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Wednesday, 04 August 2010

  • Shopping, Fashion, Shoes, Style... err work in progress

    I love shopping! It is an addiction! I believe in retail therapy but it isn't always theraputic when the money is gone and the credit card bill comes in the mail. I think it all started with shoes and purses. I used to work for a shoe company and be the female Al Bundy pretty much. I have bad feet so I can't always wear the Steve Madden's... So I fell in love with awesome boots of all types and tennis shoes. Tennis Shoes to me are like my comfort food. I can always go back to my New Balance Shoes or my worn out (need to be replaced) Margaritaville flip flops. The only two pairs of shoes I wear daily. I also love purses. I don't own too many though (In my opinion). I have my Army Combat Uniform Purse (I actually have two ACU bags lol) which people would be shocked if I left home without, I have my favorite book bag purse, and a bright pink hand bag Skylar bought me for my birthday a few years ago. I love Vera Bradley, Dooney and Burke... and all the expensive bags but I am more personal in my taste. If I am spending that kind of money I usually buy something that is custom or handmade. OOAK...

    What I would like to dress like or what I would like to be able to afford are two different things. My body just rapidly changed after my third child. I don't think I can really get anymore "juniors" ... it may be illegal now that I am into my 30's. But some misses styles repulse me and my husband says I look old. I want to be relevant. Most days I am stuck in jeans and t-shirts when I would rather be in a suit, a frilly dress, or at least a nice blouse...

    I am proud of my husband's career (and his oldest sons career) in the Army. I have lots of Army related and Patriotic T-shirts but there are days even with my wonderful ACU purse in tow I don't want to look like a walking recruitment billboard. I did get the Thank you for your Service and Sacrafice and Thank your husband blah blah blah or general questions about the Army Life. Which I can't speak much of since I haven't experienced what some have.

    I think my children are more stylish than I am neverless because I don't get depressed when trying to buy clothes for them. I don't have to worry about hiding the love handles, making sure the top is long enough (ok I do for my 7 year old who is lanky), and that sort of thing. I just see a store full of cuteness at Gymboree and Childrens Place. At Kohls and such I see a store full of evil clothes that don't look right on me, don't fit into my budget... or I just feel lost and overwhelmed. I usually buy what's on the mannequin so I don't have to worry about does this go with that etc... Why don't I have that problem with my kids! I can make cute outfits for my kids. My 7 year old doesn't like sun dresses or tank tops... mom I can't show my pits she says. She has to wear Leggings under everything and or Bike shorts. Shorts can be too short on her (again she is lanky and modest).

    So one summer like this one I would like to be able to go into my closet of Army T-shirts and Jeans and Grab out a nice top that isn't a t-shirt and my capri's put on my sandals and GO! I would feel much more femine. While breastfeeding this year your wardrobe is very limited more so than when your pregnant. It was very rough. Now a couple of pounds heavier with new curves and a new body its going to take some time to be comfortable, knowledgable and know how to bring out my inner fashionista!

    A good girlfriend would be perfect way to start!

Tuesday, 04 May 2010

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

  • Currently
    Greatest Hits Volume 1
    By Rascal Flatts
    God Bless the Broken Road
    see related

    The thoughts of a dysfunctional Veterans Wife

    Watching my husband march a few weeks back in the Veterans Day Parade I got a little emotional. Emotional for the pride that I have. I am so so proud of him and Alex too. Both of them are so brave and don't even realize it. Emotional over the times I had to say goodbye as he went to Iraq. Alex going to Afghanistan. Feelings and emotions that an Army Wife can't explain to anyone else. Feelings and emotions she should HAVE to feel. At hte same time I am glad I did. I am thankful for what my love for him has taught me surviving and thriving during his deployment. I learned the true meaning of inner and emotional strength. I learned survival and tough love like no one could ever teach me only I could teach myself.

     I had a fabulous time at New Moon with my dear friend and old neighbor Danielle. There was a preview for a movie coming out called Dear John. Again seeing a Soldier deploying and doing what he was taught to do brought me to tears. Duty, Honor, Country... Words I still don't grasp, But I know they are everything to Rick. Sacrafice. If I were to ask you what have you sacraficed this month? Does your answer seem so petty compared to a soldier who says my life for your freedom. I can betcha that alot of Soldiers can say they sacraficed hearing their child's first cries, first words or first steps. I betcha a lot marriages that would have lasted decades broke apart due to a Soldiers Duty. Do we even want to pretend to understand how it feels for them to not comfort us wives and our children during one of the hardest trials of our lives?

    I think back on my short time as an Army Wife. I look at Army Wives who've stuck by their husbands through decades of service, 4 or more deployments, countless times where they didn't come home to tuck in their children. Countless times the wives kept watch over their child who is sick in the hospital... alone. Although compared to me I have never had to PCS and move to a different city except this once. I never had to drive days just to get to him. I never gave birth without him by my side. Those are the true Army Wives. The true Military Wives. While the average person complains that her husband can't come home for dinner, or he didn't take out the garbage, or remembered their birthday... at least he was there. I am selfish too... my husband had CQ Duty twice this week and I complained (not too much I knew I had to suck it up, but it sucked none the less) at least my husband came home from his deployment, he came home from Korea the two years before that. He comes home to me every night that he's not pulling duty for the Army. At least he comes home. So many families won't ever have a Holiday with their loved one again. I just missed one Thanksgiving, One Christmas, One birthday... just one. So I try to remember how selfish I am and calm down and just suck it up. I miss him much but he will always come home to me and that should be enough. Shouldn't it?

    If you really think about it. The emotions over come you. They do with me and I lived it.

    Be Thankful that your husband comes home most nights. If he's gone working be thankful he has a job and is willing to support your family. He works hard and he is always thinking its just not enough. Be thankful this Thanksgiving your husband is there to watch football with his buddies LOUDLY. Some wives would give anything for that sound. Be Thankful you have a wonderful family some of us Military Wives haven't seen our families in years.

    Please be sure to remember what you should be Thankful for our freedom to celebrate Thanksgiving a soldier gave us that right. Be thankful for the chaos of Black Friday and be gracious to each other. Pray for our troops serving over seas and their families who are worried about them.

Thursday, 15 October 2009

  • Fun Halloween Recipes

    Dead Grasshoppers

    In a medium saucepan, melt 1-6 ounce package butterscotch chips over low heat, stirring constantly. [To microwave, place pieces in a micro-wave safe dish and cook on medium-low heat for about 1 minute. Stir well. If necessary, continue to heat chips, 20 seconds at a time, until they are melted. Be sure to stir chips each time you heat them.] Remove chips from the heat and stir in 1 cup salted peanuts and 3 cups chow mein noodles. Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper and cool.
     
    Makes: 30-40 grasshoppers
     
    Hidden Treasures
     
    Ingredients:
    2/3 cup Golden Crisco Shortening
    3/4 cup granulated sugar
    1 egg
    1 tbsp milk
    1 tsp vanilla
    1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    48 Maraschino cherries, well drained

    White Dipping Chocolate:
    1 cup white melting chocolate, cut in small pieces
    2 tbsp Golden Crisco Shortening

    Dark Dipping Chocolate:
    1 cup semi-sweet Hershey's Chipets
    2 tbsp Golden Crisco Shortening
    Finely chopped pecans
    Shaved white chocolate
    2/3 cup Golden Crisco Shortening
    Directions:
    Pre Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
    2. Cream Golden Crisco Shortening, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.
    3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Beat into creamed mixture at low speed.
    4. Press dough in very thin layer around well-drained cherries. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on ungreased baking sheet.
    5. Bake at 350° F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Cool one minute on baking sheet. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.
    6. For dipping chocolate, melt chocolate of choice and Golden Crisco Shortening on very low heat or 50% (Medium) power in microwave. Stir until smooth.
    7. Transfer chocolate to glass measuring cup. Drop one cookie at a time into chocolate. Use fork to turn. Cover completely with chocolate.* Lift cookie out of chocolate on fork. Allow all excess to drip off. Place on wax paper-lined baking sheet.
    8. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of white chocolate cookies. Sprinkle white chocolate on dark chocolate cookies while chocolate is wet.
    9. Chill in refrigerator to set chocolate.

    Hint: Dip pretzels or potato chips in any leftover melted chocolate for a special treat
    Magic Center Cupcakes
    Preheat oven to temperature called for on 1-18 1/4 ounce package chocolate cake mix. In a small bowl, combine 8 ounces cream cheese (softened), 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 egg and a dash of salt. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts and 1-6 ounce package chocolate chips. Set aside. Mix cake according to directions on the package. Place paper liners in muffin pan. Fill each liner half full of cake batter. Drop a heaping teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture into each batter-filled cup. Bake according to package directions. Let cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting. Decorate with candy spiders or worms.
     
    Caterpillar Sandwich

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons parsley, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder. Stir well and set aside. Cut 1 loaf Italian bread into 10 slices without cutting all the way through the loaf. Spread mayonnaise mixture between every other slice. Fold luncheon meat in half and tuck a slice of cheese in between. Insert folded meat and cheese into every other slot that has the mayonnaise mixture in it. Wrap the loaf in foil and bake for 25 minutes. Use thin sliced celery stalks for antenna. Use olive slices with pimento in center on toothpicks for caterpillar eyes. To serve, cut the loaf in slices at the cuts you didn't fill.
     
    Cheese Fingers

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove crusts from 3 slices of white bread and discard crusts. With your hands, break bread into small pieces and drop into a medium bowl. Add 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons milk. Mis well with hands, kneading the bread into the cheese, until dough will hold the shape of a ball. Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of mixture into 15 fingers and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until fingers begin to turn brown.
    Goblin Goodies
     
    Ingredients:
    3/4 cup Golden Crisco Shortening
    1-1/4 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
    1 egg
    1/3 cup milk
    1-1/2 tsp vanilla
    1 tsp finely-chopped orange rind
    1/2 tsp orange extract
    3 cups quick oats, uncooked
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp cinnamon
    1 cup raisins
    1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts
    1 cup orange and brown chocolate-covered candies
    Directions:

    1. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease baking sheets with shortening. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
    2. Combine shortening, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Stir in orange rind and extract.
    3. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed just until blended. Stir in raisins, nuts and chocolate candies.
    4. Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
    5. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.
    Makes: About 2-1/2 dozen cookies
    Candied Apples Halloween 

    Ingredients:
    2 C granulated sugar
    2 C corn syrup
    1/3C cinnamon candy
    1C water
    3/4 Tsp cinnamon
    1/2 Tsp vanilla
    1/4 Tsp cloves
    3/4 Tsp red food coloring
    6-7 Med apples

    Directions:
    Remove stems from apples, wash, and pat dry. Insert a wooden skewer
    In each apple, running through the apple from stem end to base without
    Protruding all the way through the bottom end. Combine sugar, corn
    Syrup, cinnamon candies, and water in medium-sized saucepan. Cook
    Until candies dissolve, stirring constantly. Be careful not to boil.
    Add cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and food coloring. Mix thoroughly.
    Boil mixture to 300 degrees using a candy thermometer without
    Stirring. While mixture is boiling, generously prepare a baking sheet
    With cooking spray so it's ready ahead of time. As soon as mixture
    Reaches 300 degrees, remove it from heat and quickly dip each
    Apple-one by one-into the mixture until it is thoroughly coated. Set
    Coated apples, standing on their bottoms with skewer pointing up, on
    Baking sheet until mixture hardens.
    Let apples reach room temperature before eating.
     
    Serving Size: 6
    Blackberry Blackheads

    Ingredients:
    1/2 pound Butter -- at room temperature
    1 tablespoon Butter -- at room temperature
    2/3 cup Sugar
    2 Egg whites
    4 cups Flour
    Blackberry jam -- with seeds
    Tools:
    Bowl
    Mixer
    Pastry brush
    Cookie sheet
    Spatula
    Wire cooling rack
    Small Spoon
    Directions:
    With an adult's help, preheat oven to 325F.

    Beat 1/2 pound butter until creamy., Add sugar, a little at a time, until all the sugar has been used.

    Add the egg whites and flour to the butter and sugar.
    Beat until the dough is well blended.

    Dip a pastry brush into the tablespoon of butter and lightly brush a very thin layer onto the cookie sheet.

    With clean hands, roll the dough into golf ball sized balls. Flatten the balls slightly, and using your thumb,
    Press a dime size dent into the middle of each
    One. Place cookies, dent size up, about 1" apart on cookie sheet. Bake aobut 12 minutes or until
    Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack with a spatula. When the cookies are completely cooled, use a small spoon to fill the dent in each one with jam.
    Makes: About 3 1/2 dozen blackheads.
    Black Cat Cupcakes

    Ingredients:
    1 1/4c Reduced Fat Oreo® cookie crumbs
    18 1/4 ozs reduced fat chocolate cake mix
    24 pcs Halloween Oreo® cookies
    16 ozs reduced fat milk chocolate frosting
    Black string licorice
    Jelly beans
    Semisweet chocolate chips

    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 24-2 1/2" muffin cups with cooking spray and flour; set aside.
    Prepare cake mix according to package directions;
    Stir in cookie crumbs.
    Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes.
    Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.
    Make cat faces on each of the
    Remaining 24 cookies:
    Using some frosting, attach 4-1 1/2" licorice strings
    For whiskers, 2 jelly bean halves for eyes and 2 chocolate chips for ears.
    Let set at least 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting.
    Stand cat faces on edge on each cupcake.
    Place 3" piece licorice string on back
    Half of each cupcake for tail.
     
    Serving Size: 24
     
    Beef In Costume For Halloween

    Ingredients:

    1 (4 lb.) pumpkin
    1 Pound lean ground beef
    1 Cup chopped onion
    Cooking oil
    1/3 Cup chopped red pepper
    1/3 Cup chopped green pepper
    1 Clove minced garlic
    1 Teaspoon salt
    1/4 Teaspoon thyme
    1/4 Teaspoon pepper
    1 (7 1/2 Oz.) pitted ripe olives
    1 (8 Oz.) Can tomato sauce
    2 beaten eggs

    Directions:
    Cut top from pumpkin; scrape out seeds and fibers.
    Simmer in salted water to cover for 20 to 25 minutes or until almost tender. Drain. Brown beef and onion.
    Add peppers and garlic.
    Cook one minute.
    Remove from heat,
    Stir in remaining ingredients.
    Spoon into pumpkin. Place "lid" on top.
    Brush pumpkin with oil.

    Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
    Let stand 10 minutes.
    Cut into edges to serve.
    Serving Size : 1
     
    Black Widow Snack Cakes

     
    Ingredients:
    1 package Devil's food cake mix
    Vegetable cooking spray
    Glaze:
    4 cups Powdered sugar -- sifted
    5 tablespoonsMilk -- to 7 tbls
    Decorate:
    1cup Powdered sugar -- sifted
    1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa
    2 tablespoons Milk
    Plastic spiders
    Directions:
    Prepare cake as directed on package. Pour into 2, 8" square aluminum foil pans coated with cooking spray;
    Bake at 350~ for 30-35 minutes or until tested done.  Cool in pans on wire racks.  Combine 4 cups powdered sugar and 5-7 tbls milk in a Large bowl; spread a thin layer evenly over each cake. Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa and 2 tbls milk; spoon into a small zip-lock bag. Close bag securely and snip a tiny hole in bottom corner of bag. Carefully pipe concentric circles onto each cake. Pipe straight lines at intervals from the inner circle through the outside circle, forming a web design. Garnish with plastic spiders.

     



     
     

Wednesday, 07 October 2009

  • Yes there's a new group

    Household 6

    This is a buy/sell/trade/recycle group.

    If you operate a ligit home business and would like to bring in more customers maybe give this a try? Do you run an ebay store and would like to sell more inventory? Perhaps you would like to trade your clothes a child has grown out of for a larger size? Are you getting your sexy back and just don't fit in to your big girl or Maternity clothes but don't know what to do with them? Do you get crafty and want to sell your work? This is where it is at! You don't have to be a Military Wife or a mom we just liked the term for any wife and mom. Come buy/sell/trade/ recycle what's laying around!

    This loop was made to generate more customers and get rid of our unwanted stuff. The best way to get by is by networking. Meeting new friends and chatting with people like us. If you like Gymboree, Children's Place or other quality brands you will find them here! There will be some chatting about making a little more money and our shopping addictions!

    HouseHold 6 Means

    A military man's stay-at-home wife. Sometimes keeps up with the arduous tasks of shining boots, picking up laundry, and shopping, but mostly just a strain on meager Department of Defense budgets, and the military husband. The name is derived from where said wife spends most of her time, and the number 6 is the designation for a commander of a Company/Troop, Battalion/Squadron, Brigade/Regiment, Division or Corps