My Guitar

This is my guitar:

I love my guitar.  I didn't always.  For a long time, I resented my guitar.  Let me tell you why.  I bought this guitar way back at Fort Hood.  That is 10 years ago.  I had some birthday money, and I went to the local pawn shop/musical instrument distributor and scooped up the best thing I could afford.  For months, held it, strummed it, caressed it.  Then I put it back in its box.  Not case, box.  It lived there for some time.  It moved to new and exciting posts.  One year, it even got a nice new case - the multiple moves had done much damage to its box.  Every time I dared to dig into my closet I would see my guitar and think...ugh!  one more thing I own that I don't use.  But I couldn't let it go.

So, finally, this year I have started lessons.  My teacher, the Lisa, is fabulous.  Every Monday morning, I go to my lesson and leave feeling like I have taken on the world!!  I love to practice.  Amazing how Twinkle Twinkle Little Star just never gets old.  And scales... love 'em.  Chords...let's not talk about those just yet.  I am praying for my left hand to be flexible and less wimpy! 

So, am I a Rock Star yet?  Maybe not.  But give me some time...

More Rick and Jen in NYC

Since today is my 12th anniversary, I think I will show some more pics from our NYC no kids mini vacay!

Here we have Rick pointing out the bust of his ancestors, I guess.

We saw Chicago together. Rick isn't too into musical theater, but he humors me on occasion. It was a great show. I also saw God of Carnage with James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden and Jeff Daniels. It was hilarious.

I wanted to take pictures everywhere, and here is one outside the

little PD right in Times Square. There are NYPD everywhere

in the city, and they are very helpful!

We spent lots of time at Ellis Island which was very interesting. I learned a lot. I especially enjoyed the walk through rooms where you could trace the path of immigrants from arrival to approval. I recommend getting the headphones for the self tour if you ever go. I didn't, and regret it. Its too hard to listen on the little phones with lots of other people wanting to listen as well.

The immigrants brought all sorts of things with them, but my favorites, of course, were handmade crafts and heirlooms. These are examples of needlework, both artistic and for daily use. Amazing, to think, it was all done, stitch by stitch, by hand.

A Gorgeous Gift

Today I am showcasing this beautiful gift given to me by my friend, the Debi. It was intended as a farewell gift once upon a time when I was heading to Italy (home of the Catholic church, which is kinda ironic). It is made entirely of colored paper, cut and assembled into this gorgeous image of Luther's Seal. This artwork probably has an official name, but I do not know it. It is not flat, it is 3D. Layers and layers of bits of paper. It was made by a delightful PWOC sister, Chong Reynonlds. It hangs in my dining room, but I am looking for a better place to put it and highlight it. So beautiful!

Coffee Crafts

Here are a few things I have been working on this weekend. I am trying to cute up my kitchen with some colors and accessories.

First off, let me show you my favorite kitchen appliance:

My Keurig coffee machine. Also, my favorite coffee mug. :)

Ok, so on to things I actually crafted. First off, an ode to Laura, I painted this giant mug and used some rub-ons to make it match my kitchen:

My favorite color of blue, a big wooden spoon - more on that later. LOVE IT!!! Thanks for the big cup, which was a birthday gift from the Debi.

So, then I used my new toy and embroidered some towels to match:

So altogether, my little coffee nook:

Isn't it fabulous! Who doesn't want a hot cup of coffee to start the morning after seeing this????

Things I Love : Kindle 2

I love books. Reading them, buying them, shelving them, the way they transport me to another world, the weight the have in my hands, sharing them with others... So it would seem like an electronic book reader would go against my grain. But, I am also a gadget freak. I have a phone that looks like it belongs to an exec at a big, busy company with lots of responsibility and underlings. (Wait, The Dembowski Howski is big and busy and I do have a business partner and 3 kidlings...) I have a laptop that does it all. I have a sewing machine that practically sews by iteself, a cricut, an ipod, a digital camera and digital video camera, a fancy coffee pot, a car with all the extras. You get my point.

But books - those are different. They are meant to have pages to turn. If they are library books they should have some wear and tear, an occasional drip stain from the previous reader's coffee mug. If they are used or swapped, maybe the cover is loose, there is a smell to the pages. A new book - ahhh pristine spine, first to be cracked by me. A dust cover to immediately trash. The anticipation of being the first to see and touch each page.

Then why do I own and love a Kindle2? Well, economics and convenience won out. Let me explain. It may seem implausible that an item costing over $300 dollars is an economical option for a SAHM Army wife in these trying financial times. But you don't know how many books I buy! The number of free downloads I have made already far surpasses the cost of the machine, and with books available for $9.99 or less - much savings are to be had if you have a book buying habit like I do. I never say NO to buying a book, it seems, if I am even slightly interested. But with the Kindle, I can read a chapter first, then decide. If it isn't Kindle-worthy then I either forget it or library it if available. Or try Frugalreader.com. So I end up with fewer non-read, but paid for books on my shelf.

Obviously the K2 is convenient. Slide it in a bag and go. But I had no idea how much reading I would get done with such an easy book to lug around. Usually I have a hardcover or trade paperback sized book to stuff in my bag, and often because I want to travel light, I forgo the book altogether. But the K2 is easy, and goes everywhere with me. One click and I am right on the page where I left off.

I know that e-readers are not for everyone. And I still trade books and use the library. But the days of buying mediocre books for full price are over. And I am never without a book, now. I have read more of the Old Testament of the Bible in the weeks I have had the Kindle than I was getting through in the months before when I began the endeavor.   If you are on the fence, try out someone's Kindle and see it for yourself (Thanks, Melissa!).  I was unsure about the screen and if it would be hard to read on - I can't stand reading books on my PC.  It's nothing like that, rest assured.  Think of the Kindle as an addition to, not a replacement for, all traditional books.  Any Kindle questions - ask away!