Date Night

Boy have our date nights changed. We decided to go out for a nice dinner to celebrate our little monkey turning 1.5! He has not been feeling well, but had a burst of energy so we decided to give it a shot. We have decided the high chair is not the best option when eating out. I spent most of the dinner wrestling him and sipping my Pinot noir in the other hand. At one point we took shifts to let him run outside where he flirted and talked to all the people walking by. It kills me the people who are obsessed with his glasses. I love to hear the comments as we walk by. Yep we know he is adorable ;). Aj and I are wondering what we will do a week in Mexico that we can actually sit down and taste our food. I'm sure we will both shovel it down, not realizing we can take our time. You will notice Keegan isn't with us. He is becoming quite the socialist on the weekends. He is headed to DC with his class this week. I can't believe he is old enough to fly and stay in a hotel without us.AJ and I were talking about if we would be ready to go on a trip like that when we were that age. I am a bit jealous with the things he gets to see, but I'll take my relaxing vacation at this point in my life!

My Fall Favorites

I am up bright and early with our Monkey. I couldn't get through this morning without a few of my favorite things! Aj and I are obsessed with this new Heath International Delight Creamer. Heath bars are my favorite and now I can get them in a liquid form! I also can not live without my Green Mountain Island Coconut K Cups! They are a summer staple, but I love a little tropical flair on a cool Fall morning. Fall would not be complete without yummy smelling candles. I broke down and bought a more expensive Pumpkin Spice candle, but it holds nothing to my 3/$10.00 Fall candles from Michaels. I am loving the Cinnamon Roll and Pumpkin Pie.

Bike Ride

Aj pushed me to ride to the next town over and back today. Yes, I got yelled at, but he is a good motivator. Love spending that time with him, and I know I'd never go so far without him! He didn't want his picture taken, but I had to document that I did it!

Chicken and Dumplings

One of our favorite Fall comfort foods is Chicken and Dumplings. This was one of my favorites made by my Mamaw and adapted by me. It is super easy and super yummy. 

You will need: 

2 boxes or large cans of Chicken Broth

1 package of cut up whole chicken or breasts with bone (The bone is the secret to the flavor). 

1 bag of carrots

4 celery stalks

1 onion

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste 

I cut up all ingredients and cook the veggies with the chicken. I then take out the chicken and peel it from the bone. Add the chicken back to the pan. Then it is time to make the dumplings! I have used regular egg noodles, noodles from the freezer section, or this recipe. I like the dumpling drop recipe because it is super easy and I love the consistency of the dumplings. I ended up making two batches with our pot tonight. The dumplings take about 7 minutes and you are ready to eat! 

Blog Construction

Please be patient with my layout. I have been trying to do some redesign work, which makes it look a bit funky when I play with things. Thanks for following me!

Play Closet

We do not have a basement and toys were overtaking the living room. I have always dreamed of a closet office or little area in our entry closet. It was a catch all for everything . I decided G needed a play closet! It's all moved, now we just need paint, a few baskets, and a decal. Hmmm ...

Pumpkin Bars

Fall is in the air in the midwest. I am having my sister in law over this morning for coffee and thought I would make something yummy to go with it. This recipe was quick and easy. I skipped the frosting part, and bought a can of cream cheese frosting. =) 

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I am loving having someone to cook for that will actually eat what I make! The other night, I made a barbecue chicken pizza. So simple and so yummy. I found a crust at Target that was low fat. I used my favorite barbecue sauce for the pizza sauce and then used pregrilled chicken and veggies I had on hand. Simply cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and make sure you don't eat the whole pizza yourself. Oops. =) 

This and That After Deployment

I hate blogs that don't post often. Sorry... I have been playing with my layout the other day and ended up going with a generic blogger template, but not sure I love it.

Saturday Date Making BQ Chicken Pizza

Hubby has been off on and off on leave and honestly I want to spend every waking minute with him and my boys. Homework had even taken a backseat, until I forced them out of the house Saturday so I could get caught up. The hardest part of reunion time, is trying to fit it all back in. The things that once kept me busy, just feel so unimportant somedays.

Some of you readers may remember that I made the switch from a catholic church to a christian church this deployment. I finally got my family there last Sunday. AJ loved it. I was so glad to hear. I can't wait to see how our faith grows now that we have found a new church family.

Finally a Date night! 

We have been doing lots of bike riding lately. We have a beautiful trail near our town and AJ has been kicking my booty. It has been lots of fun and addicting. I even get upset the days I can't go. =) Got to get ready to wear my bikinis in a month and half.

Another fun thing I have been doing is trying new recipes. It is so fun to have someone to cook for that appreciates it. I will be sharing some of my new loves! Keep checking back and if you haven't friend my blog page on Facebook please do! I have also been "pinning" away. Join me!

Waiting for Mexico! 

Saying Good Bye *Updated*

We have been having fun packing up our Michigan house and enjoying the beauty of the area. I am getting sad that this is our last trip to this house. So many memories. It has been nice to share the place one last time with AJ.

Adjusting After Deployment

We have really been enjoying our time together. Adjusting after a deployment is always hard. The kids are taking it in stride. Aj and I are enjoying getting to know each other again. With that comes with having to learn how to deal with those little things that get under our skin, my carefree attitude versus my husband's analness, and learning to be a good stay at home wife. When Aj left I was balancing my real estate career and the family. It still got me out several days a week. When he got activated we made the decision to lessen my load, and I would stay home. (Then I needed to be challenged and added grad school to my plate.) It is much different being a housewife when AJ is home versus gone. I feel like I need to show him accomplished something. I have to shower and keep the house picked up. I feel like I should have a dinner plan in mind other then deployment hot dogs. Sometimes I want to stand at the door and scream " take me with you !" Today I am stuck home while my car gets worked on and AJ has a night out planned with his police friends. It is going to be a long day for me. Then there are most days that I love teaching our little monkey and being here when the boys walk in the door.
We are taking one last trip to our Michigan house this weekend. It has sold so it will be bittersweet. I am sure we will all shed some tears as we pull away. Aj and I have so many memories there. It was our first vacation as kids together. I used to sneak down to his room ( don't tell my mom). I brought Keegan there to meet his great-grandparents when he was a few months old. We spent many summers there with my Mamaw passing time while Aj was deployed or training. We celebrated homecomings there, conceived Brayden there, watched Mamaw fight her cancer there, told the boys we would be a family of 5 there, and told the boys AJ was deploying last year there. We learned about wine and that the lake can cure anything. It is my favorite place in the whole world and I am sad that the last piece of my Mamaw will be gone. I know she is with me, but I still feel her in the house. Say a prayer the weekend is peaceful and recharging for us all.

Here are a few pics from our week.

MIA

Sorry readers! I have been soaking up every minute with my family. Here are a few of my favorites from the week. I just love watching G fall in love with his Dada! We are all doing well and adjusting. Aj works at the drill center now so we get him home for dinner and bedtime. Four days off wasn't nearly enough. We are heading out of town for a long weekend in a couple of weeks. Grad school semester 2 starts today !