Hello, strangers.

This has been a very hectic week and, in all honest, this blog has been the last thing on my mind. Sometimes, the tediousness of sitting down to write a post is trumped by getting to bed a little early or enjoying a glass of wine with a friend. Today, however, I wanted to stop in and provide a quick update. 

I am precisely one week from my Vegas trip and crazy-excited! I can't even tell you how much I need a vacation right now. And even though it's going to be a whirlwind weekend filled with more fun than I can probably handle, I get to see some of my favorite people which makes it all worth it. 

We also have a major work event before I leave, two major events after I return, and our battalion ball in three weeks. Hence, the complete chaos that is my life right now. 

If I'm being honest, I love every second of it. I love that I am getting involved in my community, growing my business, and starting to find a fit within the Army (although that last one feels like it is "too little, too late.") I like getting up and putting on a suit and heading out the door. I like having that purpose again.

It is kicking my butt, though. My allergies are going hay-wire and the meds are making things worse before making them better. I am also still adjusting to pulling our birth control. But I am working out multiple times per week and eating as well as possible. I am also staying on top of the meds and my multi-vitamin. I hope that once this transition part is over, my body will start to get healthy again. And, more importantly, I'll start to feel good again. 

Back to the Ball. I am excited to finally attend a formal Army ball. I missed out on many of the previous balls because I was in Minnesota. And since this is likely our last opportunity, I am happy to attend. Al hasn't put up much a fuss about going, although I know he's doing so begrudgingly. 

Well, that's about all the time I have today. Time to blow my nose (again) and make some lunch before another busy afternoon. Have a great weekend!

Our Master Bedroom, The Interim

When we bought our house, the master suite was one major selling point for me. A large (but not overly) bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. But, since our focus was on the main level kitchen and living areas, we knew no major renovation would take place. It was up to me to use decor and organization to get it looking its best in the interim. 

If you recall, the before shot of the bedroom:

This is basically what you see when you walk into the room.

This is a photo of the room shortly after we moved in. Just haphazardly decorated with mis-matched lamps and bare walls. After a few hours on a Saturday (and after Al re-wired my lamps for my new shades) I transformed it just enough to give it a pulled-together look. A few unique and kitchsy pieces make it feel home-y and warm. 

This is the view when you walk in now
Hamper - Flea market in Florida; 4-drawer dresser - Target; Memory foam rug - Lowes
{The dresser holds extra toiletries and blankets, sheets, etc... It was a great interim plan to before we can mount the TV.}

 Moving the bed to the this wall, opposite of the previous, opened up so much room for the reading nook.
Headboard - DIY; Sign - Sam's Club; Side tables - Walmart; Brown comforter & sheets - Target; Red sheets - Walmart; Accent pillow - Walmart

My lamps from the auction, with new wiring and shades.
Lamp bases - Auction; Lamp shades - Walmart; Decor tin - thrifted

My reading corner. This love seat is so plush and comfy and the little table came from Germany with my grandparents. And the pup loves curling up in his bed next to me! You can also see the open arch leading to the master bath (which is a post for another day!)
Love seat - second-hand; Table - second-hand; Dog bed - Petco; Accent pillow - DIY slip cover

This corner is behind the door, but had enough room for a dressing space. I can set out an outfit or two and prep my gym bag, briefcase, etc... (excuse the blasted blurry pic!)
Mirror - Walmart; Clothes hooks - ?? (since childhood); Rainbow Vaccum/Air purifier

We still have a long way to go in this room. We need to patch the walls and paint. We need to lay new floors (perhaps hardwood with a great rug or just better carpet.) We need to get more artwork and wall decor. And, overall, I just need to come up with better storage solutions and remove some of the clutter. For the interim, though, this is good enough for me. 

Our Dining Room

Some shots of our "finished" dining room.  The dining room is off the main room, tucked behind the main floor half-bath. It's a somewhat open floor plan, so you can walk through either side of the room. (You can see the living room in the background. The other direction is the kitchen.) 

I wanted the room to look breezy and cozy. Nothing extensive, just a nice place to sit and enjoy a meal with company. The table is "on loan" from a friend who said we could use it while we stored it for him. We're looking for a similar table as a long-term solution. 

I did a photo wall opposite the windows, with the table centered under the light fixture. A simple table vignette and a couple place mats really pulled it together. 

 A better view of the photo wall. I'm not totally happy since it's black and tan and we did this room in brown, blue and white. For now, though, I'm glad to have things up on the walls!

The center piece. Flowers, a candle and some candies in a milkglass vignette.

"Action shot" - We've really enjoyed the coziness of eating in the dining room together.

  The details: 

Curtains & curtain rod - Lowe's (clearance) / Silver platter and all milk glass - thrifted / Place mats - Kohls

Table - Pottery Barn (on loan)  

The Button Room

Many months ago, I was up-to-my-eyeballs frustrated with Al. For some reason, every little thing he did was getting on my nerves. One day, I looked at him and said:

You are pushing my buttons. It's like to found the secret key to a button room and every single button inside is labeled 'melissa' and you are running around frantically hitting all of them to see what they do. Every. Single. Button.

He looked at me and replied:

I'll find a new room to play in.

(psd graphics, free domain)

Since then, the term "button room" has been a running joke. Whenever I'm agitated with him, I can usually say "are you playing in the button room again?" and that's enough to alter the behavior.

Well, this week has been a mess. A real doo-zy. 

Al started his stop-smoking regimen on Sunday and is showing clear signs of withdrawals. {And, to be blunt (overshare alert!), I stopped my birth control so I can start tracking my cycle again in preparation of baby-making. We're still some time away from actually "trying," but with my trip to Vegas coming up, it made sense to alter my cycle now anyway.} Between his nicotine withdrawals and my hormone imbalance, we are just getting on each other's last nerve. 

Last night, laying in bed, I clicked off the TV and rolled over to Al who was almost asleep. I poked him, moved his arm, and started inching as close to him as possible. And just when he thought I wanted a cuddle, I put my ice-cold feet directly on the back of his legs. He yelped and quickly flipped over to look at me. 

20 minutes later, I was still trying to warm up my feet and pestering him to stay awake with me and chat. Finally, he looks at me and says:

"seriously woman, back the hell away from the button room"

Oops. I guess I found the panic button.

Highlights

It's a crazy thing when you're going about your life, day after day, and all of the sudden it's Saturday when you finally stop to take a deep breath and take stock of the week. It's so easy, in today's culture, to get caught up in being busy and forget to appreciate how great life really is. Sometimes it is important to slow down, review the week's highlights (and even the low moments,) and appreciate the experiences we have. 

That's what I'm doing today. 

On Monday, I finally passed my Securities 65 exam and am now fully licensed in my field! I was also offered a raise at my coaching gig! On Tuesday, the weather kept me inside and I was able to catch up on a lot of tasks I'd previously back-burnered. It feels good to check things off the list. On Wednesday, I treated myself to a long-overdue haircut and eyebrow wax and finally found a stylist I'm immensely happy with. Then, I attended an amazing event for Hiring our Heroes. On Thursday, I finally got meds to help with my newly-discovered allergies and I spent some time with my new ACS friends. On Friday, Al and I got a quote for replacing some broken windows and spent the evening enjoying a bottle of wine together. 

I'm looking forward to meeting Michelle's baby tomorrow and prepping for another week of busy. Hopefully, this time, I can slow down enough to appreciate the week's events as the occur.

Fashion Friday: Work-wear Inspiration

Now that I'm finally on the daily-grind part of my job (no more studying for a very, very long time!) I have shifted my daily attire away from jeans and onto suits and work-attire. My Pinterest has been very active in helping me find inspiration for dressing conservatively without being boring. Here are some looks I've pinned recently that are easy to re-create, don't require a large budget, and still keep your look from being too dull!

Go here to see more of my pinned looks! And share any inspiration you've found for dressing professionally without feeling boring or stuffy.

My Time at the Academy

A few weeks ago, I was asked to represent my company at a Hiring our Heroes event at the Air Force Academy. {Side note: the Academy campus is gorgeous.  The event was a mentoring event for military spouses searching for work and I was asked to attend as a mentor. My role was to answer any questions the job-seekers had and help them navigate the career fair scheduled for the following day.

The event was Wednesday and it was, without a doubt, one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. First, to be considered knowledgeable enough to be a mentor was a major compliment. Second, it's no secret that I have a huge passion for empowering military spouses to pursue education and careers. Finally, I got to meet tons of wonderful spouses, employers, and significant community members - meaning I made friends and business contacts!

If you have the opportunity to attend, even if you are not a job-seeker, do it! The program, while practically brand new, has done phenomenal things for military spouse careers and they continue to be a leader in the jobs movement for spouses around the nation. Even as a mentor, I learned so much from the event and found myself soaking up the information and mingling the event offered. Here are the upcoming spouse events and they are all located on or near major military installations around the country. 

Seriously, go.

I'm grateful to MSJDN for telling me about the event many months ago, to my company for making the connection with event coordinators, and to my branch manager for believing in me enough to allow me this wonderful experience. I hope to build on these experiences and create meaningful, long-lasting relationships in the military and my community.

Redemption

Do you remember this post? 

Well, yesterday I re-took the exam and I passed! I am so grateful to be over that hurdle so I can start building my business and, more importantly, start making money at it! 

It felt great to go into the exam knowing what to expect, which I guess is an advantage to taking it more than once. But it felt even better to click "calculate results" and see "PASS" in big, black letters. 

On my drive back from the testing center, I blasted the music with the windows down (it was a beautiful 70-degree day, unlike today's 20 degrees and 50 mph winds!) and simply reveled in my accomplishment. This isn't meant to sound like bragging because, believe me, there was not a big margin between failing and my score. And I don't think I can even say I'm proud of the work, mostly relieved and just happy to be done.

The biggest thing I took away from the whole experience is self-teaching something new is really hard. You will at some point hit a wall and want to walk away. Instead, stick with it, find new ways to learn, and don't get discouraged. When you're done, you will not regret pushing yourself to learn something new!

Have you redeemed yourself recently for an earlier mistake? Tell me about it.

Troopswap?

I was recently introduced to Troopswap when I attended the March spouse's club event.{Side note: I have only been once so I don't yet have an opinion on the group. I don't want to decide whether it's for me until I've spent a little more time with them.}

Have you heard of Troopswap? I'm sure you have - I'm behind on the times.

Well, after hearing that it was a Groupon-type site devoted to military personnel and their families and that 10% of their proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project, I thought I'd go check it out.

I created a username and password and was routed to a place to verify our military service. They asked for personal information on me and Al in order to verify that we are in fact military (which included part of our social and linking to our USAA account.) I haven't continued with the registration because I'm sure if I want to give that info.

For one, it's not really mine to give. It's Al's. And I can tell you that he won't want me linking our bank account to this site. Two, I am rarely comfortable putting that info on the internet as it is.

Granted, I understand why they require it. And I appreciate that they are keeping it as a military-only benefit, but I'm just not sure... They also have the ability to link your military records or to scan in a copy of a military ID. Again, though, much of the information is quite personal and not something I want on a somewhat public forum. The final option is to link using a .mil email address - which I am much more comfortable with - but I don't think Al will like that much either.

Before I go any farther, I would like to know:
Has anyone joined Troopswap?  Which verification method did you use? 
Did you find it worth the additional information?

Saturday Share: Spring clean your entire life!

When I think of spring cleaning, I often think of pulling out the fridge to clean behind it and spraying down the window screens. Sometimes I think of pulling out the summer clothes and washing and putting away the winter ones. Even less often, I think of all the other little tasks that need to be done, such as going through the medicine cabinet and tossing expired meds or clearing old, unnecessary paperwork out of the file cabinet. Yet, all of these things are important and help us enter into spring and summer (when kids are around and there are more activities planned, hence, less time for cleaning and organizing) prepared and feeling great! 

So, for this lovely spring Saturday (it's almost 80 here in Colorado!) I am presenting you with a whole slew of links to help you with spring cleaning your house, your wardrobe, your office, your budget, your career, and your life. Excited? Read on...

Spring Clean Your Home

40 house-cleaning tips - via Simple Organized Living 

(Perfect for those "tricky" spaces that you never think to clean)

Master spring cleaning - via the Huffington Post

Spring clean your fridge - via Mom's Everyday

Good Housekeeping's Spring Cleaning Resources 

(I especially like their 10 hidden germ spots article)

Spring Clean Your Closet & Wardrobe

Spring clean your work wardrobe - via the Daily Muse

Expert advice on cleaning out your closet - via Who What Wear 

(More specific tips on certain articles of clothing you're not sure about.)

Spring Clean Your Finances

6 money resolutions to make in 2013 - via Wisebread

How to spring clean your finances - via Life.YourWay

Spring clean your finances - via CreditKarma

Spring clean your financial plan - via Forbes

Spring Clean Everything Else

31 ways to spring clean your tech items - via PopSugar

De-clutter your life for a fresh start - via Huffington Post

It's time to spring clean your career - via Yahoo!Finance

Spring clean your career - via the Daily Muse 

(This has everything from freshening up your resume to cleaning out old emails!)

Don't forget to spring clean your mind as well! Whether you like yoga, meditation, devotionals or something else, it is just as important to use this time to de-clutter your mind, rejuvenate your soul, and de-stress your life. 

This weekend get a jump start on some of these tasks and let me know how it goes!

A little of this and that

I stumbled upon this smoothie recipe the other day (on my daily Pinterest peruse) and yesterday morning, I made it. If you know anything about me, I love bananas and oatmeal and I hate mornings. So anything that combines food I love and gives me an energy boost to start my day is a winner in my life. 

{chiquita} I followed the recipe other than the ice. I threw in a small handful, but I used frozen bananas, so the consistency was delivered through that. And I went a little light on the almonds simply because I used my remaining stash and didn't quite have enough. It was delicious!

As for the protein-energy-inducing part, I don't know for sure. I still felt a little laggy, but since I woke up this morning with a pretty wicked head cold, it's possible the low-energy was a result of the impending ick. I do know that it was filling. I did not need any additional food until lunch and was satisfied with the substantial-ness of the smoothie.

Once we hit Sam's Club this weekend and pick up more almonds and bananas, I will be making this again. Perhaps on mornings where I have a workout planned and need an easy but delicious energy-infused breakfast. I'll report back if I start to see more results in that area.

In other news, I am completely bored by this season of Army Wives. I intended on recapping episodes 3 and 4 and I could not come up with enough stuff I remembered or cared about to make a worthwhile post. I can't stand Ashanti's "acting" and most of the story line feels contrived. It remains that my favorite moments involve the original characters and I am not forging the same bond with the new ones.

I will still see it through at least a few more episodes to see if it gets better. And now that Walking Dead is over until the fall, I have a little more TV time on my Sunday nights. We'll see if my feelings change going forward. 

Finally, Kramer is settling in to our family just fine. We have finally gotten past many of our original hang-ups developed a bit of a routine. He's now bell and leash-trained as well as many other commands. He now handles bedtime with ease and can play by himself if necessary. Now that he has the basics down we need to move on to the more complicated issues - like his random fears and his stranger anxiety. We need to socialize him with people and dogs more and we need to get him more comfortable in the car. 

We are making progress and know that he has come so far in such a short time, but it is still frustrating to have him backtrack or demonstrate a whole new fear. But, really, can you stay mad at this face?

A winner and 2013 goals review

First things first, the winner of my blog-a-versary giveaway is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Mrs. Duh! I sent you an email with more information. Thank you to all who entered and who continue to be fans of my blog. 

Even if you didn't get a chance to enter the giveaway (or chose not to) please take a moment and answer the poll on my sidebar. I would like to know more about what you would like to read on my blog. It is easy to get caught up in weekly features and other happenings and not pay attention to what you enjoy reading - so tell me! I personally plan to include more "tell-all" posts - that are open and from the heart. I don't want to turn this blog into purely an information delivery and house project blog (though I enjoy those too!) I want to utilize the journal aspect of the blog and, well, get more personal. Hopefully, I can implement that during the month of April.

Speaking of April, did it sneak right up on you too? I tell ya. I really thought we had a week or two of March left. Anyway, it is time to review my goals and how I did during the (much too speedy) month of March.

Expand Mind

1. Did I read at least 1 book? Not cover-to-cover. I started a book, but most "free time" has been spent on studying and taking AFTB courses to finish my instructor hours. (I start teaching in two weeks!)

2. Did I develop any skills? I started a spin class which I had never done before.

3. Did I teach/tutor at least 1 child? No tutoring.

Increase Wealth

1. Did I payoff any debt? We made more than minimum payments on all our debts, but no complete payoffs.

2. Did I increase ER savings? No. But we just set up an allotment to make sure this changes in April.

3. Did I increase additional savings? Yes. I increased it by about $20 this month.

Advance Career

1. Did I attend at least 1 event? I attended many events this month. I foresee this being the cornerstone of my business for most of the year and it is very exciting!

2. Did I write at least 1 article? No articles this month, but I started the process of a semi-long-term writing deal with the blog. Stay tuned for information as it becomes available.

3. Did I make steps toward finding a mentor? Yes. I made small step towards finding a mentor through the Rising Professionals group. I haven't finalized the details yet, but I am excited to have the experience!

Enhance Home

1. Did we make progress on the guest bath/bedroom? No new progress. We are keeping our eyes peeled for a guest bedroom set and then I will have the foundation to organize and decorate the room.

2. Did we make progress on clearing the Radon? Not so far. Still waiting for the weather to warm up and our budget to accommodate.

3. Did we make progress on the outdoor projects? Yes! This past weekend we tore out the rotting deck and rebuilt the joist and floor boards. We still need to seal and paint the deck, but here are a few snaps of the progress:

Improve Health

1. No smoking? Still smoke-free!!

2. Did I eat healthier? Until last week, yes. I made lunches from home and focused on veggies and low fat meals. Last week, however, we grabbed pizza and ate at restaurants a few times because we were so busy. Bad!!

3. Did I take a multi-vitamin? Not regularly. This one is so simple and yet so difficult.