Our Handsome Boy

Hey y'all!

    So, today's post will be an update on Stanley the Betta. If you have been keeping up with my blog posts, you know that our poor guy had a pretty nasty case of Fin Rot. Well, it's been about a month since we first caught the Fin Rot... and I am happy to say that we finally have fin regrowth! (The kinda transparent parts at the ends and between his fins is the new fin.) I feel like such a happy fish Mommy.

    Also, you can see that his color has really started to show through. When we first got him, I thought he was white with light blue fins. Turns out, he's pink with purple fins! Apparently, when Betta's are sick, they can lose color, become lethargic, lose their appetite.... Apparently he has been sick for a long time, but seems to be finally on that golden road to recovery!

    I also went and added some live plants to his tank to keep his ammonia levels low, and that seems to be doing some serious good for him. He loves his plants very much!

    I also worked on Trent's Valentine's Day Box today. He gets a little something every year, and this one is going to be epic. Be on the look out for that DIY page for what I put in there and what I did!

Stanley thinks you should subscribe to this blog too!

    Do you have any pets that you love? Tell me about them! :) 

-Haley

Wardrobe Malfunction

Hey y'all,

    I went to the tire center to get new tires for our car... Always so fun. Not. While I was waiting, I decided to walk around and look at all the clothes I will never be able to afford or fit into and it dawned on me.

    I am simple. Basic. Boring.

    My sense of "style" is jeans and a comfy t-shirt. If I can keep an outfit under 15 bucks, I'm happy... If I can use the same pair of pants or shirt for multiple outfits... I am a happy camper. I think the most I have ever spent on a single item of day to day clothing was 40 bucks... But it was buy one get one free. So it wasn't too bad.

    The most expensive clothing item that I do own is my wedding dress, and the dress that I went to the holiday party for Trent's ship. Wedding Dress: $450, Holiday Party: $75. Still within what I consider to be a decent price range for what they were.

    I also noticed that the little girl's section and the junior's section were pretty  much the same... Other than the color schemes anyway. I don't know about you, but when I do have my own daughters, I don't want them dressing that way. There isn't a reason for them to be dressing like that when they are so young. Modesty is a good thing. I have never in my life seen so many elementary school age girls dress the way they do... I just want to throw sweatpants and t shirts at all of them!

    All in all, I would love for What Not to Wear to come raid my closet and get me a whole new wardrobe. That would be fantastic.

    What is your go to outfit for a lazy day? Let me know in the comments below!

-Haley

Super Friends

Hey y'all!

    I have had a super busy day. I managed to go to Barnes and Noble and purchased Maze Runner and the sequel for it. Along with a coloring book, a special gift for Trent, and a bookmark. I also stopped at Lush and got a Bubble Bar... I am not one for bubble baths... But I think I might be able to start taking baths. So I thought I could give it a shot. Might be relaxing.

    Do you ever have days where you think that if you had a certain super power, you'd be able to relax and get rid of that stress? Today was definitely one of those days... My superpower would be to wiggle my nose and whatever I was looking at would be cleaned and organized. There is something about the husband leaving that makes me lazy. The first thing I would clean would be our office. It seems to have accumulated nothing less than junk.

    What would your superpower be?

    There is also something I have to say about this command... I have never in my life, met such a wonderful group of ladies where I haven't already known someone there. They are a group of drama free, fantastic ladies that are so beyond welcoming that it makes life so much easier being out here on this rock. 

    It's really going to be heart-breaking when Trent and I have to leave to head back to the mainland. But only for the people aspect. I pretty much hate it here in Hawaii.

    I know it's a short one today, and I promise to make up for it tomorrow. :) Have a good one everyone!

-Haley 

My Dream House

Hey y'all!

    I have been thinking about my dream home a lot recently. It's kind of something you have to think about with all the moving you do being a part of that military life. (Yay for moving 4 times in 2 years!) 

    My dream home would definitely have that open floor plan. So that while I am in the kitchen making dinner or something, I could still see my family sitting in the living room. It would also have plenty of windows to let in all of that natural light. 

    I am a huge fan of that rustic country chic style. Where it's all homey and welcoming, without looking messy or forlorn. The color scheme would be any combination of the following colors:

    I would have a decent sized kitchen with just the right amount of counter space to be able to handle crazy holidays like Thanksgiving, but not too much where the counters look bare and sad. I would want high ceilings and carpet everywhere except for the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. My laundry room would have more than enough space for the washer and dryer, and would also have a folding table in there so I could fold without having to take up space on the couch.

    I would also have a room for music to be played and practiced. I would have all my string instruments, and Trent would have his dream drum set(s). It would definitely be sound proofed, because let's face it, drums never sound fabulous live....

    I would have a wrap around porch, and it would only be a single story home. I hate lugging anything upstairs. It totally sucks... especially for my bad knees anyway.

    We would have a play/homework room for our kids, and have one of those adorable spaces made that is like a dog house built into the wall... Everything would be decorated and beautiful, and a place that people felt welcome. :)

    How about you? What is something you definitely want in a dream home? Let me know!

-Haley 

Some of My Roots

Hey y'all!

    So, to get it out of the way, yes. The Seahawks lost. Yes I saw the fight at the end of the Super Bowl. Yes I thought it was rediculous. Anyway, today, I want to share with you 3 of my most cherished childhood stories. These stories helped shape me into who I am today, and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life.

Lisa Frank's Whales

    When I was about 3-ish years old, it was just my Mommy, my Daddy, and myself. The three musketeers making our way while my Daddy was in the Air Force. We were living in a tiny little house on post and didn't have much in the way of furniture. A small couch, a card table as a dinner table, simple bed frames... Pretty much the minimal amount of things that we possibly needed.

    Anyway, it was my birthday and we had spent all day doing fun things like going to the park, playing hide and go seek, and coloring. As the sun went down, my Mom pulled out a tiny little cake and they sang Happy Birthday to me. I blew out the candles and got to open a gift. Inside was a Lisa Frank Whale toy. It came with three whales and rotated around to make it look like they were jumping out of the water and back into the water.

    I. Loved. That. Toy. 

    The most memorable part of it was when the three of us just sat there creating stories of magical lands... I didn't have any type of electronic to keep me entertained, I created it for myself. :) 

Untying Daddy's Boots

    Like I have said previously, my Daddy was in the military. Every day, when he would get home from a long day at work, he would sit down on the couch and I would run over and start unlacing his boots. Now, this might sound positively boring to some people, but it was something more for me.

    I would untie the laces and watch as the dust of the day would fall off. I would loosen the laces and see the imprints that were left on the leather. I would try to take his boot off, but he would bend his foot so I couldn't do it and tease me. I knew that those boots meant that he was working so hard to provide for my Mommy, brother, sister, and myself. And besides, after the boots were off, that meant that no matter how tired he was, he would sit and ask me what I did that day, or watch a movie with me, or tickle and play with me and my siblings.

    And it always started out with untying Daddy's boots.

Bemidji Boats

    Bemidji, Minnesota is a little town in North West Minnesota. In Bemidji, there is Andrusia Lake which is home to a place known as Joe's Lodge. My Sophmore Year in High School, we went up there as a family trip to get away from the heat of Arizona and kind of reconnect as a family. (Get away from technology was a perk haha)

    We rented out a little cabin and got to play in a lake all day long. We could go fishing, hiking, and one night, we even had a nice bonfire going while we sat around and just talked. This was during an angsty time in my life (puberty... gotta love it... or something like that) and it took till the last week we were there before I shed my irritated feelings and reconnected with who I was and where I came from. I fished and provided a meal for my family and just relaxed.

Fishing with My Mommy and Daddy. :) 

    It was seriously one of the BEST vacations I have ever been on. :) Totally worth being in the car for days on end to get there. And on the way home, we even managed to swing through North Dakota and see Mt. Rushmore and got to try a Buffalo Burger! :) 

Mount Rushmore with my Brother, Sister, and three little cousins. :) 

    Those are my three most treasured memories that taught me a lot about who I was as a person, and who I wanted to become. :)

- Haley