Thursday, August 23, 2012

What a Good Feeling

Well, my 1st week of Biology is over!! Not a bad start! My instructor is pretty cool even though she's not the best I've ever had. Totally had a class full of lost people tonight [with that deer in the headlight look]. Nobody understood her way of teaching. She totally had to reteach things like 3 or 4 times for us to actually grasp what she was saying. We will see Tuesday how much I actually got when we have out 1st test?!?!? I can not believe I am back in the world of studying. I got this, don't worry!!! :o) Now a day off before my 8-5 class on Saturday! Whew!!

A couple more days & we will be in the single digits for my husbands return!!!!!! I am definitely ready to see his face [even if it will be for less than a day b4 he leaves again]!!! Even though he absolutely drives me crazy & frustrates me so so much I love that man w/all my heart!

Yesterday, I made a cake for a friends birthday! He is one of the guys in the hubs unit & the friend I went to the pub with a few times. After an extremely long and frustrating day in the field I was able to talk to him to let him know I was delivering his cake early & I wouldn't see him. Since it was after midnight I was able to tell him Happy Birthday & his reaction almost broke my heart! After the long and almost unbearable day he had my birthday greeting almost brought him to tears! You just never know how the little things you do for someone can make such an impact!  :o)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Crockpot Chicken Tacos! Yum!

Since I start school this week I decided to make something yummy so I will have leftovers to eat during the week! This recipe was easy-peasy & oh so good! I kept seeing it on Pinterest so I decided to finally try it out! So glad I did! i know it will become a favorite in our house....can't wait to make it for the hubs!



Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Serves: ~12 people

1 envelope Taco Seasoning
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa (I used Newman's Own)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas, or even in taco soup.


Enjoy!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Was ist Los?!?!? Or what's going on?!?!?!

Countdown has made it to the teens!!!!!!!!!! I am soooo ready to see his face!!! It has been frustrating trying to talk to him on Skype, were 8 times out of 10 one of us will sound like a robot and you catch every few words! The connection is just so bad!

School starts on Monday!!! I am so excited to be going back, I am not so pumped about my 1st class being biology though!!!! Oh Well, let's get it started so we can hurry & finish!!!!!! So I'll be going Monday & Wednesday nights to class & next Sat I will have a 1 time class from 9am-5 pm. Definitely not ready for that one.....

But on the 26th [my hunnies b-day] I am going on a trip to LAUENSTEIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY and the town of Kronach. KRONACH IS SURROUNDED BY A NEARLY COMPLETE CITY WALL AND GERMANY'S BIGGEST MEDIEVAL FORTRESS, FESTUNG ROSENBURG. I am so pumped!! & kinda bummed the husband won't be here for the trip. I won''t totally be alone though, a new friend I met in my German class is going too. :o)  I know next week will fly by & b4 I know it the hubs will be coming home!!!!

Lately, I have been in a crafty mood. Went on a hunt for canvas' & wouldn't you know it was a German holiday & all stores were closed! :o( Bummer! Oh well, I have other things I can do until I can make it back to the shops! Besides trying out new recipes I'm attempting to make a lil piece of art that reminds me of home..... this is where I've gotten so far


The plan is to frame it with road maps of important places!!! Next, I'll need to find the perfect frame!!! <3 that TX pride!!!!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Rants & Raves!!!

Well, we are officially in the 20's for the countdown!!! So ready for that man of mine to b home!! Of course I got sad news at the FRG meeting last night!! The only reason he is coming home early is so he can go out to the field for 2 weeks. UGH! So.... I get him for a day & then he's gone again. Once he's home, I'll have him for 3 weeks & then, BAM, he will be gone again....for a month!! The army really knows how to suck the fun outta life!!! & they get told they get to take leave from 12/15-01/03 but get this, they will be on QRF [Quick Reaction Force] status so they should be ready to deploy anywhere in less than 72 hours! So.... it's ok for us since we r not going back to the states for the holidays but those that r have to b ready to fly back at a moments notice if they get called out. & all of this just to deploy again next summer. It seems like too much!! Sometimes I think I might not make it but then I hear the screams of other Army Wives dealing with the same [or worse] things saying find ur big girl panties & put them the F%*# on!!!! & that is what I will do!! Until he's home again!

On the up side, I found this really cool blog that is full of cute ideas for date nights, gifts, & recipes. It also has advice & tips for family & marriage! This will definitely come in handy in the future. So glad I found it & will share with you!!  http://www.thedatingdivas.com/

Another great find was http://epubbud.com/ . I have been reading books from this site on my Kindle Fire for free! I love it! They don't have every book I have searched for but they are continuously updating the site. Check it out! I think I have read more these past few months than I have in my whole life!!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I heard about this cauliflower crust for a while now but I have been a lil scared to try it!! Today though, I got the courage!!

I'm so happy I did, I loved it!!! It definitely doesn't taste like a "normal" pizza crust but surprisingly didn't taste like cauliflower either! The one problem I find is that while it’s not impossible to pick up a piece and eat with your hands, it’s much easier to use a fork. But definitely gives us a pizza fix but much healthier!



Try it & see what you think.....


INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings* [I used mushrooms, spinach & tomatoes]

DIRECTIONS

To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (some microwaves are more powerful than others, so you may need to reduce this cooking time). There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Enjoy!
*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.



I can not wait to make this when the hubs gets home! I know he will never believe that the crust is cauliflower!!!!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Count down has begun...

Officially LESS than 40 days till the hubby returns!!!!!!!!! I am super stoked!!! I am hoping the time passes quickly!!! I am sending my last box to him [his kinda b-day box] next week!!! & I'm more than hoping the Army doesn't decide they need him there any longer than they said!!!! But thats what the life brings... u never know what actually will happen until its happening!!! It would be nice though if he came home early for our birthdays!!! I was really hoping to go all out this year since we will both be turning the big dirty 30!!!! Looks like that won't be happening!!! Luckily, my b-day falls on a Friday so at least I will have plans to go to the pub in Parkstein w/a couple of friends.

After a few days of having problems with the online site for University of Maryland I finally registered for classes today. I am taking a LIBS class which is just 1 credit but needed to graduate & then to my surprise the Math class I was dreading registering for was full so I had to settle on human biology! Equally as bad!!! I'm nervous about the classes but hopefully the term will fly by & I can move on to Sociology classes!!

Yesterday, I finally got my car all legal. The final process was putting on the new tires & an oil change. I started my day at 6:30 so I could be the 1st one in line & still they didn't finish until 9:45. Then went to Graf to get the inspection day & after waiting 2more hours.... PASSED!!!! Yes! After that I had to go up to registration to get new license plates. And the waiting continues.... when I pulled my number 29, I looked up to realized they were calling #96. After another hour & a half finally they called me in to give me my plates. Of course, they wanted to see my power of attorney which I had left in the dang car!!! Luckily they remember seeing me the last 5 times I had been in there in the last month so they let me slide!!! Then I have the pleasure to go down & put on the new plates [which is definitely something I would consider mans work]. I had no screw driver but did have the husbands knife in the car so I put the back plate on & said screw it on the front. I threw it in the dash & went home!!! When I got home & started putting on the plates, I realized the holes the guy punched in the plate didn't quite match the holes in the car. So..... I screwed 1 screw in and the other well, I rigged it in this little clippy thing so now it's crooked but it's on & will wait until the hubs returns to get fixed properly. I am over doing my mans jobs around the house!!! But soon..... I will have him home & all will be well!!!