Snowtorious B.I.G.

"Getting things accomplished isn't nearly as important as taking time for love." Janette Oke

So, chances are, wherever you are stationed, you might be experiencing a blizzard. I just thought I would throw out a couple suggestions to keep busy to prevent anyone from going completely crazy!

First of all. No complaining about the snow. It's there, complaining turns everyone sour and really will not change the situation! This blizzard, affectionately named "Snowtorious B.I.G." will eat you up inside if you sit on the couch in the wrong state of mind. Instead embrace the SUCK as some may say!
Second, make some hot chocolate, bake some cookies (I am a horrible baker so this one's not for me), read that book you have been trying to get to, take a bubble bath, enjoy a NAP (if you can get your kids down too, that's a plus!), paint, watch an old movie, and try to relax.

I just bought my husband a Keurig Coffee Makers, for celebrating 8 years together and I am going to try lots of coffee today. I am probably going to be addicted to caffeine before he redeploys home, more then he is! ALthough, he might be more interested in chai tea poured into dirty glasses and sitting on the floor. Hopefully I can find a cup that makes chai! Anyone have a suggestion?

Stay warm. Remember, Spring is in 48 days.....Summer... well do you really want to know? 140...1 day at a time.

I would also like to thank all of the government workers that cannot sit at home and relax with the snow. Thank you mail carriers, guards at check point gates and all of the national guard helping to keep the snow filled streets safe.

What to wear to welcome home your soldier, graduation or military formal?

Maybe some of you are half way through "surviving deployment" and you are probably looking forward to the welcome home moment. If you are trying to predict the best outfit that shows the appropriate amount of sexiness and  wholesome House Hold 6 that you are, then I have a couple of suggestions. Maybe you are about to celebrate his graduation from Basic, AIT, OCS, Ranger, Airborne, CCC or any other special occasion after a long absence. I have some GREAT choices!

I like simple, and solid colors for this occasion. I also like the idea of vintage war bride's attire or something patriotic. It's just too cute. Of course jeans and a red, white and blue t is perfectly normal, especially when you probably will be waiting for awhile. (Really you wait in the military?) Maybe you can find an outfit below that you will wear on your first date when your hubby returns and there are no kids around. Either way, take a look below!

$50-$75 Range
If you haven't been to it yet, Etsy.com has some really great designers that aren't from a department store. They are handmade and are affordable. Gabriellabesso's shop has this great navy blue dress.

Ananya's shop  She has all types of colors and her dresses could be worn again to a wedding or cocktail party. Her LBD (little black dress) is definitely a piece every girl should have in her closet.

PatriciaValley makes some cute dresses too!

 This Army wife, stationed at Fort Hood, makes incredible pins, brooches for you to wear to support your husband. They are pretty cute. Her name is BeatricePearl and here are some of her items.

$15-$55 Range
Of course there is, Target, Kohls and JcPenny that offers relatively decent material that looks fantastic and at a great price! Especially since well known designers who know how to dress a woman's figure were added to their department store; i.e. Vera Wang, Lauren Conrad (Ha! I have her skinny jeans though and I like them!).

$35-$75 Range
ModCloth is also a great site if you haven't already checked it out! It offers one of a kind pieces and they have SO many things to choose from. My sister and I get lost in their outfits! It has vintage, retro and modern inspired pieces.

$75-$150 Range
Anthropologie seriously is my obsession. The clothes are really overprice, but if you wait their sales are pretty good! Like ModCloth, they are one of a kind pieces, but most of them are high end designers. They always have peacock related items too! :) 

Tee-Shirts and Military apparel for women:

This website has a link to many patriotic t's. I like this patchwork longsleeved!  This zazzle website has something for all of us Silent Ranks.

Stiletto Gear is a great site for all of the different branches of the military.

Jane Wayne Gear is adorable and fashion forward. It's not just a tee with a flag on it!(I am totally getting one of these today... of course ARMY though.)

This website, Operation We are Here, has links to everything patriotic related! Take a look


If you need a dress for any redeployment balls, take a look at Light in the Box.com It seriously has everything. They have celebrity inspired dresses for the everyday budget. I am talking $150 for a dress similar to ones seen on the red carpet. It also provides you to select any color and have it tailored to your size. It takes about 6 weeks to order, but if you read any of the reviews, the dresses always turn out exactly as you hoped for!

If you are looking for some pretty things to wear under whatever you have on, take a look at my post last week about this subject! And have fun with it!!

If anyone else has any stellar suggestions, please leave a comment or link below! Thanks for stopping by the peacock tale!

ShoVeling workout

For all of you summer birds that are stuck in the north shoveling your driveway and pathways I thought I would give some tips on the exercise. According to my iPhone application, Loose It, snow shoveling for thirty minutes burns 177 calories. This is the same amount of calories burned while walking  a brisk 5mph walk for 25 minutes. So if you hate driving in the snow and ice or don't want to deal with bundling up your children and their snow boots to go to the gym, SHOVEL!

Some tips:

1. Try to avoid eating, smoking (PS stop smoking too!) or drinking your first coffee before shoveling. This sometimes causes your heart muscles to constrict and obviously raising heart rate.

2. Be aware of icy patches and wear grippy shoes and warm gloves.

3. You want to remember to  position your hands on the shovel to get the best leverage possible. This will lead to a happy back! Basically don't grip your hands on top of each other.

3. Make sure you switch your shoveling arm every five times. This will create muscle build up in your less dominant arm, but also will ensure you don't overcompensate on your hips.

4. I say tighten your stomach muscles when you shovel. This will give you a great core workout. Also, remember to bend at the knees and not the back. Your back will thank you tomorrow!

5. While the kids are stuck inside, select some of these indoor games from mom blog network for them to get off the couch too!

Drink lots of water when you are done and put some much needed lotion on those hands!

Happy Shoveling Any other tips? Let us know!!

Calling all Military Wives!!

This is a wonderful opportunity for many of you spouses who use your artistic expression of blogging to make a difference. The more we read, the more we know. Someone has to write what we read, and you could be it! If you have any additional questions, let me know. Thanks!

How to stay happy while your husband is deployed....

Ok, for those of my male readers, you might not be interested in my post. I am sorry ahead of time.

For those of you working out for your new year's resolution, trying to stay busy, healthy and happy, I think you should reward yourself. There's no reason you have to wear grammy panties because your husband is deployed. You are still a woman and you are STILL sexy. Furthermore, I suggest picking up or clicking on the link, Women's Health this month and opening to their Style Lab section. It has some wonderful clothing (bra and pantie) suggestions based on body type; straight, pear, athletic, and curvy.

Personally, this is my favorite. It is Cosabella and seems pretty patriotic. So if you are feeling down in the dumps today, take a nice warm bubble bath. Bring some hot tea or wine, shave and put on your favorite undergarments that make you feel special! Hopefully this will change your state of mind!

Some other great lingerie websites include:
Bra Experience This is new to me. The website is a little old school, but they have good prices.
Eberjey
Her Room Typically you can find Cosabella, Hanky Panky here and they always have sales (unlike Neimans)
Obviously Vicy's Secrets

Happy Shopping!

Saving Private Ryan vs Shakespear in Love

Dedicated too my husband and those who believe in "all is fair in love and war."

The debate heard around our house for years has been which film deserved the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1999. I always believed the comedy, Shakespeare in Love definitely was worthy of the Oscar. However, my World War II fascinated husband, is still sour about Saving Private Ryan's loss. After careful examination of both films this week as well as some internet research and my sister-in-law who formally interned with Mirimax, I have decided to write a review. I read tips on keeping your brain sharp. Activities such as critiques on art, movies, poems and life, simply put, get your juices flowing again. Since this cold winter brings us mostly indoors, I will make use of my late night movie, couch potato,  and netflix tendencies.

Any girl probably has her favorite love story captured on film. Similarly, any boy is intoxicated with at least one war movie. (I may be stereotyping a bit, because I have my favorite war movie too; Braveheart).  This being said, it's no wonder why these two movies have caused quite a debate over the years between my husband and me. However, I feel like I have the upper-hand, because I have seen them both, not like my LT. Of course, he probably would think watching SPR about 100 times made up for the fact that he has NEVER seen Shakespeare. I won't hold that against him.

The Oscar is the biggest award one can receive in the film industry. I am sure most of you are aware of that. However, there are some things that I had NO CLUE, until I wikipediaed it. According to the website, there are 5,385 voters. The rules behind best picture include, a film must enter in the previous calendar year, at least 40 minutes long (feature film), and it has to be 35mm or 70mm frames. Also, I would like to mention, the academy votes for the category that the member is in. For example, actors vote for actors, directors vote for directors, except for Best Picture. Everyone votes for that. Now, this isn't a presidential election, but that is a lot of people voting for a film. Obviously, it could go either way in the end. (I wonder if they ever had a tie??)


Unfortunately, Shakespeare in Love was released December 1998 and Saving Private Ryan was July 1998. Since the award show was closer to Shakespeare's release date, critics have repeatedly believe this was one of the reasons it out shadowed the other films, especially Saving Private Ryan. Another possible influence on the voters choice was the publicity, advertisement and false rumors circulated by distributers Miramax, unlike Ryan's Disney distributer's Dream Works.

To get to the core of these two films, t turns out, both films are unique and spectacular. They stand alone in their own category, but share a common theme of love. Shakespeare is about a woman's love for plays and acting at a time when females were unable to take the stage. It's also a love story between two in love souls unable to share their lives together because of class. The writing makes you laugh and keeps you engaged even with the thick accents. It's still a sad tale because no one is getting what they want in the end. Similarly, Ryan is also a story of self sacrifice and love for one's country. A small squad risking their lives to find one of their own, instead of taking on Hitler's army. Unlike other war stories, this is told through the eyes of the soldier. They discuss chain of command, life after war, and people back home they miss and love. Again, this film mournfully ends when most of the squad dies trying to save Ryan's life. He lives with the guilt for the rest of his life just like Shakespeare and Viola live a lifetime apart.

Two movies exceptionally executed and acted. How do you decide if the winner really deserved to win? Although Ryan may be a drama and Shakespeare is a comedy, I believe that Ryan should have won the gold man!

Video of the Oscar Win

What do you think?

One Hundredth Post

Wow! It's pretty incredible. I have been at this for a year and I have finally made it to one hundred posts.

It's nice to have met all of you and thank you for visiting.

I forgot to share this picture of me pinning my LT during Airborne graduation!

Deployment comes again to our family. This time his boots will be in real combat zone. It will luckily not be another year, but this means separation again. I received a book from the FRG leader titled, "Surviving Deployment, A guide for military families, by Karen M. Pavlicin." It provides information critical to facing a deployment and is written by one of us MilSpouses. I encourage anyone facing similar situations to look into reading it or keeping it for references and tips.

I suppose, this means I will have some lists going for activities I will be working on during his time overseas. A couple things come to mind:

1. Read. I have so many books I want to read. The Dragon Tattoo series. I need to finish my book about Susan G. Komen. I would like to read Obama Wars and check out the book Happy Life as an Army Wife suggested While They Are At War. I am sure I can complete these before Spring.

2. ORGANIZE! Pictures, Recipes, Craft Room, etc. Since living this army life, my things have not been tended to like I normally like. 


3. Exercise. LT and I have a saying, E. S. P. Emotional, Spiritual and Physical. It's actually on our wedding bands. We both want to make sure we stay true to these three things when we are separate. 


What are some things you do while your husband is deployed? Any survival tips? I was thinking about making a page on the blog from all of you strong, experienced, milspouses/finaces/girlfriends, that have tips. It might be a good resource for people looking.... Let me know what you think.

Fall into Tuesday..

This beautiful welcome wagon was done by our Aunt. Isn't beautiful? She found the idea from Better Homes and Garden Magazine. I stalk of hay, 2 pumpkins, some gords and 2 purple mums. 

Do you have any creative ideas for fall and thanksgiving? 

Thank you Erika from Thrifty and Fabuless!