reason for the tears...

Ok... So I know some of you might have read my facebook ranting the other day.  I have been wanting to blog about what is going on, but honestly was just angry and devastated and I didn't want to say anything too harsh and irrational in the heat of the moment.

The whole story is pretty long, but I'll just try and sum it up.  Marshall and I are not allowed to be married while he is on the MSG program.  We have to wait until he finishes in October.  Although this might not seem like that big of a deal, its really a pain in the butt because I am not on his orders, insurance, access to military only family things... the list goes on.  Anyways... this isn't my current frustration.

Marshall is supposed to be finishing his 3 year contract in Malta.  We are scheduled to head home at the end of September/ beginning of October.  He has been the detachment commander in Malta for the past year, and we have six more months left.  

Well this past week he was told that they were sending him back to Africa.  They want him to leave in the next couple weeks.  If this was the only issue...it wouldn't be as awful.  Of course I have to purchase my own plane ticket to get there because I'm not on his orders and it gets so expensive after all the times they move us.  It's around $1000 for my ticket.  

So here is the other part...  My grandparents have had a vacation planned for months to come visit us.  This will be the first time they have been out of the country.  They are arriving on March 14th and leaving on April 18th.  Marshall will be leaving about March 14th.  We also have to have our pack out and be out of our house by April 1st.  So this leaves my grandparents and I homeless for 3 weeks when we planned on having a home.  Marshall will also miss out on their whole visit.  

We also had a vacation planned with them in Italy for the beginning of April.  We already purchased our tickets and bought passes for different events in Italy.  Now Marshall will not be there unless he spends $1500 to get back to Europe from Africa.  

We had to book 2 weeks in a time share in Malta so we had a place to stay.  We also had to buy all new plane tickets to Italy to work around accommodation conflicts.

So all this just brought me to tears.  I was devastated my grandparents special visit was ruined.  They were having to fork out a ton of extra money.  We are having to spend a ton of extra money.  Marshall most likely will not even be able to spend time with us...which was really important to me.

The reason for the move is the Detachment Commander that was supposed to go to "__,Africa" (will update when we are there or I'm allowed to say) has children.  This country does not allow children, so they are sending him to Malta instead and bumping us to Africa.  

Now don't get me wrong...I am deeply passionate and in love with Africa.  I am happy to go back there.  It just saddens me the timing and everything... And I think... the $4000 that we will probably end up paying in unnecessary expenses could have paid for our wedding in Thailand that we were hoping to have.  So now, I'm not sure if it will work out anymore.  :(  Boo...  

But... I know there is nothing we can do but embrace it and figure out all the little details as we go.  Sorry for the downer blog...  It feels good to get it off my chest though.  

I can't wait to blog tomorrow about the Carnival in Malta!  I have some great pictures so check back tomorrow for a happy post!!  XOXO

It's about dang time!

I cannot believe it's been a week since my last post.  We had a pretty crazy week, but I know a lot of weeks will be like that and I don't want to get out of the habit of blogging often.  So, I'm going to commit to blogging 3-4 times a week.  I am now accountable to you! :)

This past week Marshall had his big SAI inspection at work.  He had three of his command from region here inspecting him and the marines.  I'm so incredibly proud of them all!  They did a fantastic job!!

My sweet friend Cyd also returned from having a baby in the states.  She had her son 2 days before my sister had Christopher, so since I can't see my nephew right now, I'm taking every opportunity to love on their sweet baby boy.  I made these cookies to take over when we went to see him.  You can't really see the teddy bear but it did turn out cute!  I was excited because I had no clue how to do it!

Since Marshall's command was here this week, we didn't really plan anything for Valentine's Day.  It was fine with me because I knew he was crazy busy.  I did quickly make him this little Pinterest find.  I ended up covering the cover in clear tape to like laminate it so the cutouts wouldn't peel off.

It was so much fun thinking about all the things I love about him.  I really think I could have gone on and on.  I think that's a good thing :)

I also had a couple cookie orders for Valentine's day, so I was busy baking and frosting.  My kitchen gets so destroyed when I bake though!  I try really hard to clean as I go, but there is still always a mess in the end and that's when I walk the other way!

A couple of the cookie pops I made... (I wish I took pictures of everything without the bags on them!)

Cookie plate...

I've made these before with the round pretzels but can't get them here... so when I saw on Pinterest that they used the square pretzels I was excited and found some at the commissary!  Yummy!!!

A larger cookie bouquet that was purchased for the marines!

 I also made a cookie bouquet with these cookies...  I just loving playing around with the detailing!  

So Valentine's Day night, I went with all the marines and their command to one of the best restaurants in Malta... Bad Ass Burgers.  I seriously think they should take this chain to the states.  They are HUGE... and sooo stinkin good.  My favorite burger there is called The Daddy... it has jalapenos, bacon, onion straws, bbq sauce, and peppercorn something.  Amazing!!!  I only can eat half though (and I can usually eat a lot!).

On Wednesday night, I cooked dinner for everyone.  This is always so nerve wrecking for me because you really want it to turn out well.  I was so busy that I didn't get pictures of ANYTHING, but here was the menu:

Apps:

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Warm Onion Dip (so good)

Garlic bread to eat them with

Beer Bread and Spinach and Herb Dip

Dinner:

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a White Wine Sauce

Cheesy Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Biscuits 

Dessert:

3-tier Carmel Cake with Whipped Cream in between the layers and carmel drizzled on top.  I also crushed up some twix for the top

2-tier Red Velvet Cake with Whipped Cream and cherries/sauce on top

I think the dessert was the best :)

(If you want any of the recipes, just let me know!)

One last thing:  Is it just me or when veggies sprout like this, does it not just give you the heebie jeebies?  It like creeps me out... gross!

I have some big news to share with you tomorrow...  Its been a rough week for us, so check back tomorrow to read about it!  Also on Monday, I'm going to blog about the Carnival this weekend in Malta!!  Hope you all are having a great weekend!!!

TGIF!!!!

This week has been a little crazy because I've had some crappy medical stuff going on, but here's a little bit of what else I've been up to...

We really wanted to have a Superbowl party last Sunday.  Well since the game didn't come on until midnight our time, and most of the people around us could care less about football, we couldn't really plan a big fun party.  (I had SO many fun Pinterest football recipes I wanted to try!)  We still had a three friends over for chili around 8, but they didn't last long for the game.  Marshall and I stayed awake til about 3 and then we crashed and checked the internet when we woke up.  

I know everyone probably has their own chili recipe that they love, but if not... here is a fabulous one:

Brown 2lbs of ground beef.  

3/4 of the way done... add chopped onions and green peppers.  (I used 2 small onion and half a large green pepper).  I also chopped up some jalapeno's because I like spice, and I threw in like 4 chopped cloves of garlic.  And then I seasoned the meat with some chili powder.  Finish cooking the meat and set aside.

In a large crock pot, mix:

3 large cans of tomato sauce

2 small cans of diced tomatos

a packet of chili seasoning

I looooove corn and mushrooms in my chili.  I put in one can of corn and would have done mushrooms too if I had them.

Beans.  Hate them.  Everyone else loves them.  Soooo I added a can of red kidney beans and a can of baked beans.  It was all I could find in my cupboards.  You can put in whatever amount you prefer.

Add your meat mixture and depending how spicy you like it...you can add more chili powder, red pepper flakes, spices, whatever you want.

I made it late so I put it on high for 4 hours and it was awesome.  You can also cook it on low all day.  

I did also make the super cute football field that I found on this website from pinterest: http://absolutelymonica.blogspot.com/2011/02/super-bowl-sunday-guacamole-football.html

(My link option isn't working right... or maybe its because of my new mac computer and the user isn't working right :)

Anyways... here is the final product:

I was in a hurry so its a little sloppy, and I should of made the end zone lines fatter, but oh well.  It tasted amazing!!  Plus who doesn't love mixing guac and cheese, but refrains from dumping clumps in the opposite bowl!  This is perfect to scoop however you wish!

I used pre-made salsa and nacho cheese dips for the ends and this recipe for the guacamole.  The website that I took it from started with 10 avocados and I only was using 2, so I really wasnt sure how it was going to turn out.  But being my first time making it... it was DELICIOUS!  So here we go:

Cut open the avocados and take the pits out.  Then either scoop it out or cut off the skin and chop it up.

I cut 2 limes in half and squeezed the juice all over the chopped avocados.  I think this really added great flavor!!

I diced half of a red onion...

I diced up one large tomato...

And 4 or 5 garlic cloves...

Mix it all together... and can always throw it back in your food processor if you want it to be a finer consistency... 

And then I formed it in the middle of my plate...

I used a pastry bag to pipe the sour cream on the football field...  (you can always use a baggie too and just cut a small slit in the corner for your tip)

Give yourself enough time so your lines don't look like mine :)

 And then add your chopped cherry tomatoes as players...

I was also making a german chocolate cake because it's Marshall's favorite.  I was going to make frosting to decorate it with but since I was in a hurry, just thought I could figure something out with sprinkles.  This was definitely a failed attempt, but oh well.  It still tasted good.  :)

First, I just placed a football cookie cutter on the top and used little white decorating balls for the stitching.  Then I filled in the remaining spaces with chocolate sprinkles to add some brown defined color.  

Then I used number cutters to write 2012 in blue sprinkles.  At this point the cake started cracking because I did a double decker... but also didn't wait til it cooled.  So since it was still warm, it wasn't as firm.  Note to self... the "maybe it will be fine" is false.  Plan ahead.

I laugh looking at the pictures again... like what was I thinking?!  It definitely appeared way more awesome in my mind.  :)  

Last night for dessert I made another recipe from Pinterest.  I absolutely LOVE bananas and so this sounded amazing.  This is the link to the original site:

http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/banana-pudding-with-nilla-wafers/

I didn't really follow the recipe because I used Jell-O banana pudding mix instead of making it homemade.  I would definitely use vanilla pudding too if I didn't have banana.

So pretty much all you do is make the pudding (add milk for the Jell-O kind).

Slice 3 bananas. 

And crush a few handfuls of vanilla wafers.  You can always add more later...

So you just start layering... bananas, pudding, wafers until you run out.  I don't think it matters what order you choose.

After you have it all layered up, put it in the fridge for a couple hours to set up.  

Add whipped cream to the top and enjoy!  Sooo good :)

I also made this amazing parmesan crusted chicken with a white wine sauce from a recipe my sister gave me.  I forgot to take pictures but its super easy to do.

 Set up your three bowls:  Flour/salt/pepper

Whisked eggs

And for your third, grate fresh parmesan cheese and add breadcrumbs.  Do a 2-1 ratio with more parmesan.  You can also add italian seasoning/garlic, whatever to this mixture.

Melt some butter in a skillet with sides and cook both sides until golden brown.  You will need to keep adding butter as you cook it.  I used fatter breasts of chicken so I made sure to bake it for like 20 minutes and to cook it a little slower on the stove top.  You can always make a little slit and cheat check like me.  While you throw the chicken in the oven to either cook more or to stay warm, you are going to make your sauce.  Use the leftovers in your skillet and add a cup of white wine to it.  Whisk together and cover.  This needs to simmer for 20 minutes.  Keep checking and stirring it.  At the end, add a little flour to thicken it up.  I just sprinkled with my hands some pinches into the sauce.  The more chicken you make, the more wine you should add.  A cup per every three pieces is about good I think.

This doesn't make a ton of sauce, but its a perfect amount to drizzle over the top of your chicken.  So good!!!!!  

And today... this is what I'll be getting into.  My awesome friend Jen sent me two books I'm dying to read.  One is the most recent in a series I've been reading for years (Karen Kingsbury is AMAZING if you are looking for something to read... start with Redemption.)  And the other book is one she loved so I'm getting anxious to dive in.  I also need to catch up the last few days of my read the bible in one year plan.  And then the journal is for planning our Italy trip with Marshall and my grandparents!  I'm doing lots of research and getting super excited for that!  

This is also a really sweet letter I read today.  Its a letter to your children about marriage.  Take a sec and read it if you have the time!!

http://raisinghomemakers.com/2012/a-letter-to-my-children-about-marriage/  

Happy Friday Everyone!!  Its a Maltese holiday today:  Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck... So if any of you come visit me, I'll take you to go see his right wrist bone :)  In all honesty, it is pretty awesome that Paul shipwrecked in Malta because he is my hero!!  Lots of love...XOXO

Sicily Adventures...

I can't believe its been almost a week since I last post.  We have been so busy... I think.  But I'm not exactly sure doing what.  Busy being lazy maybe.  ;)

Anyways, this past weekend we went to Sicily to stock up on foods at the commissary.  Every three months we take a van onto a ferry (which looks more like a cruise ship) over to Sicily.  Depending on the month and what ports are open, we drive anywhere from two hours to a half an hour to get to the military base over there.  We also get lost going there and coming back every single time. Its really weird and annoying to have to drive without landmarks and road signs.  Anyways, even though its the longest day in the world... waking up at 3am to get ready and catch the boat, and then not getting back in til late that night... I will not complain because we are able to buy American products and for much cheaper than Malta food prices!!  

This is a little glimpse into our van as we bring out carts full of grocery bags...

And then we shop for frozen foods last and fill up these coolers.  They are really great about giving us ice as well to keep the food cold until we return back to Malta.

We spent some extra time in a town called Rugasa and got a little bit of a better feel of Sicilian life.  This man was making pasta and all sorts of noodles!  I can't imagine how fresh and delicious they are!

A little boutique...  I loved the way they wrapped the table in the tule.  

The one thing that I don't understand about Europe is how EVERYONE hangs all their clothes out to dry.  Maybe because America is so fast pace that we would never take the time to do this.  I know many people including myself hang clothes on the line in the summer sometimes.  But to only have this means to dry your clothes.  In the winter, cold, rain, wet, damp, yuck.  Some people I've talked to say they have to rewash them often because the weather doesnt allow the clothes to dry in time.  I just know I would say screw this, and go get a dryer.  

This was just a pretty church we walked past...

You know you are in Italy/Sicily when there is garlic on the streets... :)  haha...

So we found this cute little spot for lunch and Marshall tried to order the #3 for an appetizer for us.  It was parma ham and mozzarella.  Well for some reason she thought all three of us wanted one, so in addition to our meal, we each had a pretty big appetizer.  This is why I prefer to figure things out and do the talking in foreign countries.  :)  

We were originally going to order spaghetti bolognese but the waitress said NO.  Then in italian and a tid bit of english said the specialties were noodles with pork sauce and ravioli with ricotta and sausage. So we decided to try those two instead.  They were pretty good!

As we were driving back to the port we passed this beautiful village.  Marshall was driving too fast for me to get any great shots, but you can get the idea.  P.S.... the driving in Sicily is AWFUL!  Malta is bad... but oh my gosh they are so much worse.  Its so stressful.  I can't wait to get back to the states and be around courteous, normal drivers!!  

It was a great weekend!! XOXO