Gone In The Blink of a Eye

It seems like forever since I've last blogged and well if we're being honest it really has been forever. I feel like we've done so much since the New Year started and I haven't had the chance or taken the time to sit down and document it. I want to keep up with this here blog of mine for my own personal self. Being able to look back years from now and read through our journey's is something I know I'll enjoy. Sometimes I feel like we just get caught up living in the moment and enjoying life that the last thing I want to do is sit down in front of the computer. Even more so now that I'm taking 3 classes, 2 of which are online, so that tends to consume a bit of my time.

Over the last few weeks we've enjoyed a few outings around town and into Kentucky. We went up to BowlingGreen, KY and toured the Lost River Cave which was really neat. We did a little shopping around town and grabbed lunch at Chuy's Mexican Restaurant before heading back home. We really did enjoy ourselves and it was so nice to get away and explore a city we hadn't yet been to.

The hubbs had a week where he was working some late nights for awhile. These guys really missed him and would sit at the entry way just waiting for him to walk through the door. Poor puppies miss their daddy.

Oh the Snow, the first winter I was here it was pretty and I enjoyed it. Now I'm just over it. Although I am not very comfortable driving in it I have managed to get around and make it to work on the day's we where open. I think the pups are still a little unsure of it. Sometimes they seem to not mind it and then other times they seem to hate it and won't even go off the back porch when we let them outside. We took them out for a walk and they just wanted to lick it and try to eat it the whole way. I'm ready for Spring, Warm Weather and FLIP FLOPS please!!!

One snowy afternoon the hubbs decided it would be a great idea to make homemade pizza for dinner. Sounded delicious to me, however we didn't really have anything at home to make pizza with. I told him if he drove we could go to the store and get what we needed, so that we did and this was here was created. Let me tell you it as simply fabulous. I can't believe we don't do homemade (crust included might I add) more often. It's so fun and tasty.

The following morning we had big plans for breakfast, a biscuit, sausage and gravy bake. I came across this recipe on pinterest a while back and had been itching to try it. So of course being snowed in, this seemed like the perfect time. And since I had all the time in the world I figured I'd try my hand at homemade biscuits. There's first for everything right. OMG they came out so so good. I was in heaven. And it was so easy. All this time it seemed so daunting so I never tried making them. I don't know that I'll ever buy store biscuits again or even a mix.

The breakfast casserole turned out simply fabulous and we even had it for left over's the next day.

There was about a two week period just recently where the hubbs was gone for training. Here but gone. I had a much needed girls day with two of my favorite people here. We met up for pedicure, followed by Chinese for dinner. From there we went to Hobby Lobby and picked up a craft to work on while we Skyped and watched a movie with Amy's Mom and Sister that live in Utah. It was so much fun. We had yummy snacks, lots of laughs and all managed to work on our cross stitch that we picked out a bit. I don't know that any of us really paid much attention to the movie although I was totally fine with that. It was just what I needed. I didn't get home that night till almost 1am and yet I was still wide awake the next morning at like 6:30-7:00am. Thankfully with the hubbs being away and needing to work on school work I had a lazy day to myself with the pups.

Taco Monday: sure it would have sounded more catchy being Taco Tuesday but it was a Monday night. I went and had our taxes done and the hubbs cooked up the chicken for me so I could get dinner going quickly when I got home. Another one we haven't had in a good long while. These where Oven Baked Cheesy Tacos and let's just say, they where so good. I could have stuffed my face with one more. But I chose not to and saved it for my lunch the next day and it was just as good then to. Now the rice on the other hand, not really sure what went wrong there but it wasn't all that great. I'm a huge fan of rice to, so I was a bit disappointed. Thankfully the taco's made up for it.

Thursday night we had a Hail and Farewell at The Blackhorse downtown. It's always nice to get out with the hubbs and enjoy a evening together. I still don't know many wives in his company and this was a Battalion level event so there was quite a few people I didn't even recognize. It was only Platoon SGT's and up which made it a small quant gathering.

I had originally made cookies for a few of the girls at work and well long story short my annoying very very bad dogs some home managed to get the entire tray of 4 dozen cookies off the kitchen counter while I work and ate the entire thing. You can bet they got sick and threw up and I didn't feel the least bit sorry for them. I was so mad. So after the Hail and Farewell I decided to make some homemade brownies to take instead. I needed something easy and quick that I could pull out of the oven and cover to let it cool. Of course they couldn't be just any old brownies. I had to fancy them up a bit. I made up some peanut butter cookie dough and dropped spoonful's in the brownie mixture and topped them with sprinkles. Boy let me say they turned out great. I was still mad about the cookies but I think this ended up being just a tad bit better than what the cookies would've been.

Friday at work the kiddo's had their Valentines Exchange and Party. They had so much fun and defiantly loaded up on some tasty treats and cute cards. I made these cute little Gold Fish Valentines for them and I love the way they came out. So simply yet so cute.

I'm a Texas Girl...

            ...and we typically don't ever get more than a inch of snow collectively through the winter season. (although this year I think they've got a little bit more) But back to the reason behind this post. I'm still living in the South here in Tennessee but this is as far North that I've ever lived. Over the last month or so we've gotten some snow flurries here and there we even had a pretty good snow back in January (you can read about it here!) But it was melted away before mid-afternoon. So when the forecast kept calling for this crazy winter storm we were suppose to be getting I didn't so much shrug it off but I didn't believe all the hype. Sunday night a got a text that my work was closing for Monday, shorty after that my Monday night class got cancelled. One- work never closes like ever!!! So this had to mean something, they were calling for several inches of snow over the next two days.

I have to admit I was pretty bummed about work closing, when we close for for weather related reason's we don't get paid. (please, don't even get me started on that one) If it was any other week I wouldn't have really cared but I already had take Thursday and Friday off which were going to be unpaid. (I don't get paid vacation till I've been at my school a year, blah!!)

            I woke up Monday morning to a snow white covered neighborhood. I let the dogs out back and poor Bailey wouldn't even go off the deck. I had to bundle up and go out there with her. Mean while it was still snowing pretty good. Thank Goodness work was closed, I wouldn't have been able to get out of my garage. I had laid out some ground turkey the day before (just in case things did get bad) and spent the morning cooking up some yummy chili in the crock pot and taco stew on the stove. Nothing like having some quick frozen homemade meals ready to heat up on a cold winter day. There aren't many young kiddos in our neighborhood (its mainly young married kid-less couples, or couples with little babies) but the few kids that are were out enjoying the cold white fluffy stuff. Along with quite a few big kiddos as well. There are several people in our neighborhood that have 4-wheelers and even a few that have snowmobiles. I spent the better part of the morning into the afternoon lounging around watching Netflix and listening to them ride up and down the streets. The pups would bark at the door every time they heard them go by. It got so annoying. I finally decided to bundle up and venture out into the coldness with the pups. We walked out and several of our neighbors were out enjoying the snow. The couple to the left of us had shoveled their whole drive-way. No thanks, I'll just take a stroll around the block and let the pups run around at the bottom of the hill.

        I really can't think of a time that I've seen this much snow in person before. Remember I'm from Texas, lived in Hawaii and then South Carolina. I haven't had many opportunities to experience snow and I've been ok with that. I strongly dislike the cold weather and having to venture out in it simply terrifies me. They were calling for more snow over night and icy freeze temps as over the next several days. Before I knew it work was canceled for Tuesday as well aaaaahhhh. All I could think about was my up-coming road trip for in two days. I was suppose to be leaving for SC on Thursday morning. I was helping host a Baby Shower for one of my good friends and I needed desperately to get away for a while. I was in a rut and needed to clear my head. So Tuesday after the pups and I walked around the neighborhood a couple times and up to the main road to check out the streets I though I'd try to clear my driveway. I needed to make sure I could get my car out in case we opened on Wednesday and so I could head to SC the following day. Well we don't have a shovel not even a small garden one. But we do have a large push broom so I figured if I swept out a path for the tired to lead down to the street I would be good. About half way through I pulled the car out and well got it stuck right in the middle in of the driveway. I couldn't get it back in the garage or out on the street. Hello water works, I lost it. I sat in our garage and cried my eyes out. I hadn't talked to the hubbs since Sunday night and I wasn't sure when he'd be able to get on-line again. It was a bad bad moment, I was melting and had officially reached my breaking point with in the deployment. I gave up for a while and a few hours later when out to give it another try after asking a neighbors to borrow a shovel. I guess the girl across the street from me, who I hadn't met yet felt sorry for me because shortly after she finished her drive way she came over and offered to help with mine. Bless her heart. (We're now friends and she's a pretty awesome chick!) Thankfully I was able to get the car outta the drive way on to the street to finish clearing my drive way and back in the garage. I was determined to get out of TN one way or another. I was kinda freaking out though because I had work Wednesday morning we were suppose to get another 3-inches over night.

And you guessed it Wednesday morning I woke up to a drive way and street full of snow. UGH!!! Thankfully it was soft as powder and I was able to sweep it away.

OK OK enough with the chatting here's some of the pictures I snapped through the past two days with all the snow.

After I shoveled it Tuesday afternoon.

And then again had to shovel it Wednesday morning.