Hazards of Living on an Army Post and Other Randomness

I love these hands and feet pictures. I have been asked numerous times by numerous people how I ever got such beautiful pictures of my children's hands and feet. They are shocked when I tell them I didn't. :-) This is actually a set of 5 x 7 postcards I purchased from IKEA a few years ago. I just love them. They are black and white and beautiful and they have always been one of my most treasured posessions. I wish I could say they are pictures of my children, but there is no way I could ever get them to sit still and position their hands and feet like this for long enough to snap a picture.


For the most part I love living on a military installation. It sure beats the heck out of living off post in this area. I get to hear them play taps twice a day (sometimes I even hear it from the neighboring Air Force base if the wind is blowing just right). If you are out and about when they play it life stops in it's tracks while people get out of their vehicles and salute or put their hand over their heart and pay respect to what deserves it most. Where else can you be driving and have a convoy military vehicles driving right alongside you? Famous people come to the PX all the time to sign autographs. And what beats getting to see a whole lot of hot men running around in uniform every day! Whoo hoo!

There are some downsides though, and one of them is field artillery. No, we don't have it raining down on our housing area but we sure hear a lot of it when they're training at the ranges. Sometimes it shakes the ground. Sometimes it scares the crap out of me in the middle of the night. Sometimes it's non-stop for over an hour at 3am when we should be sleeping peacefully. It ALWAYS sends all the dogs in the neighborhood into a fit of barking. Last week it literally shook one of my frames off the wall and the glass broke on the way down. Do you think I can find another frame that matches the remaining four? Of course not since that's just the way my life goes.

If your spouse is a 13B, 13D, 13P, or any of the other artillery MOS's I'm sure I'm not aware of, could you please tell them they owe me one black 5 x 7 picture frame? Thank you.

Friday night I swear there were pigs flying through the sky and sure enough it snowed on Saturday! I don't know how well you can see it in the picture but it is really coming down there. It never snows here. It really wasn't enough to accumulate on more then the grass but it was beautiful. I am from the north east and snow is one thing I miss the most. You may say I'm crazy but I miss trying to drive through it and shoveling it and playing in it and all the other wonderful things about snow! Cadence got to see it for the first time and actually enjoyed it until she tried to sit down and got a wet bum. Oh well. The flakes were the size of a quarter for a good 45 minutes before it slowed down. And by the next morning it had disappeared. I did get this one crappy picture just to remind myself it wasn't a dream.

Finding Balance

Whew, has it been awhile! The holidays and the aftermath were physically and mentally draining for myself and the kids, although I think I gave them the best possible Christmas they could have without their Daddy around to share it. I have to say I'm glad it's all over. I have been telling myself since September that if we could just make through the holidays, time would start zipping along. And so far it has!

Along with the new year I have a new outlook on many things. Many aspects of my life over the last year or so have just gotten out of control and it's time to get things in order. So this year I will be focused on finding balance and getting organized. No more procrastinating (well, ok, I know I'll still procrastinate a little but nothing like I have been), no more excuses, it's just time to start getting things done.

As you may have noticed my Etsy shop is still closed. I have a lot of new and exciting things planned for this year, including a new original line of blankets that your Schmoolies are gonna love! And if you have a sense of humor you're going to love them too. I guarantee they are like nothing else on the market today. I also have some new fabrics on order and hope to have everything back up and running by the end of February. My parents and Dathan's are both coming to visit next month to celebrate Xavier's birthday (I can't believe my baby is turning six!) so hopefully I can get a lot accomplished during their visit. When the shop re-opens be on the lookout for new larger size Minky blankets, hooded bath towels, and changing mats as well.

It's also time to start getting serious about our health. Inspired by Kate of the John & Kate Plus 8 show on TLC, I am considering going organic with our diets. If a mother of eight children can find the time and money to eat organic then I see no reason why I can't give it my best shot. My weight since giving birth to Cadence has just been out of control. It may partly be due to thyroid problems, which I should have a definit answer on by the end of the month. In the meantime we are eating healthy, exercising more, and getting out into the crisp fresh air as much as possible.

I've also worked out a day to day schedule that I think balances out time with kids and time for Inspired by Schmooley, so I should be able to complete more and get things listed more often.

Do you like that picture of the scale up there ^? You can get one at Kids Unplugged. They're not handmade, but all of their toys are made from natural, safe, and nontoxic materials with consideration to their effect on the environment, and the store is owned by a WAHM!

I Didn't Forget, I Promise!

There has been random chaos and craziness in the Padgett household for the last few days which has caused me to fall further behind than usual on this blog, my shop, and life in general. :-( But I promise I did not forget about the giveaway! A winner was chosen at random by me, since Schmooley was not being cooperative to say the least. And the winner is....bethysak!

I promise I will post pictures of the finished bib tomorrow, but my camera hasn't had batteries for a few days. Xavier received a toy airplane as a gift in the mail earlier this week that required batteries. I tried switching out batteries from almost every other toy in this house and apparently my camera's batteries were the only ones I had strong enough to power the airplane. I've been camera-less since because getting to the store to buy brand new batteries just hasn't happened yet. The picture above is a patchwork bib currently for sale in my shop as part of a gift set.

Thanks to all who entered, and congrats to bethysak!

I also wanted to let everyone know that Inspired by Schmooley will be closing at the end of this week while I travel for the holidays. The shop most likely will re-open in mid-February after undergoing some big changes. Thanks to all for your support and I will be back here with updates on the changes.

This is possibly the coolest journal I've ever seen...a Nightmare Snatcher! I bought one of these as a gift and I'm so dissapointed I didn't order one for myself too. Besides being incredibly adorable, it's super soft as well.

From the Spiderbite shop announcement, "Furry and fearless, friendly but ferocious, these Nightmare Snatchers™ are the perfect journals for writing down and drawing out all that scares, frightens, and worries. You have only to recite the spell found at the front of the book, record your woes on their aged tea-stained pages, then mark your page with their long tail and your faithful friend the Nightmare Snatcher™ will eat your fears away."

How much more creative and unique does it get then that?! Check out their Etsy store HERE or on http://www.nightmaresnatchers.com.

Sneak Peak...

I started working on the bib for the giveaway and as promised here's the sneak peak. Leave a comment here on my blog and you'll have a chance to win! Good luck!

Update on the Lumpling!

Dathan and the Lumpling have become such good friends that he's revealed his true name is Phil...Phil McCrackin to be exact but Dathan's pretty sure that last name is an alias. Phil was given a top secret security clearance so he's able to go to work with Dathan and his friends every day. Boy was it difficult doing a background check on Phil but luckily everything went through ok. Now he's learning all about Army life and the intel world.

Dathan says he's been having a hard time keeping Phil quiet in his pocket. In the short time they've been over there together Phil has already realized how screwed up the Army can be. Especially when it comes to certain "people in charge". When Phil found out first they weren't getting any days off, then they were only getting half a day off once a week until they "prove" themselves, he got so angry one of his eyes popped off his head and the medics had to patch him back up! When Phil heard a majority of a certain group of soldiers got mid-tour leave dates they requested he knew that was no coincidence. Phil felt that group should've lived up to their titles and put others before themselves, but Dathan informed Phil that it just doesn't work that way. What really sent Phil over the edge was hearing how there were SINGLE soldiers who claimed they needed to be home for their wedding anniversaries to get the dates they wanted. Dathan had to stuff him in a foot locker to cool off for a few days after that. Phil is slowly learning to adapt but I wish Dathan would just let him speak up. Hey if new soldiers going through BCT are allowed to have cell phones, how much longer is it really going to be before you can tell certain people to kiss your ass without getting disciplined?

Despite all the bureaucratic BS, they are having some good times. They're getting ready to throw a pirate party for our friend Randy. I'm pretty sure this will be the first pirate party the palace has ever seen. Last week they had their first half day off and were able to get together with friends for coffee and a pipe. That reminds me...does anyone know where to get a Lumpling size pipe? Phil got awful sick after sharing Dathan's.

Dathan hasn't been feeling well lately so in order to allow him to get some rest Phil decided to go out and explore with our friends Samantha and Randy. They took some pictures and Phil said it's ok if I share them here.

Outside the Palace Phil has some extra padding, so don't worry, this didn't hurt

Sitting in the big chair in the palace

Goofing around with Chad

Hanging out on Randy's shoulder

That's it for now, but I'll be sure to update you again once I hear more from Phil and Dathan!

It's Giveaway Time Again!

For those of you who havn't yet seen my new patchwork style bibs, get over to my SHOP and check 'em out! I really am having so much fun creating these bibs. Unlike anything else I've ever sewn I don't start out with anything in mind. It's totally free form and spontaneous. It's just me, my fav fabrics, and a whole lot of creativity. I love it! I know they are a bit pricier then my other bibs, but they are more time consuming to create and well, I love them so much I can't let them go for any less. Because there are no patterns or exact measurements involved, each one is unique. So you see, they are worth it. :-)

For the next two weeks you have an opportunity to win a FREE patchwork style bib for your little Schmooley! All you have to do is leave a comment here on my blog. I am leaving this giveaway open until Saturday, December 8th. The winner will be drawn at random and posted by the 9th. Please mention a way for me to contact you when you leave your comment. I am going to start working on the bib that will be given away this week and should have a picture up by next weekend. The picture up above is just a sample of one I've already created. Closing this giveaway by the 8th allows enough time for the bib to be in your hands for the holidays. I'm sure you know a Schmooley who would look adorable in one!

Good luck everyone!

Doing the Happy Dance!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Our Turkey Day was pretty "eh" but I expected as much all things considered. I did accomplish quite a few things...the mother load of laundry, baking four different kinds of cookies, and putting up my Christmas decorations just to name a few.

Today I have something to be very very thankful for. Back in October my Aunt lost her beloved golden retriever Ruefuz at Schwartzwood State Park in NJ. My family has been going to Schwartzwood for years and on October 21st they were having a picnic there. Just as everyone was about to leave Rue just took off. My Aunt, Uncle, and cousin ran after him but eventually he was out of sight. They distributed hundreds of fliers, went back to the park throughout the week, notified the NJ state police,fire departments, rescues, and shelters, put ads on the local news, newspapers, and weather channel, etc. I posted on Craigslist, Dog Detective.com, Pet911.com, PetFinder.com, etc. and had many people e-mail me with words of encouragement. Despite everyone's efforts though, it seemed like Ruefuz was gone for good.

Last night someone near Branchville, NJ spotted Ruefuz and called in his brothers to help catch him. After being outside in the cold for exactly one month and two days Ruefuz was rescued and brought home today! Rue is my Aunt Barbie's life and I know without him she wasn't whole. I am so thankful for his return, and all the kind words and support she received from so many people.

I am just so thankful he's home!