Being an Army Mommy & Grateful Daughter

Cleaning, cooking, crafting, and getting my new business to stand up, playing games with my little one (we are working on colors & shapes), and now packing...

                             PACKING??

YES, because I am leaving.

In just a few VERY SHORT days, I will be heading out to Pennsylvania for 47 days to train up in a new MOS. That means I am changing military jobs and I will pretty much be cutoff from my daughter for the duration of that time.  I won't return until NOVEMBER!!


Anxious?

     Yes.

Worried?

     Of course!

And missing her will be a huge guarantee.

But its gonna be ok, because while I am gone and her dad is working long hours, she will be in great hands....

Grandma's hands...

She's gonna kill me for putting her picture up!

My mom will be flying in tomorrow from Puerto Rico. She's will be watching the baby while I go off and play Army.  Unfortunately, I won't even be around tomorrow to see her come in since I will be working extra days with my unit to make a little extra cash (and boy do we need it).

Fifteen years ago, when I was just a teenager, like most teenagers, I didn't really appreciate my mom as I should have. Talk to me then and I just SWORE I was just misunderstood.  

Boy, was I wrong.

My mom was always doing the right things by us.  She was always present for our extracurricular activities whether it was a school musical, a wrestling match for my brother, or the many football games in which she helped us raise money in the concession stands for the High School band we both played in.  

( I wish I had some pictures to show you guys but they were in a family members basement and were destroyed when the water heater exploded)

She put the pressure on us to keep our grades up, and made sure what we knew were privileges instead of entitlements. She was the good guy, and the bad guy. 

She was all of that and more, and I can honestly say that I would never have understood that level of dedication and love until I became a parent.

She's supported us in everything we set our hearts on.

Turns out she was the one who was misunderstood, 

BY ME.

I understand the meaning now of "I do it because I love you".

The best news about that is that once I had  my own baby, that didn't change, she still does, and my little HB gets some of that unconditional love too.

So she is dropping everything she has going on in PR and coming down to New Jersey for over a month and a half for us. I can't ask for more. 

It means a lot to me and I am so happy that they can catch up on all the lost time (they haven't seen each other since February). 

Isn't it amazing what a mother will do for their child?

To my faithful READERS!!!

I have moved!! The process is still ongoing, but just to make sure everyone is on the same page, I have included my NEW domain name!!!

www.heavenly-blossoms.com

Please contact me if there are any issues that arise for anyone!! I am ever so grateful that you have decided to become faithful readers of my blog and I do NOT want to lose you!! :)

Makeup/Personal Hygiene Clutch custom made for a teenager!

So today was Daddy and daughter day....So I had a minimum of six hours to get everything ready for the clutch I was making for my friend Vicki's daughter! It's her daughter's birthday this week and she asked if I could make her a cute makeup clutch for her daughter! Of course!



Vicki's one of the sweetest people you will ever meet! She's so nice she will take time out of her day to give you a ride at an obscene hour to a place completely out of the way and across state lines!! (I know this because she did!!! She gave me a ride to Staten Island at Midnight so I can report for military duty.)

So here it is,

I am so proud of this one because I feel like I was able to focus deeper on it.   With my little HB away with her Dad, I didn't have to make sure she wasn't running off with a pincushion full of pins or worse!!!

I also decided to keep the corners square on this one....not only is it neater looking...its EASIER!!!

Don't get me wrong I love the curved corners, but I need more practice!

This is one of my favorite parts about this lol...I love the pearl snap...makes it "official".

Although this was a custom design for her daughter, the design of this style of clutch was inspired by all the crazy flights I have had to take in the military.

Flying does nothing for me lol. And I hate risking my makeup bag in carry-on! I feel like they are going to make me dump all that pricey stuff to get past security!

So, I figured, I need something small and attractive, something that will fit the bare minimum so that I can not only feel refreshed but LOOK refreshed as well! ALSO it had to be in something cute...not just some clear vinyl bag....oh no thats just too easy for me!! 

So I had to decide, what do I wish to have when I am flying and need to touch up?

Here they are:

Facial Wipes: 

I have dry skin and flying doesn't help it, these are my must-haves!!! I love the way they lather up AND they take off your  makeup too!! It's the only thing that effectively, removes my makeup, cleans, and hydrates my skin.....so I would tuck one or two of these into the big pocket probably behind my compact.

Mascara:

Im a light brunette that gets blondie sunkisses in her hair, well....not right now but my eyelashes; as sparse as they are lighten up to a blonde at the tips from sun exposure. Mascara is a number one for me because it makes my lashes appear longer AND helps with making me look AWAKE! Despite the 4 hour flight with 3 hour layover after being on standby for 6!

I am a classic girl, and I have tried other lines but I always come back to this one!

Lip Gloss:

Pucker Up ladies!!! I always love to complete the look with glossy lips :) Makes me feel done up! These are my favorites. They are clear or tinted so its a nice hint of color! Plus I love the minty freshness!! It's an added bonus!!

 

I may or may not carry a small all in one compact (blush/eyshadow) and there is room for a small eyeshadow brush as well in the wallet. It's really convenient when needing to look as best as possible in short notice!

I didn't have a makeup/eyshadow brush on hand so I figured a pen might be useful too!!! Just stick a stack of post-its behind the blush and you are good to go!!

Now since it is also made for a teenager I made sure it was good for double duty, knowing at that age girls are extremely shy and discreet especially when it comes to a young girl's cycle! 

So I also made sure the pockets were sized right to fight several pads in the large pocket and tampons in the slim pockets, because there is nothing more embarrassing than those things falling out of a purse for a teenage girl!

The clutch is a nice way of keep them from floating around loose in the purse, and the great thing about it is so cute of a wallet, that it can be carried around on its own :)

So yes, needless to say I am truly proud of this creation! It took quite a while for someone of my skill level to put what I had in mind into reality, I hope she loves it!! I am glad to make it for the daughter of such a nice person :)

What do you guys think?? Do you have something similar to this? Have you ever had a vision for something you knew would be useful that you just HAD to manifest it??

I guess I am just soo glad that this one was just sooo much FUN to make!! :)

Partying up at these Linky Parties!! Say Hi to these cool ladies!!

 

Launch of my New Blog Design by Wonder Forest!!!

I started blogging over a year ago.  But I never took it seriously enough!

       I thought:

            Why would I? I am not the best writer, not by far! 

               Would I have the courage to share as well as others have?

                             

Would anyone even bother reading?

   It took me awhile but I finally realized, why not? Why am I beating myself down ahead of time?  If it's  something I do know, it's the fact that you will never know until you try!

"There is no failure except in no longer 

trying. "

           ~ Elbert Hubbard

So here I am, writing to you guys with a renewed commitment to blogging on Heavenly Blossoms, and everything that goes with it! 

This blog is going through a major makeover and I want to get it done just right!

One of the things I wanted to vamp up was my blog layout, it's something I looked into as the foundation for everything else related to Heavenly Blossoms!

What serendipity it was when I found out that Dana of Wonder Forest was offering her talents in design services in a post on her blog!!! 

So I hit her up (cuz I'm cool like that :P) with an email as soon as I was done reading the post....and she wrote back RIGHT AWAY and was completely down with portraying my interests and the purpose of this blog into the design!

Now let me tell you a little bit something about Dana. She's awesome! No really she is!  I read her designing  background on this post and while I thoroughly appreciate that she is venturing off to a new direction in designing, I am truly impressed with the multitude of success she has had!

To top it off she put up with me as if I was the easiest person to get along with!!! She was incredibly easy to work with and it was all done via email. She works quickly and the high quality of work is easy to see 

via her work samples here.

And did I mention how sweet she is that I even got the shot-out from her on her latest post???

I feel like one of the cool kids now!!!!

So there you have it....here's my new blog design I hope you love it because I do and it feels good to know that things are finally coming together! 

I really appreciate you stopping by!!!

PS:

She has the CUTEST little shop on Etsy with a collection of items JUST in time for HALLOWEEN!!! Make sure to check it out!!!

This is how I cheer up! (after a rough day)

Today...


                    was going ok....Charlie was doing really well.  


She was groomed today and looked sooooo fabulous. 




But then... 
  

   my day turned super yucky.

   I couldn't describe what I felt exactly. Was I mad? disappointed? I just didn't know.

I was driving as this was going on....and I was on my way home and I realized...

I had to forget about it and DRIVE ON...

(literally)

And of course it paid off, because as soon as that door opened...I heard.....

"MOMmeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"


I walked up those stairs and gave her a big ol' squeeze, kissed her cheeks and spent the rest of evening playing games and making silly faces with her.

 I'm all smiles now because my little one is really good at taking my mind off of the bad and making those little positives so much better.  

And now that she's in bed and all snuggled up while I sit down and write this out to you, I try to keep riding on that good wave, and keep my mind off of what brought me down today.


Thank goodness for friends, moscato, and back to back episodes of glee.




What do you guys do when you have one  of "those" days?




and....just one more question....

Source: google.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Isn't this the CUTEST!?

PS: Love that episode where the boys battle the girls for the opening song!

About Heavenly Blossoms

Welcome to Heavenly Blossoms, my blog,
where I write about experiences that come with mommyhood, army life, and crafting in my somewhere in the middle of all of that!

I'm a single mommy, a soldier and now a blogger.

The concept of sharing my personal life had me uneasy at first.  However, in the world of blogging I have come to know so many of you out there,

JUST. LIKE. ME.

Many of you are SO open about your lives, sharing the intimate details of motherhood, home life, and your amazing talents. Your posts read like a best friend just catching up with you about their day, it's comfortable and refreshing, finding things in common.

Because I have been so lucky, I want to share too. I want to be able to provide here  what others have unknowingly done for me!

Being a mommy now, it is a full days work crammed into 24 short hours, am I right? Sometimes its easy breezy....and then there are those days that make you want to lock yourself in the bedroom and pull down the shades needless to say....a tad challenging! 

But how many of us can say that we are glad that is all we have to worry about? 

           Anyone? Bueller? 

Riiight.... 

            women have multiple titles, housekeeper, nurse, therapist, motivational speaker, cook, and for many other women out there you can add protectors of our country's freedom to that.  We are natural born multi-taskers.

For the days where I reap in the rewards of these titles and the days where I just don't quite make my goal this is where I go to share it all!

                                                            THIS is why I am here.

For you military mommas, I also look forward to sharing with you how I cope with the moments where being a soldier HAS to come first.  I want to be there for the mommas who are new to the military and the military women who will be new to being a momma.  I also really hope to hear from you all as well.  I know that you Army/Air Force/Marine/Navy/Coast Guard mommas are out there, and its times like this that every bit of advice can go a long way for all of us :)

My reason for this is that my daughter is my heavenly blossom, everyday I am blessed with little tidbits of love and happiness because of her.  I learn to see beauty in unexpected situations. Even if my day or week has been rough and yes even if she may have something to do with it, she is my secret ingredient to making it all better.

I want to pay that forward, I want other mommies from all walks of life to come here, to find relief, a few smiles and even a little bit of laughter; heavenly blossoms if you will, to make your day a little better, a little brighter, and to help you find the beauty in life....



So whatever it is that brought you here today,  I hope you found it helpful, and yet I hope you return for more.  These Heavenly Blossoms are for you and I hope they do for you as my little Heavenly Blossom has done for me!

Thank you!

Jenny

A Weekly Cleaning Schedule Made Easy!

Source: annetaintor.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I lead life as a jack-of-all-trades  busy mom. It's what happens when you have a little girl starting her "terrible twos" early, a 6-month old puppy with a recent surgical procedure,  being nursed back to normalcy.

Oh, and did I mention I am taking myself seriously and starting a business? YES More on that HERE...

In between the baby, puppy, new business and therefore crafting, there is also the cleaning:

the LAUNDRY, 


            DISHES,

                 DUSTING,


                        MOPPING AND SWEEPING......AND THE LIST GOES ON! 

 So since my little girl was about 6 months, (before the puppy and Heavenly Blossoms) I devised this daily schedule, to keep myself accountable, and to keep it all from piling up!

Its not the most perfect schedule, and yes there are a few things missing, but for the most part it covers the bases and simplifies it ahead of time and saves my sanity!


Here it goes:

Monday: Upstairs Hallway and  Guest Bathroom - Vacuum, mop (bathroom), toilets, tub, shower, sink, mirror, and replenish supplies as needed - this just means pulling toilet paper, toothpaste, Febreze air freshener from our big Sam's club stash downstairs)

Tuesday: Baby's Room -Reorganize clothes, since she is growing so much I take the time each week to pull out all the clothes she doesn't fit into anymore and pack them up for family or charity), dusting, organize, vacuum, ORGANIZE {because she's my shadow little helper, this usually happens twice since her idea of organize is take it out to play :)}

Wednesday: Master Bedroom and Bathroom - dust, clean, organize, vacuum. (Funny how it looks so short & sweet when this day probably take the LOOOONGEST!

Thursday:  Living Room - Dust, clean, sweep, vacuum and polish floor. (Don't get me wrong here, my idea of polishing the floors is via some Method Wood Floor Cleaner and  Microfiber Swiffer type thing!)

Friday: Dining Room - Clean, Dust, Sweep, Vacuum & "polish" floors, as well as REorganize files, and computer desk and craft area.

Saturday:  Kitchen and 1st Fl 1/2 Bath- A thorough cleaning of counter, floor, and sink in both rooms. Steam mop kitchen floor, and replenish supplies (i.e. toilet paper, air freshener and paper towel).

Sunday:  Guest Room - Dust, Clean, Organize, Vacuum

**Each day that room's laundry gets done also, for example on Monday its the Guest Bathroom I would switch out the towels, and wash the dirty ones, or if its Wednesday.....::shudder:: its ALL of our clothes, towels, and sheets, etc. etc......**

~~~I set one day just for groceries and errands, Thursdays and Fridays early morning or early afternoon. Its the best because since I do not work outside the home at the moment I can beat the crowds AND here's a tip, most stores use Thursday for their ship day, so the shelves are well stocked or getting there in time for the weekend!~~~



Oh and yes I do cook in between that lol...I like to start around three so it's all done within a reasonable time before DH goes off to work. The cleaning HAS to get done as SOON as I wake up or else it will never get down, there will most likely be too many interruptions throughout the day, and if I save it for the end of the day....lol yeah...like that's gonna happen!



       What's your version of this?? Anything you do differently? I would love to hear your opinion and it would be great to have the tips from those more "experienced" to share!!! :)