Today, I'm thinking about my husband. We haven't been able to talk for quite a while due to phones being out, or other circumstances that haven't been allowing us to speak online or on the phone. Its bringing me down, to an extreme. I'm used to talking to him at least once a week, and not knowing when he can call, or not knowing the next time I'll talk to him is dragging me way down. So I wonder, what did women do a few years ago when phones and internet access was hardly there? I know they wrote letters, and that is similar to what I do, I email him just about daily, and if it wasn't available, I would be sure to write to him. Email is faster though, lol. But how did these women survive? Rarely did they receive mail back and half the time most of it was blacked out. Its crazy to think of what technology has done to the world. We are extremely spoiled, we have cars, tv's, internet, cameras, toys, video games, and so many other avenues of technology that its a wonder that people still need companionship. I do though, it sucks not hearing from him. Maybe if I had gone into the deployment knowing I probably wouldn't hear or talk to him, things would be a little easier. Maybe if I could have been prepared the last time I talked to him that I wouldn't hear from him again for a few weeks. Who knows. What I do know, is that I feel down, depressed, and the only thing that helps is my support network. Friends, and family that can be there for me. I hate to be a burden though. I don't like asking for help, or asking for someone to hang out with me, I sound desperate, but its times like these that I really need friends. Mainly people going through the same things. You'll see Army wives usually hanging out with other Army wives that their husbands are deployed, or a clique of Army wives whose husbands are home. Commonalities aren't hard to come by.
I have, at least, 7 more years of this though. I'll have to say goodbye to old friends, and make new ones all the time. I'm grateful for the ones that I do make though. Overall, Army wives are some of the most caring people I've ever met...with the occasional nutball, but we ALL have to be a little crazy in order to survive this life, right?
Friday, February 17, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Spinach and Canadian Bacon Frittata
OH..this was delicious.
Spinach and Canadian Bacon Frittata
12 eggs (I used Egglands Best because of the added vitamins)
8 oz Canadian bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
2 cups shredded low fat cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a square baking pan with nonstick spray, OR use a Pampered Chef square stone.
Mix first 8 ingredients together until well mixed. Pour mixture into the dish, top with spinach and cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes (if using a stone, you'll have to cook for 30-35 minutes), until frittata is firm. Let cool for 5 minutes to set before cutting!!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
All Good Carbs Mexican Casserole
Most of you who read my blog know that I'm doing a kind of low carb way of life these days. High protein, low carbs, trying to stay away from the processed items, and stay away from white flour. So I came across a recipe that is very loosely based on what I created. I tend to get ideas from recipes and cookbooks, and make them entirely different, so I can't REALLY say that they are from the actual book, or the recipe, but I like to give credit, where credit is due, so check out this book here. Like I said, this recipe that I made, was loosely based off of the Mexican Casserole recipe in this book!
Steph's Good Carb Mex. Casserole
1 lb ground turkey (I used ALL white ground turkey BREAST)
1 package taco seasoning (I used Lowry's taco seasoning, because it was cheap, lol)
1/2 cup- 3/4 cup green onions (I used about 3/4 cup, because I like green onions)
1 and a 1/2 cups salsa (I used two different kinds of salsa, and I implore you to do the same and make this recipe your own as well)
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (here, I used 2%)
1/4 cup black olives (I like to buy the whole ones, and chop them, its cheaper and you get a lot more bang for your buck)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp Tony's seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
Light sour cream
Preheat oven to 375. Cook the turkey breast in a skillet (I used a 10 inch), stir in seasoning and cook through. Mix in black beans, Tonys, garlic, 3/4 cup salsa, and 1/2 of the green onions.
Spread turkey/bean mixture into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish (I used a Pampered Chef stoneware for this part). Top with remaining salsa, and cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Take out of the oven, let sit for about 2 minutes, garnish each serving with some green onions, black olives, more cheese if you want, and sour cream. DELICIOUS!!
*Note* I spiced mine up just a bit too much, so be sure that the salsa's you use aren't too hot for your kids. My kids enjoyed this dish, but it was a bit too spicy for their mouths, so next time, I'll use milder salsa's. =)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Feels like Spring...
Today, I had to run some errands so I threw on a long sleeve shirt, got in my van, noticed that it was warmer than usual, and drove off. When I had to turn on the A/C in my van is when I looked and its 79 degrees outside...are you sure this January? I love Texas because the sun is almost always shining, but this is a little ridiculous. I hope it gets a little cooler here or there, but I don't mind the warmer weather either. Still, if its 79 degrees right now, I hate to think of the heat that we will endure this summer!
Whats the weather like in your neck of the woods?
Coming soon, recipe for this awesome good carb mexican casserole!!
Whats the weather like in your neck of the woods?
Coming soon, recipe for this awesome good carb mexican casserole!!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Twitter...
Ever wonder which giveaways I've been entering? I do spend a LOT of time on giveaways, but I also win some really cool stuff. Most recently, I won a twin over full size bunk bed, with a dresser to match. I'm so excited about it, and can't wait to put it together. If I can't do it during the deployment, I'll get Paul to do it when he comes home. The whole set is made out of Birch and is very well made. The value was $1500!!! I think its the biggest thing I've ever won. The second biggest was probably the foot and calf massager that was valued at $385. I've also won a gingerbread house making party with a $50 boutique toy store gift card that was valued at $300, and so many other fun things. On average, I win probably 1-2 giveaways a month. Sometimes, I go a long time without winning anything, but I still enter, because WHY NOT? =)
So if you'd like to check out the giveaways that I enter, and I enter a lot, you can follow me on Twitter! Most giveaways ask that you tweet about the giveaway, so I tweet just about every giveaway I enter. Sometimes I tweet up to 100x per day, other days, I won't tweet at all, so be wary if your twitter is hooked up to your cell phone...that might not be fun, lol. Anyway, you can follow me HERE!
Stephanie
So if you'd like to check out the giveaways that I enter, and I enter a lot, you can follow me on Twitter! Most giveaways ask that you tweet about the giveaway, so I tweet just about every giveaway I enter. Sometimes I tweet up to 100x per day, other days, I won't tweet at all, so be wary if your twitter is hooked up to your cell phone...that might not be fun, lol. Anyway, you can follow me HERE!
Stephanie
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Failing miserably...
at keeping up with my blog. =/
Weight loss is going well, still losing about 10 lbs a month, which is fine by me. Sometimes I feel like I am getting away with something though, and cookies are evil, just saying.
Life since R&R is back to normal, the kids are back at school, I am back to doing things around the house and enjoying my quiet time. I am purging the house of things we don't need or want anymore. I'm also doing a thorough cleaning of the house, kind of like a spring cleaning, I'm just getting started very early.
Goals for the New Year? I need to start working out consistently again. I've never NOT worked out and lost weight before, so this is all new to me. I WANT to start working out again, its the motivation to actually DO it that I am having an issue with lately. Its funny, because I used to be the one practically living at the gym, and now its like pulling teeth to get in an actual work out. Maybe I'm just getting lazy because I'm seeing weight loss on the scale. Still, I need to tone.
Organizing my house. I'm getting sick of the clutter, if someone said to us that we have to move in a month, which can happen with the Army. We wouldn't be able to do it. We'd have to take a bunch of stuff with us that we don't need, and that is a no go for this girl. So I'm slowly going through everything in the house and purging the things we haven't used, don't need, or just don't want.
Waking up and staying up...yeah, lately, I've gotten into this awful pattern of going to bed late, and not waking up until late. So I'm doing my best to get up with the girls...now I need to work on staying awake and not taking a nap in the middle of the day. Its a vicious cycle.
Financially, I am trying to save up as much money as I can, so that we can take a Disney World vacation when the hubs comes home. I've been wanting to go for quite some time now, and usually I save up enough money for us to do some cool vacation while he's deployed. However, with bills, and credit cards that needed to be paid off, I've hardly saved anything this year. It stinks, but I'm still hopeful that I can save up enough for us to be able to go. Our 10 year anniversary vacation is getting lower on the list though. We were thinking about heading to Cozumel, Mexico for a "honeymoon" since we didn't get one when we got married. I just don't think we can afford to do both, and personally, I'd rather go to Disney World with my kids and husband. I wouldn't have to find someone to watch the kids and the dogs, and it would just be easier all the way around. So, I'm couponing again, and trying to be as frugal as possible.
Since surgery, I've noticed, I've not cooked as much as I used to. I'd like to get back into the habit of actually cooking more. My father in law came for a visit a few days ago, just a quick on as he was passing through, and I made a brisket. He wasn't feeling well and didn't have any. So the girls and I have been picking at it here and there, but we've not made a dent. It was a 5 lb brisket, so I'm going to have to probably freeze half of it. The draw back to me not eating an adult amount of food (the girls can still eat more than me, lol), is that we always have leftovers. I wish I had someone else to cook for sometimes. Other times, I don't mind being lazy, lol.
I also want to blog more. I kind of "blog" to my husband about my day and if I could just get that on my actual blog, it would be great. I need to blog because it makes me feel better, I can work out my issues when I'm writing about them, and I enjoy the feedback.
Life is floating by. About 6 more months and we can welcome the hubs back with open arms. We've missed him a lot lately. Not that we don't every time he leaves, but it just seems like we miss him more this time around.
Its the beginning of a New Year, and I hope this one is even better than last year. I have a feeling that it will be. =)
Stephanie
Weight loss is going well, still losing about 10 lbs a month, which is fine by me. Sometimes I feel like I am getting away with something though, and cookies are evil, just saying.
Life since R&R is back to normal, the kids are back at school, I am back to doing things around the house and enjoying my quiet time. I am purging the house of things we don't need or want anymore. I'm also doing a thorough cleaning of the house, kind of like a spring cleaning, I'm just getting started very early.
Goals for the New Year? I need to start working out consistently again. I've never NOT worked out and lost weight before, so this is all new to me. I WANT to start working out again, its the motivation to actually DO it that I am having an issue with lately. Its funny, because I used to be the one practically living at the gym, and now its like pulling teeth to get in an actual work out. Maybe I'm just getting lazy because I'm seeing weight loss on the scale. Still, I need to tone.
Organizing my house. I'm getting sick of the clutter, if someone said to us that we have to move in a month, which can happen with the Army. We wouldn't be able to do it. We'd have to take a bunch of stuff with us that we don't need, and that is a no go for this girl. So I'm slowly going through everything in the house and purging the things we haven't used, don't need, or just don't want.
Waking up and staying up...yeah, lately, I've gotten into this awful pattern of going to bed late, and not waking up until late. So I'm doing my best to get up with the girls...now I need to work on staying awake and not taking a nap in the middle of the day. Its a vicious cycle.
Financially, I am trying to save up as much money as I can, so that we can take a Disney World vacation when the hubs comes home. I've been wanting to go for quite some time now, and usually I save up enough money for us to do some cool vacation while he's deployed. However, with bills, and credit cards that needed to be paid off, I've hardly saved anything this year. It stinks, but I'm still hopeful that I can save up enough for us to be able to go. Our 10 year anniversary vacation is getting lower on the list though. We were thinking about heading to Cozumel, Mexico for a "honeymoon" since we didn't get one when we got married. I just don't think we can afford to do both, and personally, I'd rather go to Disney World with my kids and husband. I wouldn't have to find someone to watch the kids and the dogs, and it would just be easier all the way around. So, I'm couponing again, and trying to be as frugal as possible.
Since surgery, I've noticed, I've not cooked as much as I used to. I'd like to get back into the habit of actually cooking more. My father in law came for a visit a few days ago, just a quick on as he was passing through, and I made a brisket. He wasn't feeling well and didn't have any. So the girls and I have been picking at it here and there, but we've not made a dent. It was a 5 lb brisket, so I'm going to have to probably freeze half of it. The draw back to me not eating an adult amount of food (the girls can still eat more than me, lol), is that we always have leftovers. I wish I had someone else to cook for sometimes. Other times, I don't mind being lazy, lol.
I also want to blog more. I kind of "blog" to my husband about my day and if I could just get that on my actual blog, it would be great. I need to blog because it makes me feel better, I can work out my issues when I'm writing about them, and I enjoy the feedback.
Life is floating by. About 6 more months and we can welcome the hubs back with open arms. We've missed him a lot lately. Not that we don't every time he leaves, but it just seems like we miss him more this time around.
Its the beginning of a New Year, and I hope this one is even better than last year. I have a feeling that it will be. =)
Stephanie
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Want to win a $250 GC to Chef's Catalog....
You know you do! I love to cook, and one of my favorite cooking blogs is giving away a $250 gc to Chef's Catalog (another one of my favorite sites). Go enter, and good luck!!
Let Jane know I sent ya!
$250 GC to Chef's Catalog
Stephanie
Let Jane know I sent ya!
$250 GC to Chef's Catalog
Stephanie
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thanksgiving week....??
Last week was Thanksgiving week. The week consisted of two days of school for my girls...
Then on Wednesday we drove up to Dallas, to my Mom's house (i.e. The Farm)
then we went to a Disney on Ice performance with Meemaw...
came back to her house, spent the night, drove back down to our house, got ready to go, and headed over to a dear friends house for Thanksgiving dinner, of which she made the whole thing. It was nice not having to cook for once, lol. So after dinner, we went Black Friday shopping. I've gone with other friends two other times, but none compare to what we did. There is just something about the thrill of waiting in line to get the good deals, and making new friends along the way. It was a lot of fun. We were out shopping and saving for 12 hours straight. I finished our Christmas shopping for the girls (who are being really spoiled this year for some reason), and I was able to get a few things for the house...waffle maker anyone? Between all of the busy times of this season, I've been slacking in my blog.
I am still losing weight at a steady rate. Down to 195. My husband is coming home for R&R in the near future, and I couldn't be more excited to see him. So as the time goes on, I will still be on hiatus for a while. We have Sierra's 7th birthday just around the corner, Christmas, our 10th anniversary, him coming home for R&R, and then our small vacation, and sending him on his way. Plus, I'm taking my Mom to a rodeo in Dallas for her Christmas present this year. I can't wait. Its going to be a lot of fun, and much needed fun at that.
What are you up to this holiday season?
Lion King
The Little Mermaid
Lilo and Stitch
Minnie and Mickey
Tinkerbell
Peter Pan
I am still losing weight at a steady rate. Down to 195. My husband is coming home for R&R in the near future, and I couldn't be more excited to see him. So as the time goes on, I will still be on hiatus for a while. We have Sierra's 7th birthday just around the corner, Christmas, our 10th anniversary, him coming home for R&R, and then our small vacation, and sending him on his way. Plus, I'm taking my Mom to a rodeo in Dallas for her Christmas present this year. I can't wait. Its going to be a lot of fun, and much needed fun at that.
What are you up to this holiday season?
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Losing slowly, but steadily...
Down to 202.2 as of this morning. Woohoo! Yup, that means in 3 1/2 months I've gone down 59 lbs! Fantastic. I have yet to consistently work out, but its getting better. I'm feeling better, I believe that the blood clot is slowly going away. I have been struggling with figuring out my food. I'm getting it little by little, but I do sometimes get complacent and eat things I shouldn't. Overall, things are getting easier by day, and I'm very grateful for that.
I am hoping to lose another 5-10 lbs in the next month or so. I have yet to buy any new clothes, I have clothes all the way down to 8-10's, so I'll be good for a while. I am really excited to see where this journey takes me. Its taken a while, and its been a bit of a struggle, but its getting easier every single day.
That's my little update! =)
I am hoping to lose another 5-10 lbs in the next month or so. I have yet to buy any new clothes, I have clothes all the way down to 8-10's, so I'll be good for a while. I am really excited to see where this journey takes me. Its taken a while, and its been a bit of a struggle, but its getting easier every single day.
That's my little update! =)
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