Oh, Baby!

I have been a little out of the loop here, haven't I? I do apologize. We've been soaking up some sun in our beautiful new home, doing a little exploring, and trying to get into a groove home school wise. I have been playing with some paper & thought I'd share here some of my recent creations. Thank you for hanging in there with me. I promise I'll post some about our adventures.

One of the soldiers in Ron's battalion just had a baby boy. It's always so exciting to see babies. It seems like they are everywhere here. I think there's something in the water- it can't be all the separations and reunions with military life, right? Here's a card I made celebrating this new family.

I was working on one of my projects for By Lori Designs and got very flustered because some of my Copics were running low on ink. Little did I know Copics are made right here in Japan! So, I was able to find a local store that was a Copic mecca. There were so many colors, I think I must have just stood there with my mouth hanging open for several minutes. I'm sure the very kind Japanese sales women were thinking, "Do you think she's okay?" Needless to say, I was no longer flustered and I was able to finish my latest card for BLD.

I hope to be back with more. Have a blessed day!

Happy Birthday, TPE!

I have been so very blessed to be a part of a fabulous group of designers for the past three years at The Pink Elephant Challenge. This week we celebrate TPE's third birthday! I can't believe how the time has flown! Sadly we say good-bye to some amazing designers, including Trudi who has been with us from the start.

Here is my card for this week's challenge. I hope you can join us.

Heiwa-Dorii

Everytime I think of this street I remember this song because I'm a child of the 80s and putting things to music is how my brain functions.

So instead of "Hey now, hey now...," I think "Heiwa (prounounced hay-wa), Heiwa Dori-i-i-i." Okay, I've tortured you enough, now on to the story...

Two weekends ago, it was raining as it is apt to do in Okinawa. We were all sitting around with a little cabin fever, snipping at each other (the truth, folks, nothing but the truth). Ron asks, "What should we do?".  I remember seeing an article about Heiwa Dori in a local newspaper and suggested going. At the time, I was reading this fine book:

Georgia Pellegrini (who is just GORGEOUS, isn't she?!) among other things discusses how we have a detachment from how our food gets from farm to table. We walk into these fluorescent lit supermarkets where our food is prepackaged into styrofoam and cellophane containers. We don't really think about how that chuck roast got there, just how we're going to pop it into a crock pot and have it for dinner.

 I lived part of my primary and part of my high school years in Japan. During the summers, we visited my mom's family in Taiwan. Going to market was a part of daily life. Yes, there was a fridge, but that was mainly for leftovers. We bought that morning what we would cook that day. This happens in many countries around the world. It makes a whole lot of sense to me, your food is fresher and there's less waste.  If we wanted chicken, the butcher would grab an unsuspecting bird from a cage and make it happen. At first, my brother and I were wide eyed and aghast. Prior to this our chicken came from the commissary or the local Winn Dixie, sans feathers. After awhile, of course, we adjusted. My husband spent part of his life in Guam and the Phillipines. He had a similar childhood, only his involved some of the actual harvesting of the animals. Part of us moving to Japan involved a longing for our kids to experience a different way of life that doesn't involve supermarkets and big box stores. This is a long way of me getting to part of why we went to Heiwa Dori. If you get a chance, take a look at this video and you can see what we saw and get a little bit of what my rambling is about.

Getting to Heiwa Dori is a bit like a treasure hunt. You park on a main street with lots of sounds and flashy signs to attract tourists. We ended up paying ¥500 (or about $7) per half hour for parking without realizing it. This is one of many reasons why I should really learn to read Kanji. 

Then you walk by souvenir stores with wares somewhat unique to Okinawa. 

Habu Sake {yes, that's a snake}

frog purse with Shisa dogs in the background

Hello Kitty store

You turn into an area that is like a tunnel with stores on either side. Still, you wind your way through souvenir shops until you almost miss the public market. I would have walked by it if Ron had not seen it and abruptly turned toward it. I'm so glad we didn't miss it because it was amazing to see all the shopkeepers and their wares. Most of the shellfish is alive. The fish is super fresh and in colors you've never seen before. The shopkeepers are all very nice.

brilliantly colored fish

fiesty lobsters with a topshell on the side

Fugu or Puffer Fish

I'm really glad we had the opportunity to experience the public market. We also took home some really tasty pickles after being offered generous samples by the shopkeeper. Pickled vegetables are a big part of a traditional Japanese meal.

I will be taking your orders for frog purses for a limited time, so take advantage. I'm only kidding, folks. Thank you for checking out our adventure. I hope there will be more to come.

I'm going to be a millionaire...

Well, we've been in Okinawa for a little over a month. We have moved into our new home. It's 1600 square feet of apartment RIGHT ON THE BEACH. It doesn't have a dishwasher, but if I look out my sliding glass doors, I see a breathtaking view of turquoise waters, so I refuse to complain. I've become a little more acquainted with driving on the left side of the road, although I still prefer to hug the right. Needless to say, people fear me and my husband drives most of the time. Our favorite foods have so far been the bento boxes we get at Family Mart, a kind of Japanese convenience store. If you balk at that you're missing out on some really good food. They'll even heat it up for you right there. My favorite is the rice with shrimp tempura and a small bit of salmon. Yes, this is convenience store food. This post, however, is not about my posh digs, my bad driving, or my addiction to Japanese fast food. It's about how I will come back to the U.S. and make a gazillion bucks from things that make so much sense, that would do so well in the States, but just haven't made it there. Or it has and I've just been living under a rock.

1. Public Toliet Seat Sanitizing Spray

The Japanese are VERY clean people. Proof of this is this FABULOUS spray that comes in nearly ALL of the public restrooms I have used. You simply stick your toliet paper under the nozzle of the device on the right, spray a sanitizer onto the paper and wipe your seat clean. It just makes me feel better. There are also SEVERAL automatic toliets that have heated the seats on cold days, and will clean your nether regions, but I'm just not down with that, so I haven't included it as something I will make a gazillion dollars on. Next...

2. Some Like it Hot

My entire family used this yesterday as it was a bit chilly. You want a coffee? You want it hot?? You want it now?? Or tea?? Or hot chocolate?? Simply jaunt over to one of the MANY (I am not exaggerating, they're everywhere) vending machines and pop one out. It will come out hot in a can. So not only will you have a lovely hot coffee at your disposal, you will also warm your hands in the process. It's so ingenious I tell you! Starbucks would not approve.

3. Bathroom Bliss

Yes, this is another bathroom invention that has made me very happy. I have a child with a COPIOUS amount of hair. My genes are responsible for her beautiful locks, and the vast majority of duties involving said hair is also mine. Her hair is best done wet, and allowed to dry naturally. I know this from LOTS of trial and error with my own hair. That being said, it's not always easy to wet her hair in the morning unless she takes a bath or shower in the morning. So when we moved into our house and I discovered quite by accident that the faucet extends like a sprayer IN THE BATHROOM, I nearly knelt down and kissed the vanity. It makes my life so much easier & why didn't I think of installing one before?!

I'm sure I'll remember many more for later posts, but I am just in awe with these for the time being, along with many things about my new home. Happy 2012!!!

No right on red...

I have to say I NEVER... let me say it again... NEVER thought I would drive a Cube. I've seen them in the U.S. They seem cute enough, but just not for me. Folks have been adoring these little cars here in Nippon since 1998, in the U.S. just since 2009. I thought they were too small for my "s/he keeps touching me!" kids. Actually they're plenty roomy, and in the cube³, I could've thrown one in the 3rd row of seats, but the cube³ was vetoed by my hubby. He, incidentally, is really in love with this vehicle. He mentioned that I was going to look quite stylish getting out of the car, but I'm inclined to believe that he's just trying to butter me up to like her more. I was actually quite smitten with a Cube in a really fun pastel blue, but we ended up passing on it. I think he was glad he didn't have to get ribbed by his fellow soldiers.

I thought I'd familiarize some of you all with some of the fun aspects of driving in Japan. I actually learned to drive in Japan as I was here when I turned 16. So, with my dad accompanying me with his hand wrapped around the emergency break {yes, he actually did pull it up}, I first learned to cruise the streets of Yokosuka before cruising Route 66.

1.

This symbol is basically one's answer to "What the....?" You know you've thought that when you've been driving. You see a driver do something crazy and you quietly {or sometimes not quietly} say, "What the...?!" Drivers in Japan who have been driving under a year get the Wakaba or Shoshinsha symbol to grace their car, so the rest of us know they are new and avoid them at all costs.

2. The bigger your engine & the greater your emissions, the bigger your road tax. So, bigger is not necessarily better.

3. A stop sign in Japan is an upside down triangle.

4. There is a Daihatsu "Naked" here among other colorfully named vehicles, one named "Dump." Hmmm...

5. You must prove you have a parking space before you purchase a vehicle.

6. Roads in Okinawa are actually mixed with coral so you actually have to take that into consideration when the road is wet, which is starting to look like nearly always.

7. The Japanese have a totally zero tolerance policy toward drunk driving & as a result very little DWIs. You cannot have ANY alcohol in your system if you operate a vehicle. To keep this law effective, they have "drunk taxis" consisting of 2 drivers, one for you, one for your car. GENIUS!

8. Japan ranks 2nd in the world for vehicles per square kilometer. Yes, there are a lot of cars.

9. When stopping at intersections, Japanese drivers will turn off their headlights to avoid blinding on coming drivers. Just another way that the Japanese are so polite.

10. ...and last but not least my favorite...

This is a Koreisha symbol. It is the polar opposite of the Shoshinsha symbol. While a Shoshinsha refers to a "new leaf" or a "beginner," the Japanese have required the Koreisha for drivers over the age of 70. The above is the older symbol. Elderly Japanese became miffed at the suggestion that it implied death with the yellowing of the leaves. The result? The Japanese Government changed it and here is the new symbol...

Good on them!

'Tis Better to Give....

Greetings from the beautiful island of Okinawa. Yes, my little family has made it clear across the Pacific after reuniting with my soldier in early November, visiting family in D.C. in mid November, and taking a 13+ plane ride to the Land of the Rising Sun. Much more to follow about all of those adventures.

In the meantime, I am FAR overdue for a giveaway I promised to Liz Gardner from My Memories. I got to play with her My Memories Suite software for digital scrapbooking and I had a blast doing it. In fact, I was able to create a very special gift for my parents upon departing the U.S. Here are some of the layouts I created using this easy to use program.

I loved how user friendly this program is, from the install to the ability to add drop shadows to elements. Did that all sound like jibbery jab? Well, luckily they have a great forum full of helpful people & Liz has put together a bunch of easy to use video tutorials, too. Along with the software, you receive a fun selection of papers and elements to use, or you can download some more free goodies at the My Memories Store.

Even better, I have a discount code for you.
Use this code: STMMMS36831 on your order to save $10
on your own software or on the kits!!

AND {drumroll please....}

I will give away the My Memories Suite Software to one lucky winner....all you have to do is
check out the My Memories site HERE, then come back to this post and leave a comment telling me your favorite kit.

You have until Wednesday the 21st of December and I will announce the winner on the 22nd!
Good Luck!

We interrupt this blog to bring you...

How funny! I had to push "Publish" before I typed this because the movers had showed up. It's been a long time since I've been to my Little House on the Blog, but it's not that I haven't missed it or wanted to be here. Things have been hectic preparing for our International move.

I can hardly believe it's only two weeks until my soldier is home for good {or atleast until the next deployment ;)}.

Lord knows I got a job to do
I just can't wait until it's through
I keep dreamin’ bout that homebound flight
Looking for those runway lights.

Just having him home is all we could ever want right now.  I won't lie, it's been a really long, hard two years. I am grateful for the love of those who have supported us.

My blood family has been there every single bit of the way. I haven't always seen eye to eye with them in the past, especially my mama, but these two  years have helped me grow. I am so very thankful for their unconditional love.

I walked into this two years with friends I held near and dear. I walk out with friends I hold near and dear, and so grateful to God for having them in my life.

I hope to pop in back here before we actually settle down in Japan to report on our adventures. Ron & I are surprising the kids by having him come in one day earlier than they suspect. I think I've been watching too much "Surprise Homecoming." A couple days after his homecoming we are headed to our nation's great capitol, Washington D.C., for a homeschool field trip and a visit to family. I'm sure there will be much to share.

In the meantime, hugs and kisses and many beautiful Autumn wishes!

everything's not okay....

I want to talk to you all about something very close to me. This is something that has unwittingly affected me since I was a child, and I only now discovered a few years ago. It is something that is far too clear for our men and women returning from combat situations and their families. This is all about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

Before even our soldiers from Korea or Vietnam, there were our soldiers from World War II. My Grandfather Isabel fought in DDay. In the short years I knew him he never spoke of the Purple Heart he earned in those infamous days. I only saw it later in the drawer of my Daddy's dresser. I did know he endured the hurt he felt with alcohol. He did get help, he did sober. Isabel Sanchez ironically died on July 4th 1988, from a drunk driver running him over.

Still it continued...

My daddy was a Navy sailor. He served right after graduating high school in the late sixties. He met and married my mama in those years, meeting her while taking R&R from Vietnam. I didn't know my father had an addiction until I was in college. I didn't know he had PTSD until I was in my 30s. For his generation, it wasn't a masculine thing to talk about the things you saw or did in war. He sought help through other vets, and found his way through the crazy maze and hoops the VA makes you maneuver and jump through as a veteran until he finally felt somewhere close to normal. Sometimes a nightmare will still wake him. One night it woke him with his hands around my mother's neck in a fit of discombobulated memories.

It doesn't go away. Not for my Grandpa Isabel in WWII, not for my daddy in Vietnam, not for our soldiers coming home from the Middle East now.

For this reason Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a huge deal in my life. We celebrate freedom when they all come home in ticker tape, confetti grandeur. We don't  talk about the nightmares, the fits and starts, the depression, the addiction afterwards.

Our homeschool Roots and Shoots group held a Lemonade/Bake Sale for an organization called Paws and Stripes. They rescue dogs from a local NM shelter to help returning soldiers with PTSD . Please see http://www.pawsandstripes.org/ for more information.

Home & ♥

I don't know if you know, but we're in the last last leg of our separation from our soldier. It's very exciting despite all the preparations that have to be made for our overseas assignment. I just can't wait for us to be together again! Every time I read this quote, I think particularly of military families. Although we are separated physically, our hearts are always with one another.

Okay, enough of the mushy stuff! This week at The Pink Elephant, we have the privilege of working with one of Ella's very own, Arielle Gordon! She is the owner of The Wax Fruit Company, a digital stamp treasure trove of all sorts of scenery and sentiment. We have a really sweet inspirational photo and beautiful work by our DT, so hop on over to TPE & check it out.

I used The Wax Fruit Company's Birdhouse Row for this project.

I also used:

Prima and K& Co. papers for the card background.
Girl's Paperie, Basic Grey, MME & Melissa Frances for paper piecing.
Seam Binding from Bella's Paperie {coming soon}.
Stamps from Papertrey Ink.
Bling from Jolene.

that's pictaculous

I spend a crazy amount of time on Pinterest in my spare time. I just love to look at all the inspiration on there. Sometimes the inspiration comes in recipes, or crafts. Sometimes it's in color. For example, I came across this picture and was immediately smitten by the colors!

Image from Style Me Pretty

After spending some time drooling over the palette, I thought it might be fun to see what the hex colors are for this palette, you know, in case I'm in one of my many blog color changing moods & wanted to use the colors from this picture in my blog. Enter Pictaculous - A Color Palette Generator (courtesy of MailChimp). I downloaded the above image, saved it to my computer, fed it into the above generator & it gave me a lovely set of hex colors that I can use with the Blogger Designer to change the colors of my headers, the colors of my links, dates, what have you. What? I have to get out more? Yeah, I probably do, but I thought this was kind of nifty & might benefit those of you who like to play with color, too.

Happy Friday!