Birds of a Feather Sticking Together and Letting Me Join the Flock

I got majorly busted today. I was Hobby Lobby-hunting with my new friend on base (yes, I can make friends and play well with others, regardless of what Mrs. Hurt thought) when she pointed out that I failed to add "made friends" to my list on Tuesday. Sooooooo.....let me fix that ASAP.

Number of friends made on base: 3 (It could have been 4, but I think I'm too fragile to be her friend).

I don't have blog names for them yet...I don't know them well enough. Although, if I was pressed to give them ones today, I would probably use The SunDevil (she is the wicked influence that whispers in my ear to ditch my daily responsibilities and lounge under the Georgian rays), Dane Cook's baby daddy (due to the fact that Dane Cook is going to have her babies...don't ask. We are all confused...), and Yaz (because she has 3 kids under the age of 5 and that is its own special brand of birth control. I seriously came home after meeting her and called Neal to say, "you know how we talked about having 3 kids? I would like to change my vote." I don't know how she does it. It's just a big pot of awesome to watch.)

I'm terribly sorry I left them off of the list. They like to scrapbook, say naughty things, and shop. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

On an unrelated note, is it just me or does Al Gore sort of look like...someone??


Huh...yeah...weird...

Wordless Wednesday: We Have a Prickly Kind of Love

There's Always a Drought in the Summer

Every time Neal leaves for an extended period of time, I always think This is going to be great! I'm going to spend every waking minute beading, blogging, and scrapbooking! I will cook fantastic meals with chocolate sauce and workout 3 times a day. I will read every single book that is threatening to topple my bookcase.

In reality, I spend a morning at the vet's office, an afternoon getting the oil changed. The washing machine quits spinning or the insurance company needs me to sign forms...in person. And I never cook anything more extravagant than spaghetti with marinara or a grilled cheese sandwich. And yet, every time I have the same thought: I am going to be soooo productive! What I'm beginning to learn about myself is that I am much more productive with Neal here. He is a machine that inspires me to answer emails, make phone calls, get things done. Without him, I hang out by the pool, watch an entire run of television shows on instant streaming Netflix, and watch the cats watch the squirrels on the patio.

Clearly, I am not productive. I was this time, however, very productive IRL. And because I love lists, especially lists that demonstrate my productivity, here's one for the last month:

*Number of houses sold: 1

(Mama Virgo is literally being held up by our sign. This was the day we unpacked 40 heavier-than-Heavy D boxes out of the attic and moved all of the furniture to storage.)

*Number of townhouses purchased: 1

(And yes, God love my husband because he just spent a fortune on an abode that he's never actually been in. We call that trust, boys and girls. Although that was trust in me, our Realtor, Mama Virgo, and biff Susie Q....not to be confused with trust just in me.)

*Number of houses that had to be completely emptied by me, Mama Virgo, and Anna Banana before the expedited closing tomorrow: 1

Now, wasn't that infinitely more fun than coming all the way down to Georgia just to float in our pool and watch airmen in flight suits at the commissary, ladies? Yeah, I thought not.

*Number of palmetto bugs sent to a watery death in our guest bathroom toilet: 6 (no pictures. It is, after all, almost lunch time)

*Number of meltdowns because of palmetto bugs in the bedroom: 1

*Number of bottles of wine drank to ease Palmetto Bug Fear at bedtime: 6

*Number of meals eaten out because cooking for 1 seemed like such a hassle: I lost track, but my skirts say "way too many".

*Number of pieces of jewelry created while Neal was gone: 1
(I've just quit checking my weekly Facebook updates that tells me how many fans/visits I have to the fan page. It's too depressing. They're dropping like flies.)

*Number of days spent laying by the pool, thinking I really needed to come home and make jewelry: 5

*Number of days I wished Neal was home: 28

Technically, today is Try a New Food Tuesday, but I felt like I needed to justify my absence before diving head-first into my commissary finds (and, I've discovered, that you need to actually go to the commissary to find food for Try a New Food Tuesday. I managed to completely avoid that for a month. Thank you, Wendy's, Arby's, Chick-Fil-A, and Chili's.)

Neal has been living on MRE's while out in the field and he brought me a couple home. Unfortunately, they are lost in the black hole where bags go when they don't arrive with your plane. So, next Tuesday will be Try a New Food Tuesday: the MRE version. I've never eaten food that was reconstituted with water. This will be an adventure. Sort of like being an astronaut, without having to wear a onesie or drink Tang.

I appreciate all of your emails over the past few weeks, checking on my progress or just my continued existence on earth. It has been such a wild ride, but (and I say this with some reservation), I think it will actually slow down some now. Maybe I'll make something with chocolate sauce tonight....

Try a New Food Tuesday: It's Healthy Because It Has "Fit" In the Name

I know that y'all are going to call "chicken" because I went with a familiar food this week instead of something that contains fish eggs and cheddar cheese...but I can't be blamed. It just called to me. Beckoned me. Cried "Mama!" And so I took it lovingly into my arms, gave it a stroke on the lid and placed it gently in the cart. Oh how we've been parted for so long.

This week I give you....

Yes, it looks remarkably like Nutella...and yet it is NussFit! It is not Nutella...because it is HEALTHY!! It is FIT! It has a big ole price sticker from the commissary deli plastered across the back so it is impossible to tell how many calories per teaspoon (or...er...tablespoon...or...er...bowl). But it tastes simply heavenly spread on a bagel or across a cupcake or straight off the spoon, as it turns out.

Disclaimer: I did NOT just buy this today....because eating that much chocolate hazelnut spread in one sitting is unhealthy...regardless of the brand name. This has lasted the whole week. I would like to know where I pick up my prize for unmatched self-discipline.

Also, because I'm a giver, I'm going to share a recipe using NussFit (technically using Nutella but they seem to be one in the same...with the exception that, of course, this is much healthier). All the way from The Ungourmet, I give you:

The Best Zucchini Bread You Will Ever Eat Or Your Money Back
Click on the title for Kim's DELICIOUS recipe. There is no reason not to make this recipe. It has NussFit AND zucchini. Your cardiologist and personal trainer are basically begging you to do this for yourself. And while you're over there, go ahead and poke around a bit. Kim just posted a recipe for the most amazing burritos. I haven't tried them but if I could eat my laptop screen, I would.

Next up for Thursday is pictures from the luau...or what I remember from it. Note to fellow travelers: Hale Koa (which is the military hotel in Honolulu) makes the kind of Mai Thai that goes down smooth and doesn't hit you until you look from side to side too quickly. It is $7.00 of pure bliss and the best money I've ever spent on rented liquid. And it helps the poi go down a little smoother, too.