Ice Cream Sunday

We were going to go out for ice cream but decided to make our own sundaes instead.

Rain

Once again we were counting up the days until it last rained. I've never seen it so dry in the south. So we've lived here three months now and it has rained three times, once a month. We've really been needing the rain. My plants need the rain. I need the rain.

In the past six hours we have received three inches of rain. Now we are in a Flood Warning. Charlie and I haven't driven out in town to see the effects of the rain yet but I've heard that the streets are flooded and the lakes and creeks have flooded. Thank goodness we don't live in a flood zone.

The kids have enjoyed themselves playing in the rain. They stood out in the rain, jumped in puddles, played with their friends outside and just had a great time. Good. They should. I'm glad they are being kids. It's suppose to rain through the night and day tomorrow. Hopefully our warning will be lifted by tomorrow evening.

My mums have enjoyed the rain too. I love having flowers around the house. I'm happy to have something pretty for fall this year:

Closet Re-Vamped

This week Charlie took some time off from work to get some projects done at home. We decided to overhaul the master bedroom closet. There was nothing really wrong with them. But they really weren't fulfilling their full potential.

This is the closet before:

This is our bedroom during (what a mess!):

And this is the closet once we were done! (Charlie's side):

And my side (along with the rest of Charlie because he LOVES clothes and has to wear the latest fashions):

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I found today that someone, something has been having lunch with my plants. I found a few leaves that had been munched on. I unwrapped a leaf and found this very hungry caterpillar making a home in my plant and nibbling on it's leaves:

He wasn't there yesterday and luckly I found him quickly because he had already devoured a few large leaves. No telling what he would have done within a week.

So I clipped off the leaf he was making his home in and took him way, way to the back of the woods. I'd rather him not ruin these pretty flowers:

Finally!!! The Kitchen is Completed

Yahoo!!! We are so happy and excited to say that the remodel on the kitchen is finished!

You may remember it used to look like this:

And this:

But now it looks like this:

And this:

Rub a Dub Dub

Things are starting to come together with the house. After a bit of a break, we got the itch again to finish some renovations. My friend and I tackled the girls' bathroom. We spent a day together riping down all the pink check wallpaper. Then the next day, I finished cleaning up what we were too tired to get from the previous day and also washed the walls. I spent a day priming the walls and then another day painting the walls.

After four days of riping, washing, painting and sweating, our hard work was done. Here is the finished product:

I like it. We all agreed on the color. It's called Balmy. I need some art for the walls but for now it looks wonderful.

From That...To This

So after clearing out all the old brush from the front landscape, Charlie and I went down to the nursery and picked out some new plants. We worked all afternoon and even after the sun went down. We were determined to complete our project. While it looks completed, we still have some work to do. We will be putting in a fountain with a walkway around it eventually. It will be a nice feature to complete the landscape.

We have some of our first blooms!

Clearing Out

This weekend Charlie and I cleared out the landscaping (or lack there of). We pulled his truck up into the front yard, put tie downs around the bushes and drove them literally out of the ground. We got rid of 6 rose bushes and 1 crape myrtle. I had pictures of it all but unknowingly, I deleted them.

We had a few of our neighbors stop by and tell us what a great job we were doing. They must of really been tired of looking at that mess. They continued to tell us how awesome the grass is looking, that it's so thick and green. It's been two months of watering, fertilizing and mowing to get it so pretty.

We took a trip to our local nursery and picked up some new plants. Our goal for this week is to plant them and and actually have this project finished! I can't wait. It's going to look so nice.

Jaxson

This is Jax.

He is Sandy's best bud.

He's a happy dog.

He's really laid back.

And one of the sweetest doggies ever.

See the Smile?

Baby got a brand new grill!

He's so happy. He couldn't wait to start grilling.

The girls are happy too. They had their friends over for a sleepover.

New Love

Coming back to the states I had my apprehension about the latest gadgets. I knew I wanted them but was scared to use them. And I really didn't know the depth of all they can do to make my life simpler. Doing what any military spouse would do, I jumped right in. I got a Droid Eris from Verizon. It's my new love. Yes, Charlie is a bit jealous of our relationship.



Besides making calls, texting, voice mail and internet, it does all of this:

Scans bar codes so I can find out who has the best deal, reviews and details.
Keeps all of my shopper's cards in one app. The cashier scans the bar code on my phone when I pull up the app. and credits my savings.

Saves my coupons from cellfire so I don't have to search, print and clip. I always have them handy even when I forget everything else.

Tells me where the closest restaurants, gas stations and stores are around through yelp. It even gives me reviews, websites and driving directions on how to get there from where I am.

Navigates me where ever I want to go from where ever I am at the moment.

It does so much more than that (I'm liking the whole weather and news apps. too). I'm in love with this phone. It's fun to find out new apps. everyday. It's made my life a ton easier already.

First day of School

It's back to school time already. This will be the first time the girls attend a state-side public school (no more Department of Defense Schools for them). I think they were excited and nervous at the same time. We went to their open house on Friday so they could get a feel for their new schools and meet their teachers. They were happy with what they saw and felt more comfortable. It makes me happy and more at ease knowing their schools are some of the best in the states.

Kiera is ready for 5th grade.

Jasmine is ready for 8th grade.

Maya can't wait for 6th grade to begin.

Oh deer me!

You know you're back living in the country when a deer walks through your backyard!

Granite

We can't wait for the kitchen remodeling to be finished. Our next step is getting granite countertops installed. I had the opportunity to go to the factory and actually pick out the slab I want in our kitchen.

This is the one I picked:
It's called Uba-Tuba.

We should have it within one more week. It will make the kitchen more complete. The last thing we have to do is put in a back splash. But I will be very content with having the granite countertops until then.

First Thunderstorm

We've been in a bit of a drought where we live. We haven't seen any rain in about a month. It has rained in the cities to the north of us and to the south of us but not over us. But finally, this afternoon, it rained. Not only did it rain, it stormed. It was our first storm since moving stateside. The power flicked off twice already and reminded me to put the computer on a surge protector. Oddly, it never stormed in Okinawa and where we lived, the power never went out. So it will be a little getting use to. But I love the storms. I turn the lights out, open the blinds and watch the rain fall. The rain has brought us some cooler temps. for the moment. It's 76 degrees compared to the normal 102 we've had daily.

Pool Party

Our family was invited by our friends to a private pool/birthday party for their two daughters. It has been so hot here for so long, a dip in the pool was just what we needed.

We all had fun hanging on daddy and having chicken fights. The girls enjoyed hanging out with their friends and made new friends as well.

School starts in only 5 days so we all need to get to most out of what's left of summer!

It's the little things that make it a home.

Charlie and I have been working non-stop on the house since we moved it. Everyone finally has a bed now with blankets and pillows (we came with nothing). The kitchen is almost completed. We tore down the ugly wallpaper, painted the walls and trim, changed all the appliances and decorated. We are waiting for the granite counter tops to be installed and then the kitchen will be complete (pics to come). Kiera's room has been painted and decorated. Only a few things to do until it's complete. I think we are going to leave Maya's room the color it already is. Jasmine still needs to decide on a paint color for her room. Our bedroom is also near completion. We just need to add some final decorative touches. We are still debating on a color, art and pretty much everything for the living room. Charlie's man cave just needs a coat of paint as well.

So, yea, we've done so much and there's still so much to be done. This week I had a few projects of my own. Like putting up 7 towel racks. This house is 7 years old and did not have one single towel rack. Have you ever heard of that? In the master bath I put in two small towel rings by the sinks, one on each side. I put in a hook by the shower and a long rack by the tub. In the kids' bath, I put in one ring by the sink, a long towel rack on the wall and a shorter rack in the shower room.

(Oh yea, that's another project of mine. The wallpaper in the girls' bath will be coming down soon.)

Charlie replaced the back door lock with a new deadbolt lock. That was another question I asked myself, "who puts a turn lock by a window?" Plus the previous owner "lost" the key. So to make me feel better, it had to be changed.

I know there's always going to be something to change or to work on with a new house. We already have many more ideas. The front landscaping needs to be ripped out and re-done, we'd like to turn the patio into a sun room, a fence needs to be put up, sprinkler system needs to be installed and so on and so on. We are taking one step at a time. Sometimes those steps are huge. We just have to remind ourselves that we have the rest of our lives to live in this house and make it our home.

Proof

that it's really hot here in Georgia. The heat index today was 114 degrees. Almost feeling like we're back in Okinawa. But Oki has us beat in the humidity department. At least I can breathe here and not feel that I'm being burned by the sun's rays just walking to my car.

I'm Back

Whoa!!!! It's been a whirlwind of things going on here. It has been a very busy summer. We moved to Georgia, took mini vacations to catch up and see our family in NC, unpacked, did some renovations and made new friends. We are finally settling down in our new home. There is lots to catch up on my blog so I'll be updating it one post at a time.

Lookin' For Adventure

Charlie and I took a long ride around Oahu on a Harley he had rented for the day. We were able to get some awesome pictures of the scenery this beautiful island has to offer.

There were gorgeous bays,

and points that jetted out into the ocean,

stories behind every island,

and sudden mountains,


islands that were all alone,

chilly lookouts,
where roads wound around the mountains,

so many islands you loose count,

and beaches all around.

We had a great time, just the two of us. It was a beautiful day and great company. I'm looking forward to having many more days like today.