Aloha Friday - Dining Out and Swimming Around

I can't believe that it has been over 6 weeks since my last Aloha Friday post.  I'm so so so sorry.  So this is going to be a SUPER long post with lots of unedited photos.  And the photos that are edited and super gorgeous?  Well, my awesome friend Henry took them while he was visiting us over fourth of July weekend.  THANK YOU, HENRY!!!

1.  Father's Day.  Justin scored a brand new grill for Father's Day this year.  It felt wrong to be in Hawaii without one so we went ahead and splurged.  Here is Benjamin sitting on the grill before we starting cooking up some kalbi beef and char siu pork.

And here is Justin opening up the presents and gifts Charlotte made for Justin at school.  And note the mustache.  Yeah, it's gone now.  :)

2.  Bishop's Museum.  This museum has an amazing collection of Hawaiian cultural and historical artifacts.  There was also a traveling dinosaur exhibit when we visited that Charlotte was obsessed with.  It's not huge but the dinosaurs move and make noises!!

3.  The Hawaiian Railway Society - Train Ride.  The Hawaiian Railway Society runs a historical train ride through Ewa Beach on Sundays.  It was 90 minutes long which was a bit long for the me and the kids (since I was sans Justin).  But Charlotte especially loved it and it has been on my Hawaiian bucket list for a long time.

4.  Sea Life Park.  This park is A LOT smaller than Sea World but it's perfect way to spend a few hours in the afternoon (especially at only $12/ person through MWR).  Lots of dolphins and an amazing view of the islands and Makapu'ku Lighthouse!

5.  High Tea at Moana Surfrider.  I got to feel super classy with some fellow milspouses by having high tea at the Westin Moana Surfrider Hotel.

Of course, we first had to select a tea.  You could choose to have it hot or iced.  Simply because I wanted to drink out of a pretty tea cup, I choose hot.

We started with some beautiful sandwiches.

And then the scones and petites fours.

And here are my lovely friends.  These women are amazing.

NOTE: From this point forth, the photos were taken by my friend Henry.  He is ridiculously talented.

6.  Fourth of July.  We spent the fourth at home and wish my besties from college.  Our neighbors are BBQ masters and so we did a cookout together.  So fun!!!  These photos are

7.  Haleiwa.  We drove up to the North Shore and spend the afternoon in Haleiwa with my friends for some awesome food.  First we took a friend's suggestion to eat thai at Opal Thai.  OMG - DELICIOUS!!!

And then since we up north, we HAD to stop by Matsumoto's for some shave ice!

8.  Polynesian Cultural Center.  We decided to try yet another luau and take Henry and Karen to the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center this time around.  Our ticket included admission to the center too.  We walked around for a bit but let's be serious, Charlotte was only interested in seeing the hula dancers.  The food here was probably the worst out of the three luaus we have been to.  But the theatre style show they had after dinner...AMAZING!

9.  USS Missouri.  I actually live on the island where the Mighty Mo is docked.  It took me over 8 months to finally take a tour of this amazingly important battleship.  Thanks for the excuse, Henry and Karen!

NOTE:  Now we are back to my boring photos.  But weren't Henry's amazing!?!?!?

10.  Sesame Street Live.  I then took Charlotte to Sesame Street Live with one of her best friends.  She asked to go home at intermission.  LOL!  But afterwards, couldn't stop talking about the show!

11.  Lunch at Roys Ko Olina. For my birthday, we went out to lunch at Roy's in Ko'Olina.  It was nice to feel classy for just a bit even with the kids around.  Charlotte loved eating at the "fancy resturant." 

12.  ArtFest.  We spent the afternoon with S and E at artfest and I'm so glad we did!  There were so many activities for the kids to make their own artwork or instruments.  Awesome day!

13.  Hale Koa.  And finally we spent the afternoon in Waikiki at the Hale Koa poolside.  Charlotte got to play with her new floatie ring.  It was also great to catch up with Chris for a bit while he was in town.

Whew, that was a LOT!!!  For those who made it all the way to the bottom, bravo!!!  As always, mahalo for stopping by!!

Simon Says Stamp Card Kit - July 2013

July came and went and I failed to post a single card that I made with my Simon Says Stamp Card Kit.  Bad crafting blogger!  But better late than never and I feel like I have to post something before I can open up my August 2013 Card Kit!  I won't lie, I think I liked last month's kit more but I have reached for the stamp set in this kit so many times for the "you are invited" sentiment and other basic images. 

 

There were more but I can't find the photos and they have been mailed off to friends and family. 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Xyron Summer 2013 Design Team!

I'm back for another AWESOME term with the Xyron Design team!!!  Check out the announcement over at the Xyron blog and give a big warm welcome to the new and returning members!!!

Wohoo!!  As always, thanks for stopping by!!!

Deployments...

I feel blessed that my husband is home right now.  His ship comes and goes and his days at work are long.  But we have the occasional weekend to look forward to.  And should he not pass out right after dinner on the couch, I have a helper at home to do the bath time routine for the kids.  So I know I am lucky.  Daddy is home.

Three of my good friends recently had to say good bye to their husbands on deployment.  Different ships.  Different missions.  Different cities.  But the tears and hugs are very much the same.  And it makes me so sad. 

Being a military spouse living on a military base, my life is filled with military friends.  While that means being surrounded by people who "get it," it also means that the struggles and stresses of deployment are very much real.  There is always a little girl crying for her daddy in the middle of the night.  There is always a little baby born while daddy is gone.  There are always moms who put on their super mom capes and masks as soon as the ship leaves the pier to somehow do it all while their husband is gone.  And those active duty moms...I cannot even begin to imagine how they do it. 

I'm not sure what the point of this post is.  I think that it's basically to say to my amazing milspouse friends...I love you dearly.  You all amaze me and inspire me.  I know how hard deployments are and I don't think they ever get easy.  But I also know that you are all awesome.  That doesn't mean you have to do it on your own though.  Ask for help.  Call me.  Show up at my door.  Just drop off your children to get your nails done.  I am here for you.  All of us are here for you.  I know that when it's my turn, you will be there for me.  But for now, let me be your shoulder and your helping hand.

And to our loved ones at sea - fair winds and following seas...

Xyron Design Team Call

Eek!!!!  It's the LAST DAY to apply for the Xyron Design Team!!!  It has been an honor being on the team this past year and I would love YOU to be the next crafty super star to rock these amazing adhesives.  

Benefits of being on the Xyron Design Team include:
Lots of Free Product – both from Xyron and from partner companies
Exclusive previews of any of our upcoming products
Payment for projects published in print and/or online magazines
Featured on our Facebook page and blog
Link to your own personal blog
Private FB group for DT members only
Payment for projects used at trade shows and on-air
Opportunity to have your projects displayed on the Home Shopping Network
Xyron DT blinkie for your email and/or blog
Purchase Xyron products at a deep discount for use in teaching classes

The application process is all done online (through FB as a matter of fact!) and is available to international designers as well - click this link to apply. Some of the information you will need to complete the application:

Contact info
Short bio about yourself
Links to three different projects (no scrapbook layouts)
Links to your galleries (if applicable)
A list of any past or current design teams you've been on (if applicable)
A link to your blog/website
There are a few questions at the end about Xyron products - how long you've been using them, which 
machines you own, which is your favorite, etc.

The deadline to enter is July 29th, and the new Design Team will be announced August 1st!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

Scrapbook Steals 4th Birthday Blog Hop

Welcome to those hopping along from the oh so amazing blog of Heather Conklin!  

Happy 4th Birthday, scrapbookSTEALS.com!!!  When I first started scrapbooking almost four years ago, scrapbookSTEALS.com was my source of affordable supplies, amazing inspiration, and constant encouragement. Four years later, scrapbookSTEALS.com continues to be my go-to source for scrapbooking supplies, sketch inspiration, and scrapping girl friends.  So you can imagine how honored I am wheto be a part of the fourth birthday celebration blog hop!

As part of the birthday celebration, there will be an online crop TONIGHT, July 12.  In conjunction with the online crop, scrapbookSTEALS.com will be hosting a number of online challenges with some amazing prizes through their blog. For this blog hop, I have two challenge layouts to share.

A.  Challenge #3 - Favorite Vendor.  Choose your favorite scrapbookSTEALS.com vendor and create a project using their products. 

It is no secret that I absolutely LOVE Xyron.  Their adhesive products make crafting fast, simple, and mess free.  I bought my first Xyron machine (the Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker) through scrapbookSTEALS.com almost three years ago and it completely changed my crafting life!

For this challenge project, I created a layout using a TON of Xyron adhesives and other goodies all purchased from scrapbookSTEALS.com. 

Supplies:  Patterned Paper (October Afternoon); Vellum (Martha Stewart Crafts); Chipboard Stickers (October Afternoon); Letter Stickers (American Crafts); Stamps and Dies (Lawn Fawn, Simon Says Stamp, American Crafts); Die Cuts (American Crafts, Little Yellow Bicycle); Sequins (Doodlebug Designs); Wood Veneers (Studio Calico); Inks/ Paints (Mister Hueys, Memento, Sharpie, Tim Holtz, Uni-ball); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron 5" Creative Station, Xyron Creatopia, NEW! Xyron Adhesive Dots).

This project is a direct response to this layout I created in September 2012 shortly after my son was born.  Back in September, I questioned where the rainbows were.  And now, with our family finally complete and together, we literally see rainbows everyday.  What a change!

 One of the main elements of the layout is a printed vellum I created by combining a number of my rainbow instagram photos and simply printing them on vellum.

CRAFT TIP:  Use your Xyron machine to adhere vellum onto your project without needing to cover up any adhesive.

ANOTHER CRAFT TIP:  Use Xyron Adhesive Dots to adhere small elements like sequins or wood veneers onto your layout with the mess or fuss of liquid adhesive.

B.  Challenge #4 - Washi Fever.  Create a project using washi tape. On this project you must use 4 different tapes. 

I love using my Xyron 1.5" Create a Sticker to make my own washi tape which I used to create a number of elements in this project, which is based on Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go.

Supplies: Patterned Paper (Echo Park, My Mind's Eye); Cardstock (American Crafts); Letter Stickers (American Crafts); Embossing Folder (Lifestyle Crafts); Punch (Fiskars); Digital Files (liv.E Designs, Lettering Delights, Splendid Fiins); Floss (WRMK); Brads and Buttons (Echo Park, Pebbles); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron 1.5" Create a Sticker, DIY Foam Tape).

This project, specifically, is based on this page from the Dr. Seuss book.

The layout includes a vellum tape that I created by printing the text of the book on vellum (together with a woodgrain pattern from Splendid Fiins) and running the vellum strings through the Xyron 1.5" Create a Sticker.  The placement of the vellum tape mimics where the road is placed in the inspiration page.  I even tried to mimic the look of the Seussical trees, which were die cut from sheets of DIY washi paper.

I also loved using all of my WRMK floss (another scrapbookSTEALS.com purchase) to add little details throughout the layout.

C.  GIVEAWAY!!!  In honor of the birthday celebration, I'm hosting a small giveaway on my blog this week.  Just make sure you are "following" the blog and leave a comment.  For another entry, "like" my facebook page and leave a comment letting me know.  I'll pick a random winner next Friday, July 19 and send the winner some scrapbooking goodies!

Next on the blog hop is the ever amazing and talented super woman Staci Jones.  Make sure you check out all the amazing crafters participating in this Birthday Blog Hop!

scrapbookSTEALS.com  {START HERE}
Cathy Caines

Cristine Redmond

Venetia Holbrook

Cyndee Kawa

Heather Conklin

Van Nguyen {YOU ARE HERE}

Staci Jones {GO HERE NEXT}

Charissa Miller

Brenda Smith

Erin Colby

Erica Bass

Kristy Lee

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCRAPBOOKSTEALS.COM!!  Don't forget to visit the scrapbookSTEALS.com Blog for more details about the online challenges for chances to win some awesome prizes.

As always, thanks for stopping by!