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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tuesday Top-5

Top-5 foods I would love how to learn to make homemade!...make well, at least...but you got that.  :)


1.  Angel Food Cake.  I have always loved it's lightness and delicate flavor.  Sweet but not overbearing.  Don't misunderstand though...I also like foods that are sweet and overbearing.  :)  I'm sure it's not thaaat difficult, but it's just the idea of separating allllll those eggs to whip the whites...

2.  Doughnuts.  Those of you from my hometown area may have been to Britt's Doughnuts on the Carolina Beach boardwalk...AMAZING!  I wish I could go "shadow" them for a day, hehe!  I just love that crispy, sweet, fried dough!   =P

3.  Chicken & Pastry...or is it just Chicken Pastry?  I think it must be Chicken AND Pastry, but you know how us Southerners are (altering the names of things, or shortening them for our convenience)  =D.  Every time we had a covered dish supper at my church, this (along with Wonton Salad) is what I wanted to fill my plate up with!  It's so warm and soft and soupy and delicious!

4.  Croissants.  No, it's not just so I can feel fancy.  I love croissants with their buttery, flaky ways.  I've seen recipes for them before, and it's no feat I want to tackle, really.  It seems soooo complicated!  But oh how delicious the reward would be!

5.  Biscuits.  Some people have it, some people don't.  I wanna have "it"!!  I want to be able to make the best biscuits my family has ever had!

Hmmm...has anyone noticed a trend here?  All of the above are or include a pastry/bread of some sort.  Sigh.  What can I say?  Carbs and I are BFF's!  But not as BFF's as cookies, cake, brownies, and myself...they aren't on the list...because they're already mastered.  heehee!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Flag Football Game #1

Tonight was the first flag football game of the season on base!  Teams are made up of squadrons throughout the base.  I spent practically every week of winter in the basketball court watching my Airman shoot some hoops (his team was runner-up in the championship!) so of course I knew I'd want to come watch and support him in football, as well.  Not to brag or anything, but he is the quarterback. ;)  Since it wasn't too hot out, I thought it would be fun to bring Katie along.

This is Katie.  Don't let this adorable face fool you.  She definitely won the "Bad Dog" award tonight.  I have never been so embarrassed!  Wait....yes I have....*flashes back to my last dog SweetPea chasing down our elderly neighbor - barking, snarling and being downright scary...even for a weiner dog*.

Aaaaanyway, Katie was a non stop jumping machine the whole game.  You would've thought she'd had an IV of straight caffeine before we went.  "Awwww, so cuuute" only goes so far...she is getting bigger and stronger every day and I was really getting a work out trying to get her to calm down!!  HELP!  We discipline her...and I know she's a puppy.  But why, oh WHY doesn't she listen to us when we're outside???

I unfortunately had to spend the whole game dealing with Katie, so I honestly didn't even get to watch most of it.  I did manage to get these shots though:




Sorry they're both a little blurry!  After all, I was being tugged around by a 30 lb puppy.  : /

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Top Chef: Just Desserts

So, I love the show Top Chef.  Top Chef: Masters, Top Chef: All Stars, and ESPECIALLY Top Chef: Just Desserts!  I mean, come on...a show dedicated to unique dessert challenges completed by a group of talented pastry chefs??  My kind of show!!!  : )  I watched the previous season and was amazed by the chefs' technical expertise and the beauty of (almost) every dessert they plated. 

I have been anxiously counting down the days for this show to air, and it's finally here!!  Unfortunately, the SLP in me is causing me to have some "issues" with a couple of the contestants...

Orlando: Not only is he arrogant, he has a frontal lisp and it drives me crazy.

Craig: Sigh...this dude just needs help all around, lol.  Nobody wants to be his partner.  He doesn't seem to have many skills to bring to the table.  And the worst part?  His voice is extreeeemely hypernasal.
(Did you see the clip of him reading Harry Potter on his bed?  He had big wads of toilet paper stuffed between all his toes...what tha??  Did he paint his toenails???  Sorry, but someone had to bring it up...)

Orlando and Craig - come to my office.  I will be willing to provide you both with therapy in exchange for some yummy desserts.  : )

Is anyone else watching this?  Who's your favorite?  : )

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tuesday Top-5

Top-5 beauty products I can't live without:

1.  Bare Minerals!  I will never go back to liquid foundation again...ever.  I cannot even begin to describe how much I love this line of products!  It's good for your skin, light, and beautiful!

2.  Lip Gloss!  I usually have at least 3 different lip glosses in my purse at all times.  Then, there's the 3 glosses on standby in every other purse that I own, along with glosses stashed in random drawers around the house!  Gotta love having beautiful, glossy lips!


3. Fudge Head Shine.  I came across this product about a year ago and I am COMPLETELY in love.  A spritz of it all over your 'just-styled' do will leave a gorgeous shine.  The best part?  The smell is out-of-this-world incredible.  I have to control myself from spraying the whole bottle on because it smells so amazing!


4.  Suave Advanced Therapy Body Lotion.  While I have about a million body lotions in various fragrances, this is my go-to lotion for MOISTURE!  Thanks to my bff Cat, I began using this lotion daily and it really does make a difference in my skin.  It has a nice scent that doesn't clash with any perfume you want to wear. 


5.  Victoria's Secret Noir Body Mist.  This is one of my favorite scents EVER, and I love that it's a body mist, which basically means that it isn't as strong.  You can spray a few times and you will just smell awesome!!  : )  (I also have the Noir shower cream, which is also amazing!)

Disclaimer:  This is not an endorsement.  None of the above companies know me from Adam.  Peace out.

Friday, August 19, 2011

TGIF

It has been a looong time since I've had to think those words...Thank God it's Friday!  I've been a stay at home wife for about 8 months, and every day is pretty much the same.  Get up, do housework, cook meals, wait eagerly for Jordan to get home, and hang out until we fall asleep. 

Well, NO LONGER!  I started my job as a speech-language pathologist at the elementary school on our base Tuesday.  The kids don't come until next week, but I've had to go every day for an endless number of faculty meetings (zzzzzzzzz....) and workshops.  The bright side is that everyone that works at the school is extremely nice and helpful!  What a bonus!  I have experience in what I do, but I have only worked in a private clinic and hospital setting.  Working in a school means different structure, different paperwork, and different protocols.  The downside is..well...my body is not used to this time schedule.

Yesterday, I was at work from 7:45 AM till 6:45 PM.  Are you kidding me?  Part of the reason for this 11 hour day was because of open house, but still!  I got home at 7 and tried my best to get our puppy to sleep with me in our bed until Jordan got home at 11, haha!  Well, she wasn't having that.  We had to come downstairs to "play" and I was finally able to shut my eyes at 10:30 PM.  Jordan got home from work half an hour later, and I honestly can't remember much.  I know he tried to talk to me...I know he wanted me to go look at something in the garage??...and I KNOW all I did was grunt at him and whine until I made it upstairs to pass out.  (Which I did apologize for this morning!) 

I haven't been this exhausted in a long time.  I am excited for the kids to come next week, so I can meet all their cute little faces and start therapy.  But for now...TGIF!!!

Oh, here's an "Air Force Wife" life for ya:  My Airman usually gets off early on Fridays.  I was all excited, due to the fact that we haven't seen each other at all hardly in the last 3 days.  He said he would be able to be home at 7...I said "Great!, I will have dinner ready for us!"  To self, "YAYYY, finally an evening with my hubby!!!!!!"

Well, it is now 8:16.  Dinner is on the stove, cold.  Hubby is not home.  I am on the couch with the puppy, hungry, lonely, and missing my hubby and the evening we were "supposed" to have.  The AF wins every time!!!  

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tuesday Top-5

Top 5 Movies Guaranteed to Crack Me Up!!

1.  White Chicks!!  My husband cannot understand why I always want to watch this movie.  "Babe, we just watched this!"  He thinks it's really funny too, but apparantly I can't live without it. 


"I'm going to have a BF!!" 

2.  Diary of a Mad Black Woman!!  Really, any movie with Madea in it is worth a million laughs.  So let's go ahead and make a 2b) Madea Goes to Jail, and 2c) Madea's Big, Happy Family. 

"Well, peace always comes with still, cause I keeps me a piece o' steel."

3. Just Married!  I'm happy to announce that our honeymoon was nothing like this movie, lol.  Ashton Kutcher is HILARIOUS!!  RIP, Brittany Murphy.  : (

"HELLO PE-TAH!"

4.  Meet the Fockers!  Meet the Parents was also funny, but Meet the Fockers is what really got me rollin'! 


"FOCKER!  He's absorbing you like a sponge!"

5.  Dumb and Dumber!!!  I saved this for last because I honestly can't even begin to count how many times I've seen this movie.  No matter how many times I watch it, though, I ALWAYS laugh at the same parts and it never seems to get old to me.  I also have a tradition of watching this movie after I watch a scary movie...it just helps me feel better!  : )

"You traded in our van for a moped? Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this...and TOTALLY redeem yourself!" 

If you haven't seen these movies - do yourself a favor.  Watch them.  Immediately.  Laughter is the best medicine.  : )

Fruit Fondue Smoothie

When I created our wedding registries, I didn't even think to add a blender.  It's not something I used prior to marraige, so why would I need one after?  Thank goodness my brother had the smarts to buy us one as a wedding gift anyways!  I have used our blender a countless number of times to make smoothies and milkshakes, and they are always so delicious!  I make them according to what we have in the fridge/freezer, and it's always fun to experiment with new flavors.

Today I bring you my first food blog!  The Fruit Fondue Smoothie, which tastes just like it sounds: fruit dipped in hot fudge!  You know those chocolate fondue machines with the chocolate flowing out like a fountain?!  (I have always wanted to go to the restaurant where you get fondue for all 3 courses - YUM!!)


Embrace the last bit of summer we have and make this smoothie.  :) 

Recipe:  (Yield: 1 LARGE smoothie!)

1 small banana, sliced
1 cup whole frozen strawberries
3/4 cup milk
1 packet hot cocoa mix
3 TB hot fudge topping

Blend all together until desired consistency is reached.  Mine was very smooth. 

See, this is healthy...right?!  :)  Two types of fruit, milk (we need dairy!), and barely even enough fudge to count...  ;) 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tuesday Top-5

Top-5 things that annoy me:

1.  When I can see/hear someone chewing their food.  Gross.me.out.


2.  Someone pulling out in front of me and then taking FOREVERRR to turn off the road.


3.  Talking to someone who continually interrupts me.  Especially when they interrupt me to ask a question that I was in the process of answering if they would've let me finish!


4.  Being forced to walk slow because you're standing behind a group of people that are moving at the pace of molasses.  Especially true in malls and supermarkets.  MOVE OUT THA Wayyy!!!  lol


5.  Being too hot.  Anyone who knows me knows that this is the worst situation for me to be in.  I turn into another person who, I am ashamed to say, I would not want to be friends with.  It puts me into a frenzy!

Have a great day!  : )  (None of the above happened to me today, except for #5, but it was dealt with and there were no casualties - so I had a pretty good day myself!)  

Monday, August 8, 2011

Armed Forces Appreciation

On Saturday, my husband and I went to our second Royals game of the season.  Since we are not native Missourians(??), we aren't that much into the Royals, but we do enjoy going to sporting events.  This particular game was special, however, and we went for another purpose than just for fun. 

It was Armed Forces Appreciation Day in the stadium, and my Airman was a part of the ceremony!  First, we enjoyed a performance by the Army Drill Team (spinning rifles) which was really impressive.  After that, a soldier played our National Anthem on his saxophone, and it was a beautiful performance.  While he was playing, a huge American flag was spread out over the baseball field by about 20 enlisted men and women from all branches of the military (my Airman included!).  

 

Meanwhile, I was sitting in my seat under the blazing sun in 100 degree weather sweating like a pig.  I know, TMI.  So much for trying to "look cute" for the game!  When Jordan was finished and made his way to his seat beside me, we sat there for the first 2 innings of the game before deciding to leave early.  If I was sweating that much, try to imagine how hot he was in those ABU's!!  It was a nice ceremony and I'm really proud of my Airman for being a part of it! 
Please keep all of our deployed military men and women in your prayers, as well as their families.  God Bless America!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Granny's Birthday

This is my sweet Granny!
Today is her birthday!!  : )
She is my mom's mom, and I love her so much!  We have always been very close.

Fun Facts about Granny:
1. She has taken me on mannnny walks down the beach during my life to look for pretty seashells. 
2. She is and always has been the hardest working woman I know.
3. She lets me lay in her lap (still to this day!) and scratches my back & plays with my hair.  : )
4. No matter how much you try to explain it, she cannot understand how to order ice cream at Cold Stone.
5. She and my Papaw just got a laptop a few months ago, and she has been known to call Yahoo "YooHoo" and Facebook "MyFace"  LOL
6. She loves roses and angels.
7. You will never catch her wearing a turtleneck (usually not even long sleeves, for that matter!).
8. She owns an iron and ironing board, but NEVER irons.
9. She knows how to shop and get a good bargain!!
10. She loves her family so much and will go above and beyond to make sure you have what you need.

I love you Granny, and I wish I could be there to celebrate with you!  Happy Birthday!

I did it!!

I finally started a blog!  Ever since I got married in December, I have been a stay-at-home wife due to the move I made to a new state.  One morning, probably in between washing dishes and doing laundry, I stumbled upon an amazing food blog while looking up a recipe.  Before I knew it, it was hours later and I had not stopped reading the delicious recipes and funny stories to go along with them.  Needless to say, one blog led to another and I am now officially hooked!!  Since I love reading other people's blogs so much, I got the idea to start my own. 

Please bear with me - I still have a lot to learn about blogging!  But I do have recipes and endless stories to share with you.  I hope you enjoy!  :)