Happy Birthday

Happy 2nd Birthday Bella!

Monday Memories- 1 Year Old

Tomorrow is Lana’s birthday; she will be two years old. Last year BJ had duty on her birthday so I kept things simple and baked strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles! She had much fun digging into her first taste of SUGAR! Oh, what a bundle of joy we have been blessed with.

Sprinkles cause everyone to smile!

Look at Jayce crackin' up at his little sister!

Life is the sweetest with a hint of sugar!

Sunday Sunshine

Today was a beautiful day and Lana enjoyed playing in the sunshine!

FYI

I am not exactly sure who has been trying to leave comments, I do apologize for those that were not published. Blogger would say that I had comments to approve, but when I clicked on the comment section, it displayed “No Comments to Moderate.” (Weird). Sorry. It is going to be a busy day for me. I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend.

The Art Of Fine Cooking

I am so excited that I will be getting new cookware soon! I have been searching for the past few months and have narrowed it down to copper cookware by Falk. I was debating between Falk, Mauviel, and Bourgeat. Although the three are similar in price, I feel Falk is the leader in the industry and the warranty and upkeep will be the best solution for me.

Falk Culinair is manufactured near Brussels, Belgium and they only have one retailer for the USA. Mauviel is equally great, beautiful in appearance! But, it seems a bit over the top, as it is very shiny (not so much my style) but it can be purchased at Williams & Sonoma or other high-end department stores. Borgeat is nice too. Again, it has that mirror finish, and can generally be found on sale at Amazon. Unlike Falk, Mauviel and Borgeat carry various lines made with different grades of copper. With Falk, there is one, the best! Most cooper cookware is made using Falk's bimetal technology, which saves on cost by not having to re-tin the cookware. Indeed, I am happy!

"Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great"….

Oh, since Easter is approaching, I thought I would share my favorite tastes of chocolates… Well, I can't share the actual chocolates, only the websites… Try them though, very luscious.

Valrhona Chocolate

Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut

A Thought For Thursday

Warning! Warning! Warning!

There is a bit of venting in this post, which is unlike me, because I’d rather keep things positive. Hey, this is my blog, I can cry vent if I want to! (ha ha, I made a funny!)

A great deal has been happening on our end. We have three pack-outs (household goods, express shipment, and wine shipment) with the first one being in a week. It is both joyful and stressful. Generally, the movers take care of most everything in regards to packing and loading the goods, so that is not much of an issue. We just have to remove paintings, pictures, etc. from the walls. On the other hand, we have to pack our travel bags, separate the express shipment from the main shipment, and inventory the wine. Not to mention, I’m pretty meticulous about my organization so I’ve been busy making sure things are in order and ready to get packed. In addition, the day everything gets packed we receive the temporary furniture. Yes, we will be without our comforts of home for about 3 months (boo). It is exciting because we are closer to leaving yet stressful because everything will be out of sorts for quite some time. We will ship our vehicle prior to leaving and then once it arrives we will go to Dallas to pick it up. I’m looking forward to doing a little shopping there as well!

I’m learning that is far much better to let God handle the details of my life then it is for me to try and figure it out. It’s amazing how God opens your eyes! I’m changing as a person, I feel for the better, and making wiser choices.

On a more stressful note, I have been working on my final papers and preparing for my upcoming exams (Blah, my brain is fried). Even better, a positive note, I am so glad that this is my last semester of classes (Yippee-I’ll be finished soon).

You know I couldn’t end this post with anything negative. Life is about moving forward… enjoying and loving each moment even if there are a few hiccups along the way…

Whew, I’m happy now that I got all this off my mind…. Moving forward now.

Travel Tuesday-First Glance In Rome

This is one of the first images that I took when we walked upon the main sites to observe in Rome. I love how you can see a glimpse of the Italian flag in between the trees. What a beautiful day to explore Rome!

Monday Memories-Pancake Lovin' Kid

(Jayce, 2004)

School Dance

Jayce and his classmates involved in NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) sponsored the school dance this evening. He looked quite dapper as usual.

Things To Get Excited About In San Antonio

As I’m apt to do, I’ve researched and asked everyone about the city ‘til I found the best spots it has to offer. It has been awhile since I last visited San Antonio. Nevertheless, I am anxiously waiting until I get there to explore even further. I plan to eat, drink, try, and ask my way around the city with optimism of finding things & hot spots that go well with mine and my family likings. At this point, here is a list of a few things I’ve found that I am ecstatic about…

1. San Marcos Mall- Ranked the 3rd best shopping in THE WORLD!
2. Schlitterbahn Water Park
3. River Walk
4. Sea World
5. Fiesta Texas
6. San Antonio Spurs
7. Pearl Brewery
8. Pearl Farmers Market
9. Canyon Lake
10. Dixie Dude Ranch
11. San Antonio Zoo
12. H-E-B Science Tree-house
13. Rivercenter
14. Guadalupe River rafting
15. Hiking Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

I could keep going on and on as San Antonio is full of culture, art, wonderful food, and many outdoor activities! YIPPEEE—We are almost there—Thank you Lord, for all our blessings.

Shipping The Car

More and more paperwork has been completed to ship the vehicle back to the states. We are not sending it at this moment just getting prepared for the departure. For two months, our car will cross the stormy calm seas once again. We’ve already sold our island car and are now down to two vehicles with hopes of a jet ski in the near future!

Monday Memories

Today was a busy day for us as we took Smokey to the vet for her annual checkup as well as submit our paperwork for our departure from the island. During Smokey’s visit, she was as usual, the perfect kitty and did not make a peep when they drew her blood or gave her shots. She weighs 14 lbs and is in extremely good health, even at the young age of 10 & ½ years old. I thought this picture would be perfect for this post; it was taken shortly after we got Smokey. She is a blessing to our family and we love her. She and Jayce are so cute in this picture!

NHD Competition

As most of you know, Jayce and his classmate submitted a project about Kevlar to NHD, also known as National History Day, which he came in second place here in Sigonella. His project was then submitted to the next level in Vicenza (Venice, Italy). Well, today he came home with great news…. He WON FIRST PLACE!

Furthermore, his project is being submitted to the judges in Germany and he gets to travel to Germany for a week to represent his school and the district. Upon winning in Germany, his project could be selected to go to the National level in Washington DC. He is beside himself with happiness, which is very much deserved for his hard work!! Way to go JAYCE! We are so proud of your achievement!

The top image is the front side of the medal he earned here in Sigonella about a month ago, and the bottom image is the back of it.

Bed Head

Yesterday when Lana had awoken from her nap, I went upstairs to find her and one of her dolls with major bed head! Then again, Lana always has the bed head look due to her curls. It was laughable to say the least with her holding the baby doll and both of them having such wild hair. She and her baby looked adorable. When I brought them downstairs, I snapped this picture.

Travel Tuesday

While out having lunch with friends in Catania, Italy we noticed this car parked on the sidewalk, which is shockingly normal for Italy. Seriously, this car being parked on the sidewalk is minor compared to what we have witnessed while driving or walking the streets. I will have to post some major traffic near hit misses that we’ve managed to capture on camera. You gotta love the crazy Italian drivers and this charming car!

Monday Memories

(Disney, 2005)

I’ve posted a few pictures in the past from our Disney vacation with Troy & Erin in 2005, but this is one of the last pictures we took with them before they left by plane back to Texas.

We extended our vacation from the week at Disney to a few more days at Sea World in Orlando. Honestly, Sea World in Florida was fun but I don’t think it is in comparisons to Sea World in San Antonio. I’m looking forward to going back to Sea World in Texas. Great memories and more fun times ahead!

(Sea World, Florida 2005)

100 Percenter

Those closest to me are aware that I am in “awe” with Mariah Carey. I believe she is a true talent. You may have already heard this song a million times on the radio; I however, just heard it today. This song totally defines ME!! I’m gonna keep moving forward… Onward & Upward, Baby!!

Can I Get A Woot-Woot?

BJ came home with great news today—Our orders have changed!! The date that is, not the duty station. We should be arriving sooner than later, it is a possibility that we will be leaving Sicily sometime in May. Now, raise ya hands in the air and wave’em around like you just don’t care! LOL!

Bits-And-Pieces

......from the weekend.

Shring a bubble, how sweet!

Pop!

(He He He)

Chillin'

I made a snack (nachos) for us with simple toppings, I would have added fresh avocados, but it was not quite ripe enough. Even so, it was delic-ious!

The weather has been beautiful for the past few days so Jayce decided to work on his algebra homework outside. I have also been spring cleaning, you know the fun stuff, washing windows and cleaning out closets, etc. I am looking forward to spring and summer, BRING THE HEAT!

Regina recently sent a package and Lana has been enjoying the Valentine Bear a whole bunches.

I hope you enjoyed the little bits-and-pieces of our weekend...