DIY Faux Tile

As a navy wife you learn to do many things by yourself that you would have never thought you would do.  In the last 10 years we have become efficient plumbers, gardeners, painters, and exterminators all while keeping up with all of the mom duties.  The hardest job for us to tackle by far was the exterminator. We have killed palmetto bugs the size of Volkswagons and have had to deal with the random dead bird of frog that our pets have brought in to share with the rest of the family.

I have yet to find a DIY product that intimidates me, but I have been getting the urge to try bigger and better things. In the last couple months I have learned to use a power sander, a compound saw, and a nail gun.  During my husbands last underway I got the urge to spice up my kitchen a bit.  I have been wanting to add a tiled backsplash to it, but I ran into a couple problems.  The first, being I have no clue how to tile anything and second, we live in a rental home.  I really don't want to spend the money to tile. 

I had been online looking for quick and easy ideas and came across a blog about painting faux tile on your kitchen walls.  After a little research I thought I would give it a try.  Let me just tell you that it was very easy and came out great.  I will share some of my pictures with you but if you really want a better understanding please visit the blog that inspired me.  Sawdust and Embryos

First, I started off by taping the perimeter of my backsplash area and then painting it a solid white color to give the finished product a clean grout line. 

Second, I began taping out tiles.  i cut my tape to 1/4 inch and measured out each tile the size i decided. I think I went with tiles that were 1.5 inches in height but the width i did not measure. I just made them as i went. Then I started painting random tiles and mixing my paints together to create different looks.  I bought the bottles of craft acrylic paint from walmart.  I used 4 bottles of browns and tans and 2 bottles of reds to accent.  

So, i just kept going.  Mixing and painting. Random colors in random places.  I used the cheap foam brushes so I could just toss them when I got done.  I hate cleaning out a brush.  Finally the wall looked like this.

After the paint is almost dry I began peeling the tape off and this is what it looked like.

It really didn't take too long.  I did it all in about 2 afternoons.  Although those afternoons were about a month apart.  I am so good at starting a project and not finishing.  My kitchen looks so much better and I have scrubbed it and the paint seems to be holding up well.

Check back next week for another project!

Love,

Alyse and Kristen

A HodgePodge of Posts....

As I am sure you can tell, we are going to be talking about anything and everything on this blog.  As Navy wives, we have to become "jacks of all trades" so to speak and we want our blog to reflect this part of our lifestyle.  We also want both of our personalities and talents and interests to shine through.  Alyse is very crafty and is very knowledgeable with beauty and hair.  Kristen loves to cook and is passionate about food and drink and our posts will reflect our interest and strengths in these areas.

With that being said....we would like to discuss our book club that we would like to have on this blog.  At the beginning of the month we will select a book and on our book club post date we will summarize the book and give our impressions and we would encourage others to read the book and post along with us.  We have so many friends that are separated by distance and as busy wives and mothers we felt this was a good way to read and interact with our followers.

We have decided for this month's book club choice we are going to jump on the bandwagon...we have selected Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.  We know that this book is a little risque so we ask that posters please keep their comments clean and respectful. 

If anyone has a suggestion for book club books please feel free to share! 

Happy Reading and we will post on June 28th!!

Tuesday's Product Review

So for our first Tuesday post we are doing a product review. I couldn't think what I wanted to review first. Did I want to go with a beauty product, a home type of product, or something else. I was flipping through a few magazines one night and found an ad for a new lip gloss product. I was interested. It stated it would stay on for 6 hours.
Now as a busy mom I would love to find a lip gloss that would stay on. I don't have time to reapply and if i throw my makeup in my handbag there is a guarantee my 2 year old will find it and give herself and my handbag a beautiful makeover. So I went to target And picked up this gloss and gave it a try. I purchased the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Gloss in blush. It states it will stay put for 6 hours. Kristen and I both tried it and here is our list of pros and cons.

 PROS
Easy to apply
High shine
Nice sheer everyday color
It also kept our lips moisturized

  CONS
It only stayed on for about an hour or so
The price was $8.50 a tube
It was very sticky

 Overall, I don't feel it was worth the money. There is a new Infallible gloss coming out that is an improved formula and lasts 8 hours. I'm not sure I want to waste my money on trying it but if I do I will surely let you know.

 Got a product you would like us to try?  Let us know.

Happy Tuesday to all of our readers!

Love,
Alyse and Kristen

Military Monday...It's Officially a Warship! History of the Commissioning Ceremony

The military plays a huge role in both of our lives and we are both very proud of our husbands and their willingness to serve our country.  This pride led us to make the decision to include “Military Mondays” in our blog.  Our goal is to better educate our readers as well as ourselves about military history and tradition.  Knowledge is power and learning about the history and tradition of our armed services will allow for better understanding about what service members and their families deal with on a daily basis.  Whether or not you agree with the politics of our country, one fact remains…our military has a long and proud history that we should not forget. 

With that being said, my wonderful husband spent a few days last week in Mississippi attending the commissioning ceremony of the Navy’s newest attack submarine, the USS MISSISSIPPI.  I personally have never attended a commissioning ceremony but I understand the basics…once the ceremony is complete the ship is officially a warship belonging to the United States Navy.  I thought this would be a good topic for our first “Military Monday” blog entry.

There are four major events in the life of a ship.  The first is the keel-laying which is a ceremony put on by the ship builder.  This ceremony symbolizes the beginning of the ship building process.  The second milestone in the life of a ship is the christening ceremony.  In this ceremony, the newly constructed vessel will be dedicated, named, and committed to the sea.  The ship’s sponsor, usually a woman, will name the ship and then break a bottle of champagne on the ship’s bow.  The next event in the ship’s life is the commissioning ceremony where she officially becomes a United States Naval vessel.  The final milestone of a ship’s life is the decommissioning ceremony where the ship is officially taken out of service.

The commissioning ceremony itself is over three centuries old and is observed by navies the world over.  The first ship commissioned by our Navy was ALFRED in December of 1775.  ALFRED was the first ship of the new Continental Navy.  The commissioning of ships was derived from British naval custom and although our early Navy had no written procedure of the commissioning process, through years of tradition and custom, a ceremony emerged and is now outlined in current Navy regulations.

USS BRADLEY Commissioning Ceremony 15 May 1965

Today the ceremony is a celebratory event attended by hundreds, if not thousands depending on the type of ship.  In fact, over twenty thousand people attended the commissioning ceremony of the USS NIMITZ in 1975.  Guests usually include the ship’s sponsor, representatives from the ship yard and the Navy, various politicians, as well as family members of the officers and crew of the vessel.

During the ceremony, the crew stands ready to man the ship once the order is given.  The Prospective Commanding Officer accepts the ship from the Navy representative, reads his orders appointing him to command, takes command of the ship, and then orders the Executive Officer to “set the watch and bring the ship to life.”  The first watch and the OOD (officer of the deck) take their positions, the commissioning pennant is raised and the ship is officially a warship belonging to the United States Navy.

The crew of the USS MISSISSIPPI stands ready to man their ship

The commissioning pennant is the symbol of a commissioned navy ship.  The American commissioning pennant is a narrow red and white streamer with a blue hoist bearing seven stars. 

The commissioning pennant was first used in the 17^th century when professional navies began to form.  The pennant was designed to distinguish a warship from a merchant ship.  

The commissioning pennant of the United States

The commissioning pennant is flown at the masthead of the ship

Although I have never attended a commissioning ceremony, I have had the opportunity to attend other Navy ceremonies and I would encourage anyone who gets the chance to attend.  There is something magical about the tradition and custom, and your sense of pride in your country will swell.  Often times I have been moved to tears watching traditions that are centuries old and seeing our service men and women in their finest uniforms proudly serving their country.

We hope you enjoyed our first “Military Monday!”

Kristen and Alyse

Sources

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Ship_ceremonies

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq108.htm#anchor256807

Commissioning program from the USS California (SSN 781)—October 29, 2011

A Military Friendship and A New Project!

10 years, thousands of miles, countless moves, 5 children …..etc.…. the makings of a military friendship.  In my opinion, the bond shared between military spouses is unmatched and after 10 years of my husband’s Navy career it is one of the things that I cherish the most.  We have been able to experience some incredible things and live and visit incredible places, but nothing will replace the friendships formed with fellow military spouses.

In my experience, a military friendship is almost effortless.  They understand spending every waking minute with each other only to disappear off the face of the earth once the submarine reappears at the pier.  They know exactly what you need without having to ask and they will be brutally honest and tell you to stop wallowing and “Navy-Wife Up.”  They understand that your friendship will withstand thousands of miles of distance and several years and you will be able to pick up where you left off once you are back together again.

This blog is a story of a friendship.  We are two Navy wives who have been friends since we moved into our first apartments (right next door to each other) in Charleston, SC in 2002.  We are finally stationed at the same base and as predicted we picked up right where we left off.  Of course we have had some dramatic changes in our lives, but we went right back to doing what we do best …. killing the time our husbands are gone by doing all sorts of “projects.”  We tackle anything that catches our eye and we are not afraid to try something new.

Our plan is to post 5 days a week with each day being devoted to a different topic.  We will have Military Mondays where we discuss military history as well as current event topics.  Tuesdays and Thursdays will be miscellaneous topics ranging from DIY and craft projects to product reviews and our monthly book club discussion.  Wednesdays are dedicated to food and drink and we are calling Fridays our Feature Fridays where we hope to feature businesses and blogs of fellow military spouses as well as have guest bloggers on our own blog.

We hope you enjoy....if you do, spread the word!

Love,

Kristen and Alyse