Friday was Mr. X's LAST DAY.....he is officially checked out and ON LEAVE! :) :)
Monday, November 3, 2008
FINALLY!
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:01 AM 17 Helpful Hints
Labels: halloween
Monday, October 27, 2008
Semper Gumby
*Please excuse my vent*
The first time I heard a big burly Marine utter the words "Semper Gumby" I laughed (on the inside of course). How could I have known at the time the phrase was not meant to be the least bit funny or amusing? How could I have known that these words, these two silly little words, were words that I would have to learn to live by for the next 20 years?
Always flexible, that's what it means....... ALWAYS flexible.
When Mr. X came home on Friday night and told me that our PCS date had been moved up, yet again, the first thing that came to mind was "Semper Gumby". I told myself to just smile, give him a hug and let him know that it's ok, everything is ok, you can deal with it because you are SEMPER GUMBY.....you are the epitome of flexibility, you are a Marine Corps wife, situations like this are not only expected, they are embraced and dealt with gracefully.
It was not until around midnight that the severity of the information I had just received hit me. I have ONE month, ONE MONTH to move. Why...why....why could "they" not of told us this 2 months ago????? WHY? I thought of being SEMPER GUMBY, then I just thought about GUMBY and then I imagined that GUMBY was "they", and that GUMBY was forcing us to move sooner than expected for no good reason and it made me want to punch him in the face and run him over. I want to be rigid and inflexible! I hate you GUMBY! I hate you and your ugly green body, I hate your stupid little voice and your ability to transport yourself into storybooks! I want to wad you up into an ugly, gooey, green ball and throw you off the top of the Empire State building and watch you get stepped on after you plummet to the ground!
I wish I was able to say, without hesitation, that I am the perfect military wife...... that nothing ever phases me, that I am ALWAYS prepared for the worst/unexpected yet hoping for the best, and that I have a permanently genuine smile plastered on my face regardless of the situation......I can't say that, and I can't say that I will ever be able to. I know that I love my country, my family and my husband. I love the fact that I am an integral part of the support system that allows him to continue to honorably serve. I understand this lifestyle requires sacrifice on both our parts and yet....I find that, occasionally, I am filled with confusion and frustration. It used to be that I just "let it go" or so I thought I was letting it go. In reality I was just letting, whatever IT was fester in the deep, dark, dank places of my mind...places that are usually only occupied by my irrational fears and useless inventions. I am finished with festering, because festering leads to infection and the last thing I want infected is my mind because I have a hard enough time making sense as it is. I cannot express, even to myself, in words how therapeutic it is to release my thoughts in a manner such as this. I can be the flexible supportive wife, the jubilant loving mother, and the crazy confused woman who wants to run over Gumby........all without scaring my husband or children because I have released my thoughts, feelings, and tensions here...here in my own little corner of the blogosphere...... and you know what? I feel better!
~Semper Gumby~
Mrs. X
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:04 AM 12 Helpful Hints
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Where does the time go?
I'm here and I'm well! (thanks for asking Elena!)
We returned from our trip on Sunday night around 2 am. Monday, we got up late (naturally) and had to rush around town trying to figure out how in the heck to make the jet packs for B's den meeting that I had promised earlier. We then hurried back home in time to make B's virtual meeting with his online mentor, pre-cut all our materials, and make a sample jet pack for the meeting. (Lucky for me Mr. X is really handy with a saw.) Needless to say, I did not squeeze in ANY time for blogging. :(
Tuesday is somewhat of a blur and I honestly can't remember what I did.
Wednesday I really, really thought I would finally post the 2-3 pictures I took on our trip (I know! I am the best photo documenter ever!) but then I got really sucked into B's Benjamin Franklin power point presentation. By the time we finished it was around 9:30 and Mr. X walked in the door.
It is now THURSDAY and I am finally writing up this horribly uninteresting post. *sigh*
One quick story before I go:
I have been on a VERY strict diet the last couple of weeks. (with the exception of the time I was on vacation, because what type of person seriously diets on VACATION!?)
About a week before we left for our trip I was REALLY frustrated with my lack of weight loss, I was *ahem* bloated and since becoming "bloated" I found the weight was not coming off as quickly. Mr. X took note of my frustration and attempted to be encouraging and make me feel better.
Posted by Mrs. X at 10:07 AM 7 Helpful Hints
Friday, October 17, 2008
Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby!
Happy birthday to you...happy birthday...to0000..........you......happy birthday, Mr........X, happy birthday to you! Mwah!
Dear Mr. X,
You are my best friend, my partner in life, my hero, my other half....my rock. I love you more than you will ever know.♥ Thank you for being my husband and a phenomenal father to the boys (oh, and ALSO for defending our freedom). I don't know what we'd do without you. :)
Love,
Your incredibly clumsy wife~Mrs. X
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:01 AM 12 Helpful Hints
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Pudding AND Frosting!
Place second layer on top and repeat. When removing wax paper be sure to pull across and not up, as pulling up will result in missing chunks of cake! :)
Ta-da!
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:01 AM 14 Helpful Hints
Labels: cake, grocery cart challenge, recipe
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My sweet child
So...Sunday night my internet connection and my computer got together and conspired against me, making it nearly impossible for me to do ANYTHING computery or internety Monday and part of Tuesday. It literally took me 1/2 an hour to leave a single comment! I gave up after visiting ( I think 3 blogs) and decided to go blogless for a day. :( But now...I'M BACK ONLINE! Woo HOO! But only for a little bit...Mr. X's birthday is on Friday AND HE HAS 3 WHOLE DAYS OFF (IN A ROW!)....so......... we're headed up north to beautiful Bellingham, Washington to spend the weekend with some very good friends (the only people I trust to babysit my children outside of my family). I think I'll be back Tuesday (hopefully with lotsa fun pictures) :)
In other news....
Saturday night, Mr. X took me shopping...at my favorite store...TARGET. I rarely buy myself clothes, partially because it is difficult to shop and try things on with two boys, and partially because I don't like to spend money. Anyhow, I found a couple items (on the clearance rack OF COURSE :) ) one of which was a super adorable Isaac Mizrahi shirt dress. I bought (it was $17 dollars and totally cute, what else could I do!?), brought it home, tried it on, and fell in love with it...I couldn't wait to wear it out of the house...to my second favorite store...COSTCO :P
Remember this picture from our exclusive club brunch?
Take another look. Do you see these hands? These greasy, greasy hands?
Now...exactly where do you suspect my gorgeous three year old child decided to place his dirty little digits? On a napkin? On his shirt? His pants? In his pockets? No, no, no, and no. He placed them directly on MY ADORABLE NEW DRESS!
*SIGH* *DOUBLE SIGH*
If anyone one knows of a miracle grease stain removing remedy...NOW would be the time to share. PLEASE :)
As disappointed as I was, I could not bring myself to be even remotely upset with my darling child. After all, I was was the brilliant parent who decided to feed him shiny pizza. I also failed to ensure that his hands were properly cleaned afterward. *Note to self: bring wet wipes EVERYWHERE!
This, however, warrants a talking to! Every single time a plate of cookies is placed on the table, he finds it necessary to bite as many cookies as possible without ever finishing a single one. I have yet to figure out why.
Oh, my mischievous little one, how you test me so! One day...when you are a teenager, your ability to charm me with your incredibly innocent looking face will come to an end ( I hope).
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:01 AM 10 Helpful Hints
Labels: kids
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday Brunch
Posted by Mrs. X at 2:00 AM 5 Helpful Hints
Friday, October 10, 2008
Oapplemeal Coffee Cake
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:58 AM 5 Helpful Hints
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
What a prankster!
Oh, Marine Corps! You really got me good this time! hahahahahahaha When I saw those official lookin' orders stating that our PCS date (move date) wasn't until the end of January I really believed them! For over a month now I have been nice and relaxed thinking I had plenty of time to prepare for our out of state move. But then...hahahaha (please excuse my laughter, I'm just SO amused right now)...then-----we find out TODAY, which is in the month of OCTOBER, that our PCS date is being moved UP....to DECEMBER. Oh golly! Where do you come up with these ideas?! You are just TOO funny! Double funny points for those orders-they looked so REAL! Marine Corps, you really know how to show a girl a good time. Thanks, thanks for that. I really needed a good laugh today.
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I am feeling SO MUCH better. Tuesday afternoon I was able to take a nap, a real nap, while the boys ALSO napped. It was AMAZING, I drooled and dreamed and everything.
Thank you so much for all your well wishes yesterday, I really appreciated them. :)
Posted by Mrs. X at 11:00 AM 8 Helpful Hints
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Look at that face!
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:01 AM 6 Helpful Hints
Labels: kids, pumpkin people
Monday, October 6, 2008
Pumpkin Patch
Thursday night I burned my forehead with my brand new curling iron that I had cranked to it's highest setting, which just happened to be "30". Just so you know, "30" equates to 30 thousand degrees. Thank goodness I have bangs to cover up my stupidity/clumsiness....that's all I'm going to say about that.
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:38 AM 6 Helpful Hints
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Just Have Fun
...I think he did. :)
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:01 AM 13 Helpful Hints
Labels: fun with noodles, kids
Monday, September 29, 2008
Hairy Situation
After I had children, taking care of my hair fell to the bottom of my priority list, right along with sleeping and going to the gym. Aside from the occasional curl job, reserved for extra special days, I was content to just throw it into an enormous bun. Some days I didn't even brush it. Then, I decided to chop it all off...well maybe not all of it, just enough to donate to Locks of Love. It was chopping my hair off that inspired me to take better care of it. I was sure that the recipients would be grateful for any hair, but they would probably also appreciate shiny, healthy hair that had been properly cared for.
I had made the decision to become a hair farm.
It's not like growing hair takes any time or effort, so why not grow it for good?
The first time I donated, the salon was kind enough to send it in for me. The second time, the salon was not. If you knew me personally you would know that I find it nearly impossible to make a trip to the post office. Why? I am not sure. All I know is that I am still in possession of a bag of hair that I have been storing in the glove compartment of my van. If you think that sounds creepy, just try and imagine my mechanic's dismay and horror when he found more than what he was looking for in my glove compartment which, incidentally, is also where I store my lug nut key.
Ok, back to my hair care. Saturday, I stumbled upon a couple online articles recommending using a vinegar rinse to achieve shiny hair, and a healthy scalp. "I want shiny hair! I want a healthy scalp!" I grabbed an empty dish soap bottle, filled it with a vinegar solution and headed to the shower, Walmart bag in hand. My plan was to lean over the shower, squirt solution on my hair until it was soaked, then neatly tie a plastic bag around it and let it set for a while. This is what happened:
Within .5 seconds of squirting the solution in my hair, I realized I had made it WAY too strong.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I continued to soak my hair, despite the fact that my nasal passages were being chemically burned by the smell.
After thoroughly soaking my hair, I realize I did not bring a towel with me.
I reach back to grab the Walmart bag, and ATTEMPT to tie it neatly around my head.
I finally manage to cram all my hair in the bag, only to realize I have tied it too tight and think maybe losing circulation to my scalp is not a good thing.
While readjusting the bag, some of the vinegar solution escapes and proceeds to drip in LARGE drops, directly into my eyeballs.
While attempting to extinguish the fire in my eyes, I lose grip of the bag, leaving my vinegar soaked hair free to drip solution down my back and onto the floor.
I manage to collect my hair in the bag, once more, and secure it with a LOOSE knot, leaving enough slack to allow blood flow to my brain.
After about half an hour, I take a shower and think I have washed away the vinegar smell.
A couple hours later, Mr. X arrives home and gives me my "I'm home, I missed you" hug.
Once again, an attempted beauty routine has caught my poor husband by surprise, not in a good way.
My hair did come out looking extra shiny, but due to the fact that I am prone to clumsiness, I don't think I will try a vinegar solution again, at least not for my hair.
Some good did come of all this mess. Before I took my shower, I grabbed a brand new conditioner out of the supply closet. It was Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths conditioner, something I normally don't buy, but had because I had a coupon. While in the shower, I just happened to read the label. I thought it was called Beautiful Lengths because it was for long hair. Upon further examination, I realized Beautiful Lengths is also a program sponsored by Pantene Pro-V. A program that collects donated hair and makes wigs for women who have lost their hair to cancer. I am a person who does not believe in coincidence. There was a reason I was standing in a shower, smelling of vinegar, reading a conditioner bottle. Clearly my hair is meant to go to Beautiful Lengths, I'm not sure why, I just know it's what I must do.
Now, if I could just get to the post office my hair's destiny will be fulfilled. Until then I will keep my donation in the house in order to spare anyone else the horror of finding a bag of human hair in my glove box.
Posted by Mrs. X at 12:42 PM 6 Helpful Hints
Labels: beautiful lengths, hair, locks of love, vinegar
Friday, September 26, 2008
Doughnut Shop Style Apple Fritters
This is my very own recipe, that I somehow managed to write down, so I truly hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. :)
3 cups all-purpose flour
Glaze
~To make glaze~
Place powdered sugar, melted margarine/butter, and vanilla in medium bowl.
Whisk until smooth.
Slowly add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time, until your desired consistency is reached.
Notice how extremely neat I am when adding dry ingredients!:)
After peeling and coring, cut apples into small chunks and place in separate bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour and toss again, making sure to coat all pieces.
Drop by the large spoonful into hot oil.
Enjoy!
If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comment box, or you can e-mail me at spouseinthehouse(at)gmail.com
Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by Mrs. X at 4:11 AM 20 Helpful Hints
Labels: Apple fritters, doughnut, glaze, grocery cart challenge, recipe