May 18 2008
…especially during the Bordertown’s extended “windy season:”
No, that’s not rain or a storm moving in. That’s a wall of dirt. It took one minute to take the following photos. Then I ran inside because enduring a heavy duty exfoliation was NOT on my to-do list.
Feb 05 2008
Something’s coming over the mountains today:
I’m glad to have something idea-inspiring to read when the dust kicks up, wind starts howling, and tumbleweeds go whizzing past my windows:
Hearing so much about Somerset from the crafty bloggers I read each day made me take the fifteen-dollar-plunge at B&N this past weekend. Guess what? I’ll be subscribing.
Talking with my husband last night, I introduced the idea that once our new duty station comes through and we have floorplans for our future housing, I’d like to figure out a way to have my own craft/sewing workstation, perhaps sharing a study with him. Ideally, I’d love to have my own space, free of children, toys, seasonal clothes in storage tubs, and frankly, my husband’s stuff. Hunting gear, guns, military awards, and Harley logos are not what get my creative juices flowing…his support of testing gravity by letting all magazines, papers, catalogs, receipts, brochures, business cards, etc. live on the floor of his study is also a major obstacle to overcome before we could seriously share a space. I think I’m talking myself out of it here!
How do we share space in the rest of the house? I’m the boss, that’s how. You see, my husband’s job requires that we move regularly. MORE than regularly in fact. We’ve moved four times in the past five years, with another move coming up this summer. The kids and I don’t get a say in where we move to, what jobs or friends we have to leave behind, nor how long we’ll stay or how quickly we’ll have to leave again. So the public parts of the house are decorated the way I want them to be with my husband and kids having their own spaces reflecting their personalities and tastes. Yes, I make sure my husband has his man-cave, and the garage is always his. But because we have no say in the move-us-cross-country-or-even-OUT-of-country decisions, I lay down the law when it comes to home decor, storage, and household chores. We may not get to choose where we’re going to have to live, but I *will* have my family living in a clean, comfortable, soothing, and inviting home, dadgummit!
Once I get an idea of what kind of housing we’ll be in, I need to figure out a way to effectively create my own space, keep other family members (and the required military/social visitors) from encroaching upon it, and scheduling time for myself to spend in it, seeing creative ideas come to fruition. Until then, I’ll continue to explore, collect ideas and a few bits and bobs and inevitably, see what happens after this Bordertown’s windy season.
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Here are some blogs I’ve recently been enjoying:
Sally Jean: I love her charms- so sweet!
Cari Kraft’s What Should We Make Today: Creative banners appeal to the teacher AND mom in me…
And if you need a good laugh or a “saucy” story, get your fix over at Bloggedy-Blog-Blog.
Don’t forget our soldiers this Valentine’s Day (or ever!)- An Army Wife’s Life has posted links and ideas about cards and care packages for soldiers and veterans. Even if you miss Valentine’s Day, remember it’s never “too late” to show our soldiers how much you care- even plain ol’ Tuesday is a holiday when an unexpected care package with goodies and treats or a “thinking about you” card or letter is received.
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Please vote. Before you do, please think. Think about something deeper and more relevant than gender or race. Thanks.
Jan 28 2008
Though it’s a bit of a murky Monday, today has still been rather productive. Laundry is just about done, the kitchen is clean, February decor is up (photos on a sunnier day), and one baby blanket is on its way to its new owner.
I still need to make “thank you” cookies for my daughter’s friend today. With her help during the “ball experiment,” our girl managed to produce a science report that has earned a presentation slot at the district Science Fair held on the college campus here in town. Yay! Internet Hoax Cookies will work wonderfully, remember those? If you haven’t tried the recipe, file it away for a rainy day- it is actually *quite* good!
Don’t forget Show and Share Thursday this week- if you have a collection, idea, recipe or blog posting from your own site that you’d like to share, send it to me by Wednesday evening via comments or directly at michaelek1(at)yahoo(dot)com and I’ll include your submission with my own posting.
Hope your week has gotten off to a great start! Cookie time!
Nov 24 2007
Twenty-four hours have certainly made a difference! Perhaps this is Mother Nature’s way of getting us in the mood for December.
Before: 
After: 
Alaskans have to “remember” how to drive with each first snow of winter, sliding through a few red lights or stop signs before getting their winter rhythm down, but here in the Bordertown, I’m guessing we’ll be limiting our driving to post *only* today, since most drivers here don’t understand the equation:
snow+rain+ice+4 lane highways+ 60 mph speed limits= TROUBLE.
Reading sounds like a good idea today. Here are some of the stories we’ll be enjoying with the toddler this month:
…and oh, dear Santa, if you could find this book to add to my collection, you’d make my Christmas!
Nov 20 2007
I’m so happy!!!!!
“SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS WILL ENJOY NEAR RECORD
TEMPERATURES TODAY AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE BOTH TODAY AND
WEDNESDAY. BUT LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL
MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY WILL BE 15
TO 20 DEGREES COOLER THAN WEDNESDAY’S HIGHS. ALSO ON THURSDAY A
WEAK UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING THE THREAT OF LOWLAND
RAIN SHOWERS NORTH OF LAS CRUCES AND SNOW SHOWERS IN AREA
MOUNTAINS. ON FRIDAY WE WILL CONTINUE WITH TEMPERATURES WELL
BELOW NORMAL. AGAIN THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A RAIN OR
RAIN SNOW MIX IN THE LOWLANDS…WHILE AREA MOUNTAINS COULD SEE
SOME LIGHT SNOW. ON SATURDAY A SECOND STORM SYSTEM WILL TEAM UP
WITH A SECOND COLD FRONT TO BRING A MIX OF WINTRY WEATHER TO THE
BORDERLAND. THE EXACT FORECAST TRACK OF THE STORM SYSTEM IS STILL
A BIT IN DOUBT…AND THIS COULD LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND TYPES. BUT RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE MUCH
OF THE LOWLANDS WILL SEE RAIN OR A RAIN SNOW MIX EARLY ON
SATURDAY WHILE AREA MOUNTAINS COULD SEE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW…ESPECIALLY THE SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON
MOST PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE LOWLANDS WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW
AS THE SECOND COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH. SNOWFALL TOTALS COULD
RANGE FROM A TRACE TO A COUPLE OF INCHES IN THE LOWLANDS WHILE
THE SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS COULD RECEIVE SIX INCHES TO A
FOOT OF SNOW.”
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