The Summer is fading away...

I can't believe that I am this horrible of a blogger! We have been in the house about 6 months and it is finally decorated thanks to much assistance from Yankee and Mom. Just a little tinkering needed, along with closet cleaning. We have been through all the boxes, I am determined not to have any junk...I will not move crap all over the world! Please remind me I said this next time we move and I "think" I really need something. Yankee and I both need to narrow down our wardrobes, we have tons of winter clothing that we will probably not wear here but maybe we can just save it for when we end up in Germany...fingers crossed! Being back in the US has positives and negatives. Wow, stuff here is expensive. Cell phones and cable and groceries. Oh my! Driving again has been interesting, I never liked driving. I didn't get my license till I was 17 and 9 months...really I prefer to be chauffeured. I am however wonderful with GPS, maps and general sense of direction so being the "Navigator" is what Yankee calls me. Not sure if he means it as a compliment or not... Life is good, just as the shirt says. Yankee and I are working on the Go Commando Run, Yankee is doing the half marathon (injury willing) and I am doing a 5k. For a girl who has not run since 8th grade cross country this is sort a big deal. 3.2 miles is very intimidating! My plan is to run/walk and goal is under 50 minutes. I can walk the 3.2 right now but running has been challenging, I run a day and then have to rest the next 2 days from my back/neck issues so I trying to find an answer to solve these pains. Yankee re-enlisted for another 5 years in May. We are trying to ride out this economic crisis before we make other plans, not sure what the future holds, just taking it one day at a time. He's working on a promotion and we will be so excited for that day, we might just have a big party! Summer is fading and we are making plans for the Fall. We hope to be able to put in a firepit and pavers for a patio. Also on the list is landscaping for the front yard, a pebble path in the back and an outdoor shower. I have a few DITY projects, an upholstered headboard in the guest room, the Turgot 1739 map of Paris (I have the map in pieces, I need to decoupage it to plywood, it is 93" x 101" so that is a huge project) and some touch up painting in the house from banging the walls at move in. Working on the Christmas card next week...sweaters and scarves in 85 degrees will be fun and i have to dig out the wreath for the front door...it would be wierd to have the summer one in the photo. I would love for precious dog (aka Jay Jay) to be in it as well, so I might have to postpone until she gets here. You know my parents and I have a joint custody arrangement for precious dog, who just turned 10 on August 16th. Since I have bored you all and am starting to bore myself...Ciao!

I don't know how you do it

I hear that phrase all the time...usually by our non military friends trying to imagine themselves in our lives or in reference to how I am a SAHW (stay at home wife). Really it is not such a bag gig but I do more than watch soap operas and eat bon bons!
I love my life, I love cooking, I hate cleaning but I get lots of help, and I love helping my hubby have a great day...I would love to have me as a wife! That is the secret do the things that you would like if you had a "SAHW".
Packing Yankee's lunch not only saves me an estimated $50 a week ($10 a day X 5 days) and I know he is getting proper nutrition. Cooking for dinner also saves tons of money and I get to monitor our nutrition goals. We both feel better and look better when we eat healthy and fresh foods. Not that I don't have pizza once and again!
Here is how I usually work my weeks:
Mondays - Me Day, after the week I am tired so each Monday is my day for me, no cleaning just doing little things I want.
Tuesdays - Bathrooms, a quick weekly cleaning keeps it all shiny and fresh. Grocery Run unless it is pay day then I just wait a few extra days...I don't go on post on a pay day!
Wednesdays - My laundry...part of this happy marriage is separated laundry bins and we each are responsible for our own clothes. Not that I don't wash something if he really needs it.
Thursdays - Weekend Prep, clean sheets are put on the bed and a quick overall pickup and trash run, along with dishes
Fridays - Lately we have had 3 day weekends so my Fridays are getting messed up but Friday I like to go over plans for the weekend and get extra things done .
Saturdays - Nothing specific, sometimes Yankee's laundry
Sunday - Trash pick up is on Monday morning so we get all the trash out on Sunday night and usually we have plenty to pick up from the weekend.
So that the run down, sometimes more if we have friends/family coming over, sometimes less if I'm not in the mood. This keeps things running pretty well and from getting too out of control...which is the way it is right now. We were gone Fri-Sun, then I was sick yesterday so I am running behind this week and with Mom coming on Sunday, I have got to get back on schedule so we can have fun next week.

Wednesday Night is Date Night

Yankee and I have Wednesday Date Night, usually to Starbucks for 1 hour without electronics. How do we survive? They (the cellphones) can go for a car ride for safety reasons but they are not allowed inside.

This works really well for us, we have been doing these little dates for about 5 years now. I'm trying not to think about all the $$$ Starbucks has made off us!

More importantly, by the time it is Wednesday, we are tired, disconnected and just running on empty. I always think just make it to Wednesday night and then the weekend is almost here.

We have had some life changing conversations on those Wednesday night dates. In Texas we would get our drinks to go and drive to the DFW airport observation area. Here in Tennessee we are still looking for a great quiet spot. The local Starbucks never seems to have the atmosphere we crave...there are always people talking on cell phones and screaming kids. We are going to check out a local place next week and hope to find something more our style.

Yes, we even had these dates in Korea. More often than not we had to make our own coffee but we did ride the bus to town a few times.

Find something that works for your relationship. Steal a few minutes away from the world and make it count.

Summer No Cook Roll Ups

Shred 3-4 whole carrots
Julienne 1/2 an onion
Sliced avocado
In a bowl add 3Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar to carrots and onion
4 Slices of Ham per person (turkey or chicken work too)
Lettuce, I like butter lettuce but spinach and romaine work just as well

Assembly Time
Lay out 1 slice of ham, add lettuce then add carrot onion mixture top with avocado slice and roll it up. Keep doing this until you have made 4 rolls per person.

As is this recipe makes 8 rolls enough for Yankee and I. If you can't give up a carb just put it on a wheat tortilla.

I love the light, fresh taste and the amount of veggies. You could easily add cucumber slices to this and any other raw veggies you like. I think I might try a peanut sauce on it next time instead of the balsamic to change it up. This is also a great appetizer for a party. Just be sure to keep it on ice to keep the meat from getting warm. You can even reverse the ham and lettuce and use the lettuce as the base. Possibilities are endless.

The Dirty Thirty, plus One

People always ask me what is it like to be 30? Most of people are younger wives who tremble at the thought of being 25...Ha! I am always told I don't "look" 30. What does 30 even look like??? I have no idea.

You can't say I dress like a teenager, I believe boobies, bellies and butts should be covered but not by a burka. To look attractive but not alluring, the "goodies" aren't nearly as good if everyone gets to see them. And those micro mini skirts, if I can see your undies or lack there of, it cannot count as clothing!

I am waiting for Yankee to join the "Thirty Club" as I call it. He seems a little nervous but I'm sure he'll be just fine. I am hoping in 20 years for a George Clooney look alike.

I can only say that the clarity of life and being limited only by your own dreams (AKA bank account) is pretty amazing. You get to be yourself and say "this is me, take it or leave it".

I am blessed to have a great family, good friends and an unbelievable husband that shows me everyday the definition of love. To faithfully go where God leads me, be surprised along the way and to land where I am needed. That is Thirty-One for me.

Crustless Quiche, new addiction

Quick and Easy Crustless Quiche
(also low carb since there is no crust)

*1/2 onion saute until transparent
*1 c of spinach or a combination of other veggies, add to onion, saute until tender
*1/2 c of meat or faux meat, I just eyeball it
(morningstar farms veg sausage is pretty yummy in here for you vegetarians)
*Grease a pie dish and add veggies and meat then sprinkle with 1/4 c of cheese,
any kind you like, you can add more but that adds calories and fat
*4 eggs, salt and pepper to taste and 1 c of skim milk, beat with mixer until foamy
*Add 2 Tbs of flour (the secret) and beat on high for 1 minute
*Pour the mixture over the veggies and meat
*Cook on 350 for about 30 minutes, then add just a sprinkle of cheese on top
*Broil for 2-3 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned
Take it out and let if cool for a few minutes to finish "setting" then slice and enjoy. Great make ahead for busy mornings!

You can make this mexican style with peppers and onions, traditional french with ham, cheese and nutmeg or anything in between. Just keep with 4 eggs, 1 c of skim milk and the secret 2 tbs of flour. I have not used whole wheat flour, though it would probably be fine. I developed this recipe when I was looking for the perfect quiche and I make it about once a week, altering the veggies and meat each time.

Southerners, No Wonder that Yankee Hubby is Confused

Driving Information in the South:
It has its own version of traffic rules. The blue haired lady in the Caddy goes first. The truck with the loudest muffler goes next at a four-way stop. The truck with the biggest tires goes after that. If you don't have any of that, your are going to be waitin' a while.

The morning rush hour is from 6:00 to 12:00. The afternoon rush hour is from 12:00 to 3:00. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:00. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday evening. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be (at the very least) rear-ended, cussed out, and possibly shot. This applies to male and female drivers alike.

Always, always, always, find out if it is a race or football weekend before you get on any of these highways to travel somewhere. If it is a race or football weekend, stay home. You won't be going anywhere else.

Construction is a permanent fixture. The barrels are moved around in the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a little more interesting.

If someone has their turn signal on, wave them over to the shoulder immediately to let them know -- you can be sure it was 'accidentally activated'. The minimum acceptable speed on is 85 mph. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

All state highways are sponsored version of NASCAR.....

Do not gawk at the woman in the car beside you in traffic who is using a cell phone, applying make-up, drinking a Diet Coke, smoking a Marlboro, and maintaining a steady speed of 85 mph in rush hour traffic. She might be packing. If she IS packing, she is not afraid to use it.

Weather Information:
If it's 98 degrees, Thanksgiving could be next weekend. If it's 15-20 degrees and sleeting or snowing, then watch out. Residents consider this 'demolition derby' day and will be all over the roads (front-ways, sideways, etc). Please proceed with due caution.

Seasonal Information:
If you stick to the seats in your vehicle, it is Spring.
If you need to let the car 'get some air' while standing next to it with the doors open for a minute before you can stick your upper body inside to crank it and get the air going, it is Summer.
If you are sweating even with the windows down, driving 55, it is Fall.
If you finally turn the AC off and roll your windows up, it is Winter.

General Information:
If you ask someone for a 'coke,' they will often ask you, 'What kind?' This is not a trick question. Tell them what you want: Sprite, Dr.. Pepper, Root Beer, etc., it is all 'coke'.
All tea is sweet. If it's not sweet, you are in a Chinese restaurant or have crossed the Mason-Dixon Line .
Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
People actually grow and eat okra.
'Fixinto' is one word.
There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then supper.
Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
Backwards and forwards means "I know everything about you."
DGeet is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is.
You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.
You measure distance in minutes.
You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.
All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
You install security lights on your house and garage and leave the doors unlocked.
You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.
There are only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.
The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
The first day of deer season is a state holiday.
Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time.
Fried catfish is the other white meat.
We don't need no stinking driver's ed ... if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.
If you understand these jokes please forward them to your "southern" friends (and those who just wish they were).

EVERYONE can't be a Southerner; it takes talent. You might say it's an art form or a gift from God!!

And of course I can't take credit for all this, I just edited a few parts as the original was for Alabamians.

Unsuspecting House Hunters

We became unsuspecting house hunters last month. While in route to Ft. Campbell we looked at several homes and had about 10 on the short list...anything looks good compared to Korea. Much to our dismay, when we arrived here all of those homes had already been rented. As we started the search again, we were disappointed with the quality of the available homes and scared of the locations. Yankee was such a trooper, he called 2 real estate agents and requested that they put some lists together for us. We picked up the first list and were shocked to only see 5 homes on it and 4 of them were not available until May. By the time we reached the second agents office, I had decided to wait in the car (AKA alone time was needed) while R ran in and got the listings.

Well, Yankee was taking a several minutes and then finally comes out and asks me to go in with him. I was not thrilled since I was sort of in panic mode and did not want to the "sold" to by an agent. As we looked through the homes she showed us, our favorite one was rented the night before and the other house we drove by on the way to her office. It was an immediate "Hell no"! The neighbor was on the front porch in a rocking chair, in a Moo-Moo dress and smoking, with her hair in those pink sponge rollers. There were also broken down cars on the lawn...really it was like being in a cartoon and the ultimate definition of White Trash.

Since we were unable to find suitable rental properties, the agent suggested that we consider buying a house...I thought "ha ha, funny funny". Then Yankee looks at me and says "What do you think?" I can't say what I was thinking but I think I came up with a really polite excuse. By this time moving had taken a toll and all my patience stretched thin. I think the agent could see the horror on my face and she left the office so Yankee and I could discuss it. We decided to go for it...after swearing not even 2 weeks before that we would not buy a house.

So we applied for a home loan and got approved. All those monthly payments do matter after all. We decided on a price point and were adamant that we stay on budget. We narrowed down the search and off we went look at house. The 1st was to old and needed too many updates, the 2nd was about 70%, the 3rd was about 80% and the 4th was perfect and the 5th did not compare to the 4th. So it was decided that we liked the 4th house the best and we decided to put in an offer. Houses were going so quickly and it was a Friday at 1pm so we had to get a contract by the end of the day or risked the house getting multiple contracts on Saturday. We only gave the builder 4 hours to respond (by 5pm that day) and he accepted our offer.

So in a matter of 8 hours we went from looking at rental, to deciding to buy to actually being under contract. The only downfall was that the house was not completed so we had to wait a few weeks for the builder to finish. Since there were not floors in yet, we got to pick those out, we upgraded to tile (I hate linoleum) and made sure we got the dark hard wood.

So far we have been in the house about 1 month and we just did closing last week. We are enjoying it and have been making plans for little projects.
1. blinds - are being installed on Thursday
2. fence - contract needs to be signed
3. landscaping - need to find landscaper
4. kitchen back-splash - need to make decisions
I will try to post pics of the project before and afters.

That's the story of how we bought our first house. It sort of amazes me. We had such guidance from above and just landed in the right spot.

To the Airport or Not to the Airport

Looking back I can laugh since the outcome wasn't too terrible.

In Korea we lived about 1 hour from the airport. Seoul in like NYC with crazy drivers and roads that do not make sense. My fantastic friend Ashli offered to drive me to the airport since I had 6 bags and would have had to ride the subway for 1.5 hours, take a taxi for $80 or the military bus and be there 5 hours early. I jumped and said YES at the offer! She picked my up from the hotel at 12pm and my flight was at 6pm but being international you have to be 2 hours early and I really like to be early for flights because I hate getting stressed about making it on time. She has here GPS and we sort of know the direction to go so we think 2 hours is enough time to make it there.

Everything starts out good (doesn't it always) we are on the highway headed in the correct direction when the GPS tells us to turn right in 300 meters and since we are Americans and can't for the life of us estimate how far a meter is we take the next right exit and onto another highway we go...in the wrong direction.

Dear God, please help me make this flight.

We think it will be OK we just need to exit and U turn, well there is no exit for 14 miles since the highway goes though a tunnel and when we pop out, we both realize that we are by Seoul Station and farther East that we actually live.

Dear God, please help me make this flight.

So after a few tense minutes we see a sign to Suseo, which is the subway station for where we live so we can start this journey over again and that is where the GPS wants us to go. On the way to Suseo we both come to the realization that maybe we should change plans, there is no guarantee that we are going to be successful with attempt #2 and traffic is starting to get bad since it is now after 2 pm. There is an airport transfer bus from Suseo that is about $15 per person and it leaves every hour, so we decide this is the best option so that I do not miss the flight and cost myself and extra $1000. We turn into the shopping area and unload all 6 bags as fast as possible since we have no idea what time the bus really leaves.

Dear God, please help me make this bus and flight.

We run across the street and read the sign, we have about 10 minutes till pick up. So on my last day in Seoul, I got a tour of the city with my friend and still made it to the airport on time.

Dear God, thank you for helping me make the bus and flight. No more funny business, I just can't take anymore.

The sound of R's voice when I told him I was at Suseo still makes me laugh since I was suppose to be at the airport hours ago. I'm betting R will "supervise" my next airport adventure to be sure I get where I am going on Army Time...you know those military men...have to be in control. But all in all it is a funny story and one that I will hold over Ashli's head forever.

A little too late, a year and 1 month late to be exact

I think it so fun to read back to a year ago and remember what I was thinking/writing at that time. So now I am making a commitment to blog more often...I am not sure what more often means exactly but I'm thinking weekly to bi-weekly is a good start. I mean my life is not that interesting, well I don't think it is but I was told last week that I have the most exciting life by a friend so I figure I should share it with all of you 4 followers. Thanks Mom!

Here's my last month for you.

The "BIG MOVE" and it actually it was 4 moves. I moved from Korea to TX on Jan 10, R moved from Korea to TX on Jan 18, then we both moved from TX to Robby's House on Jan 28 and finally into our first home on Feb 16.

Problem 1, we had to move a different times so he had to suffer 1 week without me...or so I am told. I sort of enjoyed a week to myself without cooking, cleaning and wife duties. Problem 2 we have household items coming from Korea and stuff in storage in TX, which we of course decided to DITY move. So for 2 days it was R, Jay Jay and me bumping along in the rental truck and Mom following in the car. Problem 3, Robby's House (nothing with the house specifically) just that it was a temporary place so we could not unpack that much, or we should not have unpacked that much is a better statement.

And how can I forget the fact that I have lost not 1 but 2 military ID cards in this move and I am an organized person! The first one was in my ski jacket pocket that got packed by the movers before I remembered where it was and the second died somewhere between San Francisco and Dallas. I was so exhausted from the flight and the little mishap on the way to the airport (a story for later) that I think it fell out of my pocket while I was sleeping in the lounge chairs...YES, I was one of those travelers stretched out over 3 chairs and snoring. That is mortifying every time I think about it but at the time I did not care. So once R was home I had to make a trip to the Pass/ID Office at the Ft Worth JRB and get a new one. The guy there did not even ask what happened, I'm guessing he could see from the records that this was my second ID in 8 days so maybe he knew better than to ask. But the first ID did show up in my ski jacket and now I have 2 and I am still contemplating and what to do about that little issue since the first picture is way better than the one I have now.

Oh and we went from renting to buying a house in 2 hours and we decided to buy the 4th house we saw. So, maybe I have an exciting life. I'm just thanking God he got us here safe, found us an amazing house in our budget and keeps blessing us everyday.