Etsy!

I have finally created my Etsy account and posted my new creations! If you're interested in purchasing any handmade cards or scrapbook pages, please please take a look! If you know anyone interested, please please send them over! I would loooove to sell something :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5804061

or go to www.etsy.com and type in username "cporter519"

Thanks ya'll!

Awards!

I was so very lucky to receive this award from a fellow blogger/friend. Colleen thinks I'm cute and a good enough blogger to deserve it :p You should check out her blog. She's got awesome "caption it" days where you can win prizes. She has also quit smoking and is very inspirational :)

Now it is my turn to return to pass on the blog award!....

1. Baby Fat- Erin is one of the sweetest girls I know (and I don't technically know her!) I met her on a wedding website a long while ago and love her to death. I love to read her blog to get updates on her TTC.

2. Tenacious V- This is my sister-in-law so I'm a little bias. I love her blog because she's super funny and always has interesting (and sometimes deep) things to talk about. Her latest post (7 things you didn't know) had me laughing all the way through.

3. Stamp Owl- I'm not sure how I found this blog, but I'm super glad I did. I LOVE to scrapbook and make cards and this blog gives me motivation to do so. Frances is an extremely talented stamper and card maker. Her cards are beautiful and full of technique. I hope to someday have half of her talent.

4. Are you Listening?- I also "met" Andrea on the wedding website. You really get to know people on chat boards!!! I've been following Andrea's journey through life and love the strength that she has. She found out recently she's expecting and I can't wait to read about this journey!

5. Under the Pear Tree- Again, a bias, this is my sister-in-law who just started her blog. She is also an AMAZING scrapbooker and card maker. Her etsy shop is full on incredible work. She blogs about her life, scrappings, and her adorable daughters.

I love all the other blogs I read, but had to choose 5!!!!

Now Ladies, time to pass it on…

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2. Add the link of the blogger who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 5 other blogs.
4. Add those 5 links to your post.
5. Leave a message for your winners on their blogs.

For Babe-A-Labe

So this one's to you Babe-A-Labe. You should feel loved.

My life has been crazy hectic the last few days. I started work on Monday and never imagined in a million years I'd have so much to do to get ready for the first day of school. As many of you may know, last year I started teaching mid-October. I did not have to get my classroom set up or plan for the first week of school. I did not have to come up with rules and procedures for every little thing the child does during the day. This year, I am in charge of all those things. You wouldn't believe some of the things you have to plan for. How are they going to sharpen pencils, where are their school supplies going to go, how should they ask questions, what color reading groups should I have. It's a mess. Yes, my classroom is set up and ready to go (Pictures hopefully to come tomorrow), but all those little behind the scenes details are not.

I tried planning for the first day of school today and almost pulled my hair out. Explain this, demonstrate that, get to know you, show this procedure, tour the school, etc etc etc. So much to do and no time for much instruction. It's going to be crazy and there's really no way to actually plan it all. So here I am... scared of the shark infested waters, but running and diving in wearing a red one piece.

Is this to your liking Meredith? :P

Boring

It's been a few days so I thought I'd post.
I don't have very much to say other than I started work today and I'm already exhausted. Tell me why I opted to spend the rest of my life going to school???

My classroom is ready to go. I have a lot of little administrative things to do before next week, but as long as the classroom is ready, I'm ready! I love the way it turned out and couldn't have done it without Valli. Thanks Valli! I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow.

Dan comes home Thursday. I'm super excited about this. I've been missing him like crazy! he won't be home for long, but at least I'll get something.

I told you this wasn't going to be a good one. I promise a better post next time.

Trick or Treat

So tonight I decided to spend an hour and a half creating a Halloween scrapbook page. I had a lot of fun making it, but didn't realize it would take SO much time! I can't wait to see if it sells on etsy!

Check it out.

Left side:

Right side:


Close up:




I'm pretty proud of myself. Now cross your fingers that it sells :)

Update on Life

I figured I'd post since I hadn't in a few days. Not a lot has been going on over here. I've been going into school to get my classroom ready for the kids. It's pretty much the way I want it with the exception of a few posters I still need to make. I'm pretty excited now that it's come together. I'll get some pictures on Monday and post them. My room is about half the size of the one last year. It's depressing. Oh well. Move on Caiti.

They hired a new first grade teacher yesterday. I guess there were too many 1st graders for just 3 classes, so they gave our school MY position back. (If you don't know the story: My 1st grade position was cut at the end of last year because of funding. My school wanted me to stay with them so they offered me a 3rd grade position. I didn't want 3rd grade, but decided it would be easier than switching schools. When I heard my position might be coming back I asked for it. My principal gave me a long speech about how he wanted my personality in 3rd grade or something... I'm bitter)

I was livid when I found out we got the position back and he didn't give it to me. That was my position! I was hired there into that 1st grade position. I should have had the option to take it back. I guess in the long run it's probably better that I stay in 3rd. They'll probably cut the position again next year and then where would I be? I guess the big Man knows what he's doing. It just stinks that I could have had 1st grade again.... I would have known what I was doing and would have so much less stress going into the first day. *Sigh* Everything happens fro a reason right?

If you could, please think of and pray for my sister-in-law Valli. She's been having some random pains and has been told she may have Endometriosis. Pray she won't need surgery and if she does that it all goes smoothly. She really wants to start having kids soon, so pray this will not interfere.

Dan called today. It was good to hear his voice. Just 1 more week until he's home again!

Slumber Party!

It's been a really long time since I've participated in a Slumber Party, so when my sister-in-law suggested we have one I was totally in.

Valli came over around 3:00 on Monday to start the fun. I was really excited to spend some time with her since Dan had been gone for 6 days. We began our slumber party with some late lunch and chatting. We're very good at chatting. We then decided to take a trip to ACMoore to buy a few items for our card making night ahead. When we got home, we went to my scrapbooking room and began the "all night card making" event. We began around 7pm and concluded the night a little before 1am. Here is what we have to show for it:

I made these two after seeing this sketch on another bloggers site. I loved the sketch and decided it was perfect for this stamp set. One is a birthday card and the other is a card for a friend.



These are the 2 Valli made. One is a "Thinking of you" and the other a birthday card.



These are the Halloween cards I made:


I hope to get these cards posted on Etsy sometime soon. My goal is to try to sell some things so that I can buy more! I vowed I would not buy anything else scrapbooky until I have sold something. Wish me luck!

Didya Know?

So some of my blogger friends have posted a "Didya Know" thread today. I thought I would play along. Feel free to play along too if you'd like.

7 things about me:
Did you know.....

1. My 2 worst fears in life are being alone and not being able to have my own children. I HATE being alone. This is the reason I had serious/long term boyfriends throughout high school (only 2!) and was never really single. I get anxiety and depression when I'm alone. It's terrible. I also want more than anything to experience having my own children. I fear that I won't be able to do so when the time comes.

2. I have terrible self confidence. I doubt myself at all times and don't believe I am good at anything. I'm working on this.

3. I had an unhealthy crush on Nick Carter in middle school and had posters of him all over my bedroom. I also have a copy of his first (and maybe only??) CD.

4. I fell in love (or thought I did) with a boy in Ireland and almost purposefully missed my flight back to the US so that I could stay with him all summer. A year after I returned to the states he declared himself gay (or maybe bisexual...I can't remember)

5. I have worked for many different places and have despised them all. I was not made for working. I was a hostess at a small bar and grill, cashier/sales person at Sears, Kauffmans, Bath and Body Works, and Aeropostale, and I was a preschool teacher at Childtime. Now I am an elementary school teacher and I'm not liking it any more than those other places.

6. I have an obsession for buying scrapbooking things and hording them. The reason I don't use my things is not because I don't have time or talent, but because I can't stand the thought of using things up!!! I own thousands of dollars of scrapbooking/card supplies and don't do much with them :x Don't tell my husband.

7. In Kindergarten I was popular with all the boys because I could tie my shoes super fast. I learned to do so to impress a boy and he bragged/showed me off to the rest of the class :)

Hope you had fun learning a little about me. Now it's your turn!

The Bathrooms

I promised a few people out there before and after pictures of the bathroom I fixed up last time Dan was out to sea. It's been a few weeks since the "makeover" so I figured it was time to post the pictures. I didn't get a good before shot since I was so eager to get started. Please forgive me.

The before color was a very ugly brown. The after, a calming blue that we bought at Lowe's for $3. Yay for us!

Before and After:



I am sad I couldn't get a better before picture. It really was an amazing change!

When we bought this house I told Dan that the first project we were going to work on was the guest bathroom. Here's the before. Do I need to day more?

• 

Are you saying, "Oh Caiti, the stripes aren't THAT bad?" Well they are. If you were in the bathroom looking at them you would see streaks of white and stripes that were not straight. It was a nightmare. Oh, and might I add that above the sink were these:



Please tell me who in their RIGHT mind would do this to a bathroom? Here are the after pictures:


Ahhhh much better.

I hope you enjoyed my picture show. Leave those comments and let me know what you think!

A Day at the Beach

My absolutely adorable nieces came to visit last weekend. Dan and I hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving (maybe Christmas...) so we were excited for them to come down. Laura is 6 (almost 7) and going into 1st grade. Linds is almost 4. They're little people now and it's amazing! I had a lot of fun playing with them and making yummy brownies:

A few times during their stay I had a wonderful maternal feeling. We were baking brownies together and it made me SO happy! I can't wait to have my own children to bake and cook with. What an amazing feeling.

We took them to the beach as well. You can't visit Virginia Beach and NOT go to the beach! This was Linds' first trip to the beach/ocean so I was excited to see her reaction. When we got to the beach she was SO excited. She kept clapping and giggling. She went to the water and did the same until a wave broke and came up to her. As the water was washing away it made her lose her balance and she face planted into the water. Needless to say, she was NOT happy and said she did not like the beach. This is how she spent the rest of the day:

And just for fun, a picture of my lovely husband:

God, Grant Me the Strength

Written August 2, 2008

***Warning: This post may sound whiny and selfish. Do not read if you can't handle it.


Dear God,
Why is it that everyone around me is having children, or has already had them, when I want one of my own so badly? Everywhere I look I find someone who is pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or has just had a child. I find myself getting so jealous of these people. I stare at their bellies or children and wonder why I don't have what they have.

I am such a lucky person. I have an amazing family that loves me very much. They are supportive, encouraging, and caring. I have in-laws that anyone would be lucky to have. They love me like their own and support me in everything I do. I have a great house, a wonderful job, and awesome friends. Most of all, I have a the perfect husband. Dan is everything I've ever dreamed of and more. He is loving, respectful, hardworking, intelligent, supportive, encouraging, funny, and an amazing spouse. He loves me so much and shows it in so many ways.

With all of these wonderful things in my life, why am I jealous of the mothers around me? Shouldn't I be perfectly content with all of the great things I've been given? Why do I feel like such a horrible person for being so jealous? How can I change my feelings?

Here's the story. Thus far it sounds as though Dan and I have been trying to conceive and have been having difficulties. This is not the case. Dan and I (more so him than me) have decided to hold off on having children until he gets his Bachelors degree. This is the smart thing for us to do. I know this is the best thing for both of us, but why is it so hard for me to accept? I love my husband more than anything. I want to support him in all his decisions and dreams. I want him to be happy. I want US to be happy (and we are... don't get me wrong!) I don't want him feeling guilty for getting his degree, but I also want him to know how badly I want children now. How most of the time I don't want to put off my dreams of being a mother so that he can have his dream of getting a Civil Engineering degree. I feel as though I have to hide my feelings so that he won't feel guilty and give up his dream. I don't want to hold him back, but I don't want to put my dreams on hold either. What in the world do I do?

I am asking you God for guidance. Please guide Dan and me in the right direction. I know you have a plan for us. Please grant me the ability to accept it and to be happy and content with my wonderful life. You will bless us with children when it is my time to be a mother. Please help me with my journey and give me strength.

Farewell

So here's how the Navy does things (or at least the USS Eisenhower!)

I dropped Dan off at the ship last night at 10:30pm. They were required to be on board by 11:59pm to go underway at 9am the next morning. Okay, I got over the whole, "be here the night before" thing since I know how stupid they can be. It was horrible. Saying goodbye is always depressing and I knew I had 2 long and lonely weeks ahead of me. I drove home crying and went to bed.

This afternoon I got a call from Dan saying the ship had not left and that they could go home for a few hours. I was SO excited! I hurried to the ship and got there around 2:50pm. Dan said they had about 15 minutes of work left and he'd be right there. About 2 1/2 hours later he came out. I was irritated, but extremely excited that we had a few more hours together. We ate and went home to watch the Olympics. At 10:00pm I drove him back to the ship to say goodbye again. There's nothing like 2 painful goodbyes in 2 days. Oh well.

So here's to a long 2 weeks alone. Feel free to leave some love and keep me company :)

Back in the Game

Dan left again today for 2 weeks. This means I will have a lot of time to blog. Lucky you right? I'm exhausted and ready for bed so I'll leave you with a few of my thoughts:

1. My cat is a loud sleeper.

2. I wish the Navy didn't fly jets right over my house at midnight.

3. I'm hungry.

More tomorrow.

So Sorry!

I promise readers, that I will have a new post up soon. I spent a week in Canton and then drove the 9 hour trip back to VA on Monday. Since then I have started a class for work and Dan finally came home!!! I just picked him up from the base so now we need couple time :)
I have a post written, but need to find time to type it!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

On this day (Aug 2) 23 years ago:

1985 - Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137.


Also, I was born :) Something good came out of that day!