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http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=bGXYMNw9kYAVLoDTLiebxA%3D%3D
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I was looking for something different to make tonight, and I have been wanting to use the leeks I had sitting in the fridge. This recipe came out fantastic, so I thought I would share. I completely forgot to take a picture though! SORRY!
Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken, Pancetta, Leeks, & White Wine Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces, weight Pasta, Cooked Al Dente
- 2 large chicken breast, pounded almost flat and cut in to chunks
- 4 ounces Pancetta, chopped or finely sliced bacon as substitute
- 3 whole Leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup Dry White Wine
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese, Shaved
Directions
1. Cook pasta in salted water and set aside.
2. Over a medium heat, add olive oil.
3. Add chicken, butter, pancetta, and leeks into pan and sauté until chicken is cooked and mixture starts to brown, appx. 8 to 10 minutes. After 8 to 10 minutes, pour in wine, then cook an additional 1-2 minutes, until sauce is reduced. Reduce heat to low, and then pour in cream. Stir in Parmesan shavings and toss in drained pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with Parmesan shavings on top.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Call me the crazy cat lady
We adopted a kitten after we got back from vacation in late June. I have ALWAYS wanted a kitten growing up, but my dad had sever allergies, and I also had some allergies to them. For some reason, Siamese cats do not bother my allergies at all. Our friends in Texas have a Siamese, and we fell in love with her when we stayed with them. After we found out that we would not be moving to Texas while Chief is in Iraq, he decided that we needed a Siamese kitten. So, our search was pretty short, and we found one right on Schofield, only a couple of miles from our house. Please meet the newest member of our family, Isabella, AKA Izzy, Smelly Isabelly, Bella, pretty kitty, Isabel, and countless other names! She does answer to all of them too! She is a huge talker, like most Siamese are, and very loving. She is a cross between a Snowshoe Siamese and a Blue Point Siamese.
Siamese don't come up very often here, and people are usually asking quite a bit. Our kitten was 12 weeks old when we got her, and her and Lucy, the 75 lb American Bulldog, were immediate friends. Sorry about the quality of the photos! They were taken with my phone, and the lighting wasn't great!
Anyway, she is now almost 5 months old, getting fixed this weekend along with Lucy too! (Yes, we are crazy for doing them at the exact same time!)
We are also going to try and toilet train Izzy. Yes, you heard me right, TOILET TRAIN! I have been reading up on it lately, and it seems like she would not have any problem with it. We actually started it today, and the first step and second step is complete. She had no trouble when I moved the box right next to the toilet, and I also already propped it up to be the same height as the toilet. She has had no problem with it (she never has had an accident since she came to live with us.) We do think she is going in to heat though because she has been very vocal the last few days, loving, loving on Lucy ALOT, and she called out for the first time tonight in this freakish meow. Thank goodness she is getting that taken care of this weekend!
Isabel loves to sleep in the window, play with any toy she can get her paws on, eats a TON, is very social, and loves kneading me in the middle of the night. We all love and adore her so much, and she is such a great kitty. She fit in to our family perfectly, and we could not have asked for a better kitty. It took me 34 years to get a kitten, but I have one now! I can cross that off my "life's to do list."
Siamese don't come up very often here, and people are usually asking quite a bit. Our kitten was 12 weeks old when we got her, and her and Lucy, the 75 lb American Bulldog, were immediate friends. Sorry about the quality of the photos! They were taken with my phone, and the lighting wasn't great!
We are also going to try and toilet train Izzy. Yes, you heard me right, TOILET TRAIN! I have been reading up on it lately, and it seems like she would not have any problem with it. We actually started it today, and the first step and second step is complete. She had no trouble when I moved the box right next to the toilet, and I also already propped it up to be the same height as the toilet. She has had no problem with it (she never has had an accident since she came to live with us.) We do think she is going in to heat though because she has been very vocal the last few days, loving, loving on Lucy ALOT, and she called out for the first time tonight in this freakish meow. Thank goodness she is getting that taken care of this weekend!
Isabel loves to sleep in the window, play with any toy she can get her paws on, eats a TON, is very social, and loves kneading me in the middle of the night. We all love and adore her so much, and she is such a great kitty. She fit in to our family perfectly, and we could not have asked for a better kitty. It took me 34 years to get a kitten, but I have one now! I can cross that off my "life's to do list."
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sisterhood
Tonight we had to say goodbye to part of our Hawaii family, and it was so hard! After 12 years being married to an Army officer, goodbyes do not get any easier. We all become so close, and then we move away from each other about every 3 years. We were lucky enough to be together on our last duty station, and we hope our paths cross again very soon! The nice thing about moving is that we do meet amazing people and make forever friends every time we move! We will miss you Mckinley family, and we love you dearly!
Sisterhood
by Debbie Giusti
I am an Army Wife - a member of that sisterhood of woman who have had the courage to watch their men march into battle and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles or over nations to begin a new life with our soldier husbands.
Within days we turn a barren echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white walled and un-papered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels for we shop the markets of the globe.
Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there a lifetime. We hold our family together by the bootstraps and raise the best of "brats," instilling into them the motto, "Home is togetherness," whether motel, or guesthouse, apartment or duplex.
As Army wives, we soon realize that the only good in "good-bye" is the "hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During the separation we guard the home front existing till the homecoming.
Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by age, but by tours ~ married at Knox, a baby born at Bliss, a promotion in Missouri. We plant trees and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop.
Through experience we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car, or hold baggage and live indefinitely from the contents within; and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn and the silver we have shined, our hearts are always ready to help those around us.
Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday while anticipating tomorrow.
Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every Army bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another sharing in the beauty of our unique, fulfilling Army way of life. Sunday, August 8, 2010
Recipe Book
One of my closest friends, www.chelseamckinleyphotography.com , is moving to North Carolina on Tuesday, and I am so sad. I will miss her terribly, and I wanted to give her something that she would be able to use all the time and also think of me when she uses it. I came up with the idea of making a homemade recipe book with my favorite recipes in it for her. I set out on my mission today to try and figure out the best way to do it. I ended up purchasing a binder, pretty matching stationery, and plastic document protectors that I can slide the pages in to. I started putting together a Word Document that would have a 1 recipe on it per page. I started copy and pasting my recipes that I had written down, and I ended up for 45!!! I couldn't believe that I had that many stashed in many different places. After 2 1/2 hours, I finished that part of the project. I am exhausted, and the printing and placing them in the binder will just have to wait until tomorrow! I cannot wait to take a picture and show you the final product! Chief thinks I should make an E-book out of it and try to market and sell it. Hmmmm......something to think about!
"Honey Do" list
I have had Chief working on my LOOONNNNG "honey do" list that I started when we got home from vacation. I want everything completed before he leaves in a few months.
1. start a Topsy Turvy garden COMPLETED 3
2. purchase a shed COMPLETED
3. redecorate living room COMPLETED
4. hang curtains in all rooms COMPLETED
5. purchase plants for lanai & front porch COMPLETED
6. purchase pots for plants COMPLETED
7. decorate lanai ALMOST COMPLETED
8. get lawn prettied up WORK IN PROGRESS
9. hang wall cross on house COMPLETED
10. secure back gate COMPLETED
11. re-pot plants from Chelsea COMPLETED
12. re-pot plants that we purchased COMPLETED
13. clean out storage room COMPLETED YESTERDAY!
14. purchase and put shed together COMPLETED YESTERDAY!
15. find bed frame for guest room COMPLETED YESTERDAY!
16. decorate guest room WORK IN PROGRESS
17. purchase & install 2 small air conditioners WORK IN PROGRESS
18. Have gutters cleaned out and reattached COMPLETED
19. Have back fence painted COMPLETED
20. Have closets treated for mold & repainted COMPLETED
21. too much more to list WORK IN PROGRESS
He has been a busy bee in the last couple of weeks, and we still have A LOT to do!!
1. start a Topsy Turvy garden COMPLETED 3
2. purchase a shed COMPLETED
3. redecorate living room COMPLETED
4. hang curtains in all rooms COMPLETED
5. purchase plants for lanai & front porch COMPLETED
6. purchase pots for plants COMPLETED
7. decorate lanai ALMOST COMPLETED
8. get lawn prettied up WORK IN PROGRESS
9. hang wall cross on house COMPLETED
10. secure back gate COMPLETED
11. re-pot plants from Chelsea COMPLETED
12. re-pot plants that we purchased COMPLETED
13. clean out storage room COMPLETED YESTERDAY!
14. purchase and put shed together COMPLETED YESTERDAY!
15. find bed frame for guest room COMPLETED YESTERDAY!
16. decorate guest room WORK IN PROGRESS
17. purchase & install 2 small air conditioners WORK IN PROGRESS
18. Have gutters cleaned out and reattached COMPLETED
19. Have back fence painted COMPLETED
20. Have closets treated for mold & repainted COMPLETED
21. too much more to list WORK IN PROGRESS
He has been a busy bee in the last couple of weeks, and we still have A LOT to do!!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Stream of Consciousness
Monkey Doodle started school this week, and I was really apprehensive about his teacher since it was her 2nd year teaching and the first impression wasn't very good. On the 3rd day, she told me that he was advanced in his reading and will be starting on a 3rd grade reading level with him! She is going to cater to his advancement, so that makes me feel so much better! He is loving school already, but he is not happy about getting up earlier. He has told us almost everyday that he wanted to stay in bed and go to school later! LOL! I hope he has a wonderful and successful school year.
Miss Priss had her testing for Kindergarten this week, and she did well. The teacher that tested her told me that she was definitely ready for Kindergarten. We really wanted one teacher that we had heard so many good things about, but it was a 1 in 9 chance of getting her. Well, she got her! We are so excited that she received such an amazing teacher, and I love her already. Since Miss Priss will not be 5 until the end of September, she will be one of the youngest in her class. The age cutoff for Hawaii in December 31st, so it is has a much wider window than most states, She is so mature for her age, and we are not worried about her at all. She goes to school 3 days next week, and then starts full time the week after.
I have been sick with a cold all week and not sleeping well. By the end of the week, I was done. Chief came home at lunch on Friday, and he saw my pain. He sent me to bed to take a nap, and he took Miss Priss to lunch and picked Monkey Doodle up from school. I felt so much better after having an almost 2 hour nap!
We have pizza night almost every Friday night, and last night was a special one. Our friends at, www.chelseamckinleyphotography.com , are part of our Hawaii Family and are moving off the island on Tuesday. We are so sad to see them go! We had their going away pizza night last night, and it was a blast as always. Thank goodness that I already has my homemade sauce made, and I only had to make pizza dough and prep the toppings. You can find the recipe for both right Here ! This is our 2nd duty station with them, and we hope our paths cross again really soon.
We bought a shed yesterday, so we can make our storage room in to a bedroom like it should be. My dad is coming to visit in September, so we want to have an actual guestroom. I am hoping that I have a lot of people come to visit us while Jeremy is in Iraq. It sure would help the time go by faster!
Miss Priss had her testing for Kindergarten this week, and she did well. The teacher that tested her told me that she was definitely ready for Kindergarten. We really wanted one teacher that we had heard so many good things about, but it was a 1 in 9 chance of getting her. Well, she got her! We are so excited that she received such an amazing teacher, and I love her already. Since Miss Priss will not be 5 until the end of September, she will be one of the youngest in her class. The age cutoff for Hawaii in December 31st, so it is has a much wider window than most states, She is so mature for her age, and we are not worried about her at all. She goes to school 3 days next week, and then starts full time the week after.
I have been sick with a cold all week and not sleeping well. By the end of the week, I was done. Chief came home at lunch on Friday, and he saw my pain. He sent me to bed to take a nap, and he took Miss Priss to lunch and picked Monkey Doodle up from school. I felt so much better after having an almost 2 hour nap!
We have pizza night almost every Friday night, and last night was a special one. Our friends at, www.chelseamckinleyphotography.com , are part of our Hawaii Family and are moving off the island on Tuesday. We are so sad to see them go! We had their going away pizza night last night, and it was a blast as always. Thank goodness that I already has my homemade sauce made, and I only had to make pizza dough and prep the toppings. You can find the recipe for both right Here ! This is our 2nd duty station with them, and we hope our paths cross again really soon.
We bought a shed yesterday, so we can make our storage room in to a bedroom like it should be. My dad is coming to visit in September, so we want to have an actual guestroom. I am hoping that I have a lot of people come to visit us while Jeremy is in Iraq. It sure would help the time go by faster!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Keeping us on our toes!
Miss Priss has kept us on our toes lately! Last week, she knocked 2 of her top front teeth loose after she hit the top of her brother's head while jumping on the trampoline. Her gums were bleeding pretty bad, and we were really worried that she was going to lose those 2 teeth. Chief rushed her to the ER, and he said that she should hold on to them, THANK GOODNESS! A couple of days ago, she was playing with Daddy and knocked herself in the mouth with her knee and loosened them again! Back to eating soft foods again, for sure!
Then today........she had a positive skin test for TB!!! All kids starting school in Hawaii are required to have the skin TB test before entering school within 12 months of starting. She had a test done 16 months ago that came back negative, so she has come in contact with someone that had active TB in the last 16 months. She is not contagious and does NOT have active TB. However, she will always test positive now and has to do a regiment of antibiotics for 9 months! She will take 2 pills a day for the next 9 months. Did I tell you that she has to do it for 9 months?????? CRAZY! She will also have to be seen by the Dr once a month for the next 9 months to monitor her liver and stomach since the antibiotics can has some bad side effects. The skin test measured 15mm, and she also had to have a chest X-Ray to rule out active TB. She has something called LTBI, and that means that she does has the TB bacteria in her lungs or other parts in her body. If she did not take the antibiotics, she would have a 10% chance of the TB bacteria becoming active and her having full blown Tuberculosis! SCARY! We will not take the chance and give her 9 months of pills. They also want her to have a chest X-Ray every 2 years for the rest of her life to rule out Active TB.
We would appreciate prayers that you can spare!
Then today........she had a positive skin test for TB!!! All kids starting school in Hawaii are required to have the skin TB test before entering school within 12 months of starting. She had a test done 16 months ago that came back negative, so she has come in contact with someone that had active TB in the last 16 months. She is not contagious and does NOT have active TB. However, she will always test positive now and has to do a regiment of antibiotics for 9 months! She will take 2 pills a day for the next 9 months. Did I tell you that she has to do it for 9 months?????? CRAZY! She will also have to be seen by the Dr once a month for the next 9 months to monitor her liver and stomach since the antibiotics can has some bad side effects. The skin test measured 15mm, and she also had to have a chest X-Ray to rule out active TB. She has something called LTBI, and that means that she does has the TB bacteria in her lungs or other parts in her body. If she did not take the antibiotics, she would have a 10% chance of the TB bacteria becoming active and her having full blown Tuberculosis! SCARY! We will not take the chance and give her 9 months of pills. They also want her to have a chest X-Ray every 2 years for the rest of her life to rule out Active TB.
We would appreciate prayers that you can spare!
Overdue Post~Pictures of our house DECORATED!
Even though we finished decorating the house less than a week after we moved in, I am just now getting pictures put up on here. My terrific friend, Chelsea from www.chelseamckinleyphotography.com , took some quick pictures for us on 4th of July. Just FYI, these are quick pictures, not edited. I just wanted everyone to see what we have done with the house. Since we THOUGHT we were staying less than a year in this house, we have not put up any curtains except for in our room. It looks a little bare without them. I also have not done a lot of decorating in the kitchen either. I am hoping to change all of that since we are staying for a couple of years! I hope you enjoy!
View from other side
Front Lanai
Dining Room
View from other side
Living Room
Hallway to bedrooms and full bathroom
Monkey Doodle's Room
Miss Priss's Room
Master Bedroom
Full Bath
Full Bath
Eat-in Kitchen/Craft Area
Kitchen
Laundry Room
Back Porch/Lanai
Front of House
Front Door
Friday, July 9, 2010
Where did the time go?
I can't believe it has been so long since I posted! I am really slacking off on this blog thing, and I will try to be better. A lot has gone on in the last few weeks, so I will try to catch everyone up.
We had a terrific vacation in Texas, and we were sad to go. We THOUGHT we were moving there in November for a year while Chief is in Iraq, but the Army had different plans for us. The kids and I will be staying in Hawaii while Chief is gone, and we are OK with that. The kids will have stability for school, stay in their current home, and keep their current friends. We will make it back to Texas for Christmas though! This does make the year a little harder on us, but we have fantastic friends here that will make it easier on us. I hope everyone will come and visit us to make the time go by quicker though! We should be here until June 2012, and then we will hopefully be moving to Wiesbaden, Germany for 3 years. I am excited to be able to live in 1 house for the next 2 years, and then I am very excited to move to Germany! What a great adventure for us and the kids! The places we will see and the culture we will experience will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I dream of the day that I can tell Jeremy that I want to go to Paris for lunch, and off we go!
We had a terrific 4th of July that we spent with friends and had a huge BBQ at our house. Schofield had a celebration right here on post, and it was fantastic! We sat around and listen to the band, Smash Mouth (think of the theme song from Shrek, and that is what they sing), chatted with lots of friends, danced, and watched the fireworks display. It was really really good!
We have been spending quite a bit of time at the beach since we got home, and we are loving it! We went to Shark's Cove last week, and me and some friends snorkeled all the way from Shark's Cove to 3 Tables Beach and back. It took us about 1.5 hours, and it was a beautiful trip! Monkey Doodle has really taken off with snorkeling as well, and he goes out really far with us while not even holding on to us. I hold his hand about 50% of the time, even though he doesn't need me to. That is the helicopter parent in me, I guess.
Miss Priss had an accident on the trampoline a few days ago. She hit her mouth on Monkey Doodle's head, and she has a fat lip, some bruised and cut gums, and 2 loose teeth! Chief took her Urgent Care, and they said she should be fine and not lose the teeth. It has been a few days now, and they are definitely tightening up, PRAISE GOD! I would have hated to see her lose one of her 2 front teeth along with the one next to it.
We also added a 12 week old kitten to our family! Isabella Claire is a Blue Point/Snowshoe Siamese, and is absolutely beautiful! She is exactly the kind of kitty we wanted, and is a great addition to the family. She took to us right away and already sleeps with Chief and I. Her and Lucy are already the best of friends, and Lucy treats her as her baby.
Chief's niece is here visiting along with her girlfriend, and we are having a great time! We will get to enjoy them until July 22nd! Then, BOTH kids start back to school on August 2nd! I cannot believe the summer is more than half over! I already bought a lot of the kids' school supplies, and it was bittersweet. I cannot believe we will have both kids in school! What in the world will I do with my free time? Gym, running, beach, yoga, cooking?? The possibilities are endless, at least until 2:00 PM everyday!
I will work on getting up another post on our Texas trip along with pictures soon. I also need to post pictures of our house all finished and decorated! That post is a few months late, but my friend at www.chelseamckinleyphotography.com took some pictures for me on 4th of July, so I hope to post them soon.
We had a terrific vacation in Texas, and we were sad to go. We THOUGHT we were moving there in November for a year while Chief is in Iraq, but the Army had different plans for us. The kids and I will be staying in Hawaii while Chief is gone, and we are OK with that. The kids will have stability for school, stay in their current home, and keep their current friends. We will make it back to Texas for Christmas though! This does make the year a little harder on us, but we have fantastic friends here that will make it easier on us. I hope everyone will come and visit us to make the time go by quicker though! We should be here until June 2012, and then we will hopefully be moving to Wiesbaden, Germany for 3 years. I am excited to be able to live in 1 house for the next 2 years, and then I am very excited to move to Germany! What a great adventure for us and the kids! The places we will see and the culture we will experience will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I dream of the day that I can tell Jeremy that I want to go to Paris for lunch, and off we go!
We had a terrific 4th of July that we spent with friends and had a huge BBQ at our house. Schofield had a celebration right here on post, and it was fantastic! We sat around and listen to the band, Smash Mouth (think of the theme song from Shrek, and that is what they sing), chatted with lots of friends, danced, and watched the fireworks display. It was really really good!
We have been spending quite a bit of time at the beach since we got home, and we are loving it! We went to Shark's Cove last week, and me and some friends snorkeled all the way from Shark's Cove to 3 Tables Beach and back. It took us about 1.5 hours, and it was a beautiful trip! Monkey Doodle has really taken off with snorkeling as well, and he goes out really far with us while not even holding on to us. I hold his hand about 50% of the time, even though he doesn't need me to. That is the helicopter parent in me, I guess.
Miss Priss had an accident on the trampoline a few days ago. She hit her mouth on Monkey Doodle's head, and she has a fat lip, some bruised and cut gums, and 2 loose teeth! Chief took her Urgent Care, and they said she should be fine and not lose the teeth. It has been a few days now, and they are definitely tightening up, PRAISE GOD! I would have hated to see her lose one of her 2 front teeth along with the one next to it.
We also added a 12 week old kitten to our family! Isabella Claire is a Blue Point/Snowshoe Siamese, and is absolutely beautiful! She is exactly the kind of kitty we wanted, and is a great addition to the family. She took to us right away and already sleeps with Chief and I. Her and Lucy are already the best of friends, and Lucy treats her as her baby.
Chief's niece is here visiting along with her girlfriend, and we are having a great time! We will get to enjoy them until July 22nd! Then, BOTH kids start back to school on August 2nd! I cannot believe the summer is more than half over! I already bought a lot of the kids' school supplies, and it was bittersweet. I cannot believe we will have both kids in school! What in the world will I do with my free time? Gym, running, beach, yoga, cooking?? The possibilities are endless, at least until 2:00 PM everyday!
I will work on getting up another post on our Texas trip along with pictures soon. I also need to post pictures of our house all finished and decorated! That post is a few months late, but my friend at www.chelseamckinleyphotography.com took some pictures for me on 4th of July, so I hope to post them soon.
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