He's My Lobster ♥

One Month

One Month.

Since the last time I've seen, hugged or kissed my husband.

4 weeks. 30 days. 4 weekends. 20 workdays.

5 more months to go until I can jump in his arms.

Not a lifetime, I know. But long enough.

I miss him like crazy.

I can fill my days but there's always something missing.

The nights are the worst. They were our time to spend together, to catch up from the day and to just be together.

Although I'm grateful for deployments; they've brought us closer than I believe we ever would've been if we had never been through one; but boy are they hard.

I spend the days waiting for the email from him, just so I know he's safe and everything's ok.

It's tough knowing that he's in a dangerous location.

Its hard to worry about him day everyday.  It's even harder to not worry about him everyday.

Those phone calls when I'm least expecting it are the highlight of my day.

Even through our lack of communication, I can feel our love growing stronger each day.

I can feel our bond getting stronger as the days go by.

Even though I'm no fan of deployments, in the end, I'm grateful for everything they have taught Chris and I about our relationship.

Gosh, I just love my man in uniform so much ♥ 

Pinterest

Pinterest.

I was invited.

I joined.

I tried to figure it out.

But it can't.

Maybe I'm stupid.

But I just don't get the point of it.

Everyone else seems to love it and really get the hang of it.

What is wrong with me?!

Somebody please explain it to me so I can waste some more time while I should be working.

Because it seems like it has some really cute ideas on that site.

Butterfly Cake

I made this super cute cake for a coworkers little girl's birthday. 

The Cake Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

For the Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

**Will make about 3 Cups icing**

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and shortening with an electric bowl.

2. Add vanilla.

3. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.

4.  When all of the sugar has been mixed in,  icing will appear dry.  Add milk and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.

5. Keep bowl covered with damp colth until ready to use.

For The Decorations

*For the overall icing I used wilton icing color "Rose" and iced the entire cake.

* For the blue dots on the wings, i used a cut up airheard, and kind of  smushed it into little circles.  Then, I used wilton icicng color "teal" to form the little dots around the airhead dots.

* For the body of the butterfly, Iused wilton icing color "Copper" and tip number 21, made small little circles to get the shape the body.
* I used twizzlers for her antlers and spice drops to go around the body.

Big Changes

Big Changes are coming my way.

I'm terrified.

I'm excited.

Most of all, I'm sad.

I'm a bundle of emotions that can't stop crying whenever I mention it.

I'm sad to leave my BEST friends.

They know who they are, and they mean the WORLD to me.

I have no fears that nothing with our friendships will change except that we physically won't see each other so often, which is so hard.

But the bonds that we have are unbreakable. 

We have been through the dramatics of high school.

We made it through everyone leaving to go to college and making new friends.

And we're still back where we started in high school- BEST FRIENDS.

We've been throughout the challenges of "real life" with each other.

There is no doubt in my mind that our friendships will remain the best of the best.

That when they come visit me, or I come back home, we will pick up right where we left off.

Florida.

The beach.

The sunshine.

This is what we've wanted for so long, and now that it's coming true it's so surreal.

Two weeks and we close one chapter in our life and start the first chapter in our married life.

Dirt Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups oreo cookies

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, cream the white sugar, brown sugar, and the butter together until smooth. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir the crushed cookies into the dough. Cover, and chill the dough for 1/2 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

3. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove to cool on wire racks.

Cute Animals

Because I could spend all my days at work looking at cute litte animals.

Sending emails to Chris about which ones are going to be our next family member.

Because lets face it, who doesn't need a smile.

http://theberry.com/2011/09/15/daily-awww-a-whole-buncha-cute-animals-30-photos/

And of course, my marsh;

Tired out from all the running around she did.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Give me the greatness to see the difference between duty and his love for me.

Give me understanding that I may know when duty calls him he must go.

Give me a task to do each day to fill the time while he's away.

Lord,

when he's in a foreign land keep him safe in your loving hand.

When duty is in the field please protect him and be his shield.

And Lord,

When deployment is so long please stay with me and keep me strong

♥

The Help

"Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own."

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is phenomenal.  It not only delves into the relationships of women, but opens eyes to the female side of racism and the Civil Rights era. There will be much conversation about Skeeter’s role in exposing these discriminations, but Aibileen, Minny, and Constantine are the real heroines of the story. Minny struggles with her anger about being considered “less than,” while Aibileen uses her disappointment and disgust to give strength to her own identity. Each of these ladies, Aibileen and Minny, showcase the strength, tenacity, and heart of the African American people who were forced to endure ignorance and hatred from their fellow “wo”man. The Help is a testament to the power of friendship between women, regardless of circumstance and skin color. 

While it does take a some adjusting to get used to the way they talk, you come to love these three main characters and hate a couple other characters. Great characters. Some parts of the book could really make you giggle, others you were afraid for what could happen if those women were caught  You begin to root for them and feel their pain.  This was the best book I have read in a long time and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Once you start reading, you're not going to want to put it down.  Next up, the movie!

Chik Fil-A 5K

So this morning at 630am, I drug myself out of bed.

I got myself dressed in my running clothes and out the door I went.

I headed to the Chik Fil- A 5k in support of Freedom Alliance.

Freedom Alliance is an eeducational and charitable foundation whose mission is to advance the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States and promoting a strong national defense.

These was only my second 5K ever and compared to one at Yankee Stadium,

this was a piece of cake.

My only complaint was that for about the first half mile-ish it was a little hard to get a good pace going because it was crowded.

Other than that, the course wasn't extremely tough and I felt good afterwards.

My sorority sister Leah and I ran it together, so it was good to have someone to run with and keep up a pace to.

I ran it in 31:02.

Pretty proud of myself considering I ran my last one in almost 35 minutes.

Woot Woot.

Go Meee :)

It was actually the perfect morning to be outside running.

It wasn't too hot or too cold.

The sun was shining, but not beating down on you.

It wasn't humid so you could breather.

Overall, a perfect way to start the day.

On a side note, take a look at this TERRIFYING 5k Leah and I found.

runforyourlives.com

What could possibly be more terrifying than being chased by zombies while running a 5k filled with 12 obstacles?

I can't decide if this almost seems so scary it might be fun.

Little Baby Jadyn

One of my very good friends, Lindsay had a little baby girl ten days ago and I finally got to see her last night.  She is beautiful, absolutely breathtaking.  I can tell why Lindsay has fallen heads over heels in love with here, because as we sat there and chatted for an hour and half; I held her in my arms the entire time and could not stop staring at her.  She is just too cute and precious for words. I can not wait to spend more time with this little bundle of joy.

Lindsay- I know you've had you're doubts but you are going to be a truly wonderful mother.  Jadyn is one little lucky girl to have someone with such an amazing spirit and big heart as her mother.  You have a glow about you that I've never see before. Your smile lights up the entire room. Your eyes glow with love when you talk about your little  baby girl.  Don't listen to everyone that has something to say about everything (you know what I'm talking about!).  Do what is right for you and your family and you will be the most wonderful mother out there.  I'm so happy for you I can't even express it! I love little baby Jadyn so much already and I love you :)

I'm Old

25 Ways to Tell You're Grown Up:
1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them.
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00am is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the weather channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up”.
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.”
10. You’re the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don’t know what time taco bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a move is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3am would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good.”
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink that much again.”
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking “Oh crap, what the heck happened?”
BONUS:
26. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn’t apply to you and can’t find one to save your sorry old butt

Honeycomb Pull Apart Cake

So well I was out and about Monday afternoon, I stopped in at William and Sonoma (LOVE that store); because lets face it- what better way to cheer myself up than a little retail therapy and on top of that, what is better than shopping than shopping with gift cards? I could buy the entire store if I had enough money to do so, but unfortunately I do not.  Well as I was browsing along, I stumbled across this...the cutest little cake pan ever. I just HAD to have it.

 

This is just the  cutest pan ever. RIGHT?

Anyways,  you can pretty much cook this recipe in any pan, it just tastes better in this adorable pan. :)

Here's the recipe ...

For the Cake:

4 eggs

2 Teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 Teaspoons almond extract

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoons salt

16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter(room temperature)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cups milk

1/2 cups sliced almonds, toasted and finely ground (I didn't toast them, and I just crumbled them in my hand)

For the Honey Glaze:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons water

Directions:

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

*Grease and flour the pan.

* To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract until blended.

*In a separate bowls, sift together the flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of an electric mixer , beat the butter on medium high speed until light and fluffy creamy, about 3 minutes.

*Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

*Reduce  the speed to medium, add the egg mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute.

*Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and beating each addition until just incorporated. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Do not overmix. 

*Gently fold in the almonds.

* Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula.  Gently tap the pan on the countertop to release any air bubbles.

*Bake until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean; 35-40 minutes. 

*Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

*Meanwhile, make the honey glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the water, bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

* Gently tap the cake pan on a countertop, invert the cake onto the rack and turn the cake right side up.

*Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of the cake with the warm glaze, including the areas between the pull apart sections

Enjoy those bumble bees and honeycombs :)

Chincoteague Island

This past weekend my sister, her best friend (second sister to me) and I decided to take a quick beach trip.

I'm sure glad we did.

While everyone else was dealing with awful weather at home, we were suffering with gorgeous beach weather.

I'm talking perfect beach days people.

We went to Chincoteague Island, and it was was absolutely gorgeous.

We left at about 7am Saturday morning and got there at about 10:30am.

We thought, no problem, plenty of beach parking. This is a pretty popular beach.

Welp, we were wrong.

The sign told us : Beach Parking Lot Full.

The Park Attendant (for those of you who have never been the beach is inside a natural wildlife park) told us the beach parking lot was full.

Oh, and that they only had 300 parking spaces.

The 3 of us exchanged bewildered glances, a beach this popular with such little parking made no sense.

We decided to go in anyways, I mean how full could a beach be at 10:30 anyways?

Apparently, extremely.

The line to get into the parking lot was insane.

So, being the rebels that we are, we parked our car on the side of the road and walked to the beach.

Can't be missing out on precious beach time.

We stopped and asked the police officer what time he would recommend getting there the next morning to avoid the craziness.

Enjoying the sun; laughing at the people patiently waiting in line to park their car in the parking lot.

Our snoozies, which we picked up after dinner in a little beach shop to keep our feet warm...super cool i know

Sunday, we got up nice and early. I'm talking 730 people.

Went and had a nice little breakfast that was delicious.

Got to the beach at about 830, beat out any parking lines.

Took a nice nap on the beach til about 10:30

Peaceful morning at the beach before all the crazy families get there.

Pretty Wild Horses :)

All in all, it was a great weekend, we had wonderful weather and a great time.

I loved the beach and can't wait to go back there with Chris.

It's such a cute little beach town.

No boardwalk, which I loved.

And tons of cute little beachshops, which is always a plus.

It was definitely nice to get away from everything for the weekend.

I think I needed it to clear my head and get my mind clear.

Plus, I heard from Chris which always makes things a little better.

Cake In A Jar

* This is something fun I found online from another military wife to send to my husband while he is deployed and thought that I would pass it along to anyone else who is looking for little "pick me ups" to send to there significant others while they are serving our country.  It's a nice little surprise for them to have when they open that care package. *

You will need: -Ball Mason Jars (get as many as you plan on sending) with the seals and lids. Make sure to purchase the wide mouthed jars. It makes the release of the cake a lot easier for the guys. :)
-Ingredients to make his favorite cake or if you prefer Boxed cake mix
-Cooking spray
-Bubble wrap
-Icing (Be sure to leave the icing sealed and un-opened, as it will spoil.)
-Sprinkles or any other toppings that you would like to send.
-Plastic forks, knives and napkins.

 

 Directions:-Pre-heat oven to 325.
-In a small pot, bring around 2-3 cups of water to a boil.
-Place jar seals in boiling water (as you would if you were canning veggies/jams) and allow to boil while you prepare the cake. This prepares them to vacuum seal the jar.
-Prepare your cake mix as instructed per the box or in your homemade recipe.
-THOROUGHLY grease the inside of the glass jars. It will seem as if you've added too much, but this is important to keep the cake from sticking and to retain its moisture during the trip overseas.
-Pour cake batter into jars until halfway full. Do not fill over this amount, as the cake will rise.
-Place jars on baking sheet and bake in pre-heated oven, thirty minutes, or until a toothpick removes clean when inserted.
-Carefully remove the baking sheet with the jars after baking is completed.
-With tongs, remove the seals from boiling water and place atop jars. Screw the lids around until tight.
-Wait to hear the POP! sound. When the lids pop they have appropriately sealed. Be sure that they pop! If they don't, the cake will spoil.
-Send instructions to your man to listen for a pop when he opens the jar. If it does not pop when he opens it, he shouldn't eat it, as it may have spoiled. Tell him to shake the jar until the cake falls out, cut it into slices for he and the others in his unit, and open/spread the icing and sprinkles on top! :) Voila!
-Please remind him to throw the icing away, unless they have a way to keep it cool, as it must be refrigerated after opening! :)

 

 

 

Deployment Days Begin Yet Again

It feels like Chris just got home from a deployment.

It feels like I just had those excited butterflies going to pick him up.  Like I was just jumping into his arms, welcoming him home.

And we're back to leaving again.

Saturday we had a great day planned out. 

We were going to spend the day at Baltimore; aquarium, dinner and YANKEES game with my sister, brother, and their significant other.

Hurricane Irene had other plans for us though.

Instead we had a hurricane party at our house and had a great time. Drinking, eating, and playing board games.

Of course Marshmellow had to play.

And by play, I mean attack every single piece on the board and attempt to run away with it.

Sunday evening we drove down to Norfolk and stayed the night in a hotel.

Snuggling up on Daddy, making sure he gets enough loving and kisses to last him for six months.

Abby was so sad her Daddy was leaving she wouldn't even come in the bedroom, she sat out in the hall and pouted.

It broke both our hearts.

They both looks so incredibly sad when we were packing up the car with his stuff, getting ready to go.

Animals know when something is going on.

And they knew.

And, boy were they sad.

They were still really sad when I came home.

Poor babies.

Monday we spent the day at Virginia Beach, enjoying our time together before we spend six months apart.

Again.

We played some putt putt. Walked the boardwalk. Walked the beach. Bought some taffy.

Did not stop by the Old Time Portrait Shop because Chris is lame and refused.

All things considered, it was a nice day together.

Very peaceful.

Kisses on the beach before we head back to base for his departure.

Attempted smiles.

Good bye was hard.

Definitely  harder than the last time he left.

And most definitely harder than the time he left before that.

Maybe it's because he's been back for such a short period of time.

Maybe its because we are still newlyweds.

Maybe it's because we are literally putting our life on hold for this deployment.

I'm not sure why, but this good bye was the hardest one yet.

Not that any of them have been easy by any means.

And I'm not complaining.

I choose this life.

I knew what I was getting into when I started dating Chris.

I'm proud of him.

I'm proud of what he does for this country.

But that doesn't make it less difficult on me or mean I worry less.