It has started to melt already and will all be gone by this afternoon, but what a pretty sight! Of course, I don't have to stick around and see what the weather will do next. The girls and I are off to Thailand tomorrow!!!!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spoke Too Soon
Well, our streak of "nice" days has come to a screaming hault this week with 20 degree temps and cold winds. *sigh* But then we were rewarded just a little bit. Big flakes started falling last night around 6 pm and this is what I woke up to this morning.
It has started to melt already and will all be gone by this afternoon, but what a pretty sight! Of course, I don't have to stick around and see what the weather will do next. The girls and I are off to Thailand tomorrow!!!!
It has started to melt already and will all be gone by this afternoon, but what a pretty sight! Of course, I don't have to stick around and see what the weather will do next. The girls and I are off to Thailand tomorrow!!!!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Yin and Yang
How can children who come from the same parents be so similar yet so different at the same time? Sure, we're all supposed to be a little different. That whole variety is the spice of life thing. But still... they are just different right down to their core at times.
First thing that strikes you is the wildly thick blonde hair, blue eyes, and peaches and cream complexion versus the cornsilk medium brunette, green hazel eyes and olive complexion. Holly tends to be more reserved around strangers, while Sarah will go right up to you and tell you her entire life story in a single breath.
Then you get to know them and notice that Holly is the dreamer, Sarah is more grounded. Holly will sing, dance, and daydream her way through the day while Sarah would prefer to do puzzles, games and math. Holly is good with the answer that well, that's just how God made it, but is still inquisitive about how and why snow melts. Sarah will "But Why?" you to death about something that you will have to Google it to give her a proper answer. Sarah wants to see that the pretzels are all gone, while Holly is content with you saying there aren't any more. Sarah recently pointed out that "Sparky the Fire Dog" was just a guy in a dog suit and he wasn't really real.... and informed the rest of her preschool class of that fact.
First thing that strikes you is the wildly thick blonde hair, blue eyes, and peaches and cream complexion versus the cornsilk medium brunette, green hazel eyes and olive complexion. Holly tends to be more reserved around strangers, while Sarah will go right up to you and tell you her entire life story in a single breath.
Then you get to know them and notice that Holly is the dreamer, Sarah is more grounded. Holly will sing, dance, and daydream her way through the day while Sarah would prefer to do puzzles, games and math. Holly is good with the answer that well, that's just how God made it, but is still inquisitive about how and why snow melts. Sarah will "But Why?" you to death about something that you will have to Google it to give her a proper answer. Sarah wants to see that the pretzels are all gone, while Holly is content with you saying there aren't any more. Sarah recently pointed out that "Sparky the Fire Dog" was just a guy in a dog suit and he wasn't really real.... and informed the rest of her preschool class of that fact.
My sweet babies are best friends and love one another. They love playing Barbies, wrestling with daddy, and snuggling up to read a good book. They are both creative, competitive and fiercely independent.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Sarah is Frac to Holly's Fric, as Ronnie is my complement in this world. Sometimes, I think the only thing we can agree on is Seminole Football and Braves Baseball.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Feeling Spring-ish
You know if I actually type this out, I'm going to jinx it... It has been a really cold winter, and one where we've been relegated to indoor pursuits most weekends because it was plain unbearable. But I think the worst of the winter is behind us. Our temps are consistently above freezing on most days now, and we haven't seen frozen white stuff fall from the sky in a while. I won't go so far as to say spring is here, but we're getting there.
Taking advantage of the warm-up, the girls and I are playing outside while it's still light out. And it's time to start exploring again, but more importantly to get out and run.
We took full advantage of the weather this weekend and headed to Mulhyanggi Arboretum. This little gem is about 20 minutes up the road and is a true slice of heaven. We were joined by our friends the Erbs; we were stationed together in North Carolina and they just got here from Whiteman, .
Anyhow, Chanie and I headed out with the kids in tow on Sunday afternoon to roam the grounds. It really was a nice day out. We brought some toys with us and got a small game of frisbee and football up with other kids that were there. We walked the grounds and let the kids run to their hearts content. Nothing is in bloom yet, but there are lots of buds forming on the trees. We're about a month out from cherry and apricot blossoms, but you can tell Mother Nature is working hard already. But mostly, we had a great time visiting with Chanie and Bodey and enjoying the quasi-spring day we had.
Taking advantage of the warm-up, the girls and I are playing outside while it's still light out. And it's time to start exploring again, but more importantly to get out and run.
We took full advantage of the weather this weekend and headed to Mulhyanggi Arboretum. This little gem is about 20 minutes up the road and is a true slice of heaven. We were joined by our friends the Erbs; we were stationed together in North Carolina and they just got here from Whiteman, .
Anyhow, Chanie and I headed out with the kids in tow on Sunday afternoon to roam the grounds. It really was a nice day out. We brought some toys with us and got a small game of frisbee and football up with other kids that were there. We walked the grounds and let the kids run to their hearts content. Nothing is in bloom yet, but there are lots of buds forming on the trees. We're about a month out from cherry and apricot blossoms, but you can tell Mother Nature is working hard already. But mostly, we had a great time visiting with Chanie and Bodey and enjoying the quasi-spring day we had.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Apples and Oranges
It's been 5 days since Ash Wednesday. I'm getting the hang of reading every.single.nutrition.label. I'm sure ya'll know this, but do you know how many items HFCS is in? And not just the sweet stuff either; I've found it in salad dressing, ketchup, and granola bars.
While doing my Saturday morning clean out the fridge routine, I found some soft apples in the bottom of our veggie drawer. Yeah, I don't know about you, but I like really crisp apples when I eat them. Then I remembered the Mott's that was in the picture. Lightbulb - I made some fresh applesauce. A few years ago I made homemade apple butter so making this was a few less steps.
The Pick Your Own Cooperative is a wonderful group dedicated to bringing farms and people closer together. And they have some pretty fantastic recipes. Here is the one I loosely followed (more for pointers than anything else): http://www.pickyourown.org/applesaucewomill.htm
And, no I do not have a food mill, I used my rusty trusty immersion blender.
First step, wash, peel, core and chop the apples.
Throw them in a pot with about an inch of water. Bring to boil and simmer until your apples are soft.
Once they are cooked down, you can follow the food mill suggestions on the site, or you can use your food processer, immersion blender, or even a potato masher to make your applesauce. Yep, that's it...
My three medium sized apples made 2 1/2 cups of applesauce! I've decided to divide it and freeze some for a rainy day.
Now, to turn the applesauce to apple butter, put the pureed apples back into the pot and sprinkle in some cinnamon (I also like to put a sprinkle of nutmeg and cloves in mine). Cook the pureed apples for about 30 more minutes. Then put it back into the food processor and puree until smooth. Or you could follow the directions here... I just love they have pictures step by step : (http://www.pickyourown.org/applebutter.htm)
Enjoy!
While doing my Saturday morning clean out the fridge routine, I found some soft apples in the bottom of our veggie drawer. Yeah, I don't know about you, but I like really crisp apples when I eat them. Then I remembered the Mott's that was in the picture. Lightbulb - I made some fresh applesauce. A few years ago I made homemade apple butter so making this was a few less steps.
The Pick Your Own Cooperative is a wonderful group dedicated to bringing farms and people closer together. And they have some pretty fantastic recipes. Here is the one I loosely followed (more for pointers than anything else): http://www.pickyourown.org/applesaucewomill.htm
And, no I do not have a food mill, I used my rusty trusty immersion blender.
First step, wash, peel, core and chop the apples.
Throw them in a pot with about an inch of water. Bring to boil and simmer until your apples are soft.
Once they are cooked down, you can follow the food mill suggestions on the site, or you can use your food processer, immersion blender, or even a potato masher to make your applesauce. Yep, that's it...
Now, to turn the applesauce to apple butter, put the pureed apples back into the pot and sprinkle in some cinnamon (I also like to put a sprinkle of nutmeg and cloves in mine). Cook the pureed apples for about 30 more minutes. Then put it back into the food processor and puree until smooth. Or you could follow the directions here... I just love they have pictures step by step : (http://www.pickyourown.org/applebutter.htm)
Enjoy!
Yes We Can-Can
I'm sad to announce that neither Ronnie nor I will be running in the Seoul Marathon. Ronnie is on TDY for the next few weeks and I just never quite recovered from being sick back in December. And when I finally did recover, there was no amount of training that would get me ready in time. Thus, Ronnie is running his marathon on the same day, but in Thailand (yes, that is where he is TDY - lucky dog) and I had to find something else to get back in shape and burn calories.
Osan's Officers Spouses Club hosts a fantastic fundraiser, Wild West Night, each year. The O-Club is turned into a saloon, complete with gambling, auctions, a country store, a jail and dancing. To pull it off, they have to have lots and lots of volunteers. So I signed up... to be a dancer. And not just any dancer, a Can-Can Dancer at that.
The Can-Can line seems to be traditionally made up of the Ops Group spouses. And yes, it's a true Can-Can with shaking and kicklines. We started practicing a few weeks ago a couple of days a week for a few hours. I was sore in places I haven't been sore in for a long time. I bounced and kicked and did handstands and cartwheels. More importantly, I just had fun getting to know some ladies I haven't had a chance to really talk with a lot.
Finally, our night came. Wild West Night was held last night and it was as much fun as I had built it up to be. We danced our hearts out and even had a little surprise for the last dance.
I'm sure some of the videos will make their way to YouTube, and I'll post a link here when they do.
And as an added bonus, when I brushed out my hair from the ringlets, I had Jane Russell slash Silver Screen bombshell-esque hair...
Osan's Officers Spouses Club hosts a fantastic fundraiser, Wild West Night, each year. The O-Club is turned into a saloon, complete with gambling, auctions, a country store, a jail and dancing. To pull it off, they have to have lots and lots of volunteers. So I signed up... to be a dancer. And not just any dancer, a Can-Can Dancer at that.
The Can-Can line seems to be traditionally made up of the Ops Group spouses. And yes, it's a true Can-Can with shaking and kicklines. We started practicing a few weeks ago a couple of days a week for a few hours. I was sore in places I haven't been sore in for a long time. I bounced and kicked and did handstands and cartwheels. More importantly, I just had fun getting to know some ladies I haven't had a chance to really talk with a lot.
Finally, our night came. Wild West Night was held last night and it was as much fun as I had built it up to be. We danced our hearts out and even had a little surprise for the last dance.
I'm sure some of the videos will make their way to YouTube, and I'll post a link here when they do.
And as an added bonus, when I brushed out my hair from the ringlets, I had Jane Russell slash Silver Screen bombshell-esque hair...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Giving Up... Giving Out... Giving In
Something I don't really discuss with others is my faith. Religion is very personal for me, thus I'm a quiet and private believer. The reason why I'm blogging about it is because of my "sacrifice" for the Lenten season. I have given up high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and all of it's lab-created sugar-wanna-be cousins.
Before I go any further, let me show you something:
Does this look like your pantry? I found all this in mine. All of these products have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it, even the seemingly healthy applesauce. CRAZY right??? While I realize my sacrifice may seem wierd, I came to it because it's not necessarily the most "healthy" thing in the world to eat all the processed food I consume.
My dilemma is that I'm a working mom who needs a certain level of convenience in preparing meals, but I wanted to refocus on eating healthier. Enter Lent and a reason above all to do something: to better myself for Him. I'll post a new thought, finding or recipe every week if you want to join me on this journey. And maybe we can all be just a little healthier in 40 days.
Before I go any further, let me show you something:
Does this look like your pantry? I found all this in mine. All of these products have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it, even the seemingly healthy applesauce. CRAZY right??? While I realize my sacrifice may seem wierd, I came to it because it's not necessarily the most "healthy" thing in the world to eat all the processed food I consume.
My dilemma is that I'm a working mom who needs a certain level of convenience in preparing meals, but I wanted to refocus on eating healthier. Enter Lent and a reason above all to do something: to better myself for Him. I'll post a new thought, finding or recipe every week if you want to join me on this journey. And maybe we can all be just a little healthier in 40 days.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Whatchya Doin? Part 1
So I teased everyone with a picture of fabric the last post. I got to work soon after that post and have finished one of my projects. This fabric is what the squadron's party shirts are made out of
One of the ladies had emailed out a sew along pattern for a cute gored skirt a few months back. Basically the pattern is a series of straight lines, meaning I had no issues with it. It took me a few hours to finish everything up. Here are the results
One of the ladies had emailed out a sew along pattern for a cute gored skirt a few months back. Basically the pattern is a series of straight lines, meaning I had no issues with it. It took me a few hours to finish everything up. Here are the results
I think they turned out really cute! And it was super easy. In case you are wanting to do something similar (since Spring is coming up and all), here is a link to the pattern I used in case you want to do one yourself. http://sewingmamas.com/b/downloads.php?do=file&id=96
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