Wordless Wednesday- The New Orleans Experience

When Duty Calls...

I've been in the military now for almost 12 years and I can say that for the majority of it I have loved it. It is a great job, great pay and benefits and I have lived in places I never would have had I not joined.

However the one downside to being in the military is the deployments. For the last 4 years I have been on the "single parent" side of it...meaning Justin has been the one deploying and I have been home by myself with the girls. Well that is all about to change.

Last week I got short noticed tasked for a deployment. It isn't a hard place to go to and it is one of the safest places to deploy to so I'm thankful for that BUT just when I thought I had made to the safe zone and wouldn't get tasked they snuck a secret play on me. Alas it's my job and I have to go so I'm learning to make the best of it.

I'll get more pay, start my masters, see a new country and I'll be the "boss" while I'm there so that will help my annual report.

So here in the next month I'll be "Reporting for Duty!"

In the meantime say a prayer for the hubby! He's only ever had the girls by himself for an evening when I've had to work the late shift so this will be an eye opening experience for him!

Adding a Signature to Your Blog

Adding a signature to your blog is extremely easy and not only will it help personalize your blog but it will allows you to put some of your personality into each post even more!

There are many ways to design your signature but I am going to go over how to do it using a signature website.

One website that allows you to create your signature is MyLiveSignature. I'm not going to go over every step because the website is very self explanatory but from the main page click on "Start Now" to begin.

Once you have finished making your signature save it as a image on your computer.

Now you will need to upload the image onto an image hosting site such as Photobucket (it's a free site too). Then retrieve the image URL. On Photobucket the URL can be found by clicking the "share to other services" here:

Chose links at the top from the popup window and double click on the HTML code to copy it.

Now go to Blogger and select Template, click Edit HTML, and then check the box Expand Widgets Templates. Once there search for the code div class=’post-footer’ and use the first instance of this code. Insert the image URL in the line IMMEDIATELY above the code and select preview to make sure it posted properly. Then hit save. 

**It is important to make sure you use "<" and ">" when putting the image URL into the template.  

Decorative Wooden Letter DIY

Ever see those decorative wooden letters on wreaths and wonder how you can get one? Well it is really easy to make AND it is cheap too!

You can get the supplies at any craft store and Walmart even carries it all too.

You will need:

Wooden letter

Glue Gun

Newspaper (to put under craft project for spills)

Decorative gems (used for potted plants, vases, etc)

Your supplies

Glue the gems onto the wooden letter. Be careful when placing the gems down as they will permanently stick immediately when you place them.

This project only takes about 10 minutes to complete and then you can hang with your beautiful wreath!

Throwback Thursday

In honor of my sweet "Taterbug" turning 9 yesterday this post is dedicated to her!

It seems like just yesterday I was told I was going to have a baby in a few short hours. At almost 21 years old I hadn't a clue what I was getting into bit I was ready for the challenge nonetheless.

Now I have a smart beautiful and talented 9 year that has taught more about life than I thought was possible. I can only hope that when she is a "teenager" that we are still as close now and she still thinks cool!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Magazine Giveaway for your daughter!! 

Be Your Own You Magazine Giveaway

Magazine Review: Be Your Own You and Subscription Giveaway

A few weeks ago I was approached to do a magazine review for a magazine called Be Your Own You.  I hadn't ever heard of it but from the email it described the magazine as "the premier provider of positive self-esteem messaging for “tween” girls, with the mission to empower them to become a positive force in tomorrow’s world. We have created the perfect balance of entertainment and education; teaching self-esteem in fun, yet powerful, ways that makes a long-lasting impact on a girl’s life. We feature stories and information on current topics and challenges girls face today (such as bullying, body image, and friendships), positive self-affirming messaging, and popular teen/tween celebrities who are positive role models and making a difference in the world." Well naturally that caught my attention because I have a daughter that is almost 9 (only a few weeks!) and she is entering those "tween" years. So I thought what could be better for her than to have a magazine like this that she can read.

I read through the magazine before I gave it to Taylor to read and I love this magazine so much I don't even where to start!!
First off this magazine isn't covered with girls trying to look older with lots of makeup on and talking about nothing but boys. I love how this magazine isn't forcing the girls to act older than what they are! This magazine inspires them to reach for goals, ways you can face your fears, DIY crafts and stories from women and girls that can inspire them. 
There was a story on how to start your own business and Taylor read it and next thing you know she is coming up to me asking to use the computer so she can write things to do for her own business! Love that!
They also have an apparel store that sells shirts that say Be Your Own You. I think that slogan is so important because nowadays girls have so much peer pressure on them to be like someone else or to act older or whatever the case may be but these clothes let them know that it is OK to be you!
Right away the first thing Taylor saw was the cover model and recognized her from a Disney tv show.  Her name is Olivia Holt and the interview with her was awesome. She discusses her charity work and how important it is, and most of all she seems very down to earth. She talks about the small town that she is from and how at one point she bullied by kids for pursuing her dreams of being an actress. She gives pointers for dealing with it since unfortunately it happens more in school now. 

Dec/Jan Issue I reviewed

The Feb/Mar issue

So what is better than this awesome review? Have a giveaway for you to see yourself how awesome this magazine is!!!

That's right one lucky winner will get a free year's subscription to the magazine. I know your daughter's  will love this magazine as much as mine does!

So here are the rules for the giveaway:

1. Follow the magazine on one of their social media sites:

‘Like’ us on Facebook! www.Facebook.com/BYOUmagazine

‘Follow’ us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/BYOUmagazine

(I trust you all that you will do this!)

2. Share this post on one social media site and then comment below and attach the link of where you shared it to.

So easy!!!

*** You can also get a bonus entry for any person you send to this blog and they comment that you sent them!***


So go out and share this magazine with the world. Seriously...it's an awesome magazine and girls will love it!

Hurry the giveaway ends on April 1st! (It really does..not an April Fools joke!)

My Little Girl Scout

This was my absolute favorite time of year for growing up when I was a Girl Scout. Cookie sales!!

This year was my daughter's first time to experience it and she has had a blast. She saw all the prizes available and immediately wanted to try to sell 500 boxes. We sat and talked about it and decided that 250 was probably a more realistic number since she had never sold before.

This is one of the many reasons why I love Girl Scouts especially in today's society where it seems like everywhere you turn there is something or someone that is trying to advertise for kids to grow up faster!

So needless to say Miss Taylor sold 179 (and then some more since then) and was absolutely proud of herself for selling that many. I LOVE how this teaches girls so many great skills!

So if you ever had any questions about Girl Scouts or how your money helps them you can find that here: Cookie Questions Answered

All the troop's cookies

Taylor and her cookies