D.A. Meetings.....

Darn you Paula Deen.....DARN YOU!!!

Hi,  my name is M.L. and I`m a dessert addict. I love cooking all things but desserts are my down fall. Give me a cookbook & I flip RIGHT to the back.....always! Matthew likes desserts but usually he will have a bite and then he doesn`t want anymore. Which leaves me to eat all the rest!

We are trying to eat right but the dessert addict I am I want to bake. Then I look on Paula's website and it is about homemade donuts. Now I`m going to the store tomorrow to get the stuff to make them. While I read my husband the cooking list for the week, he looks at me and says, "I thought we were eating right?" Well.....we are but what would a couple donuts Sunday morning mess up??? Right? RIGHT? Help me!

My Sunflower.....

 Just wanted to post a photo of how it is growing

A Weight Lifted.....

It is over! Matthew is HOME!!!! He came home Saturday morning, 4:15am actually! I woke up at 1am, got ready and made it to the Gym for the ceremony by 2:30am. I wanted a good seat ; ) Anyways they came in the Gym in formation & had MAYBE a 5 minute ceremony. Then they were released, but I could not find him. I stood up on the bleachers & searched (I told him what I was going to wear). Then finally I made eye contact with this handsome man, and I was like, "Oh, my husband!" haha

It is a GREAT feeling not to have to worry anymore! He is still quite messy but I don`t mind it. We are happily getting back to our normal life, eating meals together, walking the dogs, working out, watching TV together, just the normal everyday things you miss when your husband is half way across the world at war.

The bags sat at the bottom of the stairs for a couple days, but cleaning was the last thing on my mind!

His Welcome Home Cupcake

Sigh......oh how I missed this. I can not even explain the happiness I feel!

I guess with the moving, unpacking, waiting & finally his return, my relationship with God has taken a backseat. Horrible I know, but like I said, I`m not perfect. I love God but sometimes I let other things fill that hole that only He can fill. Anyways I was still praying here and there, thanking Him for Matt's safe return, but I knew I had wondered off again. So last night while I laid in bed I was thinking, "Tomorrow I`m starting my quite time with God again." Just feeling guilty I had not been working on my relationship. This morning Matt had to wake up at 4:45am. So when his alarm went off I couldn't fall back asleep. So I got out of bed, said goodbye to my husband and sat down and had my morning coffee. It was before 6am so the only thing on was Paid Programming. So while I`m flipping through I see Beth Moore, I love Beth Moore!!! So I stop and start watching it. She was talking about how it is okay sometimes to have your "fast food" time with God. But that we need to sit and just fellowship with him. She also talked about the Bread of Life, and that God is always there for you. Well I start balling my eyes out. Okay God got the message. I just talked to God about how sorry I was for letting my own things become more important then Him. I really needed that, I already feel the hole is starting to fill up again. It is just amazing to me how God works and how He slips into our lives when we aren`t even paying attention. He is like, "Hey over here, remember me? Yeah the guy that died for you & loves you more then anything!"

My Heart is Pounding.......

It's almost here & I can`t even believe it! I`m trying to pass the time today. I still have to sweep & clean the floors, wash the comforter & shams & shake out all the rugs. But really that is all I have left. I have been cleaning like crazy today! I even washed the mutts! I`m baking one of those big cupcakes right now.

It is crazy to think it is over. It went fast but in a way it didn`t. I want to cry because I`m just so freaking happy! Never again do I want this to happen EVER! I know I can`t control that but I hope it doesn`t! This year did suck but I did have good moments with family & friends.

This past year we got two new family members, Finley & Tim. I laid out WAY too much with Hayley as we watched the boys swim. I lived with Brannan out at the ranch, enough said! I went for coffee with Ambrey & Mom every Friday. I burned some crazy things with Court at our weekly fires. I spent whole weekends down in Sebring with my Troll (amanda). Had many fun nights in WH at Jennifer & Lauren's apartment.....which always turned into Tanners! I had many of glasses of wine with the girls I know are my real friends.

But I am happy to say goodbye to sleeping alone, paying for my own dinner, always being the third wheel, having my cell phone glued to my hand, avoiding the news, getting sympathy smiles, & all the other FUN stuff that came along!

The In Between.....

Pop quiz.....Question 1. When a girl graduates college and she has been in a serious relationship, what is the first thing people ask? Question 2. When a girl gets married, what is the first thing people ask her? Question 3. When a girl has had a child, what is the first thing people ask her?

Answers: Question 1- When are yall getting engaged/married. Question 2 - When are yall going to have babies. Question 3 - When are yall going to have another.

Can I get an Amen! haha Even with Matt deployed I got the, "So when are yall having kids?" question. I even had an older man on a plane ask me! Sometimes it seem like you are always in the "in between". In the Army either guys are single or married with kids. There are not many couples that are like Matt & I, married with no kids. I swear on Army bases there are more kids then adults! I`m so back and forth everyday it isn`t even funny! I can be in a store and see little girl clothes and I`m like, "OH I want one!". Then I`m in a store and some child is screaming at the top of their lungs because they want something, "OH I don`t want one!" haha I know when it is right, I`ll know. But our plan is to wait till we are back in Florida & settled in. Anyways as you can see, my animals are keeping me quite busy!

Mom skills....

So still waiting :  ( Trying to pass the time but you can only clean & look on line for so long. We can`t get Direct TV because we have no signal. Good news is though we can get out of our contract with out paying, since it isn`t our fault! So I have to call the cable company today! Hopefully they can come out soon!

I have made a discovery, its called the Dollar Tree! Did you know they sell food? AND they have some cute china in there! Anyways I figured I can get little things in there, cleaning supplies & some pantry stuff. If you ever have had a spouse deploy, you know coming off the deployment pay can be a bit scary! So I`m trying to watch what I spend. So I bought stuff for dinner for the week Matt is back, it is from the Deen Brothers cookbook "Yall Come Eat" (thanks Amanda!).

I got all this for $18 dollars (Texas toast also not pictured). Now I don`t have basic stuff  (like the olive oil) since I just moved. So if you have a normal pantry you most likely have the normal stuff. I bought the Meat at the Dollar Tree......hahah just kidding just seeing if you were actually reading : ) That would not be a very good choice! I really did buy the noodles, spaghetti sauce, & the crushed red pepper flakes at the dollar store. I bought everything else at Walmart (No Publix in Kentucky! Horrible I know!). It  makes 8 servings, so a family of 4 could eat off this two nights which equals a whole meal for your family for $9 (2 nights, $9 a night = $18)! So don`t hate on the Dollar Tree, who doesn`t like to save money!

More exciting news (this is where the Mom skills kicked in)! Allie's left eye was swollen shut for some odd reason. Her right eye was somewhat swollen but not all the way shut! Her ears were swollen (left more then right) and her mouth was swollen (left more then right). Thank goodness my Daddy is a vet, he thinks it is a allergic reaction. So I gave her benadryl (yes you can give dogs people meds) and it went down. Now the dogs sleep with me for now until Matt is back. So I`m in deep sleep & all of a sudden I shoot up & grab her head and push it over the side, (sorry it gets kinda gross here) she then throws up. This happened twice! I was pretty proud of myself, I mean if I can sense in my sleep when my dog is gonna throw up, I`ll be good with my kids! haha Anyways she can actually see out of her eye this morning but it still is a little swollen. My dad said the meds most likely made her sick. I`ll keep yall updated on my kid.....I mean dog : )

This was taken yesterday evening......but this morning this is what I found!

They are up! I really hope they do good! Once they are 3 ft (kinda big for the pot I think) I`m suppose to transplant them outside.

Here is to another day of waiting around & cleaning!

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick.......

Waiting, I`m not very good at it. Long amounts of time, that is fine. Smaller, not so much PLUS no TV AND all I have to talk to are 3 four legged hairy pets!

My blog I feel like was more, when something I felt like touched me or I wanted to share something. I`ll still do that, but I`m moving into the more everyday. Really just cause I have NOTHING to do now. Once Matt is home I`m not working (well cooking & cleaning & monogramming), so I`ll have a lot of time on my hands. And I`ll be away from everyone for a whole year so it is just a way for my family & friends to know what is going on up here with us. Anywho!

This is my main "on my mind" thing right now.......waiting.....sucks! But I got to keep on trucking! My really only friend here Katie (love her!) made this & the photo below with her Cricket (I want one!). She is too sweet!

Our front door.

These are all my "to do list" before he gets here. Thank Yous for birthday gift list, cooking list, cleaning list, monogram list, & call people list. And yes that is a picture of me in my Elite All-Star uniform, motivation! haha

Here are my helpful dogs.....all day they do this. Poor things, they went from 4,000 acres doing whatever they want to this! But once we get our fence up I can let them run around.

My Mom bought me this at Target from the $1.00 area. Its sunflowers! We actually planted some out front too but these are coming up fast! I`ll keep yall updated on them, hopefully I don`t kill them! I also have 2 ferns! Slowly I want to get some more plants, it will give me something to do!

Our Home

Things are pretty much done here at the Brown home. I have most things in place, & most of the cleaning is done. However I did find out today that Direct TV will not work here because we have huge trees in our backyard which equals no signal. AND we are not allowed anymore to put the dish in the front yard, post life. So YAH for that, I know my husband will love dealing with that when he returns. But for now I`m just watching NCIS online.....they make me laugh out loud all by myself, I love that show.

Here are a few photos of our home......

The Kitchen

View of Den & Dinning Room

The Foyer

Nothing too special but I think it looks very homey....if that is a word. Upstairs is quite bare. One room is our bedroom, one room is my closet & one room is my sewing/storage room/guest bedroom (when they come). Having the dogs live with us is a little different. I have to sweep everyday cause, if you look at the photo above that white little fellow on the rug sheads bad. Other then that things are good!

25.....

As I posted earlier this past Monday was my 25th birthday. Matthew & I were talking about how I wanted to spend my birthday money. You want to know what I want to buy.....

An electric skillet & a hand held vacuum! What happened to my coolness & fun! And I think I just heard my biological clock tick! AHHHHH! I feel like 25 snuck up on me, but I still feel 16 years old!

Another thing I have observed is weekends are not as fun 1. When you are by yourself and 2. When you don`t work. Friday & Saturday seem so much more FUN when you have been working. When you sit at home all day, it is just another day.

KENTUCKY!

A lot has happened since my last post. I`m now FINALLY in Kentucky. I miss home & everyone BUT I`m so close to Matthew being here I can taste it : P

We left last Friday, the 9th. Stopped in Alabama for my mother's 40th college reunion. She went to Judson, which is an all girls college. My Father went to Marion Military, which back then was an all boy college. And so they met & fell in love. This is where they got engaged at, on Judson's campus.

It was the most beautiful campus I have ever been to. This was an Antebellum house that was across the street from the school. I could sit there all day & just look at it. What I wouldn`t give to fix that thing up! My vacation home can be in Marion, AL haha.

                                     

This was a HUGE magnolia tree that was on campus. I just LOVE the South! Too bad I couldn`t replant it in my little townhouse backyard!

So on Sunday we made it to my house. Then Monday was my 25th Birthday. Yeah it felt like any other day. I know from here to when we have children, birthdays are going to be boring. Anyways my parents took me to a restaurant/Primitive store called Back Home. My mom surprised me, but actually I had told Matt the whole time we were here last time I wanted to go there. It had some good food & great finds!

So we worked like crazy getting everything out of storage & to my house. My parents left Thursday and all the downstairs was done. Now the upstairs is a different story, my clothes, his clothes, my clothes, the sewing room, my clothes haha. I take up every closet & space pretty much, poor Matt. But I`m settled in for the most part. Oh, the dogs & cat! They all made it, Allie & Bama (dogs) & Kitty (well you know what she is!) have been great! I knew Kitty would be fine. But my ranch dogs have turned into house dogs very easily, actually too easily. All they do is sleep, sleep, sleep! So now I`m just waiting on the day for him to return. Cleaning, organizing & working out. I can`t believe it is finally almost over!