Ultimate Blog Party 2013

It's Friday, and I think the best way to kick off the weekend, is with a party.

When I first started blogging back in 2006, one of the first places I added to my blog list, was 5 Minutes for Mom.  Since then, I've participated in a few of their parties and link ups, and I think this one is a great way for bloggers to meet new friends, get their blog out there and have some fun at the same time.

So, come on in and let me tell you a little about me, my family and my blog.

I'm a 38 year old mom of two, and wife to my Air Force husband.   I am in love with anything British, honestly believe I was born in the wrong country.  HA!

I love crochet, photography, cooking, baking, reading, period drama, antiques, the pioneer era, zumba and living a simple life.

We are a military, homeschooling family currently stationed in Arizona and very close to retirement, probably as soon as next month.  It's a scary though but it's also exciting and we're looking forward to the next chapter in our lives.

I was born in Mozambique in East Africa, then when the independence war happened, we were forced to leave, first to Zimbabwe, then to Portugal where we stayed until I was 10 years old, and THEN....we moved to South Africa.  I grew up in Johannesburg, did all my schooling, made friends, started working and then one day met my husband online.  

I was Christian, he wasn't.  One thing led to another, and 16 years later here we are, with two beautiful children and a lifetime of ups and downs, deployments, miscarriages and a shared loved for the Lord.

Here's my Sarge.  He is an F-16 Mechanic (Crew Chief) in the US Air Force.  He has been in for 22 years and I'm so extremely proud of him.  This man has taken me on such a journey, not just physically moving from here to there, but emotionally, and I am the woman I am today because of his support and his love.   Wouldn't have it any other way.

Our girl is about to turn 14 years old.  She makes us laugh, she makes us cry, she makes us want to pull our hair out and I keep thinking that we are NOT ready for the teen years, but hey, we're here and it's going to be an adventure one way or the other right?

Our boy is about to turn 10 years old.  I feel like just yesterday I was holding him in my arms, my miracle baby who came along after two heartbreaking miscarriages, a difficult high risk pregnancy, and a few scares along the way.  He is hilarious and the sweetest boy on earth.

Miss Lola 

Miss Bella

These are our furry babies.  Lola and Bella, our adorable pugs.  They make life exciting and interesting and they make us laugh until our sides hurt.  We love these girls to death :)


And now that you know a little about us, let me tell you a little about my blog.  Actually I have two blogs, I have this main one and I also have a cooking blog called Full Bellies, Happy Kids.

It all came about when we were still stationed in Idaho, back in 2006.

I wanted a place to stay in touch with the family, where they could go online from anywhere in the world, and see what we were up to, what the children were doing, how they were growing, etc.

And then the food blog sort of came out of that, but mainly because at the time my children were both very young and as with most parents meal time was a pain in the behind.  They wouldn't eat, they didn't want it, they didn't like it, they wanted a snack 5 minutes after dinner etc.  It became a place to jot down recipes but also to share those which they were eating WITHOUT complaints.

It's grown immensely since then and I have tons of recipes, some from cookbooks, some from online blogs, some of my own creation and a lot of my heritage, Portuguese food.

If you're interest in cooking and yummy food, you can check out my blog, Full Bellies, Happy Kids here :)

But now, I think I should tell you what I do over here in my little corner of the web.

I write about my daily life, I take hundreds of photos and I try to document everything we are doing.  I feel it's imperative to have this online journal so that one day we can sit down and look through everything we've done, places we've been and reminisce about our days.

I share my love for crochet

I talk about simple life and days gone by

I share tips and recipes for homemade products, like the popular Homemade Laundry Detergent

I constantly talk about the current period drama movie or tv series I'm engaged in.  And if you love them as much as I do, I even have a list for you.  :)

I'm always busy in the kitchen, making this or that....

I have a vegetable garden that I'm so proud of, because up until a few years ago I was a Green Thumb of Death.  So it's fascinating that I can grow things, especially things we can eat LOL

And I talk about my journey in pursuit of a closer relationship with God and what He's doing in my life. 

I guess it's just a mish mash, hodgepodge of stuff.  I talk about my life and what I'm doing, I cry when my husband is deployed, I rejoice when my children succeed in a task they've had trouble with, and I just love visiting blogs and getting to know other women of like mind.

Feel free to look around my blog, go through the archives, read my past posts and leave a comment.  I love meeting new friends, and if you let me know where you're blogging, I will come by and say as well.

Blessings,
Sandra