into bed.

And that’s how you get these happy results:

Stay tuned for the big paint reveal!!!

(Disclosure: this post contains my affiliate links)

I just love it when I start a project and begin to come up with brilliant ideas that not only look amazing but save me tons of money.  As I said in my update about our [...]]]> Follow our makeover by checking out the other posts in this series!

I just love it when I start a project and begin to come up with brilliant ideas that not only look amazing but save me tons of money.  As I said in my update about our new bedding, we used to have a headboard that was a bookshelf, and was totally impractical.  It’s now in our closet being used as a shelving system for our clothes:

Eeek!  Sorry for the awful mess, but this happens when you’re in the middle of a remodel.

It’s sitting right underneith our hanging clothes.  Not the most practical way to organize a closet, but we currently don’t have the budget to put in beautiful closet systems.  This will have to work  for now.

But can you imagine trying to sit up against this thing to try and read???  Very uncomfortable!  When we took it down I was at a loss as to what we were going to do for a head board.  Buying one was too expensive so I had to get creative.  Going without one wasn’t very practical either because we have a large gap about 3 inches wide from the wall to our bed.  It’s the way our it was made.

And then it dawned on me: I already had 2 things I could transform into a beautiful headboard…

1.   A Closet Door

As most closets go, we used to have closet doors on ours:

But they made our room feel small, and I don’t know about you, but I despise the closet doors that slide.  They ALWAYS get in the way.  I’d much rather have french doors so I don’t have to constantly move a door whenever I need to get to something on the opposite side of the closet.  But french doors are expensive, so we’ll settle for curtains instead (which we’ll get to in another post )

So we took our doors down and one of them I have chosen to use as our headboard.  It was the perfect size for our bed!

2.   The Applique

Honestly, I don’t know what to call these things because I salvaged them from a door a neighbor was getting rid of many months ago:

They were too pretty to pass up and I just knew I’d use them for something eventually.  This was the PERFECT project!

I made up my mind that I was going to paint the headboard brown, 4 of the appliques gold with a blue frame…

I considered adding some wood filler to any holes and dings, but hubby and I agreed that it gave it a more rustic look that appealed to us.  So we left it alone.

And then the 5th applique that was going to be in the very center we painted mostly blue with a gold frame.  I also took a little extra time to paint all the creases brown.  I was very tempted to quit and just do blue and gold, but something told me I’d be so grateful if I just stuck to it.  And I am!

Then I had to figure out how to “glue” it onto the headboard without using nails (because I felt that nails would make it look tacky)

Honeeeeeeyy!!

Then hubby introduced me to Liquid Nails.  Have you ever heard of the stuff??  It’s WONDERFUL!

I lined up all of my appliques on my once-closet-door-now-headboard close to the top and put down painter’s tape in 2 corners of each one in order to mark the spot:

Then I gooped the liquid nails onto the back of each one and pressed it down into its place:

Since the tube didn’t say how long I needed to let it sit  before it dried, I left it for about a day.

Yaaawn.  I don’t know about you, but I’m tired after all that work .

Next I’ll explain to you what we did to hang the headboard without spending a dime.  If you can’t wait until then, here’s something you can buy to hang it: Hangman Products HM-18D Heavy-Duty Mirror and Picture Hanger with Walldog Anchorless Screws, Aluminum, 18-Inch

Do you have a good headboard DIY?  Please do share!

(Disclosure: this post contains my affiliate links)

The Card Cubby:

This thing can be used for so many things!  Currently I’m using mine to hold all the many business cards I accumulate.  I explain it all in the video so take a look:

Different [...]]]>  Here are the other posts in this series.

The Card Cubby:

This thing can be used for so many things!  Currently I’m using mine to hold all the many business cards I accumulate.  I explain it all in the video so take a look:

Different uses for the Card Cubby:

• Business cards
• Store cards
• Coupons

(Disclosure: this post contains my affiliate links)

A Breakdown Of Our Paint Colors:

I not only wanted to go with the color of our bedding, but with the color of some gold curtains a friend gave us as well since [...]]]>  Follow our makeover by checking out the other posts in this series!

A Breakdown Of Our Paint Colors:

I not only wanted to go with the color of our bedding, but with the color of some gold curtains a friend gave us as well since they compliment each other perfectly.

The BEHR Saffron Strands is the same color as our curtain and what I’ve decided to use as the accent color for the room.  It sure does make it feel like a palace!

Choosing the color for the walls was a little bit trickier as I wanted to be sure it matched the bedding without darkening up the room too much.  We decided that the dark blue which matched the bedding perfectly should just be on one wall, so we picked the wall that’s opposite the bed where the gold curtain would go as I knew it would tone down the dark.  Then we chose another blue several shades lighter to go on the other 3 walls.  The Dark truffle was to be for the door frames and molding.

A Little Panic Attack

Ok, so I didn’t actually have a panic attack, but one thing I always tend to do after I pick my colors is second guess myself.  I don’t know why I do this because I’m quite talented when it comes to color, but I almost always lose sleep over my choices…

And this time was NO exception!

As soon as we started getting the paint on the walls I began to think: “What if it looks terrible?  What if I hate it?  What if hubby hates it?  It would be a poor reflection on myself considering my career choice.”

I hope I’m not the only Professional Organizer/Interior Designer who does this!

Finally after discussing my fears with my husband he calmed me down by reminding me that it’s not the end of the world.  We’ll be able to fix it if we don’t like it…but he was pretty sure it was going to be awesome.

Just WAIT until you see it!!! It truly is AMAZING!!!

Do you second guess yourself when picking out color?

The Cargo Tote:

Do you have issues with your groceries rolling all over the back of your car like me?  I use this cargo tote to prevent that from happening.  I also love that I [...]]]> Here are the other posts in this series.

The Cargo Tote:

Do you have issues with your groceries rolling all over the back of your car like me?  I use this cargo tote to prevent that from happening.  I also love that I can save myself the hassle of having to break boxes down when I get home from Costco.  What’s really awesome is there are handles on both sides of the tote for ease of movement.

Watch the video:

Uses for the Cargo Tote:

• Costco/Sam’s Club trips
• Muddy shoes after soccer practice
• Sports equipment

(Disclosure: this post contains my affiliate links)

A Guest Post By Angela Harpert Of SW13 Man and Van

Being called for a job interview is successful enough, so you need to make sure that you don’t fail at the opportunity to impress. Most people would get a strong first impression of you from the minute you walk into their office for [...]]]>

A Guest Post By Angela Harpert Of SW13 Man and Van

Being called for a job interview is successful enough, so you need to make sure that you don’t fail at the opportunity to impress. Most people would get a strong first impression of you from the minute you walk into their office for the interview. It’s important to know how to be dressed so you can get the position. There is a lot going on during a job interview when it comes to appearance – clothing, footwear, grooming, handshake, language. A big impression on the person interviewing you will be made by the way you are dressed and your posture. The interviewers are looking for clues which will tell them what kind of person you are and a lot can be told by the way you are dressed. It’s important to dress for a position one step above the one you are applying for. This way you will look professional, serious and determined and this is what every boss is looking for these days. If you want to get the job, you must know how to dress for success and mean it.

For men:

A man can never go wrong wearing a full suit in a dark color with a white dress shirt underneath. A tie is optional and should be conservative. Wearing a suit to a first interview shows professionalism, attention to detail and respect which make a lasting impression on the interviewer.

A big element of the outfit is the footwear. Dress shoes in black are an absolute must and they have to be polished well. The socks must be black and long enough not to reveal any part of the legs in a seated position. A watch makes a strong statement – it literally says: “hire me”.

For women:

It is somewhat harder for a woman to dress properly for an interview, because there is a lot going on in a woman’s outfit. Not only should she consider an appropriate color, but she also has to pay attention to cuts, material and length of skirt (if she has chosen to wear a skirt). Then come the shoes which make a strong statement too. It’s safer for a woman to wear dress pants in a dark color (grey, blue, black or brown) and a dress shirt on top. A suit jacket is optional and makes a good impression. A woman can also put on small and classy earrings or a watch, but not too many pieces of jewellery. The handbag should be in a medium size and in a complementary color with the outfit. Above all, the look should seem comfortable and professional. Wearing a low-heeled shoe is also a good idea – this way there is no risk of tripping or making too much noise.

Low on cash?  All of the items mentioned here can be found at your local Goodwill for a fraction of retail cost.

Happy Interviewing!

Yep, it’s true!  I used to be very unorganized.  It’s so fulfilling to be able to share my story of overcoming disorganization with my clients because I not only get to help them organize (my favorite thing in the world!), but I also am [...]]]>  Here are the other posts in this series.

Yep, it’s true!  I used to be very unorganized.  It’s so fulfilling to be able to share my story of overcoming disorganization with my clients because I not only get to help them organize (my favorite thing in the world!), but I also am able to relate to them on an emotional level.

So it is my pleasure to be able to share with you my story…

In The Beginning

I was born into a very chaotic home.  I love my parents, and I believe that they really did the best they could with the understanding they had.  But there were quite a few things I witnessed growing up that naturally caused me a lot of anger.

At the same time,  our family rarely ever ate together, people were always coming and going, there were no lists, and no schedules.  To make matters worse, my dad was a boarder-line hoarder.  The only reason I believe he is NOT a full blown hoarder is because he has garage sales several times a year, which means he’s still letting go of stuff.

With the anger combined with the unorganized nature of my upbringing, I not only had no idea how to organize, but I also had difficulty letting certain types of things go.  While my case of “hanging on to things” was very mild, it was the anger and fear I grew up with that caused me to put my trust in them.

Here’s What I Found Out

Even though the people who had hurt me previously were no longer part of my life, I still remained angry, so I suffered.  When I was pregnant with my daughter, the reality of my anger was becoming more and more apparent and I realized that if I was going to be a good mommy I had to fix myself first.  But how???

Forgive, replied the Lord.  That word hit me in my chest like an iron fist and all my anger flared up again.  How could God even suggest I forgive all of those who hurt me?!?!

Still, not wanting to suffer anymore, I began to research what real forgiveness is.  What I learned is that it IS NOT trusting the people who hurt you.  You can forgive people without throwing your doors open to them and allowing them to take advantage of you all over again.

It’s a bit complicated to explain, but I have found it to be the same with pretty much every client I have worked with.  The reason they cannot let go of their things is always the same: they are either physically or spiritually sick; holding on to pain others have inflicted on them or dealing with physical pain that slows them down.

Surprisingly, as I began to experience healing….with every person I forgave somehow I naturally began to enjoy organizing.  And so here I am, organizing and LOVING it!!!

Do you think there’s no hope for you when it comes to organizing?  I hope my story inspired you because I’m living proof that you can get organized no matter what

I have been feverishly working at getting our master bedroom looking like it was made for a king and queen.  The very first thing I was concerned about was our aweful bedding.  Not only was it UGLY, but it didn’t match at all!  Very embarrassing for someone as visual as me, but lets face [...]]]>

I have been feverishly working at getting our master bedroom looking like it was made for a king and queen.  The very first thing I was concerned about was our aweful bedding.  Not only was it UGLY, but it didn’t match at all!  Very embarrassing for someone as visual as me, but lets face it, funds have been tight.  Now that we can finally afford to fix it up, I wasn’t pinching pennies on the bedding.  Ok, I admit it, I pinched pennies a little, but when it came to anything that touched our skin (like the sheets), I paid good money for it.  $100 dollars to be exact, on egyptian cotton.  Totally worth the price!!!  The decorative pillows and comforter, however, I found for just $50 at Ross.  Want to see it??

Before:

After:

Side rant: I cannot stand how my pictures sometimes turn out to look as scary as they do.  I live in Washington State which means NO SUN and lots of crapy pics thanks to the lack of natural sunlight.  The before pic of my bed was taken when we actually had sunlight, and the second one was taken when it was raining out.  It’s depressing, but blogging must go on

Isn’t it gorgeous?!?!  Not only is it elegant, but it’s perfect for a man and a woman, and it’s a great color combination.  Now, all the bed needs is a headboard.

You know that shelving unit in our closet?  It’s about 35 years old, made of solid oak, and given to us by my husband’s parents.  I love it, but it was made to be our bed’s headboard, and was totally impractical.   If I ever had anything on the shelves I’d end up knocking things over in the middle of the night while I was tossing and turning.  And sitting up against the headboard to read something was impossible since I only had some shelves to sit up against, which always ended up making my back scream for relief.  I happily took it off our bed and put it in our closet instead where it could actually be used.

I’ve been scratching my head for months trying to figure out how I was going to make a headboard.  Buying one was out of the question because they get to be way to pricey for this tightly budgeted family.  But as soon as I bought the bedding and picked out the paint it suddenly dawned on me that I had a couple of things on hand that would be perfect for this project.  Sometimes you just gotta get the project started before your creative juices start flowing.

STAY TUNED FOR A SIMPLE AND BUDGET FRIENDLY HEADBOARD DIY!!!