Fall

Sunday night was spent with our dear friends, the Feigerts. We went with the underlying task of moving Danielle's treadmill from the bedroom to the garage. While the boys were figuring that out, Danielle and I went on a short road adventure to fine some fall backdrops for pictures of the kiddos. 

We took a right and kept on going :) After being chased by two dogs and a few stops we came back with some beautiful locations. I have to say, Missouri sure knows how to do Fall right. The weather has cooled, football is in season, and the colors...oh the COLORS! 

Enjoy some of our findings!

On tonight's menu was Chipotle Steak Salad from the wonderful Pioneer Woman. I have learned a couple of things on my journey cooking through the Pioneer Woman's cookbook 1. only 3 out of the 5 of us like spicy foods and most of her recipes have chipotle 2. butter and mayo are your friends :)

The recipe said to marinade the flank steak and then grill it. I decided to pour the marinade and steak in the crockpot on high for 4 hours.

While that was cooking I mixed up the dressing so it had time to chill in the fridge. It only called for mayo and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but I added some ranch to neutralize it a tad...for the children's sake ;)

The rest is a simple salad. Whatever veggies you want. We had spinach, bell peppers (from my pepper plant), and cucumber. I had Mike take the steak out a little early, slice it, and throw it back in the crockpot. When you are ready to eat all you have to do is layer and enjoy.

Finished product!

French Onion Soup

I impress myself a little more every dinner (not to toot my own horn or anything). As I said earlier, I am cooking my way through the amazing Pioneer Woman's recipes. I heart her!

We have had 3 different paninis, BBQ chicken and pineapple quesadillas, corn chowder and the most amazing french onion soup. Again, stop drooling...you're embarrassing yourself ;)

The french onion soup was a little bit of a process and burns were acquired, however, it was probably the best french onion soup I have ever had! I went as far as to thrift store hunt down special soup bowls. It deserved to be a whole experience.

Everyone loved it! Isn't it pretty. The cheese didn't hurt :)

Albert loved it....

Mike's first bowl...having a battle with the cheese.

Pioneer woman

After watching the movie Julie and Julia for the 8 millionth time I thought, wouldn't it be fun if I did that. Since Julia Childs isn't exactly my taste preference I decided to cook my way through the Pioneer Woman's cookbook and oh my how glad I am. Just some insite, i love her, her food, her show, and would gladly go live at her house. That doesnt sound too obsessive...does it?

So far I made grilled BBQ chicken and grilled pineapple quesadilla with jalapeños and sautéed red onions. Stop drooling please :) Of course I was so busy stacking and grilling that I forgot to take pictures but trust me, it was amazing.

Next came the Spicy Corn Chowder. Once again the Pioneer Woman did not disappoint. It came out warm and creamy and spicy which are a few of my favorite things for food to be.

Fall is in the air. The weather is cooling down, pumpkin spiced lattes are at Starbucks and my little Albert started football! I love this time of year.

Saturday was the Waynesville Youth Football combine. The boys were measured for helmets and uniforms and timed for various drills.

I arrived early to volunteer for whatever they needed and ended up working at a table full of donated practice pants and gear. I can not tell you how cute a size extra small boys football pants are! This was such an amazing thing because football gear is so expensive and can cause people not to participate. Everyone left with practice gear and will eventually get their uniforms.

My husband is coaching this year, that's Coach Mike to you. He seems just as excited as Albert is. This is why we made the choice to come to Missouri. This is the first time my husband has been home long enough to coach any of the boys sports. God is great!

As you can see from my previous post it has been a while since I've posted anything. I am vowing to keep this up and post at least once a week.

Changes....we now live in Missouri (I know), it's growing on me, I have a highschooler, 2nd grader, and 3 year old, I am on the executive board of PWOC (protestant women of the chapel...Army), waiting on my to hear about my hopeful acceptance to USC in the Masters in Social Work program, I am finishing up planning a fundraiser with The Long Road Home Project, and I'm tired :)

To stay up and moving, Brayden and I went out to the garage to drag out the Halloween stuff. No, not to put it up, but to weed through it. I had to come on here and share the cute little dress up session that we had.

Brayden as a bug....

and a pirate...

and Lola because she's pretty!

Updates

Lately we have been focused on getting into our new routines. Mike deployed and the kids are back at school. I have started making weekly dinner plans, which I am proud to say, we have followed for the last three weeks. I will start posting some of the yummy recipes that we've had. Our small groups through our church start this week and I am so excited. One of them is a traveling play group. We will go once a week to a different park each time so the kids can play. Small things like this really help the time pass when Mike is gone. That's it for now.

Vacation

I have spent the last 7 days in St Louis with my husband's family. I can't believe how blessed I am to have married into such an amazing group of people. I have been nothing but welcomed and loved by this group of people. Sometimes it's hard to tell if they were mine or my husband's...lol. I can't wait for the day when we can be closer to them, so they do not miss all the in between moments with the kids. For now, I will look at this picture and be grateful for the time we have.

Mexican Pizza...sort of

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com by searching for recipes that included pizza crust and zucchini...end of the week with a lack of groceries...hahaha. I came across Black Bean Pizza. It was amazing!!! I feel the need to share it with al of you...so here it is.

Black Bean Pizza

• 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped zucchini
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided

Directions

1. Press dough into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 425 degrees F for 4-6 minutes or until crust just begins to brown.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add zucchini; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the beans and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, for 2 minutes; drain. Sprinkle 2/3 cup of cheese over crust. Top with bean mixture and remaining cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

This past weekend I went to Oregon for my aunt and uncles 50th anniversary! It was amazing to see how much love they have for each other after all these years. The kids set up a surprise party in a Luau theme. The back yard was gorgeous and they even had a pastor there to renew their vows. Brought a tear to my eye. Anyway, here are some pictures from this amazing event.

What have I been up to? I have doing really well with making homemade meals most nights of the week. I have made meatloaf, meatballs, chicken pot pie, BBQ chicken sandwiches, cupcakes...and the list goes on. I've also decided it's about time to pull out my sewing machine again and start on some new projects. I think I've decided on trying to make one of those cute ruffled aprons. It doesn't get any more Suzie homemaker than that. My husband decided he wanted me to play Call of Duty with him. I said, as I was on my computer "I'm learning how to be good housewife," he says "your the best housewife." Needless to say, he won my heart and I played one round with him...lol. I love my life.

Oplove

I have to give props where props are due. We had an amazing photographer donate his services so that my family could have pictures taken together before my husband deploys. This is probably the most special gift I will receive. Thank you Tony!

EISENHOWER PHOTOGRAPHY

www.eisenhowerphotography.com

So today...I finally am down in the 170's!!!! I've been doing my running program for about 3 weeks now and can feel myself getting stronger. It is amazing what a little exercise can do. I also have been cooking more (it's one of my goals) and I have made meatloaf, homemade chicken noodle soup, marinated grilled vegetables, and a mexican chicken pot pie. The way I can tell they were a success is because all of my children ate them...lol.

I started my West Coast Road Runner group last Saturday. I have found that I have quite a ways to go to reach my half marathon status. Today though, I ran 10 minutes without stopping. That was a huge accomplishment for me. I will be able to do this, I will be able to do this...I have to keep repeating that.

Mike left yesterday for more pre deployment training. I forgot how it feels to be alone again with all the boys. Two of them are playing football on two different teams and two different times. We have speech for one, tutoring for the other, and life. Again I find myself chanting, I will be able to do this, I will be able to do this.

Wow...I really need to schedule some time to write on here in my planner. Otherwise, it will never get done. Well...lets see...what has been happening here? I gave birth to two beautiful little girls as a surrogate. They are happy and healthy and on their way to Australia. My oldest son Daniel graduated from 6th grade and my 5 year old starts kindergarten in the fall! Two of my boys are playing flag football and I was bamboozled into being the team mom for one of them. This is a new thing for me, but I must say my banner looks damn good :) We are enjoying as much time with my husband as we can before he leaves for training for the whole month of July and then is off to defend our country in Afghanistan in September. Whew....I'm tired just rereading all of this...lol. Oh right and I also start half marathon training in a week. I will work on updating my post weekly...we'll see.

So...shame on me, I have not been writing for awhile. I am now working on the Marine Corps base as a L.I.N.K.S. trainer. It has and continues to be such a rewarding job. I help Marines and their families become more comfortable with the unique lifestyle that is the Marine Corps. I also have started back up at school to finish my BA in Communication. Needless to say I've been super busy. Mike is due to deploy in September and is busy in the meantime with all the workups that go along with a deployment. What better time to start writing than now...right?

Halloween

So I pulled out the Halloween box and had a great time seeing all the of the old costumes. I realized I still have my 11 year old's first costume....time to downsize. I have now realized that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because the kids are so darn cute! Just thought I would share the wonderfulness that is my children with all of you. ENJOY!

Volunteer Luncheon

So I went to the Ombudsman and Family Readiness Volunteer Recognition Luncheon today. It was amazing. I got to dress up...which these days doesn't happen much...sit with great friends, eat some good food, and be acknowledged for the volunteer work I do with the Marine Corp. Mayor Sanders announced that today in San Diego is now Ombudsman and Family Readiness Volunteer Day and we were all recognized with a pin and letter from President Obama! As I sat there thinking what a wonderful time I was having, the Commanding Officer of the 37 Group came up and gave me a challenge coin. Now for those of you who don't know that is a pretty big deal. My challenge coin now out ranks any that my husband has :) Any way...volunteering for me is its own reward but it sure is amazing to be recognized in this way for it. God Bless America!

*pictures to come

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best cookies ever...in my humble opinion.

1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups oats

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together sugars and butter until well blended. Add egg, egg white, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt until mixed.

With a wooden spoon, stir in oats and chocolate chips until well combined.

Drop dough onto cookie sheet about two inches apart. I like to use an ice cream scoop to get the accurate size cookies. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

ENJOY!!!

Volunteer update

Some of you may know but I volunteer a lot! I serve as a nursery helper and greeter at church, am a family readiness advisor and assistant for my husband's unit, and am now officially a L.I.N.K.S. mentor. I went to the LINKS team meeting last night to go over some monthly business and realized I love being able to volunteer. Next month I get to help out with the In the Midst ball for the spouses who's husbands are deployed during the Marine Corp Ball. There will be photographers, crafts, hairstylists, dinner, and a fashion show. It is so nice to be able to be a part of something that can bring, if nothing else, a night off from the worry and stress of having a spouse on deployment.