3 months

My mini me is 3 months old!

She now
smiles, giggles, 'talks' [I swear some of her coos sound like 'hey' & 'yea'],
sucks on her fist, holds her head up very controlled, has crazy arms, is trying so so hard to sit up on her own, pays attention to faces, seems recognize people she is around often, is obsessed with staring at fans & lights, tries to grab at things.

25

I've been wondering about you a lot lately.

What you'd be like now.

If you'd have kids or a wife.

A steady job.

I wonder if we'd still keep in touch,

or if we'd ever hang out.

If you'd still be rapping.

I wonder if you would have made it big by now,

or if you'd changed your ways.

But always, when I'm overwhelmed with my 'what if' thoughts, I remember that it doesn't even matter because you're in a better place.

Happy Birthday, SRA.

The Wait Is Over...Sort Of.

We got the big news today.

WE'RE GOING ACTIVE DUTY!

*phew*

It was a tough decision I'm glad someone else had to make for us.

Blessed

For months after I found out I was pregnant something I wished for was a newer, more reliable car. Since I was interning [unpaid] I wasn't able to work. And obviously you can't afford a car payment if you don't have money coming in.
After I started back to work in August, though, this thought became a little more real. It was something that I researched and thought about quite often. Especially when I found out I need a whole new set of tires. And then when my car started shaking when I drove. And then again last week when it rained for three days and my car flooded [on the inside] for the umpteenth time.
So after working up a budget, thinking looooong & hard, and talking it over with my husband, Nanny, & my aunt [my biggest supporters], we headed to the car lots yesterday.
We got to the Toyota dealership at 9 am. Looked around & decided to test drive a 2011 Corolla. It was nice. The pedals were a little too sensitive for my liking. I felt like if I barely tapped the gas I would zoom forward going way faster than I intended. Same with the brakes. It didn't seem like I could just 'ease' on them. The slightest tap seemed to induce whip lash. It seemed a little smaller than my car, but it was in my price range where the Camry wasn't.
Onward to the Chevrolet dealership.
My current car was a chevy, and until recently [11 years old, over 100,000 miles on it, & 2 car accidents], I haven't had any serious problems with it.
I had my eyes on the Chevy Cruze, so I decided to test drive it. It drove like a dream. It just felt so natural because it literally drove just like my car, the only car I have driven on a regular basis for the past 7 years. So in we went to do paper work.
After 5 hours of haggling and signing our lives away, I am the proud new owner of this:
2012 Chevy Cruze

I can't even begin to tell you all how grateful I am that this has happened. Driving an hour away for work and having my baby in tow is going to be so much less stressful now that I have a car that I will be able to depend on.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

For months we have known that September is the month that we would find out what's in store for our future.
National Guard or Active Duty Army.
Here we are, 18 days in, and I'm constantly thinking about it, wondering when the big day is.
My head has been going crazy with 'what if's'.
Of course there are pro's & con's to both.
Active Duty means moving out of Alabama, seeing the world, financial/job security, ability to be a stay at home mom, health insurance, housing, having to move away from family.
National Guard means staying close to family, being able to 'put roots' down/buying a home, having to get a full time job.
Either one could possibly mean deployment.
I wonder if they're going to wait until the end of the month to tell us, or if we'll find out tomorrow.
For a planner, this is torture. I just need the peace of mind.
Luckily, once we find out, we'll still have 7 months to plan for our life as a National Guard family...deciding where we want to live, applying for jobs, etc. If it's Active Duty, it's another waiting game. We won't find out details about his BOLC or first duty station until Spring 2012.
*sigh*
This is definitely a test of patience.

Sometimes Cheaper Isn't Better

Saturday afternoon, we ventured to my MIL's house.
While there, she was telling me all about how her boyfriend went to this local grocery store and found such great deals. One of these great deals included a whole case of beef broth for $2.
Can you believe that? I was surprised, but agreed that that was an awesome deal seeing as I usually can't get a can of it for less than $1.
As we're leaving, she sends me home with a few cans, I thank her, and on we go.

Fast forward to today.
I get out my crock pot, and am getting out all the ingredients to make french dip sandwiches.
I don't even think twice as I open a can of the beef broth that she gave me until I notice what looks like mold on the top. I grab the top of the can that I had just pulled off....
IT EXPIRED IN MAY OF 09! I thought maybe it was just a freak accident, so I checked the other two, & both of them were expired as well.
Are you kidding me? No wonder they got 'such a good deal' on this stuff.

I immediately called my MIL to tell her & she checked her cans. All I could think of after that was 'Thank God I actually looked before I just poured it in the pot". We could have really gotten sick from this stuff. I can't believe that a grocer would feel OK with selling out of date products.

Lesson learned: If it seems to good of a deal, CHECK the expiration date.

Sweet & Salty

Have you tried the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks?

It's not often that I splurge on coffee drinks, but when I saw it, I knew I had to try it. And I did. And it was amazing. If you're a salty/sweet combo lover, this is the drink for you. I savored every last sip, and was a little sad when it was all gone.

Since then, I've been craving that salted caramel taste, so when I came across this recipe, I went right out & bought the ingredients. [I made mine in a 9x13 pan as opposed to jars]

It was so hard waiting for the brownies to bake, for the icing to set.
Ugh! But the time finally came for me to try one, and they lived up to my every expectation. These things are so wonderfully delicious. Definitely a guilty pleasure.

If you're looking for a new dessert to try this week, give this one a go. It's so good & super easy to make!