Baby Blues

I really contemplated not writing this post at all, but since this is something I've really been thinking and feeling today, I'm just going to go ahead and write it.

I have the baby blues right now, or maybe a case of the green eyed monster.  Lately every time someone announces they are pregnant it makes a knot appear in my stomach and I get super jealous/angry.

I feel like every. single. time. I log onto Facebook/Twitter/Instagram someone is announcing they are pregnant.  Please don't take this to mean that I'm not happy for people, because truly I am. I'm glad that my friends and family are blessed with growing families, but a part of me just thinks, "Why isn't this me? Why am I not the one announcing this?"

To be fair, Sean and I aren't actively trying to get pregnant right now. These last few months have been the first time since we've been married that we even have seriously discussed trying to get pregnant.  And to be honest, there are still a couple of roadblocks in the way before I truly feel comfortable trying to get pregnant.

1. I want to have already gone through the home buying process. We are currently looking at homes, but have yet to find one that we really want to buy. I don't want to be dealing with buying a house and all the stress that goes along with it, while I'm pregnant.

2. I want to be in better physical shape. That might seem weird considering I'll get pregnant and then gain weight, but I would prefer to be in great shape when I get pregnant so I will be the healthiest I can be when I carry my child. Not to mention I'd like it to be less hard to get back in good shape if I've already been taking care of myself.

A part of me also worries that maybe when we start trying that we'll have issues. And then what will we do? Then it could be even longer before I get pregnant. And let's face it, I'm almost 30, which I know isn't old to start having children, but having children past the age of 35 does make me nervous.

My jealousy/anger issues are getting so bad that I'm to the point where I don't know if I want to even get on Facebook or other social media sites right now.  I'm not sure if time off would help with this, or if I should just suck it up, as I still pretty much have another decade to deal with people around me getting pregnant.

Thrifty Finds- Home Decor Edition

Since I've been back in the States, I've been doing more than my share of thrift shopping.  Most of the time that means I'm going to Goodwill at least once a week, but I have found good deals in other places.  And to be fair, I haven't even ventured out to the antique stores that are in town, although I find a lot of the time antique stores are way overpriced when it comes to what they are selling.

In the near future, I plan on doing a post specifically about all the awesome thrifty clothes finds that I've been buying the last few months, but this post is going to cover some of my home decor finds.

First up are these awesome chairs Sean and I scored last weekend. At a flea market of all places!  We were actually looking for an antique market, that apparently has gone out of business and instead randomly ran across this flea market. We got these two chairs for our living room, plus delivery for $85.  We were pretty pleased with our find.

 

 

 

I found this nightstand at Goodwill for $10. I have big plans for it and plan on it going in our guest bedroom. Ideally I'd like to paint it a medium gray, glaze it with black and maybe even change the hardware on it. If I don't change the hardware, I'm either going to paint them more gold or oil rubbed bronze.

 



So far, those have been the two bigger pieces that I've bought, but I'm on the lookout for a telephone chair/gossip bench. Two more nightstands for our bedroom, an entry table, and some coffee tables or end tables for our living room. 

I've found some great little home decor or kitchen pieces at Goodwill too. The best part is they are almost always under $5 and often they are not any more than $2.99.

Check out these awesome little yellow plates.  I can see them being used for tapas plates.

 

 

I also love this brass bowl I picked up.  I'm pretty sure I want to paint it and eventually stick it on an entry table, but at this time I'm unsure of how exactly I want to paint it. So, for now, it's gone in the closet where all my thrift finds/Christmas goodies are.

 

 

I plan on using some of these glasses for Christmas decorations. I'm thinking about putting tea lights in them or using that frosted glass spray on them.  I got about 8 of them for under $3, so to me, that's a great deal. Sean wants to use them for shot glasses, but I put the kibosh on that.

 

 

 

Last, but not least. Check out this awesome hat box I found.  It was $5.99 and although it's missing a handle on the front, it's still in great condition. I plan on using it in a guest bedroom as a display for magazines.

 

 





What I'm Loving- October Edition

The very first thing on my list that I'm loving right now is my new blog design! It was time to update since my old design centered around us living in Italy.  I wanted a new look and Fran from FreeBorboleta Designs captured exactly what I wanted. I can't say enough nice things about her. She was extremely patient with my indecision and really listened to what I wanted. If you're in need of a blog design, I highly recommend her!

Now, on to the rest of my list of what I'm loving in the month of October.

1.  This mustard yellow cardigan from Target

It's comfy, stylish and the color is popping! I think mustard yellow compliments a lot of different colors and I'm eager to see what combos I can come up with.  Plus last week at Target, they had all cardigans on sale for $15. I couldn't resist grabbing this cardigan, plus a gray one. In my opinion, you need cardigans in every. single. color.

2. OPI's French Quarter For Your Thoughts nail polish

It's the perfect color of gray and looks awesome on my nails. In all honesty, when I have my nails painted this color, I can't stop looking at them. They look so chic!

3.  This trench from Target

It's leopard print, which I love, because it's a step-up from just basic black or brown. Plus it's water repellent, so it's functional as well.  I have to purchase it, simply because I've been spending my money elsewhere, but I think it's a must-have for this winter and keeping the rain off me.

4. NPR's program, The Splendid Table

I don't know about you, but I love to eat, I love to hear about people talking about eating and I love hearing about new trends in cuisine or restaurants that I should try.  The Splendid Table covers all this and more. I think yesterday while I was listening to it, they covered cooking with lard and what all you can do with it, certain wines, vineyards and producers, as well as answering cooking questions that listeners called in to ask.  If you've never listened to this show, you should, because it is awesome!

5. J's Everyday Fashion blog

You may have seen a link to this blog floating around Pinterest.  You should visit it, especially if you need clothing inspiration.  At first I kind of doubted that my size 12 self would look as good in colored jeans as J makes them look, but I'm coming around to the idea.  Plus, I've added some "to-buy" basics onto my clothing list and ventured into buying some clothing I may not have thought about before.  Not only does J have a great blog, but she's also on Facebook, so you can keep up with her that way too.  Here is one of my fave outfits that she has in her large collection of outfit posts.

6.  Speaking of J's Everyday Fashion blog, I found these boots on there and I'm in love.  I really, really want them as they seem to be the perfect boot. Perfect color, heel isn't too tall and they look like they'd go with just about anything.  I can't save and post a photo of them, so here's the link to the boot here.

There you have it! My fave things right now in the month of October.  Anything you guys are loving right now and want to share?

Gangnam Style-West Point

So, browsing around on Facebook yesterday, I found a link to the Gangnam Style remake that the cadets at West Point did. It is AWESOME. Evidently Navy did one too and no offense, but it was nowhere as good as the one Army did.

If you haven't seen it, you must watch it!

Recipes and Reviews

In my last post I mentioned sharing some of the recipes that I've used lately that were vegetarian. I'll also throw in my review of them too.

1. Vegan Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili from Milk Free Mom

Sean and I both enjoyed this chili. It was hearty, delicious and really tasted like chili, with a bit of a sweet kick.  I will say though that it makes a lot, so if it's just the two of you, you might want to half it to avoid having so much that you can't eat it all.

2. California Sandwich from EzraPound Cake

Photo via EzraPoundCake

 

This is by far, my favorite vegetarian recipe that I've made so far.  I eat this sandwich at least twice a week.  The only thing is, I haven't found alfalfa sprouts around here yet, but I promise it's just as delicious without them.  Give this sandwich a try, I promise you'll love it!

 

 

3. Coconut Curry Soup from Zen Family Habits

 

Photo via Zen Family Habits



Once you get over the chopping in this recipe, it's a fairly simple and quick fix for dinner.  The flavors are great, it's very filling and it's great for leftovers.  I love the mixture of the coconut milk and curry paste too.

4. Portobello and Summer Squash Lasagna from Eat Live Run

Photo via eatliverun

I think this was Sean's favorite vegetarian dish that we had.  In all honesty, it was the best lasagna I've ever made. The recipe says summer squash, but she subbed zucchini for it in the recipe. The zucchini prep and sauteing takes the longest time in the recipe, but once you get that done, it goes by quickly.  Plus you could always freeze half of it for dinner later down the road.

There you have it! Some of my fave veggie recipes we ate in the past couple of months. If you give them a try, let me know how you like them.

My Month- Instagram Style

I looked at the ol' blog the other day to check the last time I wrote a blog and it's been almost a month. How this is possible, I don't know.

This month has been somewhat hectic with us getting our household goods, our car, impromptu trips to Dallas and Wichita Falls to pick up our car and for doctor's appointments. As well as me hitting up Goodwill one a week to find bargains (oh how I've missed Goodwill) working on my Etsy shop, planning a blog redesign and just trying to keep in touch with people. Obviously keeping up with my blog has not happened, although I've had good intentions.

So..to catch you up in a fun way (with pictures!) I'm going to post some of my Instagram pics from the past month. 

Went to an Oklahoma State football game with my bestie. It's been six years since I've been to a football game at my Alma mater and I was beyond excited. Plus my friend's parents generously let me use one of their club level tickets which made me feel like a total VIP. We're talking free buffet and all the candy/pop/ice cream/chips you want. Ah-mazing!

 

 

I ate vegetarian for part of the month, so I got to try out a ton of new recipes. I'll have to share those with you guys in a future post, but here are a couple of my concoctions.

Speaking of food, Sean and I have been lucky enough to eat some delish food since we've been back in the States. Two of our favorites have been Avila's in Dallas and Opa's Schnitzel Haus in Wichita Falls.

 

We got our household goods. Our Italian packers SUCK. They didn't break anything per say, but they were very shady and packed stuff one way in front of us, then when our things got here, it was in completely different places. Like the DVD's that were packed in a box, somehow wound up in a suitcase. And some of my Barbie boxes were bent and smashed when I told them NOT to repack the box they were in. Instead they decided to put heavy kitchen stuff on top of it.

I bought a new (to me) camera. Finally upgraded to a full frame. It's a 5D, but the classic. Not the Mark II.

 

 

I've also got a new business card to go along with my Etsy shop. It's designed by Fran over at FreeBorboleta Designs. She did a complete redesign of my Etsy shop, my business card and I'm also having her redesign my blog and business Facebook page. She's great to work with and I highly recommend her. This is the back of my business card, the front obviously has some info I don't want to be shared with the whole world wide web.

That's the majority of what I've been up to. How about you guys? Anything noteworthy happened in your world this past month?

Fort Sill: Pros and Cons

We've been at Fort Sill for almost two months now (minus the time we went home on leave) and we are getting settled in.  We are still waiting on our household goods, our storage from Louisiana and our car to get here. Needless to say I'm ready to have all my stuff!  So, I wanted to give my two cents so far about what I think about Fort Sill

Pros:

The post has a lot to offer and is large. At least larger than the previous two posts we've been at.

The commissary is open 7 days a week (huge plus!) and has a good selection

I like our house. It's big for 2 people and the biggest house we've had while in the military. I even have bushes out front!

The library is good with lots of great choices and services. Libraries are always one of the first things I check out at each post.

People are friendly and generally very helpful. This was not the case of most people, at least in the customer service capacity at our last post, so the change is nice.

I love the old historic buildings and homes that are on post. Can we say photo time?

There is a decent mix of classes at the gym, athough I wish they offered more yoga classes. And all the classes are free, which is a huge perk.

Lawton is a decent sized town, with lots of antique stores, restaurants, two Goodwills (squee!) and pretty any other store you need. No Target yet, although that is rumored to be on the way, along with a TJ Maxx.

Lots of nice walking paths on post. I've been taking Boomer on walks in the evening and we've both been enjoying getting out and about.

Cons:

As with any post, I've noticed wives like to complain about being stationed here.  "Oh, we don't have fill in the blank in this town, I hate it here."  Listen here toots, you pretty much have all the basics, plus lots of extras. If you can't find it here, drive an hour and a half to Oklahoma City or trek three hours to Dallas. I'm sure you can find it there. Sometimes I want to tell these wives they'd never make it stationed in Europe when they can't even find the basics they are used to, or try Fort Polk where you had to drive 45 minutes to the nearest mall or chain sit down restaurants. Grow up!

We have roaches in our home. I haven't had to deal with roaches since college in some of the apartments I've lived in. I'm currently trying to get rid of them, even though I realize I'll probably never get rid of all of them.

The speed limits in the housing areas are kind of ridiculous. I understand why they are low, but at least set them to 20 and not 15mph. I pretty much have to ride the brake the entire time.

The PX customer service does need improvement. For starters the PX is split into two different stores. One has most of the main things and the food court, the other has furniture, garden tools, toys, etc.  When you're new, it's a pain if you're trying to find something and then realize you have to go to the other PX to get it.  Also, we tried to buy a couch and loveseat from the PX and it turned into a huge mess and we finally just said forget it.

There you have it! My take on Fort Sill so far. I really like it here told Sean I was kind of disappointed we weren't going to be here for more than a year, because I'd like being stationed here for longer.

Oh....and before I forget, to thank you all for being such great blog readers, I'm giving you a code for 15% off in my Etsy shop. Just use the code blogfriends when you check out.