Sharing A Link

A blogger/military friend of mine posted a link about another blog post. It had to do with random acts of kindness during the holiday season. I felt so inspired by this blog post that it got me thinking. So many people these days create wish list after wish list of what they want. What we really need to be doing is showing our sincere gratitude for what God has given us. Take a look at the post HERE.

I wish I could do everything on the list, but I just can't be putting down money on a lot of things due to us moving soon from Italy to Memphis, TN. However, I would like to do a couple of things...for instance, I would like to make some goodies for the people who work at our post office on post. They work so hard, especially this year. They are receiving items from down range since all our soldiers are back now, taking in Christmas packages, and sending our Christmas packages. It is a mad house in our post office, but every worker always has a smile on their face...it makes me happy.

I hope everyone gives at least one random act of kindness this year...Be thankful this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would have to say that this Thanksgiving most definitely topped last year's. We had a very small dinner with our favorite couple friend's, Justine and Taylor. By hving it this way, I got to concentrate a lot more on the details rather than making sure I had enough food to feed 16 people. It was a very relaxing day, and I would not change one thing!

Here is my 17 pound Turkey ready to be cooked...injected with Garlic and Herb, oh yum!

I moved the table into the living room so we could have a bit more room to move around.
I was so excited that I got to use my dishes all set up and pretty like. I used my wine glass charms I got from my Aunt Kelly last year. Each charm had a city from Italy on them. My city was Firenze, "Florence."

Gregg reading up on how to cut a Turkey; he HAS to do it every year.

There he goes....you cut that Turkey, babe.

Gregg and I woke up the this morning to it snowing outside. It was falling pretty hard and went on for quite awhile. We ended up with about 3 inches; then, it started raining and began to melt. Here are a few pictures....

I would love to have the picture above and below blown up and framed. Too pretty!

A look down our street...

Gorgeous!....again, a framer.

Today, I also put up all my Christmas decorations. I would post pictures, but I am still waiting on Gregg to put the star on the tree (Again, his job). So, once that is up, I will post those. I got all Gregg's Christmas presents in the mail this past week, so I am happy to say that I am officially done. YAY! Now, I am just watching movie after movie while drinking Gingerbread flavored coffee...yum.

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend! Happy Holidays!

I Am Thankful For...

My Husband...

Because he bought me this game,

and spent four hours playing with me.

It truly was a spectacular night and I can't wait to do it again

(even though my thighs and butt are feeling it today).

Just Around the Corner

Next week holds the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. When I think of Thankgiving, I always think of my brother, Chris because it happened to be his FAVORITE holiday of the year. He always talked about the delicious food he would be eating and said it wouldn't hurt to have Thanksgiving a couple times during the year.

This year, Gregg and I will be having a very SMALL Thanksgiving dinner this year. Last year, we had a whopping 16 guests, and I just can't do that again. Whew...

We will be having Thanksgiving with our closest friend's, Justine and Taylor. Soon we will be seperating our friendship between multiple states, so we want to make the holiday's as intimate as possible this year. Therefore, Justine and I have been going over menu's and recipes like crazy and I think we have finally come up with an end to our madness. So, this is our menu...

Appetizer
Cheese
Pickles
Deviled Eggs
Sausage


Main Meal
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy
Rolls


Dessert
Pumpkin Pie

I also cant wait to set my table with all my nice place settings and table decorations. I will have to take multiple pictures of this occasion, and of course...Gregg will be cutting the Turkey once again.

I have also started my cleaning for the big occasion. I just have to make sure I stay on task and avoid any party ideas for the weekend. Our house always has guests over every weekend, and I can't ever seem to completely clean up after them because I know it will just be wrecked all over again.

I do have some great recipes for the Turkey, Green Bean Casserole, and Stuffing this year if anyone would like to know about them. If you do, just leave me a comment and I will PM you. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving this year and thank you again for all you have done for me.

A Long Time Away

Hi Blogger Friends, I am very sorry I have been missing for a bit. A lot has been going on with me emotionally and I just needed to take some time away from here, but don’t worry….nothing to be concerned about it. Lately, I haven’t had a clue on know what to write about, I didn’t have the time to sit here and actually write a decent post, and I am trying to figure out the way I would like this blog’s direction to take place.

During my time of absence, I really haven’t been absent. I still logged on everyday to catch up on all my follower’s and wrote a few comments here and there. It seems like everyone is at a great place right now. Many of you have shared your Thanksgiving menus, Christmas check lists, holiday stressors, and more. I enjoy reading everyone’s posts and I want to thank you for sharing your life/tips with me.

I am sure you have also noticed that I have been slacking on my weekly menu’s the past two weeks, and I am ready to jump right back in this weekend. Over the past two weeks, I have cooked some old favorite’s along with quite a few new recipes. Speaking of new, I am proud to say I have officially had the guts to try one of the Pioneer Woman’s recipes. I have always been a little reluctant to try it because there are quite a bit of steps, but most of, her meals contain calorie on top of calorie on top of calorie.

The recipe I tried was Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes. It looked so good, and I knew Gregg would just absolutely LOVE it. However, after I spent an hour in the kitchen, Gregg brought to my attention that the chicken was not cooked all the way through. I was so embarrassed! I know chicken, I do chicken, how can this happen? Anyways, it looked good, but couldn’t go that far into eating it. Maybe my next Pioneer Woman trial will be a little better.

The weather here in Vicenza, Italy has been nothing but RAIN. I am so tired of this overcast, getting wet all the time, and coming home to wet jean hems. I was warned when I moved here that when it rains, it rains for like two weeks straight, but this is just a bit much. If it gets past this fourth week, I think I might just pull my hair out. The temperature has not been bad though. It was freezing this last year, but I have not been so miserable yet. Watch me say that, and it’s a different story come tomorrow.

The boys have been trickling home slowly, and I can’t be any happier. Some of Gregg’s friends have made it and of course he is ecstatic. We had a little get together this weekend since it’s been about 3 months since the last time he has seen any of them. You can tell he has been itching for his man time, and this weekend could not have gotten any more fun for him and myself.
The rest of the boys should be here by the end of this week hopefully, and then we can finally say we have made it through a deployment with everyone coming back home. Thank you Lord, I am forever grateful.

Gregg and I have invested in the Kinect, but I am sure everyone didn’t doubt that happening. The Kinect is the coolest thing I have ever played with, and I am actually itching to play it right now. If anyone has an Xbox 360, you need to go out and purchase this cool gadget. With the Kinect, you can walk right in front of the television, not touch anything, and it will sign you in just by recognizing who you are through body points and your voice. Also, you don’t use any kind of controller, you just point to the screen and it does want you want it to. It’s truly amazing and should be under everyone’s Christmas tree this year!

Work has been moving a long and I have been given more responsibilities which is pretty cool. On December 4, I will be getting promoted once again, and I can’t wait. It really needs to get here NOW. My goal is to try and move over to NAVY so I can keep everything I have worked for over the past 18 months. If I leave, they won’t match my 401k in about another 18 months, and my Pay Grade will go down if I ever want to work with CYS again later in life. So, if you know anything about the Navy’s Child and Youth Program, please let me know.

A co-worker of mine recently went to Washington D.C. to watch her husband receive the Medal of Honor. SSG Salvatore Guinta is a great soldier, and I am proud to say I know him and have him serving in the same unit as my husband. He truly is a humble man and would do anything for his fellow soldier’s/family. The ceremony was aired live, but if you missed…here is a great link to watch.

Since everyone has been sharing their Thanksgiving Plans, I guess I should share mine…but not yet. I will save that for another post… (Maybe tomorrow?) But I will tell you, it is going to be very small this year and very intimate. Last year I did Thanksgiving for the very first time, and I cooked for 16 people! It was a whirlwind, but do not regret it one bit.

Also, someone recently stated that I should start a cook book with all recipe’s in it, and I would love to, but can’t. However, I am starting a new project with them. I am making cute recipe cards and I am hoping to compile a couple sets to give to family members. If you would like a set, let me know, but know it will probably take a very long time until I am officially done!

Well, I guess that’s about all that has been going on with us. I’ll try to be on here a little bit more in the week to post a couple more things. If not, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for being a follower!

Tuesday's List: Workout Routine

Workout Routine
I have been slacking in my gym time A LOT since Gregg has been home, and by slacking, I mean I have only gone once in 3 months. I hate that I have not gone, but it is a lot harder than I thought to jump back in after a week of going to Landstuhl to get him. Also, not having the car all to myself made it a lot easier when he was not here. However, I migh not be able to get back in 5 days a week, but I am going to try and go a lot more than I do now.
I am going to share with you the workout routine I went through when I was trying to lose weight. Let me tell you, it worked because I lost 22 pounds.I would go to the gym 5 days a week or more. Yes, I was a true gym rat. I became friends without of people and I felt better about myself everytime I left.
Once in there:
I would stretch because its good for you, and I love it.
Then, I would run on the treadmill for 2 miles; always trying to push for 2.5 (never happening...lol)
Next, was the elliptical for another 2 miles.
That ended my cardio, and I went to the weight area.
I would then do many many sit-ups...The amount just depending on how much I could do that day.
Then I would use a couple weights to work the arms (those could use a little more work too)
Many people would say I was a bit extreme, but I enjoyed it! I think everyone should jump into the gym every now and then to see the wonders it could do.
Happy Working Out Guys!

Question of the Day: Carpet Clean

How do you keep your carpet/rug clean? Please share your knowledge, products, tips, ideas, etc.

It seems like I can never keep my rug clean. I am already on my second rug for the living room in two years and I'm about to have to trash it. It always seems like I turn around for ten seconds and then a spot is there and won't come out. I have a little Yorkie, but he is not too messy...So, where does it come from? Many of my friends have toddler's and their rugs always look so good. So, what am I doing wrong?

Let It Rain!

In the past couple of days, I have been at home sitting on my bottom doing absolutely nothing. I guess it could have been a great chance for me to blog, but I was up for doing NOTHING! The reason for sitting at home was the flood that decided to pass through Vicenza city. We looked like Venice going under what; it was crazy!

The post was closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the roads being blocked and no one able to get through. Today, my boss decided to give all his employee's the day off (What a guy!) I couldn't believe the text when it said "enjoy your day!"

The streets were insane at the beginning of the week. Italians were busy putting up walls at bridges to keep water from flowing over. There aren't sewer's here, so the water has no where to go except the ground or the air. Here is a video to show how bad it was...in the video, the area is about 5 minutes from my house.

So, on my comp day, I thought it would be the perfect day to do some Christmas shopping. My best friend Justine and I were out and about all day long trying to choose the perfect gifts for everyone. I think I am about 3/4 into the buying...Yay, almost done! I have noticed Gregg hasn't done anything though...I am getting kind of nervous about this. For gifts, he always manages to raid the PX for my gifts, and as much as I love him for getting me things....I don't want anything from the PX! Everything I want this year is either at the Italian mall or online. Those two are places that he just can't handle. I wish someone could help him...

My goal is to try and get everyone's gifts bought, wrapped, and shipped by Thanksgiving. I did such a horrible job last year, so I want to make everything up this year. Gregg was deploying around Christmas, so gifts were not on my mind.

Gregg is on staff duty tonight, so I am having ME time and enjoying it very much. I get to curl up on the couch, watching Dancing With The Stars, and catching up on some organization. This might all be so boring to some people, but I love it! Now, I need to get on my homework so I can pass my classes. Until next time, later.