The Furniture Gods Are Laughing

I love furniture. I do. I love walking into huge furniture stores & spending all day browsing through tons of furniture for the entire house. It's one of my secret faves. But when it comes down to actually buying furniture  I cower. Seriously cringe at the thought of it. I can never make a decision. There's always about 4 different pieces calling my name, pulling me in opposite directions, & it's so hard to decide.  There's the ones I WANT then there's the ones that are more....practical.

Don't laugh but I have a thing for red couches. Not burgundy but RED. It makes me sinfully happy to see a bright red couch sitting on a showroom floor. Or leather. Shiny, black leather. & I love the softness of the microsuede. I found a couch that isn't red but it IS leather & suede. I could very easily throw some red pillows on it & be in L.O.V.E.  The only problem is I bought new living room furniture earlier this year. There's no way I could pass this off to Dave as an absolute necessity. & if you figure out how I could then please let me know :o)

I ordered a new bedroom suite today for Dave & myself. & we're going in a bit to pick up Brendan's. It's taken me almost a month to decide. A month. I looked, pondered, found some new ones, pondered some more, and finally made a decision today. Ugh, I annoy myself sometimes. But the good news is that it's over.

No wait, I need side tables, a new washer/dryer, a futon for our den, & possibly a desk for Dave. Will it ever end? And do I want it to? Hey! It gives me an excuse to hit the furniture marts :oP

Dinner Without the Photo *sigh*

I made the most amazing, off the cuff dinner tonight. So amazing, in fact, that I didn't take one picture. & by the time I thought about taking a photo all the plates at the table were licked clean. Mmm hmm. So I'll tell ya about it instead :o)

Chicken Breasts - are yummy in my tummy - don't cook them, we're gonna bake them & don't ask how many - you know how much feeds your family :oP

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Place your uncooked chicken breasts in a casserole dish(greased with EVOO), throw some salsa on top - cover them pretty well. Then take large slices of mozzarella & place them on the chicken. Do the same with some smaller slices of cheddar. Set it to the side.

Dice some potatoes(I like the small red ones, yep the ones that come from my mom's garden, the ones that I am now OUT. OF. AHEM HINT HINT!!) Dice them small b/c we're going to bake them in the oven. Larger pieces take forever. Place them on a large pc. of foil doused with EVOO. Throw some butter on top along with some spices - whatever kind you like. Today I was in a pinch so I just used a roasting herb rub I had - Delicious! Fold up your foil & place it on a cookie sheet.

Throw your chicken & potatoes in the oven & bake for 30-40 minutes. Don't over bake your chicken or it will dry out. If you're like me & are paranoid about eating chicken that isn't thoroughly cooked then throw some water in your casserole dish to help your chicken stay hydrated.

I promise you, this chicken is soooo good, even my kids devoured every single bite. No joke.

Add whatever extra side or 2 you want & enjoy!!  I'm really disappointed that I didn't get a photo to share b/c then you could SEE how delectable it was. I'll definately be making it again & hopefully I'll remember to photograph it BEFORE we eat it :o)

Health Care Reform: Friend or Foe?

I read an interesting article today on the proposed health care reform. Click Here to Read I know, it's just an article, one man's opinion but I found it enlightening. I also found that he's not the only one reading the fine print in these proposals. I've read, researched, listened to opinion after opinion, & have come to a conclusion: Giving the government control over our healthcare is not the way to go. You want to know the obvious reason why? Look around at the state our country is in. The gov't has a huge hand in the failing businesses you see around us. Why in the world would you want to give them control of your healthcare??

As a military wife I don't have the worries most of you do (or at least the same type of worries). I have healthcare & a steady paycheck. But there was a time when we went for years with no healthcare. I couldn't afford to take my children to the doctor when they were sick. I haven't been to a doctor for a physical illness in YEARS. Other than prenatal care I haven't personally needed one. But I also knew that even if I were seriously ill, I couldn't afford to pay a doctor for treatment. So I've been in your shoes. I've been without what many would consider a basic necessity. I no longer have to worry about that.

Being military we receive treatment through TRICARE. I have never had a problem with them. They've paid many, many medical bills both regular check ups & emergency room visits. I have no complaints. But you see even in TRICARE you get a choice. Prime or Standard/Extra.  I've always asked for Standard. I choose my doctors and/or specialists, in or out of network. I do not need referrals. It's MY choice. I DO pay more out of pocket but it's not enough to break me. In fact it normally equals what I used to pay in co-pays through other insurance companies. 

Now you may be wondering why I don't choose Prime. With Prime you pay out hardly anything, usually nothing at all. BUT. Big BUT there. The doctor you choose must be in-network & he/she is your doctor & the ONLY doctor you have. You MUST have referrals from them for everything. Your choices are slim to none. & at some posts(military bases) you may have only 2 or 3 doctors to choose from. What if you don't "click" with any of them? Well tough titty said the kitty. You. Are. Stuck.  That's why I choose Standard. I like having the freedom of choice. If I come across a doctor I don't like then I'm FREE to choose someone else. 

Shouldn't that be how our healthcare reform works? Shouldn't it be about choices? About quality care at low costs? About a doctor that you feel comfortable with? About us as a people?

I voted for Obama. I did. I had high hopes that his talk of change was going to help us move onto bigger, better things. But so far his healthcare reform stinks. I don't like it. & I refuse to go into a system where my freedom of choice is limited or taken away. That's not what America stands for. It's not what I stand for. & it certainly isn't what my husband fights for.

Days Go By

It seems that lately all my days have been running together. I'm exhausted, I think the past few weeks are finally catching up to me. I cannot have a seat on the couch without drifting off into the deepest sleep. & you'd think that after getting myself into a routine things would get easier but it hasn't.

My daily routine consists of:
Pushing Dave outta bed after his alarm clock goes off for the umpteenth time before 6 am
Getting up when MY alarm goes off at 7:30 am
Wait for Dave to roll in after PT so that I can make him breakfast - 8am or so
By 8:30 he's back out the door so I hang around, clean up breakfast dishes, check email, the news, etc, shower, wait for the kids to get up
By 10am the kids are awake & I'm making breakfast again - clean those dishes & the table
11-11:30am Dave is home for lunch - the same routine as breakfast
After that I really get busy on cleaning house or keeping it clean

Do you know how much work goes into cleaning a 2 story, 4 bedroom house with hardwoods downstairs, carpet upstairs plus 2 1/2 baths? I mean seriously if I want it to LOOK clean on a daily basis, in case someone just drops in, then I clean pretty much non-stop all day.  The sweeping & mopping I do on a daily basis has left me with battle scars ie: blisters and/or calluses on my hands.  The amount of times I'm running up & down stairs probably would amount to miles of running on the track.

I'll stop now before I get carried away.

Normally between 1pm - 4pm I've baked some type of goodie or concocted some sort of delicious yumminess for dessert later that day.

In between 4 & 5 Dave comes home for the day(well MOST days, there's always that exception) & by then I've started supper.

& anywhere between 5:30 - 8pm we've managed to eat, clean up dishes, wash faces, wipe down the table, sweep the floor(for the millionth time), & maybe just maybe I'll get a moment to sit down.

Now let's not forget the usual chores that I didn't mention that get done sometime during the day like: laundry(washing, drying, folding) - a family of 6 can fill up some laundry baskets *sigh*, taking out the trash & recycle, making beds, cleaning toilets & sinks, vacuuming upstairs, & the general clean up of toys that somehow are strewn upstairs to downstairs, up & down the halls, all over the stairs (stepping on cars or legos left on the stairs is not fun, it may very well be the death of me, seriously...)  I could go on all day. Oh & there's grocery shopping & typical errands that must be run weekly.

I've entertained the thought of going to work but Sheesh then I'd have to come home & do all the same damn things in even less time!! Working mothers amaze me, they really do.

I'm tired, I'm whiney, & I really, REALLY just wanna curl up with a good book or two for a few days.

Here's What's For Dinner yesterday:

Seasoned Baked Chicken(YUMMY!) on a bed of fluffy white rice with peas, corn, & carrots mixed in, along with some delicious diced potatoes from mom's garden back home(AHEM! Speaking of which I'm almost out MOTHER! So bring me some down or overnight'em to me, k? Thanks :oP) & we finished off the last of the banana pudding( the 2nd batch I've made this week...) Oh & we had cucumbers, another wonderful bit of produce from Mom's :o)

Now I've got to decide what we'll have today, I'm thinking a nice big Pot Roast with veggies & cupcakes Mmm Mmm Good!

It's My Party & I'll Cry If I Want To

Barbeque Chicken, it's What's for Dinner :o)

Banana Pudding, it's Dessert! WooHoo!! (& yes Mom, I made my own :oP)

So I've found some pros & cons to Stewart. The pros are all pretty cool. It's close to the beach which allows me to see just how HUGE cargo ships really are.

& I get to see the lighthouses YAY Me!

& it's so pretty & green here.

HUGE, GIMONGOUS con:

Now I know you're saying to yourself a) Wow she's got an amazing camera or b) That's one GINORMOUS spider.  & if you thought both then you'd be correct. This spider was terrifying even in death *shudders* Definitely a con. & my kick ass camera really brings out the creepiness.

Another downside is that there is no Aeropostale or Victoria's Secret for more than 25 miles. & the WalMart has a limited selection. Limited in the sense that I had to order a yard trimmer/weed eater from them ONLINE because the store didn't carry the one I wanted. Yeah, I know, right?!

A good thing though is they DO have a Bath & Body Works that carries VS products so that's definitely a plus :o)

Pro: Savannah is less than 30 minutes away

Con: Savannah is worse than Killeen, TX when it comes to military towns. Traffic is horrible & it's WAY overcrowded. I AM looking forward to hitting the historic district at some point.

So my conclusion is that it's a pretty cool post if you're not spoiled like me. & if you ARE like me then maybe we'll both learn how to live without our "necessities" LOL!

Phones are the Devil

I've had one of those mornings where you spend every extra second on the phone. I no more than lay my phone down & it rings. & if it's not ringing then there's a call I need to make. I had to update our DEERS & TriCare info, that used to be things that were included during in-processing that David took care of, apparently not anymore. Then I had to put in yet another call to get my satellite straightened out. We cannot watch a 30 minute show downstairs without it losing signal, it's extremely annoying. The upstairs TV's work fine but I listen to the TV more than actually watch it & that's a lil hard when I'm working downstairs & the only operational TV's are upstairs *sigh* Tomorrow it should be fixed. & I had to put in a pest control work order. Ants. Roaches. Ewww! I was under the impression that the housing had to be sprayed before and/or after tenants moved in/out. Well the ants have been here since move-in day 1. & the roaches came with us in some old dressers that we should have left behind Ick! But that's all thanks to a lazy landlord who was too cheap to have the house sprayed. But we're out of there now & I won't tolerate bugs here, there's no excuse for it. So Friday hopefully the bug problem is over.  Now I've got to get the kids registered for school but that will have to wait until I get their immunization records mailed here to GA. Sounds like lots of busy fun, huh?! LOL!

Next installation of my manic ramblings will be about the pros & cons of Stewart, yes I have found some cons, very BIG ones...

A Cure All

Some people like to self medicate with alcohol, pills, TV, etc. I prefer cupcakes.

I have officially christened the new house with the baking of yummy, delicious, chocolate goodness :o) & all is right in my world yet again ♥

Holding My Tongue

I had this entire post thought up, sorted out, & ready to type but now I'm a lil sick of it. Let's just say that just because you helped create a child does NOT make you a parent & it certainly doesn't make you a GOOD parent. & let me throw this out there too, if your children join the military that doesn't always mean you did something RIGHT, it could very well mean that they were willing to take any road possible to GET. AWAY. FROM. YOU.

A good parent is one who raises a child with good experiences. A bad parent is one who forces a child to raise themselves because of the BAD experiences you forced on them. Think on that for awhile.

*& no this doesn't have to do with MY family but someone's who is extremely close to me*

Back On Track

We are in our house, my cable's on, my internet is up & running, & I am slowly getting things together. My life is now full of unpacking boxes. It's been 2 weeks of non stop boxes & I don't care to ever see another one for quite a while.

We've been out & about checking out the area & I'm likin' what I see so far. We're venturing into Savannah this weekend. Shopping is #1 on my list :o) The beach ranks # 1 and a half LOL!  Dave is still in processing this week. We've got news on his new unit & unfortunately it's left us all a lil on edge as far as our future is concerned. But I guess we'll get some definite word on that soon.

That's pretty much what's been goin' on around here. Once I get my desktop set up I'll post some pictures of the past few weeks. God Bless♥

Officially on Hiatus

Internet is off, we are in Savannah, & will officially move this weekend. As soon as the internet is up & running at the new house I'll be back :o)

Favorites

As we all celebrate July 4th, let's be thankful for the freedoms that men & women from our past, present, & future have/are/will preserve for us. We take so much for granted.

Be thankful.

Now I want to share a couple of my recent fave photos. I took them, added some actions to them, & tweaked them a bit :o)

I love horses, they bring peace to the heart ♥

I took my favorite photo of Brendan at the lake & made it a lil vintage:

It turned out so well that I did the same thing to a shot I took of Dave the other day. I think it turned out well too.

& he is one gorgeous man ♥  I think I'm going to take some shots of the rest of us & apply the same tweaks. Maybe I'll print them out in 11 x 13 size & make myself a beautiful lil wall collage of our family :o)

Happy July 4th Everyone!!

Not Leaving You Hanging...

This move has got us all kinds of busy. We're trying to spend time with family before we leave & STILL packing up our stuff *sigh*, it's a never-ending process. In fact at this moment Dave is off picking up pizza because we decided it's easier to shove pizza in your mouth while packing boxes :o) We'll most likely turn off the internet access next Friday since Saturday is officially our leaving day YAY! So I may be on hiatus for a week or so after that.  I'll post some pics later this evening of some of our shenanigans :o) Have a great 4th of July!!

P.S. there's tons of things I've been wanting to blog about but with no time, it will have to wait. So expect some rants & such once I get my personal space back :o)

Better Forgotten

It's been 6 years since we moved last. It wasn't a long distance move, just an across town move, no big deal. But over the past 6 years I've forgotten how stressful & exhausting  planning a move is. I've been packing boxes for 2 days. I've gone through kids toys, clothes, my things, & yet I look around & see so much more to go through. This is what I get for being slack, for packing a box here & there over the past 2 months. But seriously, you cannot pack but so far in advance. The hard part is that last week before the big day. That's really when the packing is put into high gear & all the REAL stress starts.

My outlook on this move is spiraling downward quickly. Am I still excited? Yes. Am I looking forward to it? Yes. But it would be so much easier just to leave it all here & start over fresh there. Is that feasible & realistic? No. But dammit a girl can dream, alright! :oP