Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


Let’s see if I can recap the highlights:

WHILE TRYING to sleep during the night I would (NOT) have lost my patience with one of our cats, grabbed their condo shoving it in the bathroom along with him and closing the door all the way.

THERE WAS (NOT) a time I choose to opt out on exercising during naptime only to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for 3 hours straight.

I MOST defiantly wouldn’t have eaten an entire bag of Necco candy hearts while hiding under my blankets when Monkey came looking for me in the middle of the night.

TOSSING ALL the clean laundry to the floor because I was too tired and lazy to put away before going to bed is (NOT) what this responsible parent does when there is the chance that the cats would lay in them shedding their fur everywhere.

I WOULD (NOT) be caught looking at longies trying to pinch enough together to possibly buy another pair.

I WOULD never stay up ridiculously late on school nights, roll out of bed long enough to wake the older ones, and then once they were dressed and moving crawl back into bed for another hour of sleep.

AND MOST certainly, I would (NOT) have made dinner for the kids the other night and kinda sorta rushed bedtime. Only so I that I could enjoy half a jar of Strawberry frosting and a tall boy of Pabst Blue Ribbon as a reward for not duct taping them to the wall.

Nope not me! I would never cheat the system and pull the Ace card as mom to get away with these things. Never.

Day 16 – You Must Be a Military Spouse at Christmas time if you…

Dec. 16 – You Must Be a Military Spouse at Christmas time if you…

Accept that your time is not always yours and trying to get used to spending the holidays alone.
Oh geesh, I have to say we have been very lucky with the Navy when it comes to holidays. The Man has never been deployed during them so far, but we haven’t spent a full holiday together since 2005. When he was active in the Navy he was a MA and always had work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. During those years he was working 12 hour graveyards but we all know how that works, 12’s turn to 18’s because someone doesn’t show up or because someone else miscounted the ammo or lost their common sense by taking a weapon home. Anyways Christmas morning was always spent with him waking us up as he walked through the door, a quick gift unwrap and then off he trudged to bed to sleep the day away before waking up a little early to scarf some Christmas Dinner down and heading off to work.

Last year takes the cake though. The Man begged and pleaded to take 2 weeks off so we could head to Oregon for Christmas. We had it all planned. We spent extra money to get the truck fixed to make the drive. His family all took time off of work for when we were there. I was babysitting at the time and took those 2 weeks off of work. The kids were given a choice; stay in San Diego and get presents or make the trip to Oregon to see family and that was our present to them. They choose Oregon without a second thought. I argued with the ex-husband to let Lil t’ come to Oregon with us. It was set. And then it happened. Three, count them 1…2…3.., days before The Man was to check out on leave his MA1 told him they “forgot” to turn in his leave chit. Let’s not forget the chit was turned in to MA1 TWO months prior. Let’s not forget that The Man asked numerous times about it, was told it was taken care of, and he was good to go. When he called that night to tell me the tone in voice told me his spirit was broken. He was crushed. I had to tell the kids. They cried. ‘Tater didn’t talk to me for 2 days. Everyone’s spirit was broken. We made due with it but with not going to Oregon and The Man working his graveyard, it was just another reminder that we don’t have control the Navy does.

This year I am grateful. The Man is coming home for Christmas Exodus thanks to the Army. This year will be spent from sun up to sun down as a whole on Christmas. I am looking forward to starting a new tradition I used to do during my first marriage next year when we are at a duty station, by adopting Soldiers who can’t go home for the holidays. I always wanted to when we were in San Diego; but with the anger and dysfunction that flowed through our old Command it was just too hard.

Follow other great stories in the Wives of Faith Carnival Blog HERE

♥ ♥ A Muddy PAW ♥ ♥

Dec. 15 – The Best Christmas Present I Ever Received

The Best Christmas Present I Ever Received

Another great day participating in the Wives of Faith Carnival Blog, for more fabulous reads go visit HERE.

I really wish I had the pics of me opening the present but sadly my computer and my external both crashed with 5 yrs worth of pictures on it. **sigh**

Thirty years of presents and I have to pick the “best”, my Kitchen Aid mixer without a thought. For years during my first marriage and through my current I wanted one so bad. I would stand in the stores drooling over them. Running my hands over the smoothness and coolness of the metal, I would literally tear up in the store as I would walk away some days because of badly I wanted one. It was an “elite” item that I feared I would never have the pleasure of owning. The Man would always tell me it was too much, wasn’t worth it, didn’t need it.

Christmas 2007 was an important Christmas for us, we had just moved back in together after living apart for almost 6 months. There was still a lot of emotions raw between us but we had made the choice to not give up on ourselves or our marriage. I had a lot of forgiving to do but was determined to get there. I think for the first time in 5 years together he actually blew me away with the Kitchen Aid. I truly didn’t expect anything special. Christmas morning came and I was struggling like I do every Christmas on my feelings along with trying not to be snippy at The Man for his never ending eagerness to wake everyone up at o’dark thirty. The kids had opened their presents first like usual and there was still a huge box with silver paper on it. All morning I had been asking who’s it was and everyone would just say hold your horses. And then the box was brought to me. I was taken back by how big the box was and it was heavy. Ripped the paper off like a little kid only to be greeted by the ever famous words in red; KITCHEN AID. I about died with excitement.

While it is just an object, a hunk of metal that twirls, it means more to me then that. The way the beater twirls ingredients together. Individually most ingredients aren't very tasty but when combined with others they create such a beautiful tasty treat; just like ourselves. Our lives are just like that. Mixing different parts; the good and the ugly, of our lives together to create the person we are today.

For now nothing has beat that present but I’m not even waiting it out either. I enjoy and cherish all my presents that are given to me.

♥ ♥ A Muddy PAW ♥ ♥

Day 13: My Favorite Christmas Recipe

My Favorite Christmas Recipe

I don't even have to think twice about this recipe. As a kid my grandma used to make Candied Yams every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, there was no hope for me. I became an addicted before I knew what was happening. They were so yummie, sweet and best of all had cute golden brown crispy gooey marshmallows. Over time it's evolved to Sweet 'Tater Fluff. There is no real rhyme or reason to it. I just add ingredients till it's so tasty I can't stop eating it off my Kitchen Aid's beater. It’s a fairly simple recipe depending on how many people are eating it.

Couple cans of Princella’s sweet potatoes

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Brown sugar

1/3 - ½ c. butter

Couple dashes of Vanilla extract

Walnuts

Marshmallows

Just add the sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, vanilla and walnuts in mixer till mixed, add as much brown sugar to as sweet as you like it. Pour into baking dish, top with marshmallows, and place in oven at 400 for about 20 to 30 min. I used to leave out the walnuts but I don’t know they just added something to the dish so they are a staple for me. The kids used to hate it but now they ask for every year, along with begging me to make more for leftovers. Guess it’s not too horrible if they want extras.

For other great blogs participating go to 12 Days of Christmas Blog Carnival.

♥ ♥ A Muddy PAW ♥ ♥

Day 12: My Favorite Christmas Song

I have never been one to really love Christmas. Well wait I did but for purely selfish reasons, presents and pressents only. As an only child I never had siblings nor any relatives my age to share the holidays with. Always just me. I was always jealous of friends who had peers to enjoy the time with. To say lonely is probably not even enough to cover the feelings of years of being "along". No one my age to laugh with, be jealous of their presents, play with. Because of my dislike of the holidays and due to my birthday being only 2 days after the fact I loathed Christmas Carols. I still am not a fan of them even though I sing them year round under my breathe doing chores, mainly because I can only remember lyrics to them and not other songs. Anyways Carol of the Bells was a song that justsoothed me. Whther it was the accompiment or the vocals it is a piece that brings a smile over my entire face, warms my heart, and actually puts me into the spirit.


♥ ♥ A Muddy PAW ♥ ♥