Donuts....

This is a Paula Deen recipe, you can get it off her website. YES that is my handwriting and I know it looks like a 5 year olds : )

I have used my standing mixer once before so I was very excited I was able to use it.

The donuts are so yummy! Once you let them cool you put a homemade glaze on top. I do not have a picture of the finished products sorry. You also use the donut holes too. I don`t even want to know how many calories these are!

Doris......

I was in the field behind our house cutting some flowers. I was wearing khaki shorts & a black tank top. At that moment I realized, "I`m my mother!" We call it her "Nene" bathing suit but she wears just that in our backyard. AND she is always cutting flowers from some weird place. I might look just like my Dad but I`m starting to act more and more like my mother, which isn`t  a bad thing : )

Our Home at Dinner Time......

I love cooking. When you don`t have kids, a job or the car during the day, I don`t have much to do. So cooking is my one joy.

Fried chicken was on the menu. I do not have an electric skillet YET so I must pan fry everything. Which calls for a jacket so I don`t get popped from the grease. I wear it when I cook bacon & sausage too, which gets a weird look from my husband when he walks in the kitchen.

This is a fried chicken recipe from Southern Living.

A pan does the job for now.

For some reason she calls this her "spot". She is actually laying on my day planner. She has a weird obsession with laying on top of paper or clean clothes.

And while I`m in the kitchen, whether I`m doing dishes or cooking or ANYTHING these two won`t leave me alone! You can usually hear me yelling at them because I trip over them. The little white one stole 2 pieces of that fried chicken I made & a corn muffin. It was left on the plate while I ran upstairs to change & I came back down and it was gone! So now he thinks every dinner should be like that......

Breaking News.....

Sorry.....I had to : ) I have not blogged in a whlie and I just wanted to let all yall back home know what is going on. Not to much but I L-O-V-E it! Matthew doesn`t have to work much (he said most likely in June he will go back to a normal work schedule). So we have been able to spend  alot of time together. We have hung out with some friends on the weekends, gone out to eat once, worked out ALOT, played with the dogs & just enjoyed each others company. The weather here is still not good, rain & the highs in the 60's.....yeah someone told me it gets hot here. It is mid-May & in the 60's, in FLA it is most likely in the 90's, OH how I miss sweating just walking to the car. Living here has made us see we are both Florida kids through and through!

I actually do have some news. Matt's good friend Kendal is coming up at the end of this month! We are both very excited! I still have about two weeks BUT I have already planned out all the meals (even down to the snacks). And we found a park right near out house off base that is great. It has been raining all weekend but we drove around to check it out & it is so pretty. We can`t wait till the sun is out & we can hike!

Here is some info:

http://www.radclifftourism.org/pdf/brochure-SaundersSprings.pdf

Saunders Springs Nature Preserve is a heavily wooded natural area located on steep terrain with interesting historic features. The preserve provides opportunities for nature study, hiking, picnicing, and historic interpretation.

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!"