{ Morning at the dog park }

We spent a beautiful morning, at the dog park and trails, at our local base.  Curt and I have been going to the gym on base for months now, Curt goes twice during the week, and then on the weekend, we both go Saturday and Sunday mornings, then hit the track right next to the flight line, for a 2 mile walk or jog.

It's become our weekend date, and we just love it.

But we did notice that right off the track, the base has a dog park.  It is all fenced it, with obstacle courses and a huge area with grass and trees for our furry babies.  We knew Kaia would love it, so decided to take her for the morning.

There is something calming about going out into nature, taking a hike, walking a trail, taking your dog for a walk and allowing them to enjoy the fresh air.  These simple moments don't need to be planned way in advance, they don't cost you a fortune and they are good for your soul.  Not to mention, walking is one of the best exercises you can do for overall health.

So that is what we did.  We walked, we enjoyed a new area we hadn't yet explored, we talked, we breathed in the crisp morning air and Kaia got a good workout in as well.

I feel like sometimes the best spots are right around you, and you don't even notice.  We tend to get caught in the every day rhythmn of life, doing the same things, going the same places and sticking to a comfortable routine that we already know.

But, I love these days when we notice something that we usually wouldn't, and take advantage of it.  It turned out to be a wonderful morning, surrounded by not only nature, but other families walking their doggies as well.  We will definitely return with Kaia!

{ Only happens to me.... }

Oh you gotta come in and listen to this.  LOL

I swear, I have the weirdest things happen to me, or maybe not weird but funny.  Let me tell you about my adventure at the Lab this morning.

I told you yesterday that I had to go in for some blood work, and I had to fast, so I couldn't have my coffee this morning or any breakfast before I got that done.  I made a big cup of coffee and a sandwich because I'm not used to going without eating in the morning and it makes me feel nauseous.

Got to the hospital, went to the lab and checked in and the nurse asked me if I would be able to provide a urine sample. I thought "Oh crap, I JUST went to the bathroom before leaving the house.".

In my defense I was never told about a urine sample, only about the blood work, but apparently this is routine now?  So anyway, I tell her that I can try and she says they don't need a lot and blah blah blah.

I take the cup into the bathroom, and if you've ever had to give one of these samples you KNOW all the steps, with the little towels and not touching the inside of the cup, and so on.

I don't want to go total TMI (too much information) here, but I do have to tell you the story, so bear with me.  Hahaha

Sitting there I have the list of do's and dont's, on the wall, right in front of me.

Use the towel and whatever....dispose of it in the trash can provided.  (trash can is clear on the other side of the bathroom wall so I can't reach it)
Then I try to go and I can't.  If you know me, and actually it's like a running joke in our family because everyone knows that I constantly have to go, like all the time LOL

I tried running water, I tried not thinking about it.  Nope, not happening.

Then I'm thinking about the cup and wondering what do I do.  I can't put it in the little round metal door thing cause I didn't do anything.  Do I just walk out with the cup and it's one drop, cause that's really all I could muster up?

I sat there for about 10 minutes not knowing what to do, then finally walked out and told the nurse that I couldn't do it, sorry, I'll just sit in the waiting room with my little cup until I need to go.  Problem is, I haven't had anything to drink for 12 hours, I didn't even drink water so I knew I wouldn't need to go.

Meantime they went ahead and took my blood, all 5 vials of it.


I kept thinking that I had my big cup of coffee in the car and maybe I need to go chug that down.  So I told her I'm leaving, handed her the cup and told her I would be back.  My idea was to go to the car, eat my sandwich, chug down the big travel mug of coffee and get something happening.
 

I ate, I drank the whole mug and nothing.  After 20 minutes I thought "well this is ridiculous, I'm going home and when I need to go, I'll just quickly drive back and pee in the cup."  LOL

We only live 10 minutes from the hospital so it was totally doable.  I drove all the way home, and the minute I pulled into the driveway, I had to go.  Hahahahahaha

Drive all the way back to the hospital and finally give them the sample they needed.  I mean.....what on earth????

Anyway, I just thought that was a funny story, hope I didn't scare anyone with the urine conversation, but we're all friends here and we all know how that goes.

I'll get the results back next week, so we'll see what they have to say.  Of course I'll let you all know.

Had two packages arrive this afternoon.  The first was Jasmine's heat gun that she bought from Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It's going to be a huge help in creating her foam gun for the cosplay.

The second package was another book for review.

I have so many on the pile to read right now, and I'm pretty excited about all the different titles.  My summer reading list just keeps growing.  Between last night and this afternoon, I was asked to review 2 more books. 

I didn't get too much else done today.  The usual dishes, making dinner, which was Chicken Wellington tonight, and putting some more laundry away.

I have got to get on the ball with that.  I am good with washing and folding but the putting away is what gets me, it's my least favorite house chore if I'm to be honest.

I'm feeling much better today, though this afternoon while making dinner I felt a little lightheaded and off again, but I have to remind myself that I just started the medication yesterday and that there is fluid in both ears, and that takes time.  Here we go again with my unwillingness to let God control every aspect of my life.

Time to dig back into You're Late Again Lord.  This book is a total lifesaver, though I tend to forget all it's crucial lessons once I'm done reading.  I don't know if I'll ever quite learn how to be content in my faith and open minded to the waiting period.

Waiting is inevitable for us all.  We can either spend the time with complaints and arguments and disgust or use the time for worship and growth and understanding.

Such a simple concept isn't it?  Then why do I struggle with it so much?  And will I ever learn?

I'm always wanting things done NOW, finished NOW, solved NOW, fixed NOW.  It's almost like when I tell my kids that they don't appreciate their stuff because they didn't have to work for it.  Then here I am, just expecting too without wanting to put in the work.

Tsk, tsk, tsk Sandra!!!

Oh I also got in out graduation pics that were taken by the photographer, so let me share those with you.  I was SO sick on this day, fever, sore throat, cough.  It was hard to make the 4 hour drive to the graduation location and smile through it and all, but I had to do it for my girl.  Hope you enjoy the pictures, and don't be shocked at my Nick's height, the boy is 14 and taller than us all, including dad. 

 Jasmine with her principal.  This moment choked me up, so proud of her.

I wanted to cry so badly, but I kept it together.  That rose was the rose that she gave me during the ceremony, all the graduates handed their moms a rose :)

He is so proud of her.  He's also been struggling so much with her growing up and knowing that he is no longer the only man in her life.  On the other hand, she's an adult now, wanting to spread her wings and be independent, so there's a lot of clashing but there's also a huge amount of love between them.

Here's the elusive Nicholas.  He is the typical 14 year old who hates taking his picture and does NOT believe in smiling at all.  I do have a beautiful family, if I say so myself, and I count my blessings every day :)

It's so crazy to see us at this point in our lives and to think in just 4 years we'll be doing this again with Nick.  My word.

Well, I think it's time for me to get on out of here, it's kind of hard to type with a 70 pound puppy in my lap.  When your legs start going numb, you know it's time to move. ;)

The grocery haul that didn't happen!

Oh my word what a busy day I had.  I am simply exhausted and counting down the minutes until I can get to bed.

Our Bella got us up at 3am, her tummy was rumbling and she was crying to go outside, so hubby got up and let her out.  She then wanted to walk around the house and then out again and back and forth, she just would not settle down.  By the time hubby got back in bed and we were able to get back asleep, it was close to 4am, which means no sooner had we closed our eyes, than the alarm was going off at 5:30.

We both mumbled and grumbled and complained about having to get up, but we did and I got our coffees and saw him off to work.

I did my usual morning routine and then got up, cleaned the house and finished the menu plan and the grocery list.

Usually if I need the car, I will take him to work in the morning and then pick him back up, but being that I was so tired, I told him to just go ahead and take the car in.  He was coming home for lunch anyway, so I decided to go back with him and get all my errands run then.

Now I need to back track a little here, and this is probably more information than you need to know, but I've always been extremely open on my blog and have no problem discussing certain things.

If you've read my blog for a while, you will remember that I was having some issues with my birth control, the pills were making me really sick and the IUD worked until I had it removed and then almost passed out when they tried to get another one in, so I gave up on that.

When I moved to Idaho, two years ago, I asked to try the Patch and have loved it ever since.  Haven't really had many issues with it, aside from if I didn't use it properly I had some periods that were off, or spotting etc.

At the end of December I had my usual cycle and I needed to get my refill prescription because I was supposed to put on my new patch  that Sunday, the 3rd of January.  With the holidays and the New Years etc, the hospital on base was closed down and I wasn't able to get the prescription until the Monday after, the 4th.

So when I put on the patch, I was a day and a half late.  That was all it took to throw my body out of whack.

Woke up this morning and am having some spotting going on, literally feel like I'm about to start my period again.  I know, I know, TMI, but we're all women here and we all understand right???

By the time hubby picked me up at lunch time, I was already not feeling too well.  Nevertheless he took me to lunch at Burger King on base because he didn't have much time before needing to be back at work.

On the way back to his Hangar though, he took me by the base's thrift store, which I had never been to.  I picked up this book which of course caught my eye.  It was 50c and I couldn't leave it behind, you'll see why when I show you some pages.

It's a book about the Old West, more specifically, the Women.  Oh goodness, the cover it self was so pretty that I had to have it, but when I flipped through the pages inside I grew even more excited.

I am starting on it tomorrow, I have to, I just have to see what it's all about.

I dropped him off and then had 3 hours to kill before picking him back up.  Feeling the way I was, I really debated just getting my groceries, coming home and going back at 4pm to get him, but decided against it and I'm glad I did because time flew by.

One of the first stops I made was at the base library.  I hadn't been there since we first arrived here in Texas, and had forgotten just how big it really is.  I could have stayed in there for a really long time but my lower back hurt, my head hurt and so I looked around a bit and quickly settled on two books.

The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson
The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

I then stopped in at the Base Exchange to pick up some allergy meds for myself and some mascara for Jasmine.  By the time I looked at the clock, it was 2:45 and so I made my way to the commissary for my grocery shopping.

I thought I would do it pretty quickly and be out of there in time to go by the food court to get some Charley's subs for the kids.  They had been asking for Charley's for weeks and since I was right next door I figured I would get it as a very late lunch/early dinner.

I walked around the commissary, not really feeling very well, seemed the more I walked, the more my lower back hurt and the more my sciatica kicked in.  I honestly got to the point where I just wanted out of there as soon as I could.

I glanced at the time and it was 3:35.  By the time I checked out and got the groceries loaded, it was 10 minutes to 4pm and I knew I wouldn't have time to pick up the food before grabbing hubby, so went to get him first and then the food next.

Came home and really couldn't muster up the energy to film or even snap pictures for the blog.  I'm sorry folks, but it just was not going to happen today.

I will tell you that I stayed well under budget, coming in just over $200.

By the time I finished getting everything put away, the sun was setting.  I had just enough time to grab my camera and snap this shot.  Such a beautiful end to the day.

Tomorrow it's back to a normal homemaking day.  Later in the afternoon though, we have Curt's cousin and aunt coming in, they are spending the night and leaving Saturday late afternoon.

They are actually coming to bring us the rest of the chairs for the dining table they surprised us with, and also helping us stain everything, and paint the furniture in the living room, white.  His cousin is also going to give it a rustic antique kind of look, I'm so excited.

So yeah, I'll be getting ready for their arrival, doing my usual homemaking chores and hopefully getting some reading of my new books in.

Hope you've all had a wonderful Thursday, wishing you a restful and peaceful night.

See you all in the morning :)

As the smell of coffee permeates the air

I sit and wonder if I'll ever get used to this infernal heat. Does it really have to be this hot here or anywhere for that matter???

Anyway, good morning everyone, it's 7:30 am and already 90 degrees, I've started thinking that maybe I should turn into a night owl. I could sleep during the day when it's really hot and then wake up at night and go do everything I need to, I'm sure I could get it all done before 5:00 am when it starts getting warmer right???

I'm starting this morning by sharing a picture I took in our front yard, see that huge palm tree??? Yes it's in my yard and my mind wavers between being in awe of such a beautiful thing to hoping to God that it never falls down or if it does that it goes the other way. LOL

Yesterday we took a little drive around the area and I was not thrilled, I think I need to find downtown Glendale first, especially the Historic part because what I've seen of the immediate surrounding area of the base is NOT pretty.



After our little drive we headed to the base BX, ok let me just say that I could live in that place and be happy. It was the second building in this base that made me delirious giddy (the other is the huge commissary). This BX has a 3 level parking garage, we'll talk about that another time because I'm claustrophobic and for some reason parking garages freak me out, I am driving and feel like the roof is right above my head (which really it IS).

We walked around the BX for a bit and got some things I needed for the house, broom, mop and bucket, new bathroom rugs etc and then of course because I'm drawn to books, I turn and Curt says to me "Sweetie, they have a huge book selection". Man why do these people tempt me???
He wasn't kidding, it was like being in a miniature Barnes and Noble, I must have had the goofiest smiles on my face. I couldn't leave without getting something from the cooking shelves so I walked away with this beauty.


Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook
(350 recipes from Beth Hensperger)

You have no idea the delicious goodness in this book, they have a whole chapter just for chili's, another just for porridge.....I only got through the first few pages but my mouth was watering. Guess what I'll be using for my Slow Cooking Thursdays? LOL
This means we know there will be at least another 350 SCT posts right??? I think the first recipe I'm trying from it is Chinese Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Sesame Seeds. We love chinese food and this one caught my eye immediately. Don't worry I'll share the recipe with you all too!!!

Speaking of recipes I will be updating my little food blog later today, it's been forever and the poor thing is feeling neglected. You know I have learned through this move that you can make meals out of basic pantry items, you just have to love cooking and have an imagination I guess. I made some Beef with Mushroom Sauce that turned out pretty good and I also came up with a concoction using hotdogs, a can of chilli and velveeta cheese. It was REALLY good....so I'll share the recipes for all you adventurous people out there LOL

Now are you ready for some pictures??? I warn you it's not for the faint of heart or the clean freaks, not really for the organizing perfectionists either. This is just a little glimpse of what my house looks like right now.


This is part of the living room, don't you just love the level on the couch? Isn't it pretty? *snicker*


My kitchen which I promise will look much better once everything is packed away, again, see if you can spot what DOESN'T belong there. (Jasmine's white shoes against the dishwasher)





This is the only room that is pretty much done, my African Themed bathroom. The kids love it in there with all my african knick knacks. I guess when I'm homesick for South Africa I can just go sit in the bathroom LOL

And that's all I have to share with you, well here is a last one of the road we live on which is pretty much the main road. Just 5 or 6 houses down in the other direction, is the school gate which is just wonderful, I'm super thrilled that Jasmine will be so close to home :)


And with that my friends, I need to get going, I have the kids bedrooms to unpack today and I have floors that need to be swept and mopped. You know just yesterday I peeked into the closet and saw my vacuum and carpet cleaner and I had to laugh, I mean, we have zero carpets in this house, I suppose I could bring them out to clean the tiny rugs in the bathroom though? LOL

You all have a wonderful saturday and I'll see you back here tomorrow morning. Oh btw, I know a couple of you gave me some bloggy awards, but for the life of me I can't remember who or where they are, if you did award me one just leave me a comment on this post and I'll be sure to go and check them out. I think they were all done when I was in the middle of moving or on the road so I apologize for not being on top of it.

God Bless,