Crafty Days & Crafty Nights: Mosaic Mermaids

Starry Nights

One of the groups that I was involved with is the Tidewater Officers’ Spouses’ Association (TOSA). TOSA has two charity boutiques in the Hampton Roads area: The Tidewater Collection on Naval Station Norfolk, and the newly opened Tidewater Collection Too at Naval Hospital Portsmouth. Once on base, anyone can shop at the boutiques where the unique line of handmade mosaic mermaids are sold. 

Nearly Finished

The mermaids come in several different sizes with each one is hand-crafted and donated to the boutiques by members of TOSA’s Mosaic Mermaid Club. The boutiques are run by TOSA volunteers, and all profits generated from the boutiques’ sales are donated to charities that support military families. Because the volunteers donate their time and materials are donated and purchased through a generous donation from USAA, TOSA is able to donate 100% of the proceeds from the mosaic mermaids to military charities. 

Needed Materials

I'm sure you're thinking to yourself how is this relevant to the blog title.  Read on!

Design In Progress

Each month, Mosaic Mermaid Club members meet at the Armed Services YMCA on Independence Blvd., and spend four hours creating mermaids to donate to the Tidewater Collection charity boutiques. Armed with brown-bag lunches and creative ideas, the volunteers select a wooden mermaid form (a licensed replica of the Norfolk mermaid) and begin picking out the glass they will use. There is a table full of tools to score, cut, break, and shape the glass into the perfect pieces. Some mermaids have incredibly intricate designs, reminiscent of the painting technique, pointillism. Others are more like a watercolor, awash with brightly colored glass in a fluid design. The group has just started making multimedia small ornament-size mermaids to complement the growing collection of 15- and 24-inch wooden mermaids. Once the mermaids are complete, they are displayed for sale in the boutiques, and all the proceeds benefit military families.

Ready For Grout

Once the tiles have set, the mermaids are grouted (my least favorite part) and taken to the boutique for sales.

So this is one of my favorite crafts.  It involves being 'artistic', socializing and just being out and about.  

What's not to love?

I really miss this group of creative and wonderful ladies!

Norfolk Botanical Gardens: Children's Adventure Garden

Yes, this is another post on Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  There's so much that you can do there that I felt I needed to break it down into sections.

And yes, I felt I should get this out there before the new year started.  I've been a bit slack on my blogging for my sites.

So hang on for another exciting adventure with my friend, Elizabeth, and her two sweet little ones.

This is about the World of Wonders, which is a children's garden.  Talk about fantastic!  They had little stations set up around the area all educational.  What a fabulous idea!

This area is a three-acre garden is dedicated to families and children. World of Wonders has several distinct areas, each offering different interactive lessons, but all offering excitement, enrichment and entertainment. 

World Plaza is the area that we stayed in.  The day had become hot so it was the perfect place to be.  And the girls came prepared to get wet.  Here you can splash your way around the world! Through fountains, bubblers, foggers and jet sprays, explore the oceans and other major waterways on Earth. 

What a refreshing way to cool off.  

We spent a good chunk of time here.  The little ones weren't the only one to have fun.  Fortunately I didn't get as wet as my little buddy.  But we did splash a lot!

Botanical Gardens: Butterfly House

Stop To Smell The Flowers

So a while back I marked another thing off my 757 Bucket list.  I was able to visit the Norfolk Botanical Gardens with one of my girlfriends and her two little girls.

These posts have been sitting in my draft folder, so please forgive me.

Mini Tour Guide

Can I just pause a moment here?  I just love viewing the world through a child's eyes!  They see things that you may never notice.

There are lots of things to explore there, but I'm going to focus on the Butterfly House in this post.  This is what I really wanted to see when we went there.

The enclosed house provides an unbelievable opportunity to observe butterflies as they circle and land on their favorite nectar flowers providing amazement and educational opportunities. It’s the perfect compliment to the 2.5 acre Bristow Butterfly Garden and the giant Butterfly Maze. Included with regular Garden admission.

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

My buddy has a membership so I didn't even have to pay for admission.  Not why I'd mentioned wanting to go there though.  It's just something I've always wanted to do.  Wish I'd read about the Butterfly Maze before just now.  I would have liked to explore that as well.  Oh well!

Identification Charts Help

It's really cool to walk in the enclosure.  There are butterflies everywhere! I honestly hadn't expected to see so many butterflies.  They even hand you a chart so that you can identify the butterflies there.

There's are ribbons tied to plants so you can spot their eggs on host plants and watch as the caterpillars continually eat and grow. The opportunity to witness their final transformation as the chrysalis opens to reveal a winged beauty is what makes the Butterfly House so thrilling.

A big shout out to my buddy, Elizabeth, and her little girls for taking me and sharing a really great experience.

Crafty Days & Crafty Nights: Color Me Mine

So this is a combination of my crafty stuff and my '757 Bucket List'.

I've been wanting to go to Color Me Mine for quite some time.

I just needed an actual project to take me there.  I am not one who can meander and find inspiration.  Well, actually I am but I am on a bit of a time crunch so I didn't feel I could do this now.

So the hubby and I had been bouncing around an idea for about a year.

We are big fans of the comic strip Peanuts.  So we were so tickled when The Peanuts Movie came out.

Linus and Sally are our favorites and we thought it would be so neat to have a 'Linus mug'.

I've seen Charlie Brown ones.  Where the shirt and a sliver of the pants are painted on a mug.  Cute right?

Only problem?  We couldn't find a Linus mug anywhere.

Hmmm...

So here is the perfect opportunity to blend two things into one.

I went to Color Me Mine in downtown Norfolk this Monday to work on this project.

Bonus?

Mondays they waive studio fees for military.  Yay!

So I painted and in a few days they will remove it from the kiln and I will have a 24 oz. coffee mug for my darling hubby.

This mug is huge!

Not perfect, but just what I was hoping for.  More along the lines of a Charles Schultz drawing.  My inner perfectionist was NOT happy with this, but I think it's cute.  And that's all that matters.

And So It Begins

The bird couldn't care less.

As it goes with any navy family, we're prepping for our move.  This is how navy life is.  You move frequently.  In our twenty-three years of marriage we've moved about ten times and we're coming up on move number eleven.

We've been here for about eight years, so it's like it's new again for me.  Been a while since I've planned a pack out or move.  And this time my sweet husband will not be around to help.  Believe me I'm a list maker at heart.  But I still stress out.

Kyla is NOT amused.

This can lead to so many questions from friends and family.  So let me answer the questions I get for you!  Because I just *know* you're dying to know these answers.

757 Bucket List

Just the other day I was chatting with a good friend and she asked me what items were on my '757 bucket list'.

Huh?!  I hadn't truly thought about that.  I guess it hasn't really sunken in for me that soon I'll be on the other side of the country.

So as my time in the 757 area code comes to a close I've come to realize that there are a lot of things that I haven't done.

Time to get cracking!

So what haven't I done?  What have I done that I'd really like to do again?  Time to do some thinking and scheduling some things to do in my life.

Let the fun begin!  Now here's hoping the weather cooperates with me.

Hanging Out

Life gets in the way some times.  We get focused/fixated on one thing that has been keeping us from doing the things we enjoy.

I've let everything slip through the cracks.  My friends, my writing, my crafts and even my health.

That has to stop.

Feeling like a brunette here

Fortunately, I've finished the majority of the house is finished.  It's finally on the market for rent and as I'm posting this we've had one viewing and an inquiry.  By tomorrow we'll have another viewing.  And the house isn't available until October!

So slowly I'll try to do things that I have on my fun must do before I move.  And hopefully catch up with friends.

Fortunately this week I was able to catch up with friends at a local brewery, The Bold Mariner, and catch up.  I really enjoyed it.  I got to try a flight of different beers and for the life of me I don't think I could name just one that I really liked.  I liked them ALL!  I think I need to check out more of the breweries in this area before I leave.

I also got to catch up with other friends at Pendulum this week.  I knew this place was a butcher shop, but didn't realize that they do lunch as well.  I'd always gotten my tri tip here.
O M G!  It was wonderful!  The menu does change up and they have wine and beer.  Oh goodness I can go on for a long time about the wonderfulness that is this place.

Definitely have to keep up this fun!

Change of Command

On June 24th I attended the Change of Command ceremony on the USS Wisconsin. 

You may be asking yourself, what is a change of command.  I'm so glad you asked!  

A change of command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another.

This change of command was for SURFLANT.  I can already hear your question.  What's SURFLANT?

Aren't you all on your toes today.

SURFLANT is an acronym for Surface Forces Atlantic.  It is a post within the United States Fleet Forces Command.  As Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic, it is a military formation, but the organization is often known as COMNAVSURFLANT. Its headquarters are at the Naval Station Norfolk.  

The commander supervises all surface ships based on the the Eastern United States and Gulf Coast of the United States.

Rear Admiral Peter A. Gumataotao was the out going commander and Rear Admiral Christopher W. Grady is the incoming commander.

Now don't you feel educated?

It was a lovely day for the ceremony.  The Gumataotao family will be missed and we look forward to getting to know the Grady family.

I included photos that someone from the Hampton Roads Naval Museum (where I volunteer) took.  As well as a couple of pictures of us.  Thank goodness for cell phone cameras!

Anchor Run 5K

Registration

On May 19th I was fortunate enough to be the photographer for the first Anchor Scholarship 5K.  If you don't know anything about the Anchor Scholarship, I highly recommend that you visit their website.

And yes, if you click on the 2013 Anchor Run 5k all the pictures in the presentation are mine!  Hooray me!

A family that runs together...  Is crazy!

This is a fantastic foundation that awards scholarships to dependents of the Surface Navy.  Dependent means children and spouse, in case you didn't know.  If you fit in that category or think you might, just read up their rules.  It is open to enlisted and officers.  There's no favoritism here!

And I know some of the cutest families!  I knew a number of people in the race so I was sure to get their pictures so that they might preserve the insanity (cough, cough) I mean bonding experience.

Prepare to be trampled.

I'm sorry but this shot of the guy laying there to get the shot is just hilarious and awesome.  Sadly he had to get up for we feared that he would be trampled.

The Winner

Still an awesome idea though!  I always love to see the other angles people will try to get a shot.  Who knows?  I might use it some day.  However, in this instance I think I will pass.  I have an aversion to being trampled.

I finished taking photos of all the racers and then walked a block or two up the road to get shots of people running for the finish.  I was there maybe 5 minutes or so when this guy ran past.  Of course he was the over all winner.  He did the 5k in something like 18 minutes.  Wow!

He's going the distance!

I cheered as much as possible and got a number of people to smile.  It was a lot of fun.  Well especially for me because I didn't run.  LOL

Listening to his tunes

I cheered for my friends and their kids and spouses.  We had a really good turn out.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support Anchor Scholarship.  I hope we see you all and many more next year.

Father & daughter run together

Mother & daughter clowning around

No pictures please!

What do you want from me?

Adorable couple

Domestic Diva - Fruit Wash

With summer drawing to a close I'm noticing that I seem to get more and more fruit.  Guess I'm trying to hang on to summer as best I can.  I've always hated that waxy film that tends to be on the fruit.  Plus the worry of pesticides and whatever other chemicals are used on fruit now a days.  Thank goodness for Pinterest!

So I'm going to share what I did with photos.  I found this to be easy and I'm not worrying about that waxy build up and everything else on my fruit anymore.  I did blueberries, cherries, apples and nectarines in this batch.

Unwashed fruit round up.

Fill sink halfway with lukewarm water and add 1 cup white vinegar.

Now I know most people worry about the cleanliness of their sinks.  I mean we throw dirty dishes in there.  And I don't even want to think about what else.  So I cleaned my sink beforehand.  I fill my sink up with HOT water and add bleach, about a cup or until you can definitely smell the bleach.  I know I'm wacky!  I let it sit until the water cools and then drain it.  While it drains I wipe it down and then use my sprayer to rinse it off with cool water.  I learned this trick from the FlyLady.  Shine your sinks!

Stir the water/vinegar mixture.

Add the fruit.  I poured the berries in and gently added larger fruit.

Let soak for 10-15 minutes.

Drying on paper towels.

After you remove the fruit from it's soak, I let it sit on a paper towel to dry for a little while.  The larger fruit I could dry individually, but the blueberries (which I picked at my neighbor's house) and cherries I had to blot dry.  You'll notice that waxy sheen is gone.  Hooray!

Squeaky clean and delicious!

CPO Heritage - Day 2

 So Tuesday was the final CPO Heritage Day at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.

This time we were lucky enough to have much better weather and they were able to PT outside.
 Also joining us today was Combat Camera.  Think military photographers.  Which was really cool! In fact one of the gentlemen from Combat Camera actually did a story on the event that appeared in Flagship.  I only wished that he'd mentioned the museum.  *sigh*

I suffered from major camera envy that day!

So we set up the raffle table in the chief cutlass history area.  We were lucky enough to have Vanguard donate a Chief's Cutlass to us and we were raffling it off for $5 a ticket.

Quite the deal when you consider that the cutlass normally goes for about $500 and that doesn't include the accoutrement that you need to be able to wear it while in uniform.  After adding those in it costs over $600.  Yikes!

 They were even good enough to show you how it should be worn.

Of course I HAD to give the guy grief about practically stripping in front of me.  But believe me, he gave as good as he got.  So this was not a boring station to be at.  I laughed a LOT!  We were joking around most of the morning.

At the end of the day everyone gathered in the theater.  There they announced the winners of the chief's mess.  This was decided by the people who worked for the past two days.  Observations and impressions that the selectees had made.  The winners were from the USS Kearsarge!  Not the guys from the Truman like I was pulling for, but way to go guys and gals!

FORCM Jeffrey Covington

So now they have a trophy (also from Vanguard) and bragging rights.

The speaker, FORCM Jeffrey Covington loved involving the selectees in his talk.  Randomly picking people, much to many of the selectees amusement/fear.  Depending on where you were sitting.

 He even called out an old friend to chat with him, one of the chiefs who helps with this event.  So no one is really spared from the glare of the spotlight.
 I, of course, got some shots of the group in the auditorium.  But I didn't want to bore everyone with the see of yellow and blue.

Plus I didn't want to inundate this blog with photos as well.

In fact, on this day my camera actually died.  I'd used it so much that the little batteries just gave up.  Luckily it was at the end of the day or I would have been really peeved.

Announcing the winner of the drawing!  The lady who announced the winner was so mad (she'd entered the drawing with the hopes of getting it for her hubby as a welcome home gift) she tore the ticket in two.

Mature.  I can understand the frustration on her part, but I'm the one who had to do the count and reorganize those numbered tickets in the end.  Now that's frustration.

And all proceeds from the raffle went to Hampton Roads Naval Museum so that they can continue with events such as this.