Hey y'all!
There is always a huge gap between posts here, but hopefully I can get more consistent in the near future. Here's what has been going on with me:
1. My husband is baaaaaack!
Hubby returned safe and sound from his nine-month deployment. We had a joyful reunion at 2:45AM in the middle of a freezing Texas Army field while baby girl was bundled up, fast asleep in her stroller and big brother was wide awake, flailing glow bracelets around with his grandma. This was his first deployment and I still feel like a big-time newbie to Army life, but I have learned A LOT.
2. We got to go on a much-needed family vacation--to Hawaii! We had so much fun, got to stay in a beautiful resort with (and thanks to) my parents, play in the sand, and enjoy getting re-acquainted with one another. Especially baby girl and her daddy. She was only one month old when he left, so he came home to a completely different little girl!
3. My son started school in Texas--and it's intense! He went from going to Pre-K3 in Idaho for two hours a day, two days a week and now attends a full 8-hour day every weekday!
It's been a little tough for me to get back into the routine of things. This military life is seriously tough on me, y'all! And I don't mean to say that it's just me or military families that struggle. I know that EVERYONE has hard times. Everyone has their mountains (or cliffs!) to climb in this life. I know that because I know God--and like any good parent, he wants us to struggle in order to establish our strength and knowledge needed to overcome future obstacles. In that respect, I understand that this lifestyle is necessary for me to grow. But man! It is honestly such a roller-coaster! I start out being devastated that he's left; figuring life out as a new (kind of? Single) mom of two, struggling like crazy to become independent again. There's lots of crying in front of my mom and dad, lots of ice cream, lots of mom taking care of kids for me while I do "me". Then I FINALLY have my crap together. I've finally got this solo parenting thing down when it's time for him to come home again.
It's not that it has been bad since he's been back. It's actually gone really well. Reintegration went smoothly and we got back into our family rhythm almost as if he had never left. It's just that I, with my fragile emotions, have had a hard time with all of the ups and downs. It's hard for me to transition, I guess. It's hard from going from solo parent to dual parents. It's hard for me to ask my husband for help because I'm not used to being able to anymore. It's hard not having my mom around to help give me a kid-free hour. It's hard to go back to running my own household and not holding it to the same standards as my mother's. (My mom is the most hard-working person I know, and her house is always immaculate!) It's hard seeing my son struggle through the changes and watching him hurt, being helpless to stop it. It's hard to catch up on all the unpacking, keep a clean house, and keep a 10-month old baby alive simultaneously!
Through all of this, I have concluded that: life is hard, I am a terrible housewife, and my husband is basically a superhero.C
Leave a comment and PLEASE let me know that I am not the only one! What are you doing to overcome your "schtuff" right now?
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Diary of An Army Wife
I cracked a little today.
I really don’t even know what set me off. It was just another Sunday, and I had been doing so well! It has been almost two months since my husband deployed and I hadn't broken down. (Well, other than the move. But that's another story.)
It may have been the videos. Clips of our man cub as a baby. Our vacation to Hawaii. Trips to Moab. They were all from a time where we were blissfully free from the separation that Army life brings. I had never even spent a night away from my husband back then.
It could have been our brief FaceTime call. I loved seeing him. I had felt this sadness lurking throughout the morning, and seeing him—wow. His smile is magic: it transforms my face into a reciprocating grin that can’t seem to disappear until he does. And he was SO happy. He has been working on college courses and working out and staying busy being a hero.
It might have been the constant splash of terrifying headlines and heartbreaking news stories pouring in throughout the week. This world has gone crazy, you guys! There is so much hate out there and so much violence and it just makes me sad!
The sadness slowly crept up on me. And it wouldn’t go away. I put on a brave face. I shrugged it away. But it kept slinking back onto my shoulders.
I’m not one of THOSE Army wives. I’m not strong or resilient or even emotionally stable most of the time! Although I feel I have grown quite a bit since this chapter of our lives began, I still feel inadequate in the “handling separation” department.
It is a hard thing to be cut off from the person you most rely on. It is a lonely thing. And, in my case, a worrisome thing. But there is a secret that I have learned. The secret that has kept me from totally breaking for 52 days so far. (Who’s counting??)
I am never alone.
I am cared for, loved, and adored more than I can even comprehend. There is someone who notices when I get spit up on for the 5th time and when my kid breaks something at grandma’s house and when I cry so hard I can’t breathe.
God is here with me. He sees me. My pain, my flaws, everything.
And he cares.
When my husband is half the world away and can’t talk to me about my day, God listens. When everyone else has other things to do, His prime concern is me. When I feel like I just want to crawl in bed and cry, He comforts me.
It doesn’t make my cracks go away, but it helps to ease the pain.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Love is the answer.
After the shooting in Orlando, then the highly publicized videos of the killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, then the subsequent shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge and many more, I had such a heavy heart. I have been so afraid for my country lately. I never imagined that this would happen. I thought that we were past this. I knew that things were bad, sure. But I never thought that people would start shooting police officers.
I'm not here to point fingers or place blame in any way. I've seen the videos circulating the internet. I know police brutality is a real thing. But I also believe in my heart that the majority of police officers are good people with families who just want to protect and serve. I know that racism is still very real and still effects many people in terrible ways, and it's not right.
What do we do?
I've struggled with this. I hate seeing all of this happen. I just want our country to be united and proud, regardless of the color of our skin or even our sexual orientation. I can't understand why someone would be so angry that they would feel compelled to shoot innocent people.
Let me just say that I am not much of a people person. Most of the time, I have an easier time sympathizing with animals. Because let's face it: animals are cute and innocent and they can't make snarky remarks. Let me say also that this is coming from a significantly hardened person. Growing up as the "fat girl" in school has a way of making one pretty defensive when it comes to other people.
That being said, I love you.
Yes. You.
I don't care if you're black, white, brown, purple, or green. I don't care if you're bisexual or gay or straight. I don't care if you don't like me. I love you. I will be completely honest and say that, as an imperfect human being I do struggle to like you sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. I may not understand your way of life and I may not agree with your political views. But I love you. From one child of God to another, I love you.
I've been through some difficult things recently and it has made me realize that for me, things like this are not worth fighting for. I may not like the people that are acting out against the cops. I may not like the cops who are dealing with their subjects too violently. I may not understand the lifestyle of someone who is gay. But it's not worth it for me to hate you. You see, I've been quietly fighting my own battle. I've been hurting behind closed doors. I've been alone and hopeless and screaming inside when the rest of the world when right on turning. I realized that I am not the only person who hurts. I am not the only person who feels alone. At the end of the day, I do not want to add to someone else's burdens. I do not want to contribute to their hurt. I want to uplift them. I want to love them.
So if you're involved with this craziness going on in our country, or if you're hurting at all, just know that I love you. I may not understand you or agree with you or even know you, but I love you.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
New Page
I've added a new page Wooden Signs and Home Decor
There, you can see what I've been up to with my signs and maybe even order something from my Facebook page.
There, you can see what I've been up to with my signs and maybe even order something from my Facebook page.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
The Staining Days...how I lived to tell about re-finishing my dining table.
So, I have this dining table...it's beautiful. It's ginormous (TWO extra table leaves). It's pretty scratched up. I always had the idea rolling around in the back of my brain that I would one day refinish it. Before I left Idaho, I decided it was now or never. I'm sharing my tale in the hopes of helping those of you who are ambitious and want to try it too.
TURN BACK NOW! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!
Just kidding.
Kind of.
It's totally worth it. Look how beautiful it turned out to be:
I learned through trial and error, so let me save you from the error part and tell you how it is:
If your table it super-detailed (as in it has different wood slabs with the grains going in all different directions and lots of rounded edges and extra frill) this is certainly not going to be fun, so make sure you think long and hard about whether you want to make this big decision. :)
This may take you a few days, especially if you have a wee one running around somewhere. So choose a place to work that is warm, well-ventilated, and can get dirty.
SUPPLIES:
Sandpaper-- I used a heavy stripping grit and a medium grit. Get LOTS of it. Trust me.
Sander-- should be self-explanatory. DO NOT take on this project without one. Your arm will fall off!
Stripper-- It's a chemical used to break down the layers of lacquer and stain already existing on the table. It comes in a tin can and is usually kept near the sandpaper and/or wood stain. 1 can was enough for my large table.
Plastic scraper--These should be near the stripper. Make sure it's plastic. Metal will damage the wood.
Gloves-- either disposable and/or a good pair of work gloves
Mask--protection from the fumes and/or sawdust
Staining pads-- I made it work with just a pack of four, but it would be easier to get more.
Stain-- A little bit goes a long way. I used just the medium-sized MinWax can and still had some leftover for a few other small projects.
Paint-- I used wall paint, but I'm sure that acrylic would work just fine if you wanted to use that. Since it is going to be coated in polyurethane, it would be pretty protected.
Foam round brush-- I found these in a cheap pack at Walmart.
Stencil-- I found mine at Michael's. They're kind of spend, but Michael's always gives away 40% off coupons or a lot of times you can find some pretty good ones on clearance.
Polyurethane-- I was able to make it on just one medium-sized can on this as well.
You're all set!
This is what I started out with:
These marks, however, were from my precious doggy Xena. Sometimes when we left her alone she would help herself to whatever was on the table by climbing up there and scratching things like crazy in the process. It was very hard for me to sand those marks down, because my Xena passed away about 4 years ago and it was difficult to get rid of. Luckily, (for me) some of the marks were still visible after I sanded down as far as I dared. So I've still got a little bit of Xena claw marks on the corners.
The first thing you will want to do is strip off the current laquer. I initially thought I could just sand it down (silly me) but it would have taken me days. I even had my sister Wendi's help. I'm so glad I went back to the store and found the stripper. Wear some gloves! Apply the stripper a paintbrush and it only takes it a few minutes to soften up the laquer on the table. It's pretty strong chemicals, so leave the room or garage for a few minutes while it works. Then use the plastic scraper to scrape off the goo in the direction of the wood grain. I didn't get any pictures of this part, sorry. But it's a good idea to have a bucket or something to drop the gunk into. My table seemed to have quite a few layers of protective coating, so I had to do about 3 passes around the whole table. This part was pretty time consuming with my big table.
This is my table after stripping. (I was halfway through staining before I realized I should take a picture)
Then go crazy with your stain! the staining pads make it super easy to apply. Make sure you apply in the direction of the wood grain. Wait for it to dry overnight.
Next, the fun part!
Get out your stencil (or if you're really brave you can free-hand) and some paint. I just used some extra wall paint we had in the garage. Make your own pattern and make sure to measure it out correctly so that it will be nice and even. My sister Wendi was also awesome enough to help me out with this part, and she helped me come up with the pattern. When applying the paint over the stencil, make sure that you don't get too much paint on the brush initially. It will bleed out underneath the stencil and mess up your design. I actually liked the way it looked better when it was applied lightly. It gave it sort of an antique look.
After you've finished all of your stenciling, let the paint set for at least 4 hours.
Now get out that polyurethane! Apply a thin coat using a large paintbrush, making sure to go in the direction of the wood grain. After each coat, you need to sand it down using a fine sandpaper to prevent it to end up being sticky. This took a LONG time for me, again because my table has so many different cuts of wood going in different directions and it's so large. I did three coats, but probably should have done more like four or five to give it a nice thick coat of protection. I DO have a two-year-old, after all, who loves to use utensils as drumsticks. So far, it has stayed well protected. I hope I can keep it that way! ;)
TURN BACK NOW! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!
Just kidding.
Kind of.
It's totally worth it. Look how beautiful it turned out to be:
I learned through trial and error, so let me save you from the error part and tell you how it is:
If your table it super-detailed (as in it has different wood slabs with the grains going in all different directions and lots of rounded edges and extra frill) this is certainly not going to be fun, so make sure you think long and hard about whether you want to make this big decision. :)
This may take you a few days, especially if you have a wee one running around somewhere. So choose a place to work that is warm, well-ventilated, and can get dirty.
SUPPLIES:
Sandpaper-- I used a heavy stripping grit and a medium grit. Get LOTS of it. Trust me.
Sander-- should be self-explanatory. DO NOT take on this project without one. Your arm will fall off!
Stripper-- It's a chemical used to break down the layers of lacquer and stain already existing on the table. It comes in a tin can and is usually kept near the sandpaper and/or wood stain. 1 can was enough for my large table.
Plastic scraper--These should be near the stripper. Make sure it's plastic. Metal will damage the wood.
Gloves-- either disposable and/or a good pair of work gloves
Mask--protection from the fumes and/or sawdust
Staining pads-- I made it work with just a pack of four, but it would be easier to get more.
Stain-- A little bit goes a long way. I used just the medium-sized MinWax can and still had some leftover for a few other small projects.
Paint-- I used wall paint, but I'm sure that acrylic would work just fine if you wanted to use that. Since it is going to be coated in polyurethane, it would be pretty protected.
Foam round brush-- I found these in a cheap pack at Walmart.
Stencil-- I found mine at Michael's. They're kind of spend, but Michael's always gives away 40% off coupons or a lot of times you can find some pretty good ones on clearance.
Polyurethane-- I was able to make it on just one medium-sized can on this as well.
You're all set!
This is what I started out with:
It was a beautiful table to start off with. I loved the beautiful cherry color, but it was so beat up.
My parents gave it to me. (Let's be honest, they're the only reason I even have furniture!) It was bought from the "scratch and dent" area from RC Willey, so it was already a little beat up when they got it.
These marks, however, were from my precious doggy Xena. Sometimes when we left her alone she would help herself to whatever was on the table by climbing up there and scratching things like crazy in the process. It was very hard for me to sand those marks down, because my Xena passed away about 4 years ago and it was difficult to get rid of. Luckily, (for me) some of the marks were still visible after I sanded down as far as I dared. So I've still got a little bit of Xena claw marks on the corners.
The first thing you will want to do is strip off the current laquer. I initially thought I could just sand it down (silly me) but it would have taken me days. I even had my sister Wendi's help. I'm so glad I went back to the store and found the stripper. Wear some gloves! Apply the stripper a paintbrush and it only takes it a few minutes to soften up the laquer on the table. It's pretty strong chemicals, so leave the room or garage for a few minutes while it works. Then use the plastic scraper to scrape off the goo in the direction of the wood grain. I didn't get any pictures of this part, sorry. But it's a good idea to have a bucket or something to drop the gunk into. My table seemed to have quite a few layers of protective coating, so I had to do about 3 passes around the whole table. This part was pretty time consuming with my big table.
This is my table after stripping. (I was halfway through staining before I realized I should take a picture)
Then go crazy with your stain! the staining pads make it super easy to apply. Make sure you apply in the direction of the wood grain. Wait for it to dry overnight.
Next, the fun part!
Get out your stencil (or if you're really brave you can free-hand) and some paint. I just used some extra wall paint we had in the garage. Make your own pattern and make sure to measure it out correctly so that it will be nice and even. My sister Wendi was also awesome enough to help me out with this part, and she helped me come up with the pattern. When applying the paint over the stencil, make sure that you don't get too much paint on the brush initially. It will bleed out underneath the stencil and mess up your design. I actually liked the way it looked better when it was applied lightly. It gave it sort of an antique look.
After you've finished all of your stenciling, let the paint set for at least 4 hours.
Now get out that polyurethane! Apply a thin coat using a large paintbrush, making sure to go in the direction of the wood grain. After each coat, you need to sand it down using a fine sandpaper to prevent it to end up being sticky. This took a LONG time for me, again because my table has so many different cuts of wood going in different directions and it's so large. I did three coats, but probably should have done more like four or five to give it a nice thick coat of protection. I DO have a two-year-old, after all, who loves to use utensils as drumsticks. So far, it has stayed well protected. I hope I can keep it that way! ;)
This is the finished table with both leaves in:
This is it moved back into the house with just one leaf:
Aaand no leaf.
I'm so happy with the way my table turned out! It took a LONG time and a LOT of work, but I have a completely unique, customized, beautiful table that will last me forever.
Monday, May 23, 2016
DIY Ottoman
Hey y'all!
(While in Texas, right?)
I wanted to share with you one of my favorite DIYs (so far) and offer some insight if you are looking to do a similar project yourself.
I made this little beauty from an old coffee table that I found at D.I. for $12.00. I'm pretty dang happy about it. I love that I got to choose the exact color and pattern and match it to the color scheme I want for my living room. Most of the supplies I used were things that I already had around the house, so this ended up being a very inexpensive project for me.
Here are the supplies you will need if you would like to make your own ottoman:
That's it! Pretty simple, actually.
I have a serious problem with taking "before" pictures. I usually start a project so suddenly that I get so wrapped up in it and don't even think about a "before" picture until the first coat of paint is on. (In this case I remembered after I had painted pretty much everything but the top.)
At least you get an idea of what it looked like beforehand.
Before you start, take off any hardware (mine had a handle for the drawer) You will need to sand down the surface a little. This will help your paint to stick to the surface. I ran over mine with my trusty little sander quickly, but it could easily be done by hand with something this size. Don't overdo it. We just need to rough it up a little to make sure that paint stays. Make sure that you dust your table off after sanding.
If you need to, now would be a good time to saw off the legs. Test it out in the space that you will be using it. I took about 4 inches off of mine. If you do this, you can purchase felt pads at Home Depot to stick on the bottom and protect your floor from scratches.
Apply your first coat of paint. I used both a brush and a roller. The drawer of my table was too detailed to use a roller and the brush left stroke marks on the smooth sides. The roller put the paint on nicely on those smoother surfaces. Depending on the original color of the table and the paint you've chosen, you may need to make multiple coats. Mine took about three, but I was also going for a weathered look, so I didn't need full coverage.
After your paint has dried, you can choose whether or not to weather the edges. I love that rustic aged look. I also decided to paint the interior of the drawer so that there is a little peek-a-boo yellow every time I open my drawer. ;)
Replace your hardware. You can even purchase new drawer pulls or knobs to give it a whole new look. I kept the original drawer pull on mine.
Now, measure out the surface of your table and cut your fabric and batting accordingly. Make sure to add about 3" on each side of the fabric to allow space for the batting to go underneath. I didn't actually measure mine, and it ended up being a little short. If you look closely at the bottom of my table, it's kind of a mess. If I had been a smart person and given myself more fabric, I could have folded it under the batting a little more as I stapled, leaving a more professional look. But again, I tend to get a little over-excited about my projects and charge in without making a real game plan.
Put your batting and fabric down on the table and get to town stapling! Again, it looks best if you are able to fold the fabric over before stapling it to the table.
Now all that you have to do is put your hardware on, and voila! A beautiful new ottoman, just the way you wanted it.
(While in Texas, right?)
I wanted to share with you one of my favorite DIYs (so far) and offer some insight if you are looking to do a similar project yourself.
I made this little beauty from an old coffee table that I found at D.I. for $12.00. I'm pretty dang happy about it. I love that I got to choose the exact color and pattern and match it to the color scheme I want for my living room. Most of the supplies I used were things that I already had around the house, so this ended up being a very inexpensive project for me.
Here are the supplies you will need if you would like to make your own ottoman:
- Coffee Table
- Paint (I just used white wall paint that I already had in the garage)
- Sandpaper
- Paintbrush/paint roller
- Saw
- Fabric
- Upholstering staples and stapler
- Quilt batting
That's it! Pretty simple, actually.
I have a serious problem with taking "before" pictures. I usually start a project so suddenly that I get so wrapped up in it and don't even think about a "before" picture until the first coat of paint is on. (In this case I remembered after I had painted pretty much everything but the top.)
At least you get an idea of what it looked like beforehand.
Before you start, take off any hardware (mine had a handle for the drawer) You will need to sand down the surface a little. This will help your paint to stick to the surface. I ran over mine with my trusty little sander quickly, but it could easily be done by hand with something this size. Don't overdo it. We just need to rough it up a little to make sure that paint stays. Make sure that you dust your table off after sanding.
If you need to, now would be a good time to saw off the legs. Test it out in the space that you will be using it. I took about 4 inches off of mine. If you do this, you can purchase felt pads at Home Depot to stick on the bottom and protect your floor from scratches.
Apply your first coat of paint. I used both a brush and a roller. The drawer of my table was too detailed to use a roller and the brush left stroke marks on the smooth sides. The roller put the paint on nicely on those smoother surfaces. Depending on the original color of the table and the paint you've chosen, you may need to make multiple coats. Mine took about three, but I was also going for a weathered look, so I didn't need full coverage.
After your paint has dried, you can choose whether or not to weather the edges. I love that rustic aged look. I also decided to paint the interior of the drawer so that there is a little peek-a-boo yellow every time I open my drawer. ;)
Replace your hardware. You can even purchase new drawer pulls or knobs to give it a whole new look. I kept the original drawer pull on mine.
Now, measure out the surface of your table and cut your fabric and batting accordingly. Make sure to add about 3" on each side of the fabric to allow space for the batting to go underneath. I didn't actually measure mine, and it ended up being a little short. If you look closely at the bottom of my table, it's kind of a mess. If I had been a smart person and given myself more fabric, I could have folded it under the batting a little more as I stapled, leaving a more professional look. But again, I tend to get a little over-excited about my projects and charge in without making a real game plan.
Put your batting and fabric down on the table and get to town stapling! Again, it looks best if you are able to fold the fabric over before stapling it to the table.
Now all that you have to do is put your hardware on, and voila! A beautiful new ottoman, just the way you wanted it.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Thank you, teachers!
It has been quite some time, my friends! I really dropped the ball on this blog.
I doubt that anyone is terribly heartbroken about this, because let's be honest: I'm the only one reading my blog, but that's cool.
So since I've last posted, I have been really focusing on my little business Queen Bee Creations by Alanna. I was doing pretty well with the local community (and by that I mean mostly my sister Rhonda) and then my husband got his orders for our first PCS and here we are in Texas!
I have recently been re-inspired to get more serious about this blog, thanks to my big brother Wade.
He made my day by coming to visit me along with his beautiful wifey and one of my nieces. I've been so homesick for my family recently, and it was so nice to see a familiar face.
Anyway, he encouraged me to start a blog, not realizing that I already had. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and doing so on a regular basis will, I think, really help me.
A great topic that surfaced this week was teachers. My sister Rhonda (yep, still my best customer!) wanted to do something special for her son's teachers and ordered these Desk Blocks. "Live. Love. Teach." I think they turned out pretty cute, and I hope that it warms the hearts of those teachers.
I believe that teachers deserve every bit of appreciation we can give. They are, after all, the ones who will be shaping our children's lives. They are the ones who encourage them and direct them in a way that we as parents often can't. You know, they've seen mom and dad every day: they know they're pretty hot stuff in your eyes. Being told that they are special or smart or creative from any outside party is pretty great and an outstanding confidence boost to the kids. At least that's my opinion.
My second grade teacher Mrs. Heuseveldt was the sweetest woman ever. I remember sitting in a circle with the other kids for story time during which she would create fantasy adventures that starred us students. I remember how special I felt when she would mention me. She would often remark on my love of horses and I recall feeling tickled at the fact that she made it a point to get to know me and the types of things I liked.
In High School, I was going through a lot of changes. I had always played sports in school, (never very well) but I was constantly teased and excluded by the other girls. I had just made the decision to stop playing sports and things changed a lot. I lost my best friend because we didn't seem to have much in common anymore. I lost that excitement that comes from being a part of the team. Enter: drama club! Ms. Kim was my teacher and she was the most wonderfully sarcastic, feisty, colorful person I had met. She was kind to me and she encouraged me. She is the reason that I decided to pursue further education in acting, and that took me to Salt Lake City to the best school ever: East Hollywood High School.
There, I met a variety of intensely passionate, intelligent teachers who made learning so much more fun by involving something I was so passionate about: film-making. My most influential teacher there ended up being Lindsey. (We addressed most of our teachers by their first name at EHHS) She taught the Student Leadership class and took the time to get to know each of us personally. She genuinely cared about each of us. I remember more than one occasion that she spoke with me one-on-one, simply because she noticed that I was having a bad day. She taught us how to be influential, good people. She taught us that we each make a difference, no matter how small. And those are some of the most important lessons to be learned in my opinion.
Thank you, teachers. I don't imagine that being a teacher is a very glamorous job. The hours can be long, the children can be downright MEAN! My heart is so full of love for those teachers who go out of their way to teach kindness, to encourage, to push, and to show patience to their students. Even if you're not one of those teachers on the Ellen show being recognized for feeding the impoverished kids in her classroom, you are making an impact on a child's life just by being there and doing your job. I am so grateful to those that inspired my life. Even though the acts may have been small, in my child heart they were so big. By shaping the lives of our children, you are shaping our future.
I doubt that anyone is terribly heartbroken about this, because let's be honest: I'm the only one reading my blog, but that's cool.
So since I've last posted, I have been really focusing on my little business Queen Bee Creations by Alanna. I was doing pretty well with the local community (and by that I mean mostly my sister Rhonda) and then my husband got his orders for our first PCS and here we are in Texas!
I have recently been re-inspired to get more serious about this blog, thanks to my big brother Wade.
He made my day by coming to visit me along with his beautiful wifey and one of my nieces. I've been so homesick for my family recently, and it was so nice to see a familiar face.
Anyway, he encouraged me to start a blog, not realizing that I already had. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and doing so on a regular basis will, I think, really help me.
A great topic that surfaced this week was teachers. My sister Rhonda (yep, still my best customer!) wanted to do something special for her son's teachers and ordered these Desk Blocks. "Live. Love. Teach." I think they turned out pretty cute, and I hope that it warms the hearts of those teachers.
I believe that teachers deserve every bit of appreciation we can give. They are, after all, the ones who will be shaping our children's lives. They are the ones who encourage them and direct them in a way that we as parents often can't. You know, they've seen mom and dad every day: they know they're pretty hot stuff in your eyes. Being told that they are special or smart or creative from any outside party is pretty great and an outstanding confidence boost to the kids. At least that's my opinion.
My second grade teacher Mrs. Heuseveldt was the sweetest woman ever. I remember sitting in a circle with the other kids for story time during which she would create fantasy adventures that starred us students. I remember how special I felt when she would mention me. She would often remark on my love of horses and I recall feeling tickled at the fact that she made it a point to get to know me and the types of things I liked.
In High School, I was going through a lot of changes. I had always played sports in school, (never very well) but I was constantly teased and excluded by the other girls. I had just made the decision to stop playing sports and things changed a lot. I lost my best friend because we didn't seem to have much in common anymore. I lost that excitement that comes from being a part of the team. Enter: drama club! Ms. Kim was my teacher and she was the most wonderfully sarcastic, feisty, colorful person I had met. She was kind to me and she encouraged me. She is the reason that I decided to pursue further education in acting, and that took me to Salt Lake City to the best school ever: East Hollywood High School.
There, I met a variety of intensely passionate, intelligent teachers who made learning so much more fun by involving something I was so passionate about: film-making. My most influential teacher there ended up being Lindsey. (We addressed most of our teachers by their first name at EHHS) She taught the Student Leadership class and took the time to get to know each of us personally. She genuinely cared about each of us. I remember more than one occasion that she spoke with me one-on-one, simply because she noticed that I was having a bad day. She taught us how to be influential, good people. She taught us that we each make a difference, no matter how small. And those are some of the most important lessons to be learned in my opinion.
Thank you, teachers. I don't imagine that being a teacher is a very glamorous job. The hours can be long, the children can be downright MEAN! My heart is so full of love for those teachers who go out of their way to teach kindness, to encourage, to push, and to show patience to their students. Even if you're not one of those teachers on the Ellen show being recognized for feeding the impoverished kids in her classroom, you are making an impact on a child's life just by being there and doing your job. I am so grateful to those that inspired my life. Even though the acts may have been small, in my child heart they were so big. By shaping the lives of our children, you are shaping our future.
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