Posting mostly on Facebook these days and On my Journey Into Teal Blog...

Journey Into Teal

~xx

Tis the Season!!

For..... 1940s living history events!!

While every month for us 'tis the season' for 1940s living history... March really is the big bang start of the season! We went to start the vehicles and get them dusted off and warmed up and ready! Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's big WWII weekend is right around the corner!! I cannot WAIT!
With all the chemo and treatment I've been going through for the past 2 years I really am ready to get back into my WWII nurse uniform and hit the events hard. I miss everyone and have missed the events and my friends so much! I don't know if I'll be going as my nurse impression or if I will do a homefront impression this year. It depends on weather and how comfortable I can be.

I just got Ellie (she's 11) the cutest vintage dress for the event and she already has all the toys in the world so she's set with all of that. She's thinking of being a war orphan and just hanging around our field hospital display. She's such a cool kid and loves cosplay and is tired of being "dolled up and cute" for the WWII Reenactments. She wants to be in the thick of things and get dirty and actually help out this year. She's a big girl now so I'm game!! She even has her child sized gas mask ready. This kid is a natural! We'll see how many times her mind changes between now and the first week of June!!

Dust off your gear, it's event season!!

Swap-bot and Postcards and Postcrossing Oh My!

Im really happy to have found Swap-bot a few months ago. It was the perfect thing for me to have in my life at the time and I've met some amazing people, discovered some fantastic artists and swapped some really unique stuff! I LOVE this place!

Through a swap-bot friend I also discovered Postcrossing - It's a postcard swapping website -I LOVE IT! It's the most amazing way to get post cards from all over the world. I've sent a few and received a few... I love it!

Swap-Bot keeps me smiling, I really enjoy finding the perfect things for my partners, wrapping them up all cute and making an envelope to send 'em all off in!

I am rambling... I just love Swap-bot and can't say enough good things about it!!

Currently...

(got this from Rachel on Swap-Bot) :) Thanks Rachel!!
Currently....

♥ using… FujiFilm InstaxShare Smartphone SP-1 Printer And I LOVE IT! It's cute, weighs almost nothing and you it prints your photos in cute mini-polaroid style. Perfect for scrapbooking, smashbooking and planners! There are lots of film options with many designs from Hello Kitty to Halloween and everything in between. 

♥ eating…. Things with minimal to low sugar. I noticed that when I eat sugar I wake up with my joints all stiff and EVERYTHING HURTS! I am staying away from sugar and eating lots of organics and SALAD, SALAD, SALAD!

♥ wishing for… This Camera ... I am in love with it's design and I think it looks rather inconspicuous and would 'fit in' quite well for my WWII reenactments. My Iphone and current Canon camera look a little too 'odd' in a 1944 setting!

♥ watching…  Falling Skies - I have been on board with this show since episode 1 season 1 and it just keeps getting more and more deep. I love Mpho Koaho as Anthony, Noah Wyle as Tom Mason and Colin Cunningham as John Pope. The cast is phenomenal.. they couldn't have chosen better people for this show! I am a rabid Falling Skies Addict! I even follow the characters on twitter! 

♥ working on… Purging and cleaning my house from the top to the bottom. I've been really 'out of it' for the past year with my treatment for ovarian cancer and since finishing in February, I am only now just starting to feel a little energy again and starting the long road to getting back to 'myself' - It's a long road, with many curves but that doesn't scare me. I am determined and a very positive person and almost always get what I want! My journey is documented here.

What are you up to this summer?

Sunset over the bay...

 #NJ #NewJersey #Shore #NJShore

Memorial Day 2014

Today is a day of remembering those who gave their all and thanking those who were fortunate to return to us! Memorial Day is special to us... we have several family members and friends who have served in the US Military armed forces.
Parades are one way to show one's gratitude. We love riding in one of our 3 WWII Military Vehicles. Usually we have veterans riding with us! They always love telling us their stories and reminiscing. Thank a Vet for his/her service. Freedom certainly isn't free!

Our 1942 Dodge WC54

1951 Studebaker Pickup Truck

 Our kiddos in the 1942 Dodge "Beep"

 Ellie wearing a WWII Helmet

Beautiful Display 

 US Navy Recruits Flag Folding Ceremony

 Me - GI Gabi :) Sporting my gorgeous Chemo Crewcut LOL

I love swapping!

Here's my most recent swap- It is for a swap I'm in on Swap-bot.
I LOVE Sherlock (BBC TV Series) and decided to join a scavenger hunt type swap. Here's what I came up with for my partner.
I hope she likes everything! I spent quite a lot of time shopping for just the right thing. The little Sherlock Holmes notebook is my favourite thing. I got it online.

Have wanted to do this for a while....

But had no idea how to go about it other than with my friends...  Until...

I recently found a site called Toy Voyagers. On that site you send a little plush animal or doll around the world and people who find or receive it post a little blurb and a photo in your plushie's online diary and then ship it off to it's next adventure.

Totally fun stuff!
I've named my little plushie....

Traveling Will Beary..... (some of you will get it.. some won't LOL)

I will send him off oh his 1st voyage this coming week! So excited to see where his travels take him!

I had to have one...

While I adore my Calipso Teal personal sized Filofax planner... I found that it just doesn't have enough room for my planning needs. I not only want to write in my 'to do' list and appointments, I want to play with the pages and personalize them in a creative way. The personal sized planners are great to tuck in my purse when I'm on the run and need a quick glance at what's goin' down --- but--- what I wanted was 'play space' to decorate and play with the pages.
I've found that when I decorate the planner pages, I am more apt to look at and remember things and actually USE it than if I am simply relying on my phone for reminders. Honestly, that doesn't work at ALL for me.

So... with that said... I asked for an A5 Filofax for Mother's Day and was gifted with a beautiful A5 "Original" in Aqua!

 

It's PERFECT! I have already started to decorate and get my life organized. Well... as organized as my life can possibly be, that is! I look forward to sharing some fun A5 size planner swaps on Swap-Bot in the very near future!

Filofax addicted....

SO yeah. My friend Laura has me on this "get organized" kick and so I thought, "Hmm Ok, show me what you mean."

Oh my... It was love at first sight.

FILOFAX .... Ohhhh!!!!

Well, needless to say, I have been trolling Pinterest, Etsy and everywhere else in the world for unique Filofax personal size planner pages! It's such a crazy fun way to stay organized!

I just started and while I'm still blissfully clueless, I'm jumping in with both feet!

You Have the Power to Choose!

I am and always will be the optimist, the hoper of far-flung hopes, and the dreamer of improbable dreams.~ The Doctor (Doctor Who)

That statement sums me up to a tee. I am positive, optimistic and I am pure energy. We all have choices to make.
Even the most difficult of choices, if you embrace them with confidence and a positive energy, will be the right choice for you. Sometimes we do make poor choices but I feel that is not always an error but rather a situation to make us think and perhaps learn a different way of doing something.
I grew up in the most amazing of circles. I had at my beck and call..... Musicians, Songwriters, Gurus, Healers, Life Coaches, Teachers, Humanitarians, Nutritionists, Care Givers, Nurses, Spiritual Leaders and much much much more... I never once took them for granted. I was fascinated by each of them, listened to them, learned from them and absorbed their teachings and love like a sponge. That decade was the decade where I transformed from a meek, shy, immature kid to the confident, optimistic bundle of energy that I am today. I attribute my attitude to their teachings, their guidance and their love.

Everything we face comes with making choices. Do you see how powerful that is? We have choices. We get to think, feel and decide what we want to do. To me that is one heck of a liberating feeling.

What am I getting at? Here it is. MAKE a conscious choice to be a positive force. Yes, times are hard, yes things suck sometimes but we can turn that around a heck of a lot faster with just a few little tweaks in our attitude and behavior. CHOOSE to take three deep, cleansing breaths. CHOOSE to face things head on. CHOOSE to smile rather than frown and CHOOSE to change that negative energy into something positive. It's your CHOICE!

I CHOOSE to WIN! #IWillBeatOvarianCancer !!

A lil Smashbook Fun!
Did this crammed 2 page spread featuring pics and 'stuff' I collected when I went to see the premiere of "Loosies" - Peter Facinelli's  indi film. It was awesome fun!

Tania .. you've pulled me back to the blog scene!!

My friend of many years (wow has it been almost 10 ?!) has brought me back to the blog scene.. well the 'writing' blog scene anyway!! I have to thank her for that and direct you to her blog as well!! She's a very talented scrapbooker and a doting mom and dear friend!!

Thanks Tania! I'll toss something good up here a bit later! I have to run and get errands done before my girls return home from school~
Peace out!

G

Arlington Twilight Convention!!

Going to Arlington @TWI_TOUR!!

http://twilightconvention.com/cal/twilight_va.htm

Can't WAIT! WOOT

So proud of you Emersyn!!

For all you are doing at such a young age to raise awareness for abused animals! At the age of 9 1/2 you have already made an incredible difference to so many!!!

I am so proud of you!!!

I truly hope that Ellen sees your blog.. I've emailed her and tweeted her with hopes that she will see it... She should see what an amazing humanitarian you are!!

Check out Emersyn's blog here! http://emersynscrafts.blogspot.com/

She's truly an amazing role model!!

Merry Christmas

Proud of my Hubby and Father in Law!

Progress in medical research

Isle Esme

Beautiful!! More can be found on TwilightMoms.com

Congratulations to my husband and his father

Articles below written by: GatesFoundation.org
I Highlighted in Red my husband and father in law's projects!!

Foundation Funds 65 Novel Ideas to Improve Global Health, From Vaccines Delivered in Local Cuisine to Blankets of Light for Jaundiced Newborns Researchers from 16 countries selected to explore concepts for new health technologies Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Phone: +1.206.709.3400 Email: media@gatesfoundation.org SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced 65 grants of US$100,000 each to pursue bold ideas for transforming health in developing countries. The grants support projects in 16 countries with ideas as diverse as a TB vaccine delivered in a traditional Asian bean dish, a mobile phone tool to identify complications for community health workers caring for pregnant women and newborns, and solar powered, therapeutic blankets of light for newborns suffering from jaundice. “Grand Challenges Explorations is producing innovative ways to tackle ongoing global health challenges like vaccine delivery and caring for mothers and newborns,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program. “By applying mobile technology and other tools to global health, we hope to produce breakthrough solutions that could save countless lives.” In five rounds of the foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations initiative, 405 researchers representing 34 countries have been awarded grants. Projects in this round include developing a synthetic lymph node to deliver vaccines, creating a low cost needle-free treatment for post-partum bleeding, and making a mobile phone-based tool that combines diagnostic testing with economic incentives to improve drug compliance. These grantees were selected from more than 2,400 proposals. A wide range of disciplines are represented, including applicants from traditional life sciences, public health, engineering, math and computer sciences. They are based at universities, research institutes, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and private companies around the world. Project examples include: Innovative vaccine strategies: Michael Chan of the Ohio State Research Foundation will develop a safe strain of the Tuberculosis bacterium and use it to ferment beans used in the traditional Asian dish natto, which could then be eaten as an oral TB vaccine; Ali Salanti of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark will develop and test a vaccine combining a novel placental malaria vaccine candidate with the cervical cancer vaccine, with the potential of inducing a strong protective response against both diseases; Steven Meshnick and Carla Hand of the University of North Carolina will develop a biodegradable “synthetic lymph node” that could be placed under the skin to deliver more effective vaccines. Low-cost cell-phone applications for global health: Terry Ferrari of World Vision will field test in central Mozambique two mobile phone modules that prompt community health workers caring for pregnant women and newborns to assess, take action, and to refer care in cases of complications and emergencies; Mark Thomas of VaxTrac in the U.S. will field test a mobile phone-based vaccination registry that uses fingerprint scans to track those who have received immunizations in hopes of reducing redundant doses and boosting coverage levels in developing countries. New family health strategies: Arye Rosen of AMT, Inc., in the U.S., along with neonatologist Harel Rosen, will test a low-cost, solar-powered portable blanket that can provide light therapy to jaundiced infants; Haim Breitbart of Bar-Ilan University in Israel will design and test molecules that would inactivate specific genes within sperm that are essential to the fertilization process to develop a reversible oral male contraceptive. Md Abdul Quaiyum of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh will develop and test an inexpensive, biodegradable absorbent mat that can be placed under mothers who have just delivered babies to assess immediate postpartum blood loss. The mat can be weighed at regular intervals to measure absorbed blood, providing easy and early detection of postpartum hemorrhaging. About Grand Challenges Explorations Grand Challenges Explorations is a five-year, $100 million initiative to promote innovation in global health. It is part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, which is supported by the Gates Foundation to achieve major breakthroughs in global health. Applications for Round 6 of Grand Challenges Explorations will be accepted beginning in March 2011. Details are available at www.grandchallenges.org/explorations. ### Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. RELATED INFO Grand Challenges Explorations Global Health Program PRESS RELEASES Nov 09, 2010Foundation Funds 65 Novel Ideas to Improve Global Health, From Vaccines Delivered in …Oct 28, 2010International Medical Corps Receives $700,000 to Respond to Deadly Cholera Outbreak …Oct 27, 2010Foundation Expands Investments in Innovative Global Health Science More

Fall Foliage!!