MilSpouse Friday Fill in # 13!!

It's Friday already?? Dang. I'm not complaining though. Head on over to Wife Of A Sailor to link up!! :)

1. What do you see your life like in 10 years?
I'll be 36.5 years old!!! Whoadang. If all goes as planned, we'll have at least two kids. I'm sure we'll have some pets, and Seth will still be in the Army. By then, he'll have about 18 years in, so he'll be nearing retirement.

2. What do you like most about your job?
This might sound lame, but I'm really glad I have a job that allows me to talk to Seth. We chat on gmail a few times per week and I'm able to call him and answer his calls whenever that may be. Other things I like: (most of) my coworkers, lunch time with said coworkers and I like that I literally knew nothing when I started this position and I have learned SO much in my

3. What are three things you do every day, no matter what day it is?
Go pee, check my email, talk to Seth's pictures. I'm a creeper, whatever.

4. What would you do with an extra five hours in the day today?
I definitely would have gone to the gym. Not for 5 hours though, don't be crazy. I took a little bitty nap when I got home on accident. After I post this, I'll be wrapping Christmas presents :)

5. What is your favorite Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate) cookie recipe (please share!)?
I have a new as of this year favorite. I got it from a Better Homes and Gardens holiday collection of cookies. It's titled "100 Best Cookies: Love on a sheet pan." They're called Chocolate Mint Creams. I can't find a picture of them online, and of course I didn't take a picture of them when I made them last weekend. (I made a big batch to send to Seth). Here's the recipe:

Prep: 25 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Bake: 10 minutes per batch
Oven: 350 F

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
Pastel cream mint cookies (I couldn't find these in the store, so I used Hershey's Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles. The picture in the recipe book shows a mint green Hershey kiss, which makes them look extra pretty, but the truffles make them super delish!)

1. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and water. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate; cook and stir until chocolate is melted. Pour mixture into large bow; cool for 10 minutes.
2. Using a wooden spoon, stir the egg into chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.
   
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet
4. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place a mint kiss on top of each cookie. Bake about 2 minutes more or until edges are set.
   
5. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool until melted mints are firm. Makes about 48 cookies.

On the second batch, I let the cookies bake for 10 minutes and then pulled them out and put the mint kiss on top. The mint kisses looked more like a kiss this way, because they didn't melt in the oven, and the cookie was more crackled on the outside. I hope the guys like them!!!

Almost home....

I was talking to my Dad today and he said, “I don’t want to get you worked up, but I told mom last night that I’m getting excited for Seth to come home. I’m excited to see him!” TRY BEING ME, FATHER!!!


My brother will be driving out from California for Christmas, too. He is planning his vacation home so it’ll overlap when Seth is home. Only for a few days, but it’s better than no days. We’re already planning on going shooting with all of Seth’s fancy guns!

This calendar…this one right below? See it? Yeah, it’s displaying the date that Seth will be home :) :) :)

He's on my "to-do" list ;)

Seth - I know what you're thinking when you read this. You KNOW how excited I get and I hope I'm not annoying you too much. I just can't hide my excitement...you know me!! I love you babe!! xxoo

Donut time

I had two donuts this morning. I had my R&R donut and deployment donut. I washed them both down with an Irish Coffee...with lots of whiskey.

Here's my progress!

(I'd better start figuring out what I'm going to wear!! Only 9% to go?!?!! AHhhHHHhHH!!!)

Both of these donuts are getting stale. I've been eating away at them for a good 9 months now. They're almost done though. Then I'll regurgitate them with pure excitement like you wouldn't believe.

Is it 2011 yet??

I wonder...

Sometimes I wonder how I’ll get everything done (and then some) when I’m married and we have kids. I work full time now and I go to the gym most days of the week, and I don’t get home sometimes until 7 PM. And that’s just me…my schedule. I try to be in bed by 10 PM because I definitely need my sleep. I don’t have to be accountable for anyone else, or spend time with someone in the evening. I don’t have to cook dinner for a family and often times, I eat a Lean Cuisine because it’s much faster and easier than cooking a whole meal for one. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be able to have Seth home so I could spend the evenings hanging out with him, and cooking dinner with him. I wonder how in the world I’d get this all done if kids were in the picture too. I don’t want to give up my gym time…I really like it and I need it. I have to be to work at 7:30 AM, so working out in the morning is not an option (plus, my gym opens at 8 AM). Really, after work is the only time for me to work out.

I’ve been so tired the last few weeks. I think it has to do with my increased gym time. Molli and I are doing a Boot Camp class for 5 weeks. It ends on December 18th. She normally uses the gym at her apartment complex, but she joined my gym for this Boot Camp program. I usually work until 4:30, but she works until 5, so I’ve been staying until then and then we car pool to the gym together. I usually go to the gym right after work (4:30), and then I’m home much earlier in the evening. With this new boot camp schedule though, I’ve been going to the gym later, doing more hardcore workouts, and then getting home later, making my whole evenings seem so much shorter. I’m not complaining, I’m just wondering out loud. I love the new classes I’ve been trying and I like that I’ve upped my gym time…I’m just wondering how different it’ll be when I’m a married woman. Whoadang.

I got a new couch at the beginning of November and I’ve barely had time to enjoy it. I’ve been go-go-go, with running errands, Christmas shopping for Seth, going to all these new work out classes, etc . It’s making the time go by really fast, which I’m thankful for, but I still wonder how I’ll get all this done when we’re married. I guess I’ll find a way, right? Or I’ll learn to live on less sleep.

Such a guy thing...

My friend sent me this link to an Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/awelldressedbullet

I think Seth would really bullet cuff links and/or the pen sets.

...Maybe for his birthday :)

MilSpouse Friday Fill in # 12

I have 25 followers! Hi there! Feel free to welcome yourselves, I would love to meet you!

So here's the MilSpouse Friday Fill in. I guess it could technically be considered 13, because last week would have been 12, but there wasn't one last week because it was a holiday. So we'll go with 12 for the sake of chronological order, but in my mind it will actually be 13. Head on over to Wife of A Sailor to link up!!

1. If you were given $1,000 right now, how would you spend it?
   I would divvy it up equally between paying for our new couch, our new TV and saving money for R&R (WHICH WILL BE NEXT MONTH!!!!!!)
   
   
2. If you had to choose a movie title (a real one that already exists) for your life story, what would it be?
   I'm tempted to say The Little Mermaid although that would have absolutely no significance. I just really love that movie. And the soundtrack. I guess in reality though, I would pick Dear John by Nicholas Sparks because that movie is so much like our relationship. We met while Seth was home on leave last deployment (granted, we "met" online and then met in person on leave), but their relationship is very similar to ours. Except for the part where she marries someone else. Up until that point, it's totally us. (And for the record, I'm sure you're wondering if I like the book or the movie more...I prefer the movie. The book depressed the hell out of me, but I loved the movie).
   
   
3. If you were a teacher, what subject would you like to teach?
   I would much rather teach lower elementary, like K-2 than upper EL or secondary. Bring on the fun activities for learning! I've also started participating in lots of classes at my gym and for a brief moment, I thought it could be fun to teach a class. Don't get me wrong, I do not enjoy 1) public speaking while jumping around all outta breath and 2) jumping around while looking at myself in the mirror. And I know a work out class at a gym is not a "subject" but it's along the same lines. I would never have the guts to teach a work out class actually. I've just thought about how I'll continue my gym routine when I move to be with Seth and thought that classes would be a good way.
   
   
4. Has being a MilSpouse changed how you view holidays or how your holidays are celebrated? If so, how? If not, what hasn’t changed?
   Of course. I don't care so much about the holidays this year. I just want them over really. Last year I was so friggin excited for this time of year, it couldn't come fast enough. Seth was home last Christmas and that made the whole season that much more enjoyable. This will be our first Christmas apart (and probably not the last) and I'll be spending part of the day with his family.
   
   
5. What is your favorite Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) memory?
   Ahhh, so many. I used to always paint my nails and curl my hair on Christmas Eve, so on Christmas morning, I would always look cute in the pictures. Never worked...still looked like a nerdy teenager. One year, my aunt taught my sister and I how to sneak unwrap our presents and package them back up. My brother, sister and I undid all of our presents and not much was a surprise. Another year, we all gathered in my sister's room and told each other EVERYTHING that we knew our parents had purchased for each other. (This was my idea, I'm sure. I always convinced my mom to tell me what she got my brother and sister and I lovehate surprises so much, I just HAVE to know what is under that wrapping paper and it kills me waiting for Christmas morning to find out). One year, my siblings and I slept a little too late for our grandma's liking, so she started banging cupboards and pots and pans to wake us up so we could open presents. My sister and I used to always make coffee on Christmas morning to lure our parents out of bed. Then we'd have to wait patiently for my brother to wake up and since I couldn't wait that long, I would run downstairs and yell at him to wake up so we could do presents and then he'd get really mad at me and start his morning off wrong. Sometimes, haha I'm so mean, I would let our dog in from outside...when he was all wet and cold...and go downstairs and make him jump on my brother so it would be the dogs fault not my own for waking my brother up. One year my sister and I chose a present to sneak into my room to open early together. Late on Christmas Eve, when we couldn't sleep because we were too excited, we snuck into the living room and we stole a present out from under the tree (we were going to take it back to my room and open it). We thought my grandma was asleep in the living room chair but she was actually awake and she yelled at us and she scared us and we ran into my room and we knocked over a picture and broke the glass in the frame. Ahhhh good times. I can't wait to have my sister home for Christmas this year!! I could honestly do without presents though if it meant Seth and I could be together.
   

I'm a Gemini!

So I've signed up for daily horoscopes (regular and love horoscopes), which are waiting in my inbox when I check my email. I'm a gemini, have I ever mentioned that? I am a TOTAL gemini and I love it. I'll do a post about that one day. But for now, I'm talking about today's horoscope.

My regular daily horoscope for today says:

A powerful desire for intimacy with a significant other could drive you today, Stacy. If you're currently involved, you'll probably want to schedule a romantic evening together. If you aren't involved, you could well consider ways to expand your social life so as to enable you to meet potential mates. You could also try reading a few books on the subject, but in order to gain from this you must remain objective - and today, that could take some effort!

My daily love horoscope for today says:

The day's planetary energy may not help in making this the best time for a romantic evening out. You will not be feeling in the greatest of moods, and could find it difficult to whip up any kind of enthusiasm for what is to come. It may be better if you plan this for another time, when you will find it easier to rediscover the joy you naturally share.

So one horoscope says that I "probably want to schedule a romantic evening together." But then my love horoscope says "the day's planetary energy may not help in making this the best time for a romantic evening out." Hmmmmm....

No matter which horoscope I abide by today, I won't be getting that romantic evening, nor will I have a bad romantic evening because it's physically not possible. Thanks, Deployment.

However, SETH WILL BE HOME NEXT MONTH!!! And we can have 2 weeks of romantic evenings then! Do you know how long I've waited to say that?! Forever, basically. Actually it's been a whole year since I've been able to say that.

On a side note....I cut open a pomegranate last night (I LOVE pomegranates!!) and I got all the little seed pod things out. I have no idea what they're called. Anyways, my fingers and cuticles are all yellow now. It looks like I have jaundice. Just on my hands only. I wonder why my hands are all yellow when pomegranates are so red? I think I stained everything in my kitchen last night. Juice was squirting everywhere. Oh well, the taste is worth it :)

And by the way, if you're a Gemini, I would love to know. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday! Oh, it's Wednesday! I'm supposed to do a wedding post. I might do that later today. Wait, no I won't because I don't have any new news regarding the wedding. Other than I've gotten a lot of compliments on our save the dates and people are excited for it. :)