Halloween

Since its Halloween and we are currently out trick-or-treating I figure I'd leave you with a few pics from the years before. :D

We were Pirates in 2007 :D Batman, Bat Girl and Poison Ivy in 2008
And Zombie's in 2009 :)

30 Days of Me: Day 29

Hopes and dreams for the next 365 days

I have one hope, one dream and one wish for this next year, it's to have a baby. I hope to get pregnant, have a safe delivery and for that baby to grow up and be a great person. I promise to not complain about tiredness, sore boobies, backaches, headaches, morning sickness or stretch marks. I will trade all that for 10 fingers, 10 toes, a healthy mind and heart I will endure the pain and laboring and long nights to come for the innocence of a smile and the sweetness of a coo. I promise to be a good mommy and dedicate my life to the caring and supporting of my baby. I hope, I dream, I wish for the day to come when I can say... finally... that I'm gonna have a baby.

Party Rant

So I'm a wee bit peeved (actually that is an understatement) I'm truly pissed. We didn't get to do the murder mystery party tonight. EVERYONE we invited canceled on us at the last minute... so we kinda just sat around and hung out with one other couple and played some PS3 move and DJ Hero we also played a new game (which I love...) Munchkin which is kinda similar in style of role playing to D & D. But the point is... I am mostly pissed that people canceled with us saying it was because of one thing and then really lieing about it and ditching us and the party to do something else. It's cool, if you don't wanna come and have a good time I get that... but don't fuckin lie to me about it... I'm a big girl... I can take it... so put on your big girl panties too and just tell me the fuckin truth! So no party, all my efforts and decor was wasted. All I can say is never again... not gonna keep putting my heart out there for it to get stomped on by would be, should be, so called "friends".

30 Days of Me: Day 28

This year in great detail

Again, I'd have to say it has flown by! I can't believe next month we will have been in our house here in Biloxi a whole year! Good grief Charley Brown where has the time gone? We have done sooo much. I am thankful that I got my CNA certification and license, even though I don't use it... yet... I'm waiting till the munchkin starts school and if I haven't had a baby by then I'll go back to work. I am thankful that I could have another year off from working to be with her. I truly am gonna miss these days... she is growing up waaaaaaay to fast for me, and as hubs likes to put it... time to have another one. I am thankful he was able to go to Pensacola and have his surgery done, that alone has been a long and weary road we have traveled with lots of heartache along the route but we made it... I hope upon all hope that we are able to have a child and at least before I'm 30, that is my biggest wish... I know how much the munchkin wants a brother or a sister (and sometimes both... woah lol!) and I just hope I can give it to her. I am thankful that he got HIS baby (the vette) he truly loves and cherishes that car... and wants to keep improving it so that some day the kiddo can have it... lets just hope shes not like her dad had has it wrapped around the telephone pole on his first day of college.... I am thankful that I got to visit Gram on her 90th birthday she is the most rockin'est old lady Ive ever known and I hope she keeps rocking till shes 100... whats another 10 more years when you've lived this long... right? I can only hope I hold the genes for that longevity. :) I am thankful for another year without deployment of the hubs... that would have devastated me with the dreams we had set to accomplish this year... I just hope that our luck holds out for this next year too... just at least until I get pregnant that is all I ask for. Call me selfish but these days its all I think about and wish for... babies! Yes, I'll even take twins at this point! LOL. And anything else I have forgotten I am thankful for.

99

Kara over at Ramblings of a Marine Wife posted this list and I liked it! I think I'm going to have to update my bucket list. :) (The ones in bold I've done)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band- Not unless Rock Band or the orchestra counts???
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain While in Germany
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - Just in a talent show.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train- from England to France.
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - The best are up above the clouds at 32,000 feet. Its what I imagine heaven would look like.
31. Hit a home run - In summer camp :)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language- its probably why my Italian is not really great LOL!
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Visited the Alps
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (one of my long lived dreams)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - Just the snorkeling part, while in the Bahamas.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - I love drive in's!
55. Been in a movie (another long lived dream of mine)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - Didn't work out all that well.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby (Hopefully soon... :( )
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

1. What’s the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

There was this one time I went to the grocery store and totally forgot my wallet... I didn't even realize it till I got to the register and the cashier had everything rung up. I dug into my purse for my wallet and felt like an idiot/loser when I realized it was at home. I asked her if I could just put the cart off to the side so I could go home and come back with my wallet to pay for the groceries, when the man behind me told me its ok, and said he'd like to pay for it. I was in total shock! The grocery tab came up to over $80 bucks! I asked him if I could have his info like an address so could find him and pay him back but he declined, smiled and said no, that's not necessary... just do me the favor and pay it forward to someone else. It was the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for me. And yes, I did pay it forward when the same thing happened to a lady who went to pay for her food at a diner I was having lunch at and discovered she had left her wallet at work, I also paid for her lunch and when she asked if she could pay me back, I said Nah... just pay it forward to someone else. These days kindness can go a long way...

2. 2. If you are having a hard time going to sleep, what do you do to help yourself?

I'll usually put in a movie and watch that till I fall asleep or I'll read.

3. 3. Name something that makes you wish you were a kid again.

Water parks, Amusement parks and the Circus! I could spend all day in the water parks & amusement parks and when I was little I LOOOOOVED the Circus!

4. 4. What is something you never believed until you experienced it?

The Paranormal... my grandma the one on my dad's side (the one who's also 90) is EXTREMELY susceptible to all things paranormal... she could tell you stories that she lived that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up all night. I believed her... I mean she’s my grandma... what does she have to lie about right? But I was always kinda a skeptic. I'm just too logical to think things are weird like that... don't get me wrong I'm fascinated by it but I am one to "De-bunk" things before thinking it’s something weird... until I experienced it all for myself. Like Gram it didn't happen to me till I was in my teenage years... and just like her it hit me all of a sudden and then I couldn't get it to stop. It has died down over the years, I think I'm now used to it. I still look at the logical perspective first (always) but I know there is just some things there are no explanations for... there is more than just us in the flesh and blood walking around here.

5. 5. What can’t you say “no” to?

That's easy... my daughter...especially when she gives me those puppy dog eyes... god! How can anyone resist puppy dog eyes! LOL!

30 Days of Me: Day 27

This month in great detail

To be truthful, I don't really remember all of this month (hence the reason for blogging)... its been such a whirlwind! It has flown by so quickly... in fact this whole year has seemed to have done that as well. These days "Chicken with its head cut off" seems to be my new look. I just cant wait to get this month done and over with... but that's just the start isn't it? Ohhhh yes, then comes Thanksgiving and EEK! Christmas! I am glad that I have been able to craft and paint a little this month, its more than I have done in a long time. I'm hoping to get a sewing machine before too long and then I'll really be up an at it with the projects! All in all its been a good month, Im not gonna go into the details with it since you can read it for yourself (its called archives) LOL! I just hope that November I can at least stop long enough to say I remember it LOL!

Future Geek Girl

Hubs is working his usual night shift tonight and we decided to meet up at Subway for dinner (BTW...they give military discount, not 100% sure if its all of them but its worth a shot to ask) after we ate and Hubbers went back to work, I took the kiddo across the street to the mall. She LOVES to waste spend time in Books A Million looking at comics. What can I say... like mother and father like daughter... LOL! She is my little Padawan in the making and I just had to share...

And for the record she chose # 21 of Batman: The Brave and The Bold over Marvel Squad phew she is a DC girl all the way... except for pesky Iron Man LOL!

30 Days of Me: Day 25 & 26

Man I tell you what... this week has been beyond crazy. So I owe you 2 days of 30 days of Me: Day 25 (Your day in great detail) and Day 26 (Your week in great detail). Yesterday was such a whirl wind that I'll just spare you and give you the cliff notes version :)

Woke up around 9'ish (That is the only good part about hubs working nights, he lets me sleep in... I dunno how that man works all night and then cant stay asleep in bed past 8am!)

Work out was around 10'ish which consists of going to the gym on base to use the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike and weights.

Came home showered... had sushi (California roll) for lunch.

Hubs went to work after lunch.

The kiddo and I did her school time work. Read from her Finnish language book, wrote her ABC's, practiced writing her name, adding and subtracting with the cookies I made a few days ago... I really enjoyed the subtracting part LOL! Then we colored and painted a few pictures for daddy.

Then she took a nap and I cleaned (the whirl wind part) had to get this house in shape for the party on Saturday... and I'm still not done! Ive got laundry to put away and I still need to vacuum upstairs :P

Around 3'ish the UPS man came and delivered my new baby (my new droid phone: The ever so awesome vibrant) ... Pics and Review coming up soon.

So then of course I played around with the phone for a while and farts around online a bit... and by the time I was done it was ready to make dinner, we had spaghetti (I know, oooh so gourmet)

After dinner, hubs went back to work and then I watched TV (Ghost Hunters, Steven Seagal: Law Man, Who the Bleep Did I Marry and Fact or Fake) and set up the rest of my phone apps.

Around 11'ish I hauled it up stairs and watched here the Heart is until hubs came home.

I can't tell you what we did after that, but yadda, yadda, yadda.... and then we went to bed. LOL!

:)

Oh and my week in great detail... I can pretty much sum it up in one word... CRAZY! LOL!

Young at Art

I have to be honest and say that my fridge is getting full... and its not of just food. It's that little Picasso of mine... the budding artist, she loves to draw and paint and do all kinds of crafty stuff with paper. Gee, I wonder where she gets it from? ;) So I decided to make a board to display her work. She loves it of course, because she has a space of her own (right in the dining room) to show all her friends (and some of ours too) her cool stuff. I can't hide the fact that I'm down right proud of her getting more and more interested in Art. I'm almost thinking I should be planning a trip soon to a gallery some where... There might just be another day trip to NOLA in our future. :)


The board is more of that pressed wood that I just happen to have an abundancy of since the hubs made his speaker boxes for the vette. I just painted it with plain acrylic white paint and then splattered the crap outta it with various other colors. I then free hand painted the "Artist Row" part and hot glued some plastic clothes pins to the bottom of the board and Ta-Da! We've got a great new place to hang memories. :)

This is my favorite "piece" shes done lately... its of the fall trees (that are non existent here in Mississippi). Mommy is on the left, Daddy is on the Right and she is in the middle. When I asked her what the big black spot in the middle of each tree was she said; "The belly button!" and then said; "Duh Mommy!" I don't think I ever have laughed so hard in my life! LMAO!

30 Days of Me: Day 24

What ever tickles my fancy:

I LOOOOOOVE food... if I haven't made that clear... and if there is one thing I love more than just food its, food from all over the world! I am incredibly thankful to Air Force for sending us to Fort Gordon, Georgia... not because it was heaven on earth (because it most certainly wasn't... no, no we all know that's Hawaii LOL!) but because I have made the best friends there... my best friend, who just also happen to be my back door neighbor (and trust me at 2am that was incredibly convenient) also happens to be Cuban! She is an amaaaaaaazing cook and I could eat her food everyday, all day and weight 400 pounds and be completely happy LOL! One thing she taught me how to make was Picadillo, which is my favorite out of all her dishes and thankfully for me is easy to make! Whenever I'm missing her and the family (because were at the point were we feel like were related) and trust me I miss them ALOT, I just make us some Picadillo and some Plantain chips. Today is one of those days... Its been crazy busy around here lately and I need some comfort food. :)

So how do I make said scrumptious food you wonder? Like theeeeeese....
(yes, theeeeeese... because when your making Cuban food you need to speak in an accent! LOL!)


1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion chopped (I like to use scallions)
2-3 garlic cloves chopped
1 small can (plain) tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
Pimento stuffed Olives (I love olives so I use the whole jar)
and then I add more pimentos :D
2 packets of Goya Sazon Seasoning
1 pair of Spanish Chorizo cut up
1/2 a small bushel of fresh cilantro

In a large skillet brown meat adding onions and garlic.
Once meat is browned turn down to medium low, Add tomato sauce and the wine.
Add olives (its ok if the some of the brine gets in) pimentos, Goya Sazon seasoning, Spanish Chorizo and let simmer for until mixture is mostly dry.

Serve over fluffy white rice with black beans or use for Pastelitos!

I also like to serve this with fresh plantain chips which are also pretty easy to make

just slice up (very thinly) 2 plantains and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Salt to liking.

I also like to make salsa for my plantains and this recipe is really the shiz!

If you want to make a lot of it, I recommend using a whole pineapple but since its just us 3 I use the a can of crushed pineapple.

Heat olive oil over medium heat add 2/3 cup of red onion stir 3-4 mins. just until soften not browned. Add 2 table spoons of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of red bell pepper stir for 1 minute to combine. Remove from heat add pineapple, 2 table spoons fresh cilantro, 2 table spoons fresh lime juice and stir to combine. Its best if you make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge so all the ingredients blend together... oh its so good!

30 Days of Me: Day 22 & 23

Sorry I have been slacking... busy, busy, busy... trying to get things ready for this weekend. I think tomorrow I will be caught up for a little bit. I'm also incredibly sore! Last Thursday hubs and I started going to the gym together and well, now its all starting to catch up with me... I'm sore all over from my head to my toes... yeah... seriously. I keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end. I need to lose a little weight, I went in to the doctor last Tuesday and my blood pressure is up... I keep telling her its just stress but she wants me to monitor it and lose a few pounds, if not its probably gonna be meds for me. Which does NOT make me happy... I know I'm gonna be 30 soon but damn! So I am working hard at getting back into shape and being a little more stress free :D

Anyway... lets see what did I miss...30 days of me... Day 22: A website and Day 23: A You Tube video.

A website I have been in love with lately is www.ThredUp.com I have found soooooo many awesome clothes for the kiddo. I have even gotten things with tags on it. For those of you that don't know Thred Up is a clothing swap for infants, toddlers, kids, and teens. I've sent off 4 boxes of the munchkins clothes and Ive gotten a total of 2 so far... I have 3 more boxes I can get before I have to start sending again (I'm saving up till spring) Still have baby clothes piled up and don't know what to do with them? Why no trade them in for some cool new to you clothes for your kiddo. These days I'm all about collaborative consumption.

Another awesome website I love is www.SwapTree.com which is where you can swap out cd's, dvd's, video games and books. This place ROCKS and is one of my faves! Ive been on these websites a little over 3 months now and I can assure you they are well worth a glance :)

And I owe you a you tube video...

This ones all about the great-ever-growing world of collaborative consumption. Whats mine is yours and whats yours is mine... its a good thing :)





And this is Orbital's Halcyon my favorite song to relax to and its from one of my favorite movies... Hackers! Enjoy and Hack the Planet :)

Trick or Treat on the Town Green

Tonight we headed downtown to the Town Green and did a little Trick or Treating... ok ok, the munchkin did... we just cooed and awwe'ed over all the little kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes. It was a great time (other than waiting over an hour in line for her to get candy) They had games, little crafts, a costume contest, candy and then we sat on the grass and watched Beetlejuice! :D Here's just a few of the pics.

The HUUUUGE 3 city blocks line for candy.

Night Shift Dinner & Cupcake Cuteness

I'm not real sure if I had mentioned it before but Hubs is teaching on the night shift at work and has been since August. Did I mention I HATE it?! LOL!... ok its not that bad, at least he gets to come home right? Yesterday they did a little spaghetti pot luck dinner/predators movie hour (which not as good as the original... P.S Dear Morpheus: Dude! You put on weight!) I decided to bake my dirt cupcakes and use my extra cool test tube sprinkles, I'm fairly impressed with the way these turned out. I wish I had had a frosting tube to do the icing better but meh, they still turned out ok. Anyway dinner was good and everyone liked the cupcakes. They were "Funfetti" style and who the heck doesn't like funfetti? They really ought to call it crackfetti or something LOL! I made a some extras for hubbers to take back to his class and give to his students and it seems to have been well appreciated. :D

What?! You didn't think I wasn't gonna save one for myself did ya? What?! I was just testing the goods... :D

30 Days of Me: Day 21

A Recipe

I'm making Blood Punch next weekend for our Halloween Murder Mystery Party next weekend and I thought Id share the recipe with you all. Its a really awesome drink for when you have ALOT of people. This is the usually an alcoholic drink, but I've had the virgin version before and its also really good!

1 Liter Lemon Lime Soda
1 Bottle Raspberry Liqueur
0.5 Liters of Vodka
1 Gallon Hawaiian Punch

Mix well in your favorite cauldron and add ice!

I'll be making a ice cub hand for the ice part and its super easy to do and makes the drink look extra creeepy! Just take a fragrance free, latex free, and powder free plastic glove and fill it with water, tie up the end or tie up with a rubber band and place in the freezer till its frozen. Once its frozen and your ready to use it just peel off the glove and WALA! You got your creepy punch decoration that's functional!

Lucky!

I feel the love today... I really do! Today is the first time I've won a giveaway on blogger EVA!! Its from my awesome blogger buddy Larissa at NH Girl Displaced. Yup, shes from New Hampshire and is now in California (which is like Mississippi this time of year... still 90' degrees and palm trees swaying in the heat) and is also missing the feeling of fall so she decided to do a awesome Yankee Candle Fall scent give away... and guess what... yours truly has won! I picked Autumn Fruit, its my favorite and in my opinion one of the best scents YC has come up with... seriously it smells so good I could eat it! Woohoo! Thanks Larissa!

I also have received my first blog award today from Olivia at Simply Sunshine and Daisy's

Id like to thank the academy (lol) and my blogger buddy Olivia!

So... 10 things I like... hmmm...

1. I think its official... I love to blog!
2. I like that Halloween is next weekend!
3. I like that I have been able to do more crafts and sewing lately.
4. I like that I'm starting to go to the gym again
5. I Love that my cupcakes turned out awesome today.
6. I like that we have a fun filled weekend this weekend of lots of fall festivities.
7. I like fall... in case you haven't noticed LOL!
8. I like that I found my fake pumpkin I carved last year (it was hiding from me)... Im also allergic to real pumpkins so I cant carve them or eat anything pumpkin'ish... and it totally sucks!
9. I like that my hubby bought me a new phone (The Droid Vibrant) and am glad we got the shipping address sorted out... they were gonna ship it to our old house in GA... and that would have been bad.
10. I like hubby got his leave for Christmas approved... we will be going "home" (back to my home town in Florida) for Christmas.

Now... 10 people I bestow this award to....

1. NH Girl Displaced
2. Christina's Crazy World
3. Lattes and Life
4. Jessta Girl and Her Officer
5. The Longs in Italy
6. Many Waters
7. WebDev_Army Wife
8. My Life as His (Air Force) Wife
9. Diamonds and Dogtags
10. Luck Be a Baby Tonight