usmcwives.com: Splat.

There's one thing that never fails to hold true: When trial and error are involved in a process... you have to deal with the "error" portion.

All I managed to accomplish yesterday on the web site was to somehow undo something I had already done. I can't, for the life of me, figure out what I did or how to fix it yet. But I WILL!

I've somehow fouled up the linkage between the login section and the page one is redirected to upon login. I have looked it it from eighteen different angles and have even done a screen to screen comparison with Emily's control panel. I can spot the differences but am unsure how to correct them. Yet.

Web site go boom?

Nah. I'll get it fixed. I just have to step away from the keyboard, do something else for a bit and come back to it. I'm still very motivated about how the finished product will turn out. Stand by!

usmcwives.com: Re-design infancy.

I am attempting to re-design our site. I will get this done and I'm hoping the finished product will be clean, user friendly and pretty. I will accept nothing less for an end result!!

My experience level at this point is in the novice range. I know just enough to tweak something that already exists. This is why I think I might maximize my abilities by using Joomla. I was already aware of its existence but hesitant to delve into it until my friend, Emily, encouraged me by (1) telling me of her own experiences with it (2) generously offering to give me access to her site's files/settings so I could get a frame of reference and (3) making a very nice site with it herself (A Military Life.com).

So, off I go, then, to create genius while relying on the underlying technical skills of the development community!

I have selected a template-- after hours of indecision-- and am beginning to tweak it. Who knows, within the next couple of days I may even figure out how to remove all references to "Landscape Smart" (the template title) from the page! Stranger things have happened.....

Here's the equivalent of a fetal ultrasound for our baby:

What are YOU bringing to the table?

As I sit here on Saturday afternoon not having been very productive today, I'm thinking about wasted time.

Now, I have a bit of an excuse today. Yesterday I helped my husband with some manual labor on a fence we are building (when I say "we" I mostly mean HIM with some moral support from yours truly) for our backyard. It turns out, when an out of shape 33 year old woman bends, stoops and reaches for 5 hours, she suffers consequences the next day. It's not altogether dignified! My back is killing me and I have sore muscles in places I didn't realize were there. Despite this, I managed to get out there by myself and do some more painting for about an hour and a half. The intended result of feeling accomplished and perhaps even working out my muscle aches was NOT achieved. This may be due to the sheer volume of work left to do and my lack of motivation to do it or maybe it's just because I'm tired. Either way, I didn't feel validated by the work and, adding insult to injury, this was my greatest accomplishment of the day!

I don't know if it's the summer heat or my schedule having been disrupted for weeks because my family and I went on an extended trip.... or what. But I've been about as useful as a duck in a bucket a month or so now. And the madness has to stop. I usually have much to offer-- be it here on the home front or with the web sites or just as a friend-- but I have lost my mojo.

Always, always bring something to the table. No matter what or whom you are dealing with. Be worthy of your place and of others' care and time. This is important. And starting right now I am going to get back to my essence and start getting things done.

Mama's got to TCB!

A must see new web site: A Military Life.

A new and very informative web site just went live. Its administrator the very talented spouse of a National Guardsman. Her name is Emily and I am fortunate to have made her acquaintance online a few months back. She is one of the driving forces behind a favorite spot of mine, The Silent Ranks forum, and she is a self taught web mistress. Her work is impressive, particularly the new site. She has labored away at this thing in a much more organized and persistent fashion than I have with usmcwives.com. She has solicited input from other military spouses and this will serve to make the site all the more relevant in the military community. It contains everything from tips for beginners to base ratings. It's still a work in progress but I strongly recommend paying a visit as soon as possible!

http://www.amilitarylife.com

Grabby McSnatchy

So, I've been trying to do a little bit of research about online forums and resources for Marine spouses and girlfriends.  The idea is for me to be somewhat well informed so that I can pass on any good leads to the ladies on our forum.

My philosophy is:  To each her own.  What works for one person might not for another.  What one person lives by might bore the life out of the next person.  So on our site I have posted (and will post more) links to other sites and good forums.

But I find it interesting how grabby some places are with their users.  I get that they don't want blatant spamming or advertising for other forums (and I never do this!).  But some of the little rules and nuances I have come across are very rigid and seem to be geared towards keeping their guests inhouse.

Am I just ignorant or naive?  I mean.... I understand why a for-profit business wouldn't want to redirect its customers the competition.  But how good is a support forum or resource center if it doesn't actually offer ALL MEANS of support and a wide array of resources?

This is just a musing about the situation.  Complaining is a waste of energy.  But I have resigned myself to stay true to the goal of offering up whatever goodies I find to others who may be interested.  If that leaves me talking to myself but results in happy members, I'm good.

Pardon me while I implode.

For crying out loud! I am so discombobulated. Seriously.
I feel like I am behind on everything, forgetting stuff and missing the obvious at every turn lately. I guess 4 weeks of road trip with the family should explain it, but I want my brain back!

I had to go in and accept/decline/delete/approve about 50 Facebook messages/apps/gifts, etc. yesterday.

I have 4,987 emails in my "personal" email inbox.

I have 2,618 emails in my Salted Luck and usmcwives.com email inboxes.

I have about 33 calls to make.

I haven't made any jewelry in over a month.

My dog needs to go to the vet and my daughter needs a routine check up (and shots!) with the pediatrician.

I am supposed to be making some calls and possibly doing some paperwork to prepare for some contract work I am going to do for my last employer. But at least that one is out of my hands: waiting for a return phone call.

But despite all of this and my brain being overloaded and disorganized: I am, as ever, a very happy woman. My husband is a beautiful specimen of a man who just showed his family the greatest time in the history of vacations. He's working on our fence out back and he's taking me to see my beloved WILLIE NELSON on Friday night! My son is an evil genius. My daughter is cuter (and, too, more evil) by the day. The usmcwives forum is growing exponentially by the week. I'm registered for classes now and school starts at the end of next month, which I am very excited about. And it looks like I'm getting another work-from-home opportunity very soon.

Life is good.

What day is it, again??

A good excuse. Really.

Honestly, I can't believe how long it's been since I've written. I can't believe the world is still turning and people are just carrying on with their lives when something is so clearly missing?! Lol.

I do, however, have an excellent excuse for my bloglessness. My family has been on a kamikaze road trip since the 12th of June. We're talking a Suburban loaded to the maximum and carrying two adults, a 9 year old and a 13 month old. Minnesota to Texas, Texas to Kentucky, Kentucky to North Carolina and now North Carolina to South Carolina. We won't even be home until next Wednesday! A crazy, crazy plan... but we've been visiting family and we are having a BLAST! We'll be at Myrtle Beach, SC this afternoon and will be there until Sunday morning. Good stuff!

Also good stuff is the fact that I sold 3 pieces of jewelry while on the road.... without even trying! ;) And the usmcwives.com forum is growing by the day. We're up to about 1700 posts and chatting like crazy. It's fantastic. I'm not enjoying the spam we've been getting and I'm still working on that issue-- but at least it's only a pain for me and not for the members. New accounts now require approval... that way we don't log on in the morning to find Euro smut awaiting. Eew.

As it turns out, typing while riding is making me carsick. That won't do. So I'm out. But I hope everyone has an awesome 4th of Juiy weekend... to include being grateful for everyone who has ever secured our freedom!