And then there was a chocolate donut

Sometimes all you need is a chocolate donut.

I think you know what I mean.

You're having one of those truly crappy mind moments and you just need to indulge yourself.
Why? Because damn it, you deserve it.

This happened to me several times this week.
This week seemed overly drawn out and jam-packed, not with fun, but with acronyms.
So many acronyms...
The military has acronyms for everything. Then you get into your specialty field and what's awaiting you at the schoolhouse. Cake? Nope. Training manuals the size of your head and more acronyms.

I digress...this week has just been exhausting.
I have tried every trick up my sleeve in terms of relaxing, remaining calm and not freakin' the hell out

But this week was our first training ride and after that, I just wanted a donut after that experience, so I got one.  It was HUGE and full of chocolatey chip goodness.

Sometimes in life, you just need a chocolate donut.

But if you're going to have a donut, you may want to visit the bookstore right down the road.  Anyone get that reference? ;)

We have this super adorable local bookstore and I just love it.  I love small businesses and I love bookstores.  I get a kick out of going into a Barnes and Noble but a small bookstore has so much charm and personality.  They feature local authors and events that actually matter to folks.  J.K. Rowling's new book, A Casual Vacancy, just came out and I had to pick it up.  Her literary characters were so much a part of my childhood and reading experience, that I could not wait to get my hands on her "adult-version" writing style.

Part of the children's books section at our local bookstore. It's so flippin' cute!

I really am enjoying my experience at my new base so far, even if the academic workload does get a little exhausting at times.  Exploring my new town has been a blast and a half and I just love finding charming little places like that bookstore.

You can get a cheaper price on a book at Walmart but you will never get the same type of service as you would at a small business bookstore.  An additional $6 on a hardcover version of a book is helping keep your local economy going.  Plus how many times have you gone into a big-box store like Walmart and they had no idea what you were talking about, whether it was a book or a product?

Support your local businesses! They're such an integral part of your community :)

Speaking of books...

Sign at a local Exchange

The book, No Easy Day, is causing quite the stir in the literary and military world.

As a member of the military, you sign documents saying that you will not release information without the approval of several chains of command and security organizations.

It's kind of a big, obvious concept that everyone knows.

This book was written by a Navy SEAL who was part of the team that killed Osama bin Laden.

The book covers that information and did not go through the proper channels of approval.

That's as much as I know.  

I've casually been following the story but now I definitely want to read the book.  

Breaking military rules or just attempting to gain wide-spread PR status?

I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that the book is really popular right now.

............

As part of my de-stressing process, I got a crafting kick this week.

I LOVE Fall

The weather is perfect, I adore pumpkins and sweaters are just too comfy to pass up.

It also gives me the opportunity to start putting up decor.

I made this our front door display:

Straw wreath complete with burlap, plastic pumpkins and reindeer moss

Paper bat cutouts from the Martha Stewart Crafting Collection

 What do y'all think?

I think it turned out really cute and it's super festive.

Always check out your local Dollar Tree or similar stores for decor items.

I got the reindeer moss and plastic pumpkins for $1/each.

The bats, wreath and burlap were from Michael's.

I continued with my crafting escapades and turned to my roommate's upcoming birthday party.

Her birthday, shared as a triplet, comes really close to Halloween.

She's never had a "big" bday bash so I thought now would be an excellent time to have one.

It would give me the excuse to decorate and throw a kick-ass party,

but also, to give everyone a reason to get sa-weet costumes.

Coffin Birthday Invitations

 These are the invites (in their early stages) that I'm designing for Brittany's birthday.

There are several roommate pairs/triples, so I essentially got one mini coffin for each apartment.

They were 99 cents at Michael's and then I chose a decorative, sparkly paper for the tops and black paint for the outer edges. Inside is a fun scrapbooking material with a black and white swirl pattern.

When you open the coffin, the guest will see all of the party details listed inside.

I'm also thinking of making a much simpler invitation for other folks.

Something fun, a little kooky, yet perfect for Halloween.

Tomorrow we're throwing a pot luck and I'm super excited about it.

Until next time,