Dogs On A Plane

She liked her stocking 

I brought my computer with me to our various Christmas adventures, but never got around to actually turning it on much less blogging. I am perfectly fine with this fact. We had an absolute blast over the holidays, and they aren't really over yet. Lane's family is still visiting with us here.

 We have been hopping all over the northeast visiting both of our families. A few days before Christmas we drove down to New Jersey to visit my family. We had an absolute incredible day wandering around NYC. The buildings were all covered in Christmas lights. It was chilly, but perfect weather  for walking. 

The most dramatic part of our travels was the jump from New Jersey to Connecticut. Lane's uncle owns his own small plane and flew down to pick us up. The "us" in that sentence included Asha. She was an absolute champ and relaxed in her crate for the whole trip. Our route took us right by Manhattan and it was lovely to see the whole skyline from 7,000 feet.

Not as glamorous as it might have been. Very cold and very windy 

 After a wonderful visit with Lane's family, we are now safely back in Fort Drum. The snow came with us, and there are mountains of snow covering post. I highly underestimated just how much it could snow here

I want to do more of an NYC post, but I am already beat for today. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. 

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Ugly/Tiny Holiday Sweater Party

One of my good friends hosted an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party last week. After we got the invitation, Lane and I headed to Salvation Army to try to find some knitted inspiration. I found a sweater covered in cows. I knew that with a little hot glue, I could totally make them cows wearing Santa hats. Lane went a slightly different route. 

You're Welcome Blog World, for the ridiculousness that is my husband's abs.

We had a blast and got some great pictures. We have such a great neighborhood community around us. We know most of our neighbors which is a really good feeling. Seeing them all in ridiculous sweaters was even better. 

Seeing Red

Hello Thursday. This has just been the week of link-ups, and today I am joining Stephanie and Katie

 for "Saw It, Pinned It, Did It" 

I had seen these EAT signs on Pinterest forever. I finally decided to make my own a while ago. I loved the idea of sticking with a red theme. Here is some of my inspiration. 

Original Source  Molly's Kitchen Board on Pinterest

Original Tumblr Source   Kitchen Board on Pinterest

And here is my version.

I just bought large paper mache letters from Joanne's and painted them red with a glossy red spray paint. They are a really bright fire engine red, but for some reason look much more muted in my pictures. 

I really like how this simple (and cheap) DIY adds to my kitchen. I still have one giant empty wall, but that is one of my deployment projects. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful end of their week. We are heading down to New Jersey for Christmas to see my side of the family. I can't wait to show off Asha to my parents and hang out with my siblings. We are planning a trip to NYC and other fun activities. 

Amore De Wednesday

I am starting to run out of interesting titles for "What I Am Loving Wednesday" posts. This is my best effort for late on a rainy Tuesday night.
Work has been a little crazy, added with trying to get the house ready for after Christmas guests. However, I am still loving so many things this week that I wanted to share. I am linking up with Jaime at This Kind of Love for What I Am Loving Wednesday". 

I am loving my family. The tragedy in Connecticut only make me more thankful for those around me. My heart aches for those families who will be missing a child this Christmas. 

I am loving all the adorable Christmas  cards we have been getting in the mail. It only confirms that I have a gorgeous set of family and friends. Especially Jenn, who has the cutest Christmas card I have ever seen.

I am loving my extra hours. They are stressing me out a little bit, but I know that they will provide an excellent distraction during deployment. The money is also a welcome presence during the holidays. 

On Pinterest ( Couldn't find Original Source)

I am loving this picture. It combines two of my favorite things; soldiers and scrabble.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week. Give your families some extra hugs and kisses. 

Dancers Among Us

Have y'all seen this book? 

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They took dancers and photographed them doing daily tasks. The pictures are absolutely incredible. Here are some of my favorites. All of the photos can be found on their website here. 

I wish I were that excited when I get up in the morning. 

This would make a perfect gift for any dancers in your family. Or really for anyone who likes beautiful pictures. 

Friday Letters Link Up

I haven't done the Friday Letters Link-Up in a while and thought I would participate this week. I am linking up with Ashley at Adventures of Newlyweds for Friday Letters.

Dear Asha

I am so sorry that I have been gone so much this week. Work has been really crazy, and I know that means more time in your crate. Lane will be home all next week and you should get all sorts of loving and play time. I am glad that we got some snow. You were suspicious at first, but quickly figured out how much fun it is. 

Dear Lane

Thank you for the latte you brought home for me last night. I was dragging after work and it was the perfect surprise. You are really good at this husband thing. 

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Dear Target Leopard Loafers

You will be mine.

Dear Christmas lights

Thank you for being an instant mood booster. I love our little tree this year. I think it kind of looks like the Grinch's head. It is the perfect size for our little family.

Happy Friday =) 

Brigade Ball

Hello Friday =) I am thrilled to see the weekend right around the corner. My plans for tonight include; Big Bang Theory, the latte my incredible husband brought home for me, and figuring out something for dinner. Before I jump into all that wonderfulness, I wanted to share my pictures from the brigade ball last night. I attended the squadron ball in June, but all of the brigade got together last night to celebrate the holidays and have some fun. 

I borrowed a gorgeous dress from a friend which ended up working perfectly. Getting ready was a bit abbreviated. I got home from work at 4:15 and we had to be at the ball at 5:00. Not my ideal getting-ready-scenario, but it all ended up ok. 

We had a really good time. It was nice to get to know a few of the leaders and their spouses. We even got to witness the Commanding General rock the electric slide. I was a little whiny about this event, but once I got there it was great. 

Paleo Sweet Potato/Ham/Onion Quiche

Today I want to share one of my tastiest and easiest paleo meals. This is a sweet potato, ham and onion quiche. I make this recipe at least once a week for brunch or even dinner. 

1. Cut sweet potato into slices and bake at 400 degrees until soft and cooked all the way through. I got ahead and bake them in the pie dish to avoid unnecessary cleanup. 

2. While the sweet potatoes are baking, slice and cook onion until translucent and a little caramelized.  

3. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, take the pie pan out of the oven. Add three to four slices of ham over the sweet potato. Then, whisk 6 eggs. Pour the eggs over the ham and sweet potato. 

4. Top with the caramelized onions and bake at 350 for about fifteen to twenty minutes. You just want to make sure the egg is cooked all the way through. My oven runs extremely hot, so I would just keep an eye on it. 

 I love this recipe because the sweet potato makes a wonderful sort of crust that you usually don't get with paleo foods. The ham and sweet potato are delicious together. I am a fan of onion on pretty much everything. 

If you have ever wanted to try a paleo recipe, this is a great introduction. It is easy, tasty, and looks great. 

One Year Post Graduation

One year ago today I bundled up, met my family, and drove onto Fort Benning to watch Lane graduate from Ranger School. Some of my very first blog posts were about Ranger School, and they remain some of my most popular. I remember how excited I was to pin on his tab, and just completely relieved that it was over. Ranger School is much harder than a two months apart should be. The zero contact is rough, but the constant variance in how long they might be gone is worse. Every few weeks they might be going on to the next phase, or it could be another two months until you get your husband back. 

I wrote this in my first Ranger post, and I will say it again now. If any girls going through this stumble upon this little blog and have questions or need help; please let me know. 

Styling From Pinterest

Thursdays are officially my new favorite blogging day. I love showing off the crafts I have managed to actually accomplish from the thousands of projects I pin each day. I am linking up with Stephanie and Katie Today is all about styling. I love all the gorgeously styled bookshelves and coffee tables you can find on Pinterest. I have tried to style some of my own shelves in a similar manner. Here are a few of my inspirations, and the result. 

Original Source

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Original Source

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How did I do? I love the antler and stacked book combination. I already had some of the gorgeous penguin books. The bottom shelves aren't quite as a close match, but I still love them.

Happy Pinning! 

Wonderful Wintery Wednesday

I had all sorts of plans for blogs this week, but it has just been crazy busy. Previously at work, I had been splitting my hours with another adjunct. This week she found another job, and I am immediately getting double the hours. This is phenomenal for my student-loan-pay-off-plan. However, it is not so good for the blogging. I am squeezing in this post while I can.  I am happily ensconced on the couch with Lane listening to Christmas music, which is basically the best time imaginable to blog.

I am linking up with Jaime at This Kind of Love for What I Am Loving Wednesday. Congratulations to her on her new baby boy! I think that this time of year makes everyone love everything a little bit more. Here are a few things that are making me heart happy this week. 

1. My house is getting very Christmas-y. I am planning on doing a whole post about this, but here is a sneak peak. I am obsessed with green garlands and lights this year. I have multiple wreaths up, and white lights every where. 

Molly's Favorite Stuff Board on Pinterest

2. This picture 

via

3. Kate Middleton is having a baby. Y'all, I can't even explain how excited I am about this. I saw the headline at work and almost screamed at my desk. I am surrounded by soldiers/veterans and no one seemed to have the same level of excitement. Luckily, I had the internet and could share in my elation with other more reasonable people. 

4. I love being married to this guy. I am really happy we get to see both our families for Christmas.

Etsy Shop

5. I am secretly hoping this chalkboard map will appear under my Christmas tree. If not, it may be a birthday present to myself.  This wonderful Etsy shop is also donating part of the proceeds to Hurricane Sandy relief.

Happy Wednesday! 

DIY-ing It Through Deployment

I have always loved the weekly deployment check-ins that so many other military spouse blogs do while their husbands are away. ( For my new readers, and I got a lot this week (which makes me smile), my husband is a soldier and scheduled to deploy soon-ish). I have been thinking about how I want to mark the weeks while Lane is away. I absolutely LOVED Amy's "Happy Picture" posts and think I will definitely do something like that. However, I also want to make sure I have enough projects to keep my busy. That brings me to my new idea of doing a "DIY-ing It Through Deployment. I want to have a set list of house projects that I will accomplish before Lane gets home. Here is my list so far. 

1. Gallery wall for the kitchen

2. Do this project with one of our black and white wedding pictures. Maybe that one? I am obsessed with this picture and have it all over our house. Clearly I need a huge version. 

Original Source

3. Make a series of abstract paintings for our living room. I love the above tutorial. I have a big blank wall on one side of the living room that desperately needs to be filled. 

4. Buy a sewing machine. Learn to use set sewing machine, and then make curtains for my house. We do not have a single window treatment up. I really want to make at least some straight up and down panel curtains. 

So that is what I have so far. I would love to hear any suggestions for fun weekly blog items to mark each week of deployment. Or, any great DIY projects y'all have done or soon. 

Have a wonderful Sunday =) 

Frozen Fill In The Blank Friday

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Hello lovely readers. The temperature in Upstate NY has plummeted to a chilly 15 degrees. It is past the point of just cold, and has reached "dangerous to go outside with exposed skin". I spent just long enough outside for Asha to get some exercise, then immediately returned to my couch and a pile of blankets. I am linking up with Lauren at The Little Things We Do for Fill In The Blank Friday. This Friday is all about Christmas; my favorite part of the year. 

Christmas Board on Pinterest

1.  "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is..." "Ok clearly, the answer is singing loud for all to hear. However, for me the best way to spread Christmas cheer is to give presents. I love love love giving people presents. I love the whole picking out process, and seeing their faces when they open the gift. 

2.  The holiday season is _very happy this year. We are settled into our house and seeing both of our families. Lane deploys soon after, but we can forget that for now. 

3.  When it comes to holiday decorating...I am fully in favor. I spent today putting up yards and yards of greenery. I go all out. 

4. The thing I look forward to most about the holidays is seeing my family and getting a Christmas tree. 

Christmas Board on Pinterest

5. My favorite holiday tradition is going to see my grandparents as a kid after we opened presents. I hope to live close enough to our parents to recreate this with our own kids. 

6. This year my Christmas plans include driving to New Jersey to see my family. Lane's uncle has his own plane and is coming to get us for a second trip to Connecticut. I am really glad they we get to see both sides of the family this year. 

7.  My favorite holiday food is plain sugar cookies. There is nothing better than a sugar cookie in the shape of a Christmas tree. 

Happy Holidays to everyone =)