Joining Forces!!

I am super excited about this!!! I found out yesterday that Curves International {Link}, has signed on with Joining Forces {Link}.  Participating Curves Clubs will offer either a 6 month membership absolutely free to Spouses, Mothers, Sisters, or Daughters (It is up to the owner of that particular franchise if the extend this offer to family members other than spouses, Our Club is offering it to any female family members of AD Service Members) of Active Duty Service Members, and the option to join for 50% off the normal joining price.  This makes my heart smile biigg time!! My boss called me right after she found out and said "This is yours Girl, Go with it!!" We decided that our club will offer the Free 6 month memberships to any female family members, AS well as the option to join at 50% off, some clubs may do both, or may only offer one.  I could not be more excited!! I hope that this will get us lots of new members!! Thank you Shanna, Big Curves in the Sky, as well as, Jill Biden and Michelle Obama for bringing this organization into the spotlight!!

First Paycheck!!

I got my first paycheck from my job at Curves. It's part time, but I LOVE IT!!!!! It's the best job I've ever had!!

Also, Mom and I have been thrifting lately and went to a FANTASTIC store called "The Groovy Scavenger" {Link Here} it was too pricey for my budget, but at 50% off of retail value they have some great deals if your looking to upgrade some furniture.  I like to get creative with my furniture so I prefer to buy plain and then create, but for people who are not able due to time or lack of creative ability to "embellish" their furniture, GS would be a great place for you!! Here's a pic of a table, chairs and side hutch that I absolutely fell in love with!!!

I Love everything about this set, from the red "feet" on the table, to the distressed look of the side hutch, and the beautiful feathers on the table.. if I had an extra $1200 laying around that table would be mine!!

Happy Sunday!

Meet Theo!

I came home from work on friday and my mom has adopted yet another cat.. I feel like I'm turning into the crazy cat/chicken lady!!

Theo is a  Snowshoe Siamese cat. He's very sweet and loving.. perhaps a little tooooo loving. We kept him up on our deck so he could get used to us, and I even brought Max up so they could get acquainted. So far lots of playing, and wrestling, and licking and loving each other. They are currently driving me nuts while I try to paint and sand some thrift store furniture I just got.. Get excited!!!

Baby Chicks & Max

We have 3 new baby chicks.  They are supposed to be all girls, We don't want/need another rooster. They are pretty cute and tiny right now and still have to under a hot lamp.. Maddie and I decided to name them "The Dixie Chicks" because there's 3 of them..

I look pretty rough only because it's 9 million degrees outside and I'd been gardening

They are a little camera shy

Max is growing so fast!! But he's still a pretty adorable little guy!!

The wiggleworm

He still loves feet.. namely my feet.

Monday Baking

I Love to Bake. I'm super good at it (though I can't say that about everything I do), and I just love it.  My darling Hubby doesn't like sweets.  He likes to PT.  He hates when I send him packages of sweets and junk food.  I've been baking and cooking a lot lately, mostly using recipes from Skinny Taste .  I decided that for the Hubs' 4th of July package I would take one of Gina's recipes and put my own twist on it! I went for her Low Fat Chewy Granola Bars, but instead of chocolate chips, pecans and raisins, I did crasins, blueberry crasins, and white chocolate chips. Red, White and Blue! Get it?! I'm a sucker for a theme!

Mixing and Stirring

All mixed up!

Going in the Oven

Nice and brown on the edges!

Very crumbly!! I gave the Hubs 6 and kept the two that broke for my parents to try

For the most part, they turned out great!!! Very moist, and chewy.  A little bit too crumbly for my taste, especially trying to cut them into perfect bar shapes... But I hope that my wonderful husband Loves them!! I can decide if I should ship them with a piece of bread in the container or not. Normally I do this with cookies and things to keep them fresh.. I'll throw it in, It cant hurt right?

After this little adventure, I decided to try another of Gina's recipes!! Low Fat Chewy Chocolate chip Oatmeal cookies! She says in her recipe that they are very similar to the granola bars, and she was so right!! You use very little butter (2 tbsp) and unsweetened applesauce. A bit of cinnamon, and flour.  These cookies really couldn't be easier to make.  Same with the granola bars actually!! And they are very yummy!!

Adding the flour..

First batch.. smaller and only left in for 10 minutes

these were left in for the full 12 minutes so they are a little bit darker...

Now they are all packed up in super handy Glad Simply Cooking OvenWare containers.  I found them yesterday at the store. You can actually bake in them so you can bake a cake or whatever, slap a lid on it and go!! Just make sure you set it on a cookie sheet and not just on the bare over rack.  For about $6, you get 3. I opted for the 8x8 size, but they also have a 9x12. What will they think of next?!

Whats left for my afternoon?

The dishes wont do themselves...

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Initials...

Maddie at the Zoo

This summer, when I'm not working at Curves, I'm working as a nanny for Maddie. We have a pretty fantastic summer planned out, but yesterday we modge-podged these wooden letters. I should have thought to take a picture of hers as well, but I forgot. Here are mine!!

The original letters were plain gold, which was nice enough, but I am not a fan of gold...

The finished "B". I used cream and brown toile scrapbooking paper because it was 50% off at Hobby Lobby!!

 

 

 

The finished product, Hubby approved. 

Since we still don't know where we'll be PCSing, or if we'll live in base housing, or just get an apartment, who knows where these will end up, but I Love them!! And the Hubs was really impressed with my crafting skills. I think he thought I would be terrible at it so he was wary of letting me make things to put in our home. He told me last night that he was totally okay with me decorating the house now that he saw an example of my "impeccable taste".

Dear BFF...

 

You are beautiful, and I miss you! Hope you're enjoying AZ!!

Max & The Chickens

My kitten, Maximus has decided that he too, is chicken. He lives with them, tucks them in at night, eats their food, and has been caught up in their coop.

Max on top of the shed, in a standoff with a Squirrel

The Chickens, Fred(the rooster), Jodi, Kelly, and Ginger

Max has an unnatural obsession with feet..

Fred, he's a Buff Cochin, hence the feathered feet

Max refuses to eat, unless it's with the Chickens

My feathered siblings

Fred & Ginger came together, Jodi (the white chicken) is one that my mom has raised from chick status, and Kelly (a dominecker) is my personal favorite.

Not only does he eat with them, he eats what they eat... even laying mash.

Yes, the Chickens also eat his kitten food

Recipe Rave

Grilled Flank Steak With Tomatoes, Red Onion and Balsamic | Ginas Skinny Recipes


I made this for dinner tonight, and my parents and I absolutely LOVED IT!!! And it was so easy!! Very Flavorful and so tasty!! I can't get over really how easy it was. I Love all of Gina's recipes. Her no-bake cheesecake is pretty easy and is super yummy.

I am not the most precise when it comes to measuring (I only measured out the EVOO, and the Balsamic Vinegar), so I actually ended up with alot of the tomato & onion mixture left over, but I plan to try it over chicken breast tomorrow for dinner. I'm trying to learn how to cook (and cook well) while I'm living with my parents, before setting up house with the Hubs. He likes to eat really healthy foods, so I'm mainly trying to focus on how to make healthy, delicious foods. Skinnytaste.com is my best teacher so far!! Thank goodness I have parents who are willing to try anything at least once!!

We are having our kitchen renovated starting tomorrow, so it'll be outside grilling, or going out to eat for the next week.

I have a FurBaby

I can't stick with a name yet... but he is adorable!!! Whenever I lay out, he snuggles me. He's quite the little wiggle worm. I Love him soooo much!!

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series

I am in LOVE with this series. The books are absolutely incredible.

There are 16 published, and the 17th due out this summer.

They are about Stephanie Plum, a former lingerie buyer turned Bounty Hunter. Let me tell you, she's not great. She gets lucky and in the end, always gets her man/woman/or midget.. The hilarious cast of characters includes: Vinnie, Stephanie's cousin/boss who has a nasty fetish for bestiality. Lula a reformed hooker. Stud Muffin cop, Joe Morelli. Mentor/Bounty Hunter/Man of Mystery Ranger. My personal favorite, Grandma Mazur, who frequently carries a sawed off shotgun in her handbag.

If you're looking for a new book series, or just some fun beach reading for the summer, I give these books like a million thumbs up!!

It's been a while.. but I'm back!!

In a panic about how full my car was!!

The view from my rear view mirror...

My full to the brim Jeep...

I recently drove across the country with my Dad. He flew to WA last week Wednesday, his flight got in around 2 am, and we took off. We made the drive in a little over 2 days, FINALLY arriving in NC Saturday morning around 8am.

I am slowly but surely adjusting to the time difference, interviewing for jobs and unpacking.. Here are some pictures from the trip.. 

Montana... If you ever say to yourself "Hmm, I think I'll drive across Montana.." DON'T.

16 Hours later, still in Montana

Nebraska

Welcome to Iowa!

You can't really see, but it's a billboard advertising Marine Week in St. Louis...

Dad and I took turns, He drove mostly from like midnight until 6am, and I drove all day. It was fun, but I don't recommend that trip without lots of stops, and springing for hotels along the way...