by popular demand....

alrighty, well for those of you who also want to get crafty (and i so encourage it) here are some tips on how to make the onesies.

1. get your choice of fabric. joanne fabrics sells squares of really cute designs for $1.99 and you can make A LOT of appliques out of each square. they are in the quilting section

2. you need "double sided webbing". the webbing is basically the glue that adheres the fabric shapes onto your onesies. make sure it is double sided. it will have one side that has paper that you will peel off.

3. get yourself a pack of onesies (or anything for that matter, canvas totes, blankets, shirts, etc. the world is your oyster, have fun!)

4. take your fabric and iron on the webbing. do this PRIOR to cutting your shape.

5. once you have ironed on the the webbing, cut out your design.

6. peel the paper off the back side of the applique, and iron onto your onesie (tote, blanket...)

that's it. seriously. it is very simple and very addicting. enjoy!

more onesies!

here are two more pics. the "pash" one was pictured before, but it happens to be one of my favorites, therefore worthy of having its own picture :)

over.

baby fever!

my mom came for a very needed visit this past week. while she was here, we got crafty with baby stuff! many of you have heard about the baby blanket and the onesies, because honestly, i couldn't contain my excitement. so if you don't absolutely love them, smile and lie to me. here they are...

ahoy, mates!

so sorry for the break in entries. zack and i have been going crazy. between his work schedule and my nausea, the blogs haven't been flowing regularly. here is an update.

a few weeks back we had the rare opportunity

of visiting Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the CG's only tall ship. and interestingly, the only still functioning tall ship in any of the united states military branches.

the coolest part of the ship is its history; it was a war prize from the germans after WWII. hitler did go on board the ship, and it had a u-boat engine below deck when we won it. so awesome.

a couple of days before our tour, zack and I met one of the cadets in downtown wilmington and he gave us the vip tour of the ship. it was incredible. the ward room (where all the big wigs onboard eat their chow) is one of the most beautiful rooms I have seen in all of my life.

here are a few pictures of our experience. oh, and the eagle on the front of the ship now holds the CG emblem, it used to hold a swastika. enjoy! over

two little lines

it is my great honor to officially share with you all that Adriana and I are expecting our first little one(s) to be born on March 19 2010, tentatively. we could not be happier or more excited for what our future holds. God is good.

beautiful downtown Wilmington from the riverside

I accidentally put them in reverse order. just work your way from the bridge to the flag and you'll be alright.

as good as it gets

despite being billeted for mess cooking duties while afloat, there were countless other opportunities to perform and actually feel like a guardian. being a part of the special sea detail (mooring evolutions) and lowering small boats to the water, from one of the two contraptions on both the port and starboard side; both were welcome changes of pace from having been keeping it real on the mess deck for far too long. some days seemed endless and tested the mettle of even the more experienced deckies.

on our way back to Wilmington, Diligence had to make a pit stop just south of home in Sunny Point. there we picked up North Carolina's seventh district congressman, his family, as well as some family members of the crew... including Adriana. it was called a dependent's cruise and those who chose to join us sailed up the Cape Fear River for about two hours and were aboard when we reached the moorings in downtown Wilmington... home. Adriana got to see some of the stuff that we had been doing for the previous three weeks, including some of the not-so-glamorous things... mess cooking. it was an unreal feeling as she crossed that brow onto the port main deck. truly as good as it gets.

we had escorts sailing around us that consisted of Coast Guard Auxiliary and a 47 ft motor life boat from a nearby small boat station. we passed the shipyard near our house and seeing it from the river side was like nothing else; giant ships that had just sailed from all over the world were offloading right there before our eyes and do so every day right near our home. as we transited under the bridge into our home port, the river walk was littered with spectators anxiously awaiting Diligence's return. among them were newscasters and VIPs from around the area, fancy huh? Wilmington was dubbed the nation's first Coast Guard city some time ago and that label certainly fit the welcome that we received upon our return, it was breathtaking and made me feel proud to be one of her crew.

there was then an awards ceremony and a picnic on the flight deck, everyone ate and was merry... that's just speculation though, Adriana and I jetted rather quickly in search of a change of clothes and a good meal.

back on land

the sea is a wild and unpredictable place, as well as an infinitely eerie one when it is all you see for days on end. the beauty of it all trumps most fears out there but nothing could cloak the restlessness that is being away from Adriana. I am elated to be home nonetheless and plan on soaking up every second with her while in port.

when the crew first arrived in baltimore, we were pleasantly surprised to have been gifted tickets to an Orioles game at Camden Yards. I would have rather taken the even longer bus ride to Citizen's Bank to watch my beloved Phils... but beggars can't be choosers. there were certain"team building" goings on that preceded and followed our watching of the game and fun was had by all.

the time period between the baseball game and when we finally set sail was an arduous and blurry cycle of work and sleep that left us all a bit edgy and eager for home. the night before our trek back to Wilmington, MWR (morale) threw a fun little shindig at the Drydock, which is the bar on base at the Coast Guard Yard... tomfoolery ensued.

it was then on to the sea. while it is a beautifully mysterious place, indeed... it is good to be back on land.