superglue and spools : buttons

sewing machine = best investment ever. every time i sew something new, i think of the price comparison with how it would be marked in retail and it just makes my day! fabric is expensive but if you know where to look and wait for the deals, it's well worth it...though it means lots of impatient waiting inbetween...but that doesn't stop the inspiration from streaming :) buttons are my latest fad, and knobs are a close second! more projects are already queued up!!

outdoor porch cushion and pillows

bedroom accent pillows



bedroom background pillows (pictured in front for display purposes)

couch pillows

baby burp cloths featuring strawberries and apples

infant baby bibs

the latest knob-inspired wine stopper

absence meets reunion

january through july. one house, one dog, one couple...two lives. while alissa was living her life in north carolina, mike was deployed in afghanistan. though it was a LONG absence, it sure did make the hearts grow fonder!

he was circa 7,500 miles away

shirley showing her pride all by herself. the week before mike returned, she grabbed this out of the flower pot and trotted around with it. a few days earlier while watching the 'surprise homecoming' show on military homecomings, shirley grabbed a pair of mike's military socks and brought them to me!

displaying support for our troops

on base for the homecoming. their cargo and gear just arrived.

they are here!! slight feeling of deja vu as that morning two white busses passed me while i was on my run twice (how many times do you honestly see a white school bus?)...i thought maybe they were surprising us super duper early but then my senses got the best of me when i realized there was no reason they'd be out on emerald isle, let alone meandering through a neighborhood. mike came back on the first flight with about 10% of the battalion. advon (advanced party) had 3 busses worth of marines, and mike was on bus #3!

reunited after oh so long!!! he saw me first and darted around people, and then we embraced. longest. hug. ever.

soaking in the moment.

quick photo op care of our good friend katrina, the dubbed camera girl.

where's waldo! it was tough to keep track of him amidst the sea of identical cammis and sea bags as he picked up his own.

ready to go back home!

surprise!! he was greeted by banner #1 at our neighborhood entrance.

close-up of the bonus banner. you can't really see it but it's us on road bikes with shirls and her "cigar" (beef bone)

banner #2!

close-up of the main banner. i think i'll keep it hanging up for a while to embarrass him :)

his welcome home gift!! mike said he had a hunch of what it was when he spied the bonus banner...oops. what he didn't know is that he got two more mini surprises also (road bike accessories and some new coastal shirts).

green thumb

after over a year, we finally planted in our big pot! we were waiting for the perfect pair and a little gem magnolia tree is it. petite, fragrant, and aesthetically delightful! next on the list: herbs and veggies :)

coast, cotton and crab

back in march some of alissa's family came to visit again. this round brought new adventures in new locations, but still lots of beach time! here are some highlights:

daily sunrise

walks on the beach

nephew william playing in the sand

ocean fish that steph swiped from the angry seagulls

angry seagulls stalking us

plantation near wilmington! we learned that peanuts and sea salt were huge commodities back then

alissa and steph in one of the plantation houses we're not supposed to be in



old cotton exchange in wilmington

good 'ol paddy's

sightseeing in downtown swansboro

shrimping boat in swansboro

walking the plank


twins at the ice house

who knew soft shell crab was literally a whole crab???

reghann struttin' it at an antique store

william testing out the sweet wheels at the px on base

a dash of kitchen flair

while most hunted for hidden easter eggs, a few instead shared a special day with friends...for the new nuptials:

cheery spring napkins

retro-accent dish towels

voguish half apron for the missus

antiquated wine stopper...too perfect of an addition to our own kitchen to part with (sorry, kremers!)

"c" is for...

two chickadees and a canine!

sloppy (g.i.) janes

yesterday my friend and i raced (or, participated is probably a better verb choice) in the stone bay mud run on base at camp lejeune. it was a 4-mile off-road, obstacle-laden course at the stone bay rifle range. along the winding mud-ridden forest paths were obstacles including fallen tree hurdles, tire agility, hills galore, scaling walls, tunnels, multiple mud pits and crawling through mud under a netted (apparently barbed wire was a safety concern?!) clearance. it was by far the most fun race i have ever done before (aside from triathlons, that is)! since all obstacles were optional though, it was impossible to accurately gauge race times, thus why i say 'participated' instead of 'raced' :) we raced as a team - we were the 'sloppy (g.i.) janes' - get it? sloppy joes only the female version, incorporating both mud and military? pretty clever. this one is DEFINITELY on the schedule again for next year!!

some poor soul's lost shoe from the quick sand-esque mud pit


one of the mud pit rivers

me trudging through a mud pit

my friend katrina at the same photo op locale

full body shot post-race!