Oh life…or pregnancy brain?

I came to Starbucks today to use the reliable internet connection with every intention of uploading some photos I had recently taken….and guess where the camera cord is? Not in my bag like I thought! ha.

Lots happening in the last few weeks.

I no longer work for the Child Development Center. I’m officially a substitute in the Fountain Fort Carson school district BUT because of my degree I get the nifty title of “guest teacher” hehe

Baby boy’s curtains are alllll finished!

His blanket is almost done just a few more finishing touches and I’ll have something to show for my endless hours of crocheting away!

The Braxton Hicks have started, that’s been fun. Almost as much fun as the fact he has set up residence in the right side of my rib cage. If I’m lucky I get 1-4 hours a day with a killing pain in my lower ribs that wraps around to the back. This makes getting things done, especially out and about things done pretty unpleasant. I just keep telling myself this will only last 11-12 more weeks and I’ll be a mommy.

Every time I see a baby I feel happy. I like babies, however I am scared to death of having my own in my house all the time.

Almost as scared as my husband seems to be at times.

But he is great with kids. I can’t wait to see him in action! Last week we were at Babies R Us and he was so great. The little girl in front of us was not happy but somehow he keep her giggling so the mom could check out. I hope he never looses that touch! I love that about him! I think he will truly be the best dad ever.

Whoops!

So sorry! I had to take down my last entry, I didn't realize there was some too personal information on it. I really don't like posting from my hubsy's computer cause I can't make it pretty, so my posts are few and far between.

I'll have to see if I can fix that.

I have a puppy snuggled up next to me in this computer chair, we're just waiting for the weather to change, and the hubby to come home.

I've had several friends give birth in the last few weeks. Every time I see pictures and feel a little kick I can't wait to meet my little man.

Don't get me wrong, I'm scared out of my mind for what is to come but I just can't wait to see who he is and what his little face looks like.

Craft room redo

So I found an internet connection in our house....and instead of spending some time catching up on things, checking e-mail and doing fun things I've been spendin the last three hours trying to find something appropriate to fix our super clutter problem in the craft room/ office.

Fail.

We found two pieces from IKEA we liked, little did I know to ship to middle of nowhere outside colorado springs it would be $350...that was more than the furniture! ARE YOU KIDDING? Now I would just drive to the nearest friendly ikea and pick it up myself but that happens to be n Utah or Texas...boo. I miss GA. I want my Ikea back!

Now my biggest issue is 1 the price, I don't want to spend over $300 for the total package.

2 I want something that is going to hold books, craft supplies (yarn, cross stitch, sewing and scrapbooking) while lookin nice and neat. Hidden but accessible.

3. I'm not sold on bookshelves with baskets/ boxes...hubby's idea.

4. I don't want plastic, we have plastic drawers they tend to buckle, look cluttered and un tidy.

5....I'm just too picky...

I've tried office max, joanns, hobby lobby, micheals, and the container store...

Any suggestions?

I need a queen of storage to pop up out of the wood work out there!

A day off-ish

I got off of work early today!! YAY! That’s exciting news for me after working from 8-5 everyday since vacation! Talk about overload…

I start a new position on Monday, I will move from the school aged kiddos to the preschoolers. I’m looking forward to the change but a little nervous too.

I still have a lot of stuff to update about the family reunion but I just don’t have the time anymore.

On the baby front things are going well, we’ve had another checkup that was pretty much pointless..haha They checked my blood pressure, heart rate and checked to make sure the baby’s heart was still going strong…I could have called that in :)

Our next appointment is mid September, by then we should know boy or girl :) super excited to find out. I have my guess but you never know…

For the nursery we’ve decided to go with this palate: Chocolate brown, a limey/minty/avocadoy green, kahki, and off white. Kinda like this:

And since people have asked some “bump” pictures:

16 Weeks…still sick all the time

I accidentally erased the 12 week picture but take my word for it there was nothing there…

And the bean at 10 weeks.

I just like the fact you can see it’s little hand :) That makes me happy to know he/she at least has one haha!

Family Reunion Continued

This is what I have been waking up to every morning for the last few days, not a bad place to blog from you if you know what I mean.

So E arrives tomorrow, WOOOHOOO! I know it’s only been 6 days but when he is the only one you see for months on end it just doesn’t feel right not seeing him every day :).

I remember to take some pictures and finally charged up the camera, so hopefully I’ll remember to haul it down to the beach and get some pictures of everyone!

Greyson, Landon, Kaden and Me getting ready for dinner at Pelican Station!

  Dad and me enjoying the porch of our condo, everything fogs up when you go outside haha

 

Family Reunion Success

So the whole family made it down to Padre for the week! I know I know it’s only Sunday but I’m already having a blast. Even my sister made it down for a few days and it has been well worth my 15 hour drive!

The Hubby arrives on Wednesday then we will be complete :).

It seems there is nothing better than the beach and sunshine to quell a little morning sickness. It hasn’t been to bad the last few days and the only thing I can think of that’s different is the fresh sea air.

So far I’ve tried the seabands, they worked for a while but then it just got worse. I did Ginger Chews, Ginger Gum, “Get Maternal” tea, drinking bubbly drinks like soda or sparkling water, crackers….the list it seems just keeps forming.

Last weekend we did some registering I think I covered most of the bases, what did you register for with your first? What do you wish you had? Any brands you recommend.

 

From my black hole :)

That’s what I live in now by the way. It an all consuming crazy world that doesn’t leave much time, or energy for much else so in a nut shell:

1. We’re having a baby!!! I’m 14 weeks pregnant and we’re very excited!

2. I’m working at the Child Development Center in the after school program, it’s hard but fun…..I dread swimming pools now.

3. E was promoted! WOOOOO HOOOO!….ish haha

4. We still don’t have internet, I have 531 e-mails, any geusses on how many are going to get answered?

5. I’m enjoying VACA but the hubs has to work whahahaha

6. Morning sickness doesn’t end in the Bierschenk family….apparently ever…? and since I don’t look pregnant my running to the bathroom in public places or barfing in parking lots makes me look like a lush…fun.

7. One of my best friends is getting married in a week! So excited for her, and so happy I still fit in the dress I ordered in January haha

 

And so that’s all I can think of :)

Congratulations to all my blogger friends who have had babies in the last few weeks!! YAY! I’ve looked at all the pictures and they are precious! Can’t wait to read more on this week of freedom.

Happy birthday, anniversary and vacation to all my other friends, you know who you are.

Woah….I didn’t fall into a black hole, promise.

So things have been very crazy around the Bierschenk household lately.

I got a job! I’m working for the Air Force at the Child Development Center as a camp counselor and boy do those kids keep me busy!!

Everyday I basically get to play with school aged kids from 7 am until 4pm. And it’s the best time I’ve had!

I did have another interview with a local high school but didn’t get the job…womp womp.

But I’m having fun! Now we’re just counting down the days until we get to head back to Texas for the family reunion!! Any day now!! :)

Oh and I wanted to say thank you to Ashley over at Alot of Curls and a High&Tight for the Versatile Blogger Award!!!

I’m supposed to say 7 things about myself:

1. I’m a teacher by trade and a couselor by choice :)

2. I live in Colorado Springs

3. I married my College Sweetheart and had a crush on him long before I knew how amazing he was.

4.I drive a jeep, and I love it. I recommend Jeeps to anyone.

5. I have two puppies, Tux and Talley. Tux looks like a cocker spaniel but definately isn’t, Talley is a very hyper pup.

6. I love to cook, but I don’t have the time anymore :(

7. I’m a Texas girl at heart and can’t wait to get back home!!

My Musings

I have another interview tomorrow.

I’m glad I don’t have to pay the people at TriCare some ridiculous amount for the ridiculous information they provide:

I have a wicked cough, I’m taking sudaffed and cough syrup.

Dr. Tells me today take sudaffed and cough syrup….REALLY?!

I’m looking for a fun place, maybe slightly resortish to go for July 4th. Yes July 4th, I like to plan in advance. Any ideas?

Normally we’d go to the beach or some nice coastal place but not exactly financially possible living in CO.

So any suggestions on where to go in CO? Trying to keep the budget under oh $90 a night…

Picture Post

So I realized I haven’t done a true picture post in a while, since I have a bunch on my camera I thought I’d share!

Talley enjoying a rare warm Colorado day! She is the true sun worshipper in our family.

 

Bone Cigars

My husbands genius idea to fix a little “problem” Talley was having, that lasted two minutes.

Happy Anniversary!

One year ago today I married Mr. Bierschenk. It has been the best year yet! Here’s to many many more adventures :)

Not so wordless Wednesday

I keep forgetting to take my camera with me. But I have to say for once the grey clouds that are starting to fill the sky are making me oh so happy.

My husband has gone on a kick, he wants to hike every trail in the area…for those of you who know me you know:

I am not athletic,

I am not outdoorsy.

I can tolerate little discomfort I haven’t chosen myself.

That being said, going up a zig zag trail up a hill/mountain side when it looks like it is going to storm has not been my thing. But because I love this man I have done it the last two days. Ok I was bribed with Ice Cream the first day…

What do you do for your significant other that you would rather not?

Today they predict storms by 5pm :) I’m just sayin’  a day off isn’t too bad to me!

Looking for Motivation

I have nothing to write about. Well I geuss I have something to write about but not a lot.

This weekend was fun, I spent the weekend with my friend Melissa, she came down and we went to a  Women’s Military Spouse’s Conference. I didn’t really know what to expect, it was my first conference after all. Something were helpful, some things were fun and some I just plain didn’t care for.

I did get to meet an awesome lady! Someone I’ve been following here in the blog world since I started: ABW. Let me tell you she is even cooler in person!

I have no motivation to wake up early, or get out of bed for that matter. I’m trying to save money and do more things at home but that is easier said than done. I have loads of craft projects I could be doing but I just don’t feel motivated to do them.

It doesn’t help that every time I open my e-mail I have another message about “thank you for your application and your resume will be kept on file”….blah blah blah….and I still haven’t heard back from the interview I went on…how long do you wait before you contact them?

Ok enough of my useless rambling….

Show Us Your Life Friday

I lack material so I’m relying on an old favorite: Show us your life.

Today is your favorite children’s book.

Remember this one? About the pretty fish who gives away his pretty scales?

It’s been a slow week…but busy

So I’m getting behind on my blogging here. Sorry! I wanted to say Thank you to Amy @ A Silver Wife's Life and Jen @ The Adventure of Our Army Life for the sweet blog award! Thank you girls!

So I’m supposed to tag 10 people I think are sweet bloggers, which if you’ve ever looked at my blog role you’ll understand is pretty much impossible. Instead I’m going to encourage you to look at the blogs I follow and check out as many as you can!

There are craft blogs, scrap blogs, military blogs and family blogs! Lots of fun!

We have a friend coming today! We are planning to attend the Wings for Women Military Spouse Conference, here in the springs. Anyone else going?

I’m not really sure what to expect, I’ve never been to a military spouse conference before.

Really??? Really??

Sometimes my hubby gets my goat. Don’t get me wrong I love the man…a lot. But sometimes his complaining is just plain uncalled for.

I like to bake, he likes to eat, it’s a great arrangement. We have company coming on Thursday so like any great southern host I pulled out the cookbooks and planned the meals and the dessert.

I choose a “Kentucky butter cake” which is basically a pound cake with some rum flavoring in it. Well I was out of rum flavoring (who keeps that around…seriously?) so I subbed in some Almond extract….bbbbbbaaaad idea.

He hated it and made it very clear. The idea was to take it into work, then I would make a second after we got the feed back. I also bought strawberries and whipped topping to send in. A nice welcome summer treat right? Nope, it’s in the trash due to my temper and his complaining.

I DO NOT appreciate a complainer. I REALLY DO NOT appreciate a complainer when I make a cake from SCRATCH ya’ll!

And for the record I thought it tasted pretty good and had a slice myself. Tasted like pound cake with almond flavoring.

He also didn’t do the strawberries right…

Mama always cut them into fourths and threw them in a bowl with a little bill of water and sugar to make a syrup. Then when you put them on the cake it soaks in and tastes delicious!

How do you do them? Any kitchen horror stories with your Hubby?

I now have an apron that says “Your opinion in not the recipe”

 

 

My troublemaker

That was the day we brought her home. She does dumb stuff all the time.

Last week we planted a “pizza” garden, tomatoes, basil, thyme, I added some cilantro for funsies…after all it’s my favorite herb EVER.

She at it. All of them except the Cilantro. Roots and all. It’s not like we planted it in the ground, E has been making flower boxes and made a box that sits about feet feet high by two feet wide/deep. She jumped up on top of it, dug up one plant at a time and ate them up.

E came home and needless to say was upset.I was upset too but I bought some chicken wire and solved that problem.

A couple weeks ago she dug some holes in the backyard, so I took them and filled them in and left some poop in them. Problem solve. E was not happy she had dug the holes in the first place.

Today he decided to take her for a walk. I walk dogs on a leash. E is convinced that she can walk without one. Well I get a call about 45 minutes later saying can you go outside and see if the dog is there? I open the door and she is sitting on the front porch. Of course I punish her and put her in her crate. He comes home and punishes her as well.

I told him this is why I keep her on a leash. and he is in a bad mood because he is wrong.

For some reason she does not come 100% of the time when she is called it’s more like 75%…and that’s just for me when it’s E it goes down to 20%…any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

 

The Invisible Woman

So the first time I was fingerprinted for substitute teaching in the state of Texas my fingers were not readable. So I was fingerprinted not once but twice more before they decided they could just do a name check.

The it came time to do my fingerprinting for my license for the state of Texas. They came back the first time, then the second time, then after the third attempt my name was run.

Apparently I’m invisible. The CBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation has run my fingerprints at least once and was not able to read them. I sent an electronic copy, I received an e-mail on Thursday saying they need another copy…did they loose it? Did the priority mail system fail me? Did they not receive it? Seriously?

I’m totally for school safety but this is getting really ridiculous.

Now we wait

Today was the big day! I had my interview at 8am and booooy was I nervous!

Thank you everyone for the luck, I really appreciate it. This may sound funny but I had fun…in an interview.

I got to teach a lesson and talk about teaching and students for an hour and half with a captive audience…strange I know.

Thank you ABW for the question tips! I used quite a few of them and got some good information from the principal.

They said they would make their decision on Friday and everyone would be contacted by early next week. I’m hopeful but at the same time trying to not get my hopes up too much. Either way I’m going to try to stay positive!

E had PRK today, so there is an alarm going off every 25 minutes to remind him to put eye drops in. haha he says he can already see better so that’s a good thing I guess He is very happy, it’s something he has been waiting quite a while to do.!

We have his grandmother and dad coming in this weekend for our cousin’s graduation.

I better get to cleaning and folding the 3 weeks worth of laundry I’ve been putting off….boo.

 

eeeeeehh!

I have my FIRST ever teaching interview tomorrow!

Any advice?

What questions would you ask of a school if you were interviewed?

Military Spouses Bloghop!

Hi there! I’m the cowgirl boots in this combination. My infantryman and I will celebrate 1 year next month. So far we’re loving the life and the adventures we’ve been on.

We do not have any children YET but we plan on it some day, sooner rather than later.

I am a history teacher by trade from the great state of Texas. However I’m finding it difficult to find a job as we move. Sub lists have become my best friend.

I’m into arts and crafts, cooking and wifely things. I have two furbabies, Tux and Talley, a lot of my entries revolve around these things and a hubs as well as my new adventures in our new hometown.

  Talley

Tux

This blog hop is sponsored by Riding the Roller Coaster so hop on over and check everyone out!

A long day over…

So today was ridiculous. Let me just say I’m not dumb but today that could have been tested…

So our garage door has been acting weird since yesterday afternoon, I came home and put the door up and it went back down….on it’s own. Then when I finally got it to go down it went up on it’s own…I checked the ground sensor I check the stripping, E looked at it can’t tell what’s wrong.

So I had planned to make a maintience call this afternoon, however I had a few errands to run….so I put the door up get in the car and go to back out…the door starts going down. That’s right I back into the door. Luckily it’s just a little dent in the door and the maintience man will be here tomorrow.

I get to firestone and find out there is a screw in my tire. So it’s the screw not the constant flux from freezing to 80 that is causing the PSI to be wacky.

Then I painted a cookie jar….more about that later.

Thank you for the feed back about the changes!!!

Which peach color is hard to read? Is it the color I’m using for the titles, headers etc or is the color I used for the last post?

I don’t use google reader, so I’m not sure how that works. I usually just go to people pages, since my background is now dark brown I tried to pick a contrast. Just let me know and I can work something out.

A Few Changes

So there are a few changes over here, new background, new banner. E wasn’t thrilled that I had our last name front and center on the bloggity blog so I changed it up a little bit. He also didn’t like the new name much but I told him tough bits on that one, unless he can come up with something cuter it’s sticking!!

I feel like the time goes by really fast out here. I’m out of the house by 9 and home by 4 but it just seems like I don’t get much done, probably because everything seems to be really spread out here in CO.

I modified one of my favorite recipes this evening. I originally got this one of the the Flat Belly Diet Book, it’s call Chicken spinach roulades.

4 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 in

1 package frozen spinach

1/2 cut parmesan (I used feta tonight)

1 tsp of red pepper flakes.

So you flatten the chicken, then stuff with a mixture of spinach, cheese and pepper flakes. Then you roll them up and stick ‘em with a tooth pick to hold them in place. Tonight I wrapped a piece of turkey bacon around the chicken then put them in a frying pan with some olive oil. After you brown each side turn the heat down, put a lid on it and let them cook until they are cooked all the way through. I turned them every couple of minutes but it was pretty low maintenance!

 

I cleaned *gasp*

That’s right, bathrooms, mopping everything, the whole works. The only thing left to do is fold the laundry womp womp….I don’t wanna.

I will. Two people don’t generate much of a mess, but boy do we have a lot of laundry every other week! Ha!

We had some new friends over this evening and we had a blast! They have two adorable little girls, it makes me want some. Is there a way to skip straight to the fun years and skip the years you don’t get to sleep?

hmm something to think on.

Oh and it snowed here today! Silly mother nature…doesn’t she know it’s spring? Next month is the prelude to summer? I have a feeling my next real taste of summer will be when I get to visit Texas in July :)

Job searching..again

Ok so I know this subject is getting old. But I’m still looking for a job.

I applied for a position at a school that I would be perfect for. That was two weeks ago.

They filled the position.

They never called for an interview.

That burned.

I miss home. I miss familiarity. I miss being where I knew people, I knew the system and I didn’t feel so out in left field.

In the next month or so the substitute systems should come open so I’ll start there. It’s not not my first choice but it’s as close to being a teacher as I can get at this point.

Patience is a virtue…right?I keep trying to remind myself of that.

That is real love

Yes yes yes I know today is wordless Wednesday. But I really wouldn’t take a picture of this. I’m sorry I’ll just have to put it in words, I think you’ll thank me.

We were laying on the couch having a little discussion about who Tux loves more, we do that we’re creepy dog people.

He cuddled with me, so I told E get him to willingly cuddle with you and you win. (I know my little guy he loves me more)

So E holds him for a minute then lets him go, thinking ok he likes it, he’s going to sit down. Instead he sit up, and then ….

Blllargh. All over E’s shirt…

He loves me more, just sayin…:)

And for the recorded I laughed, hard.

I’m usually the one at the receiving end of this stuff…

Candles

I love candles. Some people say they put too many carcinogens into the air, but I’m a sucker for REALLY good smelling things. My favorite probably has to be the baking smells, things that smell like cookies, candies or creamy things.

This isn’t an advertisement, I just wanted to share. Last summer I went to Indiana and visited this huge store, it was like a sam’s club but they only sold home decor and party items. You have to have a membership to get in, I can’t remember the name at the moment but it was something like the card club or something. You get a membership and access to cool stuff.

I picked up a candle by Our Own Candle  Company in Caramel Pecan and I’ve been in love with it ever since! They make soy blend candles, the one I bought was in an old fashion mason jar and is super clean burning, meaning it burns all the wax, all the way down.

I recommend it to anyone who loves candles, and this smell is fantastic I have to say!

http://www.o urowncandlecompany.com

Farm life wouldn’t be for me.

Mucking stalls= never.

My dogs poop about 5 lbs each week, I’m convinced. And it’s gross. I have this nifty little pooper scooper, I recommend it to anyone and everyone that has to pick up this stuff. It won’t make it any more fun but it sure does make it easier!

E’s b-day was great. We had sushi at this little place called Jun, they have a sushi happy hour, which wasn’t that easy to find. Then we came back to the house for gifts and coconut cream pie, I made from SCRATCH…! E didn’t know that means, so if you don’t it means I started with nuthin, just flour, eggs, coconut and cream. I’m exactly sure I did it right but it ended up tasting pretty awesome so it couldn’t be too off!

Last but not least on Friday night we made this awesome chicken! I recommend it, especially if you like tequila and grilled stuff! It’s called drunken grilled chicken, we ate it like fajitas with guacamole and lime cilantro rice!

1/2 gold tequila

2Tbsp triple sec

1 cup lime juice

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 fresh Jalapeno  seeded and minced(I left this out)

2tsp salt

1tsp fresh ground pepper

1tbsp minced cilantro

1 tbsp chili powder

mix all ingredients and marinade over night or all day. sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper then grill! after you grill left them rest for 5 minutes so the juice goes back into the chicken.

You can also use shrimp skewers! yum!

This Betty Crocker kick all started when I finally got all my good kitchen stuff out of storage with this PCS and I have to say I’m enjoying it :)!

 

Happy Birthday Mr. Bier!

Today is my dear dear sweet husbands birthday! He’s *gasp* 24 today, and older than me hehehe!!!!

SOOOOO I’m taking the chance today to tell you a little bit about this sweet honey of my mine!

Mr. Bierschenk

I love his blue blue eyes, and his sweet blonde hair, when he has any. He tends to buzz it all off, I pretend to mind but honestly I think he might look strange with lots of hair.

He is kind, he helps me whenever I need it. Even if it’s something silly like getting my glass off the table when the dog has clobbered me and I can’t get up.

He likes video games, and computer games and suduko…what a nerd :)

He drives a pick ‘em up truck, a big one cause he’s from TEXAS.

We met in church, now isn’t that just the cutest? ha!

Sometimes he annoys me, but it never lasts very long. I get over it pretty quick, it must be love!

He has dreams, odd ones to me but if he’s happy I’m happy.

He lets me spend money on things to do, like sew and paint and always tells me I’m good at the things I do. He doesn’t put them down.

He doesn’t like the way I arrange the furniture but lets me…or maybe it’s cause I do it when he’s gone! ;)

He wants babies. Lots of babies. And he is going to be the best daddy ever. I’m convinced.

He is my someone to spoil.

 

wordless Wednesday!

So it’s wordless Wednesday and I’m back on track…ish.

But my hubsy has my camera :( you see back in November he broke his camera, and my old camera was yucky. This resulted in me spending my Christmas money on the new one.ONE.

Apparently no one else could take a picture of plaques…that were supposed to be taken on Monday….

So I have no new pictures but I found this and thought I’d share it. A friend of mine, Lise, gave it to us and I love it! So much so it’s the background on my computer from time to time! Enjoy!

I need a J- O-B

Hi There,

I need a job. I’m a history teacher, I have a certification from the great state of Texas for grades 8-12!

I graduated from one of the BEST teacher’s colleges in the state of Texas!

I’m enthusiastic, courageous (8-12!!!), outgoing, positive and a team player!

I love working with kids and I’m really looking for that perfect classroom of my own in Colorado Springs.

I’ve applied to districts: 3, 5,8,11 & 12.

And now I’m waiting.

If anyone knows anyone in any of the districts and would like to put in a good word for me, I’d appreciate anything you can help me with!

I’m not desperate I’m just bored with being a stay at home wife… haha

Oh and have you heard about the lady who sent her child back to Russia?

Really?

What? Was? She? Thinking?

This is what God’s love looks like

It’s nights like this I feel like I live in a Thomas Kinkaide painting, no joke. I’m pretty sure if he visited this place he would be tempted to just stay, forever. There would be a whole new line of paints sans lighthouses.

I’ve been on a kick lately, so I spent my afternoon making all this:

Tuna Shashimi and what I like to call Kate rolls. Tuna, Cream cheese, Cucumber and chili powder. Plus some Udon and Spring rolls. It was a Japanese/Vietnamese feast!

I also made some butternut squash soup for my lunches for the next week or so! I am in LOVE with this soup. If you like squash and the general taste of veggies you’ll love this! The recipe is my sister in laws, so I can’t take the credit but it’s REALLY easy to make and fairly fast too!

Golden Squash Soup

3 leeks (white portion only), sliced
4 medium carrots, chopped
5 tablespoons butter
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken broth
3 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup milk

Grated Parmesan cheese and chives, optional

Directions
In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, saute leeks and carrots in butter for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the squash, broth, zucchini, salt, thyme and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool until lukewarm.
In a blender, puree soup in small batches until smooth; return to kettle. Stir in cream and milk; heat through (do not boil). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chives if desired. Yield: 12-14 servings (3-1/2 quarts).

I halved the recipe and it made a BUNCH!

Fat and Followers

I lost a follower…sad day.

I don’t normally watch Dr. Phil, but I was looking and waiting for Oprah when he appeared. Today they had the people from “the Biggest Loser” on.

I don’t watch the show, I don’t really care if people are fat or skinny unless they sit next to me on the public bus and sit on me. And I don’t like to watch people sweat and cry. You can pretty much guarantee if it is one of those reality shows with lots of crying I’ve moved on.

So here was the debate, obviously the people who are on the show love it and love making people skinny. The fat people on Dr. Phil (is there another term really…three women weighing 900lbs total…)hate the show.

Now the guy who is the trainer says people have the right to feel sexy. The fat people say people have the right to feel fat and be accepted in their body.

Here is my opinion, in case you care….share yours I’m just curious.

Oh and please don’t turn this into a grill session, it’s just my opinion, if you don’t like it don’t read it.

When did this fight against “obesity” become a fight? When did fat people become unaccepted? The way I see it there is nothing wrong with people being fat, as long as they are healthy. I.E. not on any medications, not seeing a Dr. for any lasting conditions etc. You should have a 100% clean bill of health or as close as possible. If a person is over weight and has a health condition that is in any way shape or form related to their weight then they shouldn’t feel good about that. Likewise if you don’t feel good about yourself then take the initiative and change it. Change the things you eat, the way you eat and the way you live your life.

Start it with your children. Easier said than done I know, but if you’re trying then you’re doing your job.

All I know is when I start to feel sluggish I’ve usually put on a few pounds or I’m not balancing my diet.

I’m just sayin’

Ok end of rant.

Dr. Phil just gave everyone in the audience free memberships to Gold’s Gym….and they all cheered. EVERYONE. 

My husband and my dog have the same haircut…

This is what I get for leaving my little cutie in the hands of my military man….

The ears and tail were left after I insisted.

If we were still in Texas where it reached 86 yesterday this would be fine, but we’re in Colorado where the current temperature is 42. This little guy is a sweater lover for sure. The only problem being, all the clothes we have for him, fit his furry self, not his bald self so with no effort at all they slip right off ha! Bless his little freezing heart :)

Wordless Wednesday

This is the view from my living room, kitchen, bedroom, laundry room…get the picture :). ahhh Tranquility

Moved in!

Ok so it only took 1 week. We started officially unpacking on Monday and I am as of right now DONE! woohoooo!  I even cleaned!

My parents are minutes away, maybe I should always have them come over right after I move in :) it seems to be motivation enough.

I even bathed BOTH dogs! now it’s time to sit back and relax. Hubs is setting up the fire pit. Now I just need chairs to sit around it. Looking for a cheap but nice find on that one.

There will be more to come soon, especially pictures of the new house! I’m much more impressed by CO Springs than Columbus. Let me tell ya, it’s a different world up here. A much nicer world.

Finally some time..

So we arrived in Colorado last week, as I already said. What a trip that was! 2 days of driving with a 2 year old, a 3 year old, and a 4 month old! WOW!

We brought E’s sister, brother, and sister in law with us to help with the move (that’s where the kids came from, we didn’t go on a kid collecting spree!)

The next day, after taking everything off the trailer and unpacking 1/4 of the kitchen we went on spring break to Breckenridge. I have to say I’m in love with that town! It’s very cute and quaint.

But we’re back to unpacking. So much to do! The goal is to get done before Sunday when my parents arrive. I have some cool things we’re working on so I can’t wait to show you! Once things die down it will be a little easier. I have 1 room done…5 more to go!!!

I am alive! I promise!

We made it Colorado. We're safe and sound,yet our house is still in boxes. We are in Breckenridge for a ski trip with the inlaws until Sunday. Then it's back to work. Most of the time this trip is a destressing period, other times it adds to the stress.

Vacation with my family, much different. We only had 4-5 people most times, this trip we have 10 adults, 2 toddlers, 1 infant, 2 dogs...and a mother in law who does NOT like dogs.

It is an interesting adventure, lets put it that way.

I can't wait to get back and get things put together.

Almost there

I am writing from my bedroom floor. We have nothing left in the house, we leave tomorrow morning, bright and early :) I’m giddy! Part I of a full DITY under way here in GA.

Now a 4 day drive :(. I still need to pick up the dogs, they are happily nestled in with my mother in TX. I miss them,  but I have a 2 year old niece keeping me company and busy!

Things I will miss about GA:

1. Marco’s pizza---yumo!

2. The beautiful victory drive gate of Ft. Benning

3. Our sweet neighbor who always helps us.

4. The countless nights spent at Smokey bones and Buffalo Wild Wings with friends

5. All the friends we’ve made here that are now scatter across the globe!

6. my first little house

7. Magnolia trees

8. Being walking distance from the park

9. fireplaces in every room

but oh the things I’m looking forward to!

Packing Break

We’re day1 into our first PCS…well I should say the Hubsy is day 1 into it. I started two weeks ago by packing everything we left in TX.

We’re doing a DITY (Do it yourself) and I really hope this is the last time we choose to go this route. My house is in shambles and I’m starting to loose patience with the half packed boxes sitting everywhere.

BTW 2 day old Rangers sleep….ALOT. He’s asleep again. Our 2 year old niece goes down for a nap at 1:30, he goes down at 2. Grrr…patience is a virtue (my new mantra)

And last but not least some new pictures~~~

Alpha Company E is the 5th from the left (to the right of the tall guy) kinda looking at me.

National Anthem

Tab IT!

I am SO proud of this man!

Not too much to say!

Buuttt as of this time tomorrow I will officially be married to a Longhorn, Striker and Mechanized leader, Airborne, Ranger, qualified Infantry Officer!!! and preparing to say so long to Ft. Benning GA! yay!!!

I can’t hold in my excitement! I can’t believe graduation day is FINALLY here!

YAY!

"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." Pslams 150:6

He is coming home and he will be a RANGER!! YAY!

Just have to say thank you to everyone who was keeping us in their prayers! We have been on this long journey since Nov. 1st now and it is finally coming to an end!! BOY AM I GLAD!

I will keep you updated and post some pictures of graduation as soon as I can. I may have to take a few days off or even a week or two, we’ll see. Things will be moving fast from here until Spring Break but keep checking back in case I get the itch to blog it up!

And since I don’t like the “rangers lead the way” saying I made my own ;)… “Rangers do it better” hehe

Don’t give a dog licorice.

I had an uneventful day. end of story. So I’ll share my boring day with you :)

It all started yesterday evening. I am preparing for my trip back to GA. I stopped at the local farmer’s market Sprouts (love love love them), to pick up some things, like my all time favorite Australian Licorice…sold by the pound.  Some Pirate Booty and my recent food obsession Oreos…

I tucked the goods  into my Sprout’s bag and stashed them in my room not thinking another thing of it.

8pm. Apollo Ohno’s first race. suspense is building. BLLLLAAAGH. The dog. My sweet little Talley. Pukes. Red yucky stuff. I think oh no!!! She has never done that before!! I have a habit of sharing with my pups, I had a few pieces when I came home and gave each dag half a piece….yet she was  the only one sick…I go up stairs to find an empty plastic bag…and no 1.5lbs of licorice anywhere…

So the pattern continued until this afternoon. Your dog will throw up multiple times if she eats 1.5lbs of Australian licorice. Must be just as addicting for dogs.

In other news. I might be addicted to Goodwill and resale in general. Today we went to a blue hanger. Basically an overflow warehouse for Goodwill. Here they bring everything they don't have enough room for. In this case we found 10 blankets to cover my furniture for the big move, for only $12.50…that’s $1.25 each! That’s the glory of a blue hanger, they sell each clothing or blanket/sheet set/whatever for $1.25.

Just some other nifty finds I came home with:

Izod Sweater

New Pashmina

J. Crew Wool Scarf (remember that coat I was looking for? I found a Gray J.Crew on EBay for a steal!)

J.Crew White Sweater

A really cute jacket sweater

An American Eagle knit hoodie

I figure the sweaters will come in handy in CO!

I love finding treasures that are in good condition :)!

Tomorrow E calls! Pray for some good news! I hope he gets to come home this time around, he’s missed.

Show us your life Friday!

Today’s show us your life is show us what you collect.

I collect, or rather my dear hubsy and I collect crosses. We began this right after we were married last May. It seemed like every other wedding gift was a cross of some sort. It become a running joke after a while “hey I wonder if this one is a cross” every small box had to be a cross. I love them, they are a daily reminder that God is watching me, in every room of my house….well almost, I haven’t found a perfect UT Longhorn’s cross for the guest bedroom yet :)

So we started it this way: Every time we take a trip together we buy a cross as our souvenir. I look for days on our vacations, I drag E into every shop I see looking for a cross that will look perfect on our wall, it has to be the right size and have something on it that I like and will remind me of where it came from. I hope one day our children cherish them. On the back of each cross I have written where it was purchased and the year or exact date (if I can remember)

I love this one, it’s right in front of our bed and one of the things we see most often. It was hand carved by a little old man in Taylor TX

 

3 More Days, I can do this.

 

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”- Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am Praying! I am Calling! I am seeking!

I have been praying, and calling and seeking with all my heart for the last few months. You see when something big happened to us, I was scared. I had no idea how to handle change. I didn’t welcome it, because I was scared. When I had finally gotten used to the idea God knew I wasn’t ready. And now he is pointing me in that direction again. I really feel he was preparing my heart to make this choice and to be ok with this choice. We’ll see.  You never know his plans, but he has put one in my heart to ponder and pray over.

In 3 days I get to hear my beloved’s voice. I can’t wait. Just the thought makes me giddy :)! Some days I just can’t believe he is MINE! ALL MINE! I’m praying for him that he is doing well and not down trodden. I always fear he will be discouraged and I pray he isn’t.

I found 2 neat magazines I didn’t know existed!

Life:Beautiful- amazing women’s magazine, filled with recipes, crafts, gift ideas and encouraging writings for the Christian woman. It’s very uplifting.

2…I can’t remember the name. I didn’t buy it today but I will be back. I knew I couldn’t read two magazines at a time I told myself I would be back when it was time to buy a new magazine. It is near the cooking magazines in Barnes and Nobles. It’s a catholic living magazine for mom’s. I think it was Faith & Family. I didn’t know such a thing existed.

Wordless Wednesday

Yesterday’s Hi: 34

Today’s Hi: 50

Tomorrow’s Hi: 68

I <3 Austin!

The Old and the New

Before

After

He’s such a pretty dog :). I heard from E on Friday, well kinda. I received a few letters in the mail . Basically I know as of the  17th he was alive and well, but still no “go” or affirmation he will graduate. Ohhh patience is a virtue.

I’m working on putting together a graduation outfit. BUt I need, ok I don’t NEED but I would really like to have, a white wool coat. Something like this:

And since I’m poor I don’t know want to pay $100 for it. I have looked everywhere….Old Navy, GAP, American Eagle, Macy’s, JCPenney, Dillard’s, Sears, Burlington Coat Factory, even Goodwill and Salvation army…but no luck…shouldn’t coats be on sale?? It is February after alll…….

Any suggestions on where to look?

 

Livin’ like the old days..for a night.

and never again.

We may be young but we are not party animals. It’s like the moment we were handed our diplomas we were revoked the right to party and given a new norm. E and I are boring. We’ve been told we’re boring. We’ve also be called grandma, grandpa, dad, mom, geezer whatever….we’re too responsible maybe? We realize that we need to wake up in the morning and do stuff. We want to remember the fun we have….There is no other way to put it. Most nights we’re in bed, reading or talking by 9 and the lights are out by 10. But we’re not tired :)

In college I could hold my own, I was very proud of that. I could roll with the boys when it came to a good party. As I discovered last night, that is no longer true, or fun for that matter.

Who ever decided being crazy and having no purpose to your party was fun? When did just walking around a big house full of lots of people become the norm to a good time?

Two bottles of champagne and numerous attempts to talk with too many introverted people made me realize this was not my bag of chips.

The crazy headache and desire for the biggest bottle of water I could buy in the morning was a familiar feeling and not a fun one.The falling asleep and wishing I were in my own bed with a good book and my husband was a new feeling and one I welcomed. One day life will be back to normal and I’ll be welcoming the “old people life” with open arms!!  Bring on the 9pm bed time!! wooohooo!!

A Most Interesting Day

So I love kids. I always have and I’m sure I always will. However I am now positive I NEVER want more than 1 of any single age. No multiples, no not ever. And I am very happy with my choice to teach middle school.

Why?

Kaden and his chocolate milk face (he keeps it on 18 hours a day for the most part)

Today I substituted for my nephew’s pre school class. I had 11 (yes 11!) 3 and 4 year olds under my foot all day long. It was interesting, and tiring!

Anyone who thinks being a preschool teacher is a piece of cake is crazy! It is not mentally challenging. Anyone with a high school diploma could do the work, however the hard part is reminding yourself that you need patience, kind words, lots of encouragement and to check the sarcasm at the door! haha.

Anyone who actually knows me in person knows I tend to drip with sarcasm. My teaching style is pretty laid back (I like to and can get away with sitting on a desk while teaching an entire day.)

Unlike most teachers these ladies are super woman, I’m sure of it. They must take 100 vitamins or have red bull running through their veins. The longest break we got all day long was 30 minutes, mine was cut to 20. Not that I minded too much, but day in and day out this would get old fast.

The smiling faces made it worth the day, however the tears and poopy bottoms that still needed to be wiped made it not worth a career change in my book :) still an interesting adventure I *might* do  again!

Wordless Wednesday

This was the best in a series of faces he was making….you should have seen the others.

I miss you, please come home now? I don’t want to wait another week  and a half or two. I want you to come home and make me laugh, make me mad, let me cook something you won’t like, I’ll even let you explain to me how something (that I don’t care about) works. And I won’t complain or tell you I wasn’t listening :)promise. I miss you and I’m still counting down the days until I get to see your goofy faces.

If it weren’t for my pups to keep me company I’d be REALLY lonely and upset. Good thing they don’t mind when mama rambles!

Beautiful Award!

Thank you to  Sarah over at The Undomestic Army Wife for the Beautiful Blogger award! (It’s my first blog “award” so I’m very honored!)

The rules of the game:
1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award.
2. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you’ve recently discovered and whom you think are fantastic.
3. Contact said Blogs and let them know they've won
4. State 7 things about yourself

My 15 Wonderful Blogger Friends!

1. Army Blogger Wife

2.The Huberts

3. Just Another Day in {our midwest} Paradise

4. The Richardsons

5. Vineyard Vogue

6. The Ever Changing Life of a Military Wife

7. My Life as a Wife

8. Honey

9. 3000 Miles in Love

10. Tales from the Front and the Ones Left Behind

I’m sorry that’s the best I can do…every time I click on a link the computer starts to freeze up, I’ve written this post 4 times and I just can’t do it again! haha! Sorry!

And 7 things about myself:

1. I love Cabernet Sauvignon, especially from Chile.

2. I am working on making my home more “adult” verses “college kid who is poor” my mother is not helping with this problem. However your blogs full of wonderful tips and projects are :)!

3. I get to substitute at my nephew’s Pre-School on Thursday! Very excited!

4.I love to buy home decor stuff, I have to remember we’re not made out of money due to this addiction.

5. My favorite thing to do is spend time with my hubby, and the fact that the day is growing closer when I get to do that I’m super excited!

6. I’m looking forward to making some new friends in Colorado Springs, if you know anyone there let me know! Or even better if you know someone who works at a school and can help me get a job that would be fabulous!

7.Currently my color of choice is Purple, and my print of choice is Giraffe…I’m not really sure what brought this on but I am addicted  to these two things.

Show us Your Life- Best Valentines Date

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Valentine’s Day is by far one of my most favorite “holidays”. I don’t know what to say I’m a sucker for the romantic crazy stuff. I’ve been sending E valentine’s cards in the mail since the beginning of February and I don’t plan on stopping until we get to celebrate. I just like the idea of having another reason to be mushy and tell him I love him.

The Hubby WAAAAAY out did himself this year. If you have been following along in my blog adventure you know he has been stuck in FL since Jan. 1 for training. We have recently been able to talk on the phone but that’s about as much interaction as we get…womp womp.

This morning I woke up, made my coffee as usual and was getting ready to eat. We have all this stuff on my mom’s dining room table, yes I’m staying with my parents. So my mom walks in and asked me if I was giving the tutus to the girls today….I just told her no and didn’t think a thing of it.

Then she asks me about the bag of beads and craft stuff I had on the table, and I looked and told her….it’s just random junk, I’ll move it. I started looking around wondering why on earth she was talking about all the stuff on the table, when I see a bunch of roses….

Well let me tell you, my parent’s wedding anniversary is on Feb. 14, dad always gets her a dozen red roses plus how many ever white roses to equal the number of years they have been been married (yes that’s a lot of roses…24 to be exact)

So I made the comment “I see your flowers they are very pretty” and mom says “those aren’t mine”….THEY WERE MINE!!! Plus half a dozen delicious looking chocolate covered strawberries (another of my favorite things :) ) YAYAYAY!!!

I’m super impressed he went through all the trouble to make our first Valentines special even though he couldn’t be here. We have already agreed would do something fun when we get to CO!

Just a little background: My husband HATES giving flowers. I have asked for them since the day we started dating 4 years ago. He always says no I’m not going to pay money for something that will die and you will never see again. … little did he know I dry every single flower I ever get. I have three huge vases of every flower my parents have given me (being a dancer you get them a bunch)

Ignore the plate…it’s just to get the flowers to settle into one another.

I have a separate vase for the flowers he has given me. Which, just to note is now two bouquets plus a few random extras.