OR

It's the OR addition of the Friday Fill-In!  I often have a hard time with or...I'd rather have both or a little of both.  Call me difficult but things are rarely cut and dry for me!

Facebook or Twitter?
Both!  I have different friends on each.  Facebook is more real life family & friends while Twitter is my bloggy friends.  That's not to say that my Twitter friends aren't important, it's just that I haven't met most of them in real life.  They do understand the milspouse life a lot better since most of them are milspouses!

Hard Tacos or Soft Tacos?
Growing up it was always hard tacos in our house.  Then one day when I was in my late teens I had a soft taco for the first time and it was AMAZING!  I definatly prefer soft tacos cause they don't fall apart as quickly as a hard taco (unless you overfill it which happens to be a problem of mine!)

Gardening or crafting?
I have a black thumb.  I am known for killing plants.  It's amazing that we actually have stuff growing in our garden.  I picked our first zucchini last night and it was very exciting.  So while I'm enjoying the garden I prefer crafting.  Quilting to be more exact. I'll also attempt to recreate stuff I've found online.

Fruit or vegetables?
I love both.  If I had to pick just one it would probably be fruit.  I love berries!

Motorcycle or bicycle?
It depends.  Bicycle was my main mode of transportation when I lived in Viet Nam.  I didn't mind it for the most part.  I hated really long rides though.  I don't think I would enjoy riding a bike in the US as much, though I have mentioned to The Man that we should get some so we can go on some bike rides.  I love riding on  motorbike in Asia too.  I loved the wind in my hair and putting my life into the hands of whoever was driving.  It also took getting used to straddling a random guy but I got over that pretty quickly.  I know I should have worn a helmet but I didn't.  I would here in the US.  I'd love to have a motorcycle...not a crotch rocket just a "normal" bike.  Someday we will, once I convince The Man that it's a good idea!

I hope you have a great weeekend!

Do you have anything fun planned?

Getting Ready

When did it get to be Thursday?  I can't believe it's here's already!  I can't wait to go to Disneyland, so I'm going to share one of my favorite Disney songs!  What better way to get ready to visit the happiest place on earth?

Kiss The Girl, from The Little Mermaid.

I am so excited for this trip!  It will be short but I know we're going to have a great time.  If I was a kid, I'd probably be diving into my waterbed with excitement.  Which I did when I was 9 and I found out the night before that not only were we going to Disney World, we were also doing a Disney Cruise.  My cousin was trying to sleep in said bed and was not amused.  It's a good thing that 20+ years later we can laugh about it!

What's your favorite Disney Song?


I linked up with Goodnight Moon

Grown Up Furniture

The Man and I have been married just about two years (give it a week and we're there.)  When we first got married we had to move me and my stuff to WA.  We rented a trailer and most of my stuff fit.  We left behind my table, chairs and loveseat, along with some smaller items.  When we got to WA, we decided that getting a table and chairs was important so we picked something we liked that wasn't very expensive (under $175).  Since money was tight we decided to get a futon instead of a sofa with the understanding that it was temporary.

The futon

Life happens.  Two years later and we still have the same futon.  It's been driving me crazy and the dog keeps  licking it so there are stains all over it.  Thankfully we got our new home buyer tax money so we could buy a new sofa!  We thought about getting a whole set but decided against it...just the sofa for now.  There aren't many furniture places around here so thankfully we found something that we both agreed on.  We agreed pretty quickly cause we're cool like that.

It's going to here!

We had to wait a week to get it delivered.  No biggie but I was pretty excited to get it.

It fits!

Molly's not loving the new sofa...it's a little tall for her and we don't want her on it anyway.  She's been moping around cause she lost her favorite place to lay (the futon is in the sewing room now but since she likes to be near people she won't go down unless we're down there too.)  The kitties on the other hand are LOVING the new sofa.  I've had to get after Ig to not claw at the sofa...he's going to ruin it!  Allen just likes laying on it.  Preferably in my lap but he loves the cushions too!

So we now have grown up furniture!  I mean, not that getting married and buying a house didn't make us feel like adults...it did.  There's just something about a nice new sofa!  I don't really want to get up from it but since the sun is out...I'm going to go take advantage of it while it's visiting!

Homemade Meatball Subs

The new ridged stoneware

Some days I have no inspiration for dinner.  Yesterday was one such day.  So I thougth and I thought about what we had in the house and what I could make.  We had had brats over the weekend and we had some left over hot dog buns.  I hate wasting them but they often end up in the trash cause we don't use them.  What are hot dog buns good for besides hot dogs?  Meatballs. I've also been wanting to try out new piece of stoneware and meatballs are perfect to bake in it!

Poe's Homemade Meatballs:

1 lbish hamburger meat
1 carrot, finely grated (I used a zester to grate it)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4ish onion and/or 1-2 chives, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup of (homemade) bread crumbs
Onion Soup Mix (I make my own)
1 egg
Worcestershire Sauce
Greek Seasoning
Italian Seasoning

I know the celery is a bit random but I like to sneak in veggies where ever I can.  I couldn't taste it but I like knowing it's in there!  I didn't measure anything so the measurements I gave are approximate.  The amount of last three ingredients are entirely up to you depending on what you like. 

1.  Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.  I mix by hand because I feel it mixes better.

Meatball mixture

 2.  Shape the meatballs.  I use a scoop to get meatballs all the same size, which important so they'll cook at the same rate.

3. I baked them in my handy dandy stoneware with ridges.  I know you don't have one (yet) but I used to put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet to bake them.  This works just fine!

Meatballs before they're cooked

 4. Bake about 20-30 minutes at 375.

I also made the sauce from scratch:

Poe's Homemade Sauce

Note: This is just what I put in it this time.  I often add green pepper, hamburger and kielbasa when we have it (and aren't having meatballs!)

Homemade sauce

2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1/2 onion
2-4 garlic cloves
4-5 leaves of fresh basil & oregano
Italian Seasoning

1.  In a 12" skillet, saute onions in a little bit of olive oil.

2.  When the onions are transparent, add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Mix well

3.  After about 5 minutes, I add the garlic, Italian seasoning and the fresh herbs.  Cover and let it simmer over a low-medium heat.



To make the meatball subs, I added the meatballs to the sauce and gently stirred to get them covered in sauce.  I let them sit in the sauce for 8-10 minutes since they were a little cool and I wanted to warm them up.  Then I put 3 meatballs in a hot dog bun, grated some Parmesan cheese and topped it with some coarsely chopped basil.  YUM!

Meatball Sun

You know it had to taste good cause I had a very messy kitchen when I was done:

Anyone want to come wash my dishes?

This is linked to:

Flying

For The Love of Blogs has posted a writing prompt for those of us in need of inspiration.  This week's prompt is about flying...

My worst flying experience began in May of 2003.  I was living in Changchun, a city in northern China teaching English with about 30 other Americans.  SARS happened and as a result we ended up needing to leave a month earlier than planned.  We needed to make up the time that we would be missing, so we began teaching night classes-3 hours, 4 nights a week for 4 weeks.  On top of this we had to pack, get rid of stuff we had collected over the year in China and say goodbye to our students.  It was a stressful but the extra time spent with students was worth it.  To complete this month of stress, it took me 3 days and 5 planes to get from northern China to Boston, MA.

Wearing masks to "protect" us from SARS

We left Changchun, China in the morning and flew to Beijing (flight 1).  We then had to hang out there for about EIGHT hours.  We couldn't check in for our international flight until about 2 or 3 hours before hand, so that meant we had to chill with all our luggage-each of us had 2 70lb bags and 2 carry ons.  We had luggage stacked on the rolling carts and staked out some benches.  We talked, read, chilled, plucked eyebrows and did whatever we could to stay amused.  It was easier once we were able to check in and go through security...there was stuff we could do!  We had a flight from Beijing to LAX but we had a stop in Shanghai (flight 2).  We arrived very late in Shanghai and for some reason the flight to LAX didn't take off till mid afternoon the next day.  Thankfully the airline put us up at a hotel! They provided a shuttle to the hotel, a room, and three meals.  They also brought us our luggage.  It was pretty awesome.  We got a good nights sleep, decent food, and a shower before having to spend 13 hours on an airplane.  It was also nice that we got to spend the morning in a hotel with TV & internet.  Having just spent the past year with these people, it was nice to have a little more time together before going our separate ways.

Hanging out with K in Beijing

Just a small portion of our luggage!

So on day 2 we flew from Shanghi to LAX (flight 3).  I don't remember the exact flying time but it was probably around 13 hours.  Due to SARS the plane was pretty empty, which was nice cause it meant we could spread out.  I was actually able to sleep on the plane since I was able to lie down.  I very rarely sleep on planes because I can't sleep sitting...it's so uncomfortable!  The flight was uneventful and we landed an hour before we took off...got love traveling over the international date line.

We arrived in LAX, went through customs, got our luggage and made our way to the domestic terminal.  This is where it got hard.  I was about to say goodbye to the people that had been my family.  I wasn't close to all 30 of them.  My team had 6 people and Kim, our leader and a different flight out of China.  So there were just 5 of us left and goodbyes were hard.  Really hard.  Saying goodbye to the other 20+ people was easier but still not fun.  Slowly our group began to dwindle.  I had a red eye to JFK (flight 4) and was one of the last to leave.  I think I spent about 8 hours hanging out at LAX.  In addition to killing time I was also starting the process of readjusting to the US.  It was weird and I remember feeling overwhelmed.  Reverse culture shock definitely happened!  I remember being amazed at what people were wearing. I also enjoyed understanding all the conversations going on around me! 

Day 3 was spent on the plane to JFK.  Once I was there I had one more flight to Boston (flight 5).  The two hour layover was a killer even though it was the shortest one I'd had.  So close and yet so far away!  The flight was on a little regional plane and I was so ready to be home.  I was impatient and couldn't wait to shower and see my parents.  The past year of my life had been incredible and I couldn't wait to share it!

This might not seem so bad but it was the worst experience because it was so long and very emotional.  Since then I've flown back and forth from Asia several times and it NEVER took so long again!  The best flight ever? Hanoi to Bangkok to JFK (17 hours!) to Boston.  3 planes and 21 hours in the air...loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat!

What was your worst flying experience?

You Know What Friday Means...

It means it's time for Friday Fill-In!  Head on over to Wife of a Sailor to link up!

1.  Do you eat raw cookie dough?

Um, yes. In fact, I made cookie dough on Tuesday and ate that for dinner.  Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes. 

2.  When you get online for the first time of the day… what site do you immediately head to?

The first thing I do is check my email.  After that I'll check Facebook, my blog roll and Twitter.  When I have time I can spend a good hour to an hour and a half online before doing much else. When I'm in a rush, I just check email and quickly scan everything else.

3.  What was your favorite pet as a child and why?

There were several kitties that I loved but I would say my absolute favorite was Sunny.  She was a golden retriever/German Shepard mix.  She had the color of a golden, hence the name Sunshine. We called her Sunny or Sunny pup for short.  We had her for about 15 years.  She was such a good dog!  We chose to put her down three days before Christmas because she was in so much pain.  There would be times when she couldn't use her hind legs and we had to help her walk by using a towel and carrying her hind legs.  When we brought her to the vet, I got down on the floor with her.  As the doctor gave her the shot to put her to sleep, she just looked as me as if to say I love you. Then her head went in my lap and I just sat there and cried. I'm crying now as I type this...I miss her.  She was such a good pup.  It tool me a good 5 years before I was ready to get another dog.  


4.  If you had a snail that could magically grant wishes, what would you name it?

I would name it Dobby.

5.  How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

The Man says it takes 3.  


Sorry this is all in bold.  Blogger is being stupid and won't let me change it.

You and I

Love this song...especially the line about the bunnies:)

You and I by Ingrid Michaelson

Don't you worry, there my honey
We may not have any money
But we've got our love to pay the bills
Maybe I think you're cute and funny
Maybe I want to do what bunnies do with you
If you know what I mean

Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Let's get rich and build a house on a mountaintop
Making everybody look like ants from way up there,
You and I, you and I

Well you might be a bit confused
And you might be a little bit bruised
But, baby how we spoon like no one else
So I will help you read those books
If you will soothe my worried looks
And we will put the lonesome on the shelf

Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Let's get rich and build a house on a mountaintop
Making everybody look like ants from way up there,
You and I, you and I

Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Let's get rich and build a house on a mountaintop
Making everybody look like ants from way up there,
You and I, you and I


If you haven't entered my giveaway for a $30 Pampered Chef gift certificate,what are you waiting for? It ends Monday! Time is running out! Don't wait!!!

Wordless Wednesday

My bloggy friend Patty from Another Cookie Please! asked to see some pictures of our garden.  Here ya go Patty!

Our garden

We have summer squash!

And zucchini! Can't wait to eat it!

Corn...we're hoping we get a few ears.

I did our herb garden in containers this year.  I can't wait for them to grow a little but more so I can use them!

Cilantro & Parsley. YUM!

My basil & oregano that I'm loving using!

Grow quickly so I can eat you!

The sun is finally out today so I'm sure I have a very happy garden!

Finally!

Source

I finally joined the real world and got a smart phone. I've been putting it off and putting it off.  Even my mother got a smart phone before I did! I've had it less than 24 hours and I'm enjoying it!  Last night it was annoying me but this morning I'm figuring things out.  So far, so good.

So my question to you is, what apps should I have?  Which ones do you use most?  It's kinda overwhelming so please, please help a girl out!

And if anyone has the Samsung Fascinate, can I get rid of the buddies thing?  Or how do I use it? Right now it's kinda annoying.  I'd love your feedback on it!

 Thanks!

 If you haven't entered my Pampered Chef giveaway yet, you should do that before you leave!  It will only take a few seconds, promise!

It's Over

I blame The Man for my love of Harry Potter.  I had managed to escape the insanity until after we were married.  Then, as a newlywed couple (of two or three weeks) The Man tells me he really wants to see the movie The Half Blood Prince in the theater.  Being the good wife that I am, I agreed even though I didn't care to see it.  I was a little confused during it and he had to explain things.  But I wanted to know what came next and what happened before.  The Man owned all the Harry Potter movies before this one so that week we had a Harry Potter marathon.  Everything made so much more sense!  I enjoyed the movies a lot.  So much so that I figured the books HAD to be better (they always are!)  I asked for them for Christmas 2009 and got them.  My parents where here and I finished them all in about two weeks.  I then reread them. And reread them. Again and again and again.  I LOVE them. 

Movie watching in the car

I've been looking forward to this weekend since before part one came out.  I figured we wouldn't see it on opening day but I was OK with seeing it sometime this weekend.  Then The Man called and said that he found out that the local drive in was showing parts one and two and did I want to go?  YES! We were going to eat dinner at home and it was in the oven but I looked that their Facebook page and saw that at 6pm they were already open and there were 4 lanes of traffic back tot he highway.  YIKES!  Now that I was all excited to see it tonight I would not have been happy if we couldn't get in.  So we through a bunch a stuff together and headed over. (It turns out that we could have waited to later to get in.  Oh well...it was fun anyway!)

There were a bunch of cars in line when we got there and we were able to listen to the 1812 Overture in it's entirety, plus a few other songs before getting in.  But we got in and got a spot we were happy with.  We got dinner from the snack bar (never had pickles and tomatoes on a Philly cheese steak before though!)  The Man had grabbed his computer before we left and so in the 2.5 hours we had to wait to for the movie to start we watched The 1/2 Blood Prince.  It was also fun to people watch.  There were some people in costume and that was fun.  Seriously though, some people did not look in the mirror after they were dressed...but that's a rant for a different blog post!

Source

Part Two was excellent.  I'm know that there are lots of posts out there about it, so I'll let you go read them. Overall I was happy with the film.  Since it wasn't exactly like the book, there are parts that I would have like done differently but it was still a great movie.  We are still going to see it in 3-D.  We might even go with friends to go see it in the IMAX theater.  I can't wait till it comes out on video...I've already told The Man that we'll be having a Harry Potter movie marathon when it does!

Are you a Harry Potter fan?

What did you think of Deathly Hallows part 2?

To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Over the weekend The Man was perusing the new titles available for steaming.  He was overjoyed to find Star Trek was now available for streaming. ALL. OF. THEM.  Can you guess what we've been watching all week?  So in honor of that, here's my song:




I'm going to be watching Star Trek FOREVER.

To be honest, I don't mind.  It's a break from Family Guy!

Are you a Trekkie?

Don't forget to head over to Goodnight Moon to link up!

Winners

So my giveaway for The Voice Library ended yesterday. I was disappointed that only 3 people entered. So Megan Dub-Yuh, KT, and Beckie...you've won a $50 gift certificate to The Voice Library.  Enjoy!

I had lots of page views for this giveaway but no one entered.  I'm wondering why.  Was it cause you weren't interested in The Voice Library?  Were the entries too hard/not things you wanted to do? Did you not realize it was going on?  Do you not like/enter giveaways?  Just wondering so I can try to have better giveaways in the future.

What kind of giveaways would you like to see on Many Waters?

Dog Sitting

I know I've mentioned in a post or two before this, but we're dog sitting.  A friend wanted to head home for two weeks while her hubby is out so she asked us to watch their dog Chase.  The Man and I have no problem with this; Molly on the other hand hasn't been too thrilled.  Chase is a yellow lab and slightly bigger than Molly  but is super loveable.  He's laid back and is one big love.  Our house is a little slow for him...he's used to having two little ones around all day and no one growling or barking at him.  Despite the less than warm welcome from Molly he's doing well!

Meet Chase.  Isn't he adorable?!?

Chase sniffing his new digs while Molly protects her tree

Getting love from The Man

Can we come in?

 No you may not. This is what happens when you decide to play in mud puddles and then have to get hosed off.  You need to dry off before you come inside!

What puppy doesn't love belly rubs?

I have a few more pictures but picnik has been acting up for me so this is all you get for now:)  There will be more later!

Do you have any fun pet sitting stories?

New Look

I don't know if you've noticed...but Many Waters has a new look!  Isn't it great?  I love the slideshow in the header!  I won Brea's latest giveaway at Utterly Chaotic Designs.  I had been thinking about having her redo my blog so you can imagine I was super excited to win!  Brea was amazing to work with and she is super talented.  If you are looking for a blog makeover, I recommend Brea...and she's affordable too! 

 

Thank you so much Brea...I love the new look! 

Attitude

In a recent post I received many comments commending me for my good attitude.  I was surprised by how many people commented on it.  I did come right out and say what my attitude was, that I was choosing to be positive.  I was choosing to be thankful.  I feel the need to qualify that and be completely honest with you all.  I'm not always positive.  I'm not always thankful.  In fact, if you had seen me a few days before I wrote that, I was anything put positive and thankful.  I was crabby, annoyed and ready to drop kick the Navy out the window.  The Man had been late a couple of days in a row and I was tired of waiting.  My attitude was starting to annoy me...I needed an attitude adjustment.

Source

One thing I have learned in my two year journey as a Navy wife and the 11 months as a Navy fiance...your attitude plays a huge role in how you deal with things.  And contrary to popular belief, YOU can choose your attitude.  It isn't always easy but it can be done.  Don't get me wrong, I have (and will) have day where I wallow in self pity that my husband is gone/working late/missed dinner/____________...you fill in the blank.  Remembering all the good things you DO have helps.  Instead of focusing on the bad, dwell on the good.  Think about the blessings in your life.  Once I did that it was easy to adjust my attitude.

I'm writing this because I don't want you to think I'm better than you or that I have it all together.  I don't.  This is something that I struggle with.  I'm human.  There are good days and there are bad days.  Over time and with practice it becomes easier to think on the good and let go of the bad.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”   ~Charles Swindoll

How's your attitude lately?  

Is there anything you need to change?

It's Friday!

You know what Friday means...so head over to Wifey's blog to get the questions and link up!

1.  Does your Significant Other read your blog?  Why is this a good or a bad thing?

The Man reads my blog but only because I have the posts emailed to him.  I'm not sure he'd read it otherwise!   I don't mind and I like that he reads.  This way he knows what's going on in my head and when he's gone it keeps him up to date with what's been going on around here.

2. What is one item in your house that holds the most sentimental value and why?

Sand Ceremony

I have several items that have sentimental value...it's too hard to figure out which one has the most!  I have an old iron, family photos, a soup tureen and doilies from my Grandma.  There the afghan that my aunt crocheted for me when I was 9.  There are the scrapbooks and the shadow box with a photo, boat tickets and a champagne cork from the night we were engaged.  There's the sand from the sand ceremony at our 

wedding.  There's the Precious Moments figurines from my childhood.  I could go on but I think you get the idea!

3.  When it comes to water fun in the summer do you prefer the beach, the pool, a lake, or the sprinklers?

 I don't mind the beach, pool or lake.  As long as I can swim in it I'm happy!  I haven't gone swimming in awhile mostly because it doesn't get warm enough here for me!  Wait...let me take that back.  I did got swimming last summer.


4.  What is the one special thing that you do for yourself to get you through the first week of a deployment/separation?

I buy/make/eat food that I enjoy but The Man doesn't.
 
5.  What is your biggest guilty pleasure website?

Facebook & Twitter.  I spend way too much time on both of them! 

Better Together

As I write this, it's about 7:30 and my husband has been working for 12+ hours.  I ate dinner, alone, a few hours ago, knowing he would be late again tonight. I could be annoyed or put out.  Late nights haven't been all that common for the past two year but I know that's changing.  I know my husband is working hard, working on solving problems and making sure that work is getting done in his division, even if it means doing it himself.  He's working hard for me, for us and for his country.  So instead of being upset I choose to be thankful.  Thankful that I have a husband who is willing to work hard and put in the long hours.  He probably could have been home already but instead he's doing the things that need to get done.  I'm proud of him.  And thankful that he's mine.

I love this song and it reminds me so much of us.  At our wedding it was my song to him.  So tonight, when I'm hoping he'll be home soon, this is the song that I have stuck in my head.

Better Together by Jack Johnson

There is no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
With sepia tone loving
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together

Mmm, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone
When the morning light sings
And brings new things
For tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too
Too many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somewhere in between
With only two
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do
Or places we got to be
We'll sit beneath the mango tree now

It's always better when we're together
Mmm, we're somewhere in between together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

Mmm, mmm, mmm

I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no, combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing
We're better together. 

Puppy Videos

If you read my last post, I talked about the puppies getting to mud.  Here's a video:



One more video.  This is of how excited Molly gets when she thinks she gets to go with us somewhere.  Just a warning...there's a lot of shaking of the camera so if you get motion sickness, close your eyes if you start to feel nauseous.

Geocaching

I was so excited that we were finally able to try geocaching.  I have some mixed feelings for it at this point but am wanting to try it again a few more times before I make a decision.  I go by the adage to try something 3 times (unless it's food!) before you decide you don't like it.

We looked up 3 caches that were near us.  Two of them were easy and one was harder but we chose it since it was by the disc golf and we wanted to play.  The Man downloaded an app on his phone so we could use it as the GPS.  The first cache was about 500 feet from our house so we walked over and looked around.  We couldn't find it so we decided that maybe it wasn't there anymore.  No biggie.  We walk home, grab the pups, jump in the car and head to the next cache.  When we get there, we each take a dog (we're dog sitting) and look around.  Can't find this one either.  We're both a little cranky...The Man got about 5 hours of sleep the night before and I feel like I've spent most of my day waiting.  We have no idea what kind of container we're looking for or anything and after looking around for 20 minutes we decide to give up and go play disc gold.

Hidden in the tree

We get to the park and decide to play and maybe look for the last cache.  We play through the holes with the pups running around and loving it.  I'm really bad but it's fun anyway.  Molly & Chase did manage to find a huge muddy puddle to play in at one point.  Molly thought it would be a great idea to lay down in in...we had a very muddy puppy!  Chase just tried to drink it...yuck!  We were pretty tired by the time we got to the 17th hole but that's the one that the cache is closest too so we decide to try to find it.  I poke around but The Man is walking around and after awhile I decide to just sit on a log.  He's walking and at one point looks up...and there it is!  We were both pretty excited.  It was great to finally find a cache.  It helped that we knew we were looking for a long, thin container.  Sadly we didn't bring anything with us to put in it so we didn't take anything but we did sign the log book.

The cache

We're going to pick up a few trinkets before we try again.  We'll try the easy ones again and some others.  There are tons around here.

Have you ever been geocaching?

Do you enjoy it?

Do you have any tips for beginners?

Sub Quilt

A few months after we were married I asked The Man if he would like me to make a quilt for him to take the next time he deployed.  He said sure.  So I got to work on a quilt that would live on a submarine.  He told me the dimensions he wanted.  I raided my stash and got to work.  I decided to do a simple pattern.  It came together in no time.  Once the top was finished I put it away and figured I had plenty of time to finish it since I knew he had awhile before he was leaving.

Getting ready to pin together

Fast forward about 14 months or so.  Two weeks before he was left The Man asked me if I had finished his quilt.  Um, no.  Hadn't even thought about it.  Thankfully I knew exactly where it was.  All I had to get was backing and some fuzzy material.  The Man requested a foot pocket on the bottom of his quilt cause the sub can be really cold and he wanted a way to keep his feet warm.  Thankfully JoAnn's was having a sale.  Not the best quality fabric but it will do!

Molly had to make sure it was comfy

Normally when I'm finishing a quilt I'll make a sandwich of the backing material, the batting and the quilt top.  You can pin or baste them together and sew designs on it to keep the sandwich together.  Or if you're not talented you just sewing in the seams (it's call stitch in the ditch.  I'm a pro at this!)  Someday I'll have a long arm quilt machine.  Someday.  The only problem with doing it this way is that you then have to sew on the binding.  I machine sew on one side but then hand sew the other.  I knew there was no way I would finish the binding before he left.  So I cheated.  I put the quilt top and backing material right sides together and put the batting on one side (along with the footie pocket!)  I then sewed around and left and opening.  I then turned the quilt so the batting was on the inside.  I sewed around the edge to give it a finished look.  Done.  It saved so much time!  The Man was able to pack his quilt and take it with him.  He reports that he LOVES it.

Have you made anything for your spouse take with them on a deployment?


If you haven't yet entered my giveaway, what are you waiting for?!?

Happy Birthday America

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...

Happy Birthday America.  You're looking pretty good for 235 years old! 

Source

Thank you to the men and women of our military who help keep this the home of the free and the land of the brave.

*Please have a safe holiday. If you're drinking, please make sure to have a designated driver! 

If you've dropped by from the 2nd Annual Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna, Welcome!  You can get to know me by clicking on the About Me and the Our Story tabs above.  If you like getting things for  free, you should enter my Voice Library giveaway.  Thanks for coming by and I hope to see you again soon!

The Voice Library Review & Giveaway

Have you heard of The Voice Library? (http://www.thevoicelibrary.net)  If not, here's a short description:

The Voice Library is a service that allows you to capture, store and share the voices and stories that mean the most to you. Over time, these stories and clips create the collected soundtrack of your family’s life.

Record or listen to audio clips over the phone or using your computer microphone and speakers. You can also upload audio clips you may already be storing elsewhere. The people you share your clips with can listen either on the phone or by computer. Recordings stored in The Voice Library are secure and available 24/7/365.

Cool, right?  When I was first contacted I wasn't sure I would use it but once I got thinking I realized I would. How great to be able to read my nieces & nephews in NH stories or to have my friend Megan record a particularly funny story on here so I can hear it.  It would also be great to verbally record memories and thoughts. I'd love to record a message for The Man to listen to when he surfaces or have him record me some to listen to while he's gone. There are tons of uses for this!

The Voice Library thoughtfully provided me with a $50 gift card to try them out. I set up an account which was super easy and quick.  Now I just have to get a few books to read to the kiddos and I'll be all set!  And once Megan returns from camp I want her to record the story of how she was supposed to get 17 campers from the airport but ended up with 20...

If this sounds like something you'd like to try I have some good news for you!  I have THREE $50 gift certificates to give away to my readers!  What does this give you, you ask?  It gives you 300 minutes (5 hours) of recording time, plus 5 years of storage.  What a great deal!  It could be yours from free.  I can't wait to share this with you so there are lots of easy ways for you to enter.

Mandatory:

1.  Be a follower of Many Waters on GFC and leave me a comment telling me so (1 entry)

Optional:
Please leave a comment for each one you do!

2.  Like Many Waters on Facebook (1 entry)

3.  Like The Voice Library on Facebook and leave a comment with an impression about their service (1 entry)

4.  Link your blog's Facebook page up to my Facebook Directory (1 entry)

5.  Follow me on Twitter (@ Poekitten) (1 entry)

6.  Follow The Voice Library on Twitter (@TheVoiceLibrary) (1 entry)

7. Tweet about the giveaway and include @Poekitten and @TheVoiceLibrary in it. Feel free to use this tiny link:  http://tiny.cc/vm3ic  (1 once a day)  (1 entry)
8.  Blog about it (or mention it in a post with a link to this post) and leave me the link (1 entry)

This giveaway is open until July 12.  Winner will be announced on July 13 and will be chosen using Random.org.  Only one gift certificate per winner.  They will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize.  Winners will be announced here, on the Many Waters Facebook page and will be tweeted.  Failure to contact me will result in another winner being chosen. 


Disclosure: In addition to the gift certificates that I'm giving away, I did receive one to try the system for myself. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.