tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73891256511107408192024-02-19T02:38:59.533-08:00My Name Is Not King......but I have a dream...Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.comBlogger440125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-668700755227807072013-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:002013-07-05T07:00:02.857-07:00Guest Post from "Smile As It Happens": " What to know: From Military to Civilian Life"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I hope everything had a fabulous Fourth and is ready to enjoy the weekend!<br />
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Today I am collaborating with Emma Banks, from <a href="http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/">Smile As It Happens</a>. <br />
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Emma is a military spouse who contacted me and offered to write a post with some of her military insight on some of the difficulties of, as well as myths concerning, making the transition from military life to civilian life, particularly in regard to finding and keeping employment. In Emma's words: <em>"The article discusses the importance of helping our country’s service members find employment either during station changes, or once they have either finished their active service, or become disabled while serving and thus been forced to end active duty."</em><br />
<br />Emma currently seeking a career in life and career coaching and she has some really helpful tips on the matter of going from military back to civilian:<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">What to
Know: From Military to Civilian Life</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Here are four myths that, if you buy into them, may kill your
confidence in finding a post-military career. I’m here to counter these myths
with truths that will make sure that you are as prepared as possible to be
successful in your post military transition. </span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Myth #1:
It is difficult to find non-military jobs after spending so many years in the
service.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Truth: As a veteran, there are many jobs that you are more than
qualified for. There are programs available that are designed to help you in
your job hunt. A group called <a href="http://100000jobsmission.com/"><span style="color: blue;">100,000
Jobs Mission</span></a> works specifically to provide information on open positions
that former military will be well qualified for. This resource also provides
job outlook, qualifications needed and salary expectations.</span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Myth #2: Most
companies do not care about applicants.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Truth: While employers are definitely looking out for their own
interests, they do care about potential employees. Just as you are attempting
to make a good impression on your potential employer, the company similarly
desires to impress you and make applying for a job as easy as possible. In
order to streamline the application process many companies have started to
partner with services like <a href="http://www.jibe.com/"><span style="color: blue;">JIBE</span></a>, a mobile
recruiting company. These services allow you to upload your resume and various
job-related documents instantly from your smartphone or tablet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Myth #3: There
are not any companies that are specifically looking to hire veterans. </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Truth: Many companies are looking to hire former military
members. Companies that are run on-base such as military credit unions or
insurances are a great place to start looking. Additionally, several websites
annually list companies that specifically look to hire veterans. Among those
are <a href="http://content.gijobs.com/"><span style="color: blue;">GI Jobs</span></a> and <a href="http://www.militaryfriendly.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Military Friendly</span></a>. Visiting these
sites regularly will keep you up-to-date with the latest job availability and
will help you in your quest for future employment. </span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Myth #4:
Job seekers do not need to promote themselves to prospective employers.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Truth: Even though veterans are highly sought after in the
civilian world, it is still very important that you, as the interviewee, sell
yourself. Mention any awards and promotions you have received and what you have
accomplished during your time in service. Remember, you are most likely one of
several people who want the same job, and making sure the potential employer
hears about all you accomplished is necessary to give yourself the best chance
at employment.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></i><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Emma is a
mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping
others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and
community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to
become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around
the world! Check out Emma’s blog at <u><a href="http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/</span></a></u>!</span> </i></blockquote>
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Thanks, Emma! Check out her blog for more tips and show her some love! I hope those that info is helpful to some of you! My husband is still active duty air force, but in the not-so-far future he will be making that ever-so-important transition and I bet some of these tips and truths will be helpful to us as well!<br />
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Stay tuned for my future guest post on Emma's blog! I'm working on a great summer-time recipe post for her and her readers! Coming soon!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>*All article content: Emma. All photo content: my own.</em></span><br />
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-61054123888487243632013-06-26T14:05:00.001-07:002013-06-26T14:05:36.446-07:00Bloglovin'?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just stopping in to say if you aren't following me on Bloglovin, you might consider doing so. Bloglovin' seems to be the wave of the future with google reader shutting down on Monday. Join me there and follow along, please and thank you? There are buttons on the side bar by which you can become a follower of My Name is Not King on the Bloglovin site.</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-17314405228228113082013-06-24T09:28:00.000-07:002013-06-24T10:10:17.755-07:00DIY: How to Make a Backyard Firepit Out of a Salvaged Dryer Drum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My husband and I are fire fans. Fans of fire. Bonfires in particular. <br />
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We live on a military base and have a very small fenced in back yard, but we didn't want to have to experience summer here without being able to enjoy evenings outside by a blazing fire. We had been looking for months hoping to find a nice looking, good quality and reasonably priced fire pit, but it seems that all the remotely nice ones were $80 at least, some even up to $200. That just seemed outrageous for me. I had been weekly checking craigslist hoping on would pop up, but while I was waiting I was seeking out alternatives. At first we thought we might cut down a large metal barrel and just use that, but then I stumbled upon a most genius idea (thank you, pinterest): FIRE PITS MADE OUT OF WASHER/DRYER DRUMS!<br />
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The moment I saw that people were converting the insides of washing machines into bonfire receptacles I knew we had to make one. I was very surprised when I was able to find a drum on Craigslists just a few days later. The man selling it had it listed as a Washer drum, but upon further inspection we have decided it in an industrial/laundry mat sized drum from a dryer. I am not sure how he came upon it, but that is no matter. It had already been removed from the actual dryer and for $25 it was ours! (If you wanted to create something similar I recommend looking for old washers/dryers out to the side of the road, or finding a cheap salvage place. I've heard that the drums are easy enough to remove, but hopefully you get lucky like us and someone does that step for you.).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">drum, upside down, before we did anything to it</span></div>
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It was a bit of a process start to finish, but we love the way it came out. The way we went about creating it might not be possible to everyone, as we have access to a lot of equipment and tools, due to my husbands job maintaining structures for the Air Force. However, with a little craftiness and know-how, you could easily create something similar on your own. <br />
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In summary we-actually he, while I took pictures- took off the...spike...on the back (some part which connected it to the dryer; it was just screwed in) and removed all plastic parts from the inside. <br />
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Next, he drilled some extra holes in the bottom and top, just to allow water to drain (all the holes in the sides are part of the drum design and they make for really great air flow!). Then it got trickier: my husband welded three legs with feet on the bottom, punched holes in them, sand blasted them and screwed them onto existing holes in the drum. <br />
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You could definitely do without the legs, but we thought it gave it more of a finished look. Another option would have been to leave the spike on the bottom part on and drive it into the ground for stability. But, if you have welding skills, put them to use!<br />
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After he had done all the tricky bits at his shop, we brought it home and I painted it with 3 coats of black Rust-Oleum high heat spray paint. That was about $7 at Lowes; it is made for grills and can withstand heat up to 1,200 degrees F. NOTE: ONLY PAINT THE OUTSIDE PARTS ON IN CONTACT WITH THE FIRE! Paint really made it look finished and it so far holds up very well to the high temperatures.<br />
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We love how it turned out! We've had several fires and are looking forward to many more with this lil' beauty. We had a lot of fun working on it. Start to finished it took us between 3 and 4 hours, and cost us $32! Function and frugal, not to mention a pretty good conversation starter. We couldn't be happier!<br />
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-16367994631146843982013-06-05T19:40:00.000-07:002013-06-20T15:32:20.340-07:00How to Save Money on a Hawaiian Vacation (or any vacation):<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My husband and I just recently returned from a 8 day trip to Oahu, Hawai'i. It was our combination honeymoon/anniversary trip. We were so blessed to be able to spend our first anniversary in such a beautiful place!<br />
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As you may know, going to Hawaii can be very pricey. There are a lot of variables on the cost of a trip, such as where you are flying from, and the type of place you choose to stay, etc, but overall it can be a rather high cost place to visit as far as the USA goes, because it is an island. Food, especially, can be very costly there as it is mainly imported. Regular grocery items can cost up to twice as much.<br />
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I'm not one to normally discuss numbers and finances, but I think this may be beneficial to some, so I am posting it. With some careful planning and budget we were able to enjoy <strong>8 days in Honolulu for $2,000</strong>. Not per person. Yes, total. Two people, 8 days, hotel, food, rental car, activities (including beaches, hikes, jet skis, a catamaran cruise, snorkeling, a luau, and significant historic sites)= two thousand.<br />
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I have done a little research and there is not exact number as far as what a trip/honeymoon to Hawaii can cost you, but after reading several articles and travel magazines I have come to the conclusion that the average for a week is about $1,500 per person. So I think we did pretty alright.<br />
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Please do keep in mind we are a military couple, so we did get some great deals related to that. We stayed at a military resort (the <a href="http://www.halekoa.com/">Hale Koa</a>, right on Waikiki, if anyone is interested), which was lovely and much lower priced than your average Hawaiian resort. We had a nice balcony room (which we, by favor, got as an upgrade) which we were charged about $90 a night(ground floor price). We also got a deal on the rental car, and were able to save about $200 off the extra fees they would normally charge (due to age and whatnot) because my husband is in the Air Force. But a lot of the money we saved was purely being frugal.<br />
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Initially we had planed on taking a military "hop," but we decided that was a little to risky for us. Planes only went from our base to Hickam once or maybe twice a month and our budget couldn't afford us getting stuck there. As plan B, we got a great deal on plane tickets. We live on the West Coast and were able to fly, without lay overs, straight there. Tickets to Hawaii based on where you are flying from can be anywhere from $300 to $1,500 per person round trip. We flew Alaska Airlines and ours were very closest to the lowest possible price on that scale. Another huge factor in ticket cost is the season: Hawaii is considered to have its peak season of tourism from November to March. Since we went in the end May, that also saved us a bunch. <br />
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I am not going to give any more exact break downs of what we spent. On to the frugality tips...<br />
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*<strong>LUNCHES/PICNICS:</strong><br />
The first day we arrived we hit up a grocery store to stock up on lunch items. Family who had been before had already warned us about the high food prices so we had packed some snack items in our luggage from home and then purchased rolls, cheese, lunch meat and the like from the grocery store (commissary @ Pearl Harbor for you military folk) and kept it in our hotel room fridge. We spent about $30 on lunch goods for the week. Since we planned to spend most mornings on the beach we figured packing our own lunches would save us a bunch rather than having to find a place to eat out or have a meal at the resort. If you figure that sandwiches or your average lunch foods would be about $20 total bill for the both of us for 8 days, that simple move right there saved us about $130. We did eat lunches out a couple times, but overall that plan worked great. <br />
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<strong>*ACTIVITIES:</strong><br />
While food on Hawaii is high price, activities are fairly cheap if you choose carefully. What is NOT cheap is doing the 800 different tours the resort will try to offer you. We went to some great places: We snorkeled in Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, we hiked Diamond Head Crater, we went to Pearl Harbor and ferried out to the USS Arizona Memorial, we hiked to Manoa Falls, amongst other things. We also enjoyed many different beaches, all of which were free (except for the occasional parking fee). The resort offered all manner of tour packages for luaus, sightseeing, and museums. Heck, they had shopping center tours! But honestly, with the rental car (or with Hawaii's huge bus system) you can easily enjoy the island without paying for someone else to bring you places. Most the places we went parking was about a dollar and admission was $5-$8 per person. <br />
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Maybe in some situations would be nice, but we had a great time without them. <a href="http://www.discoverhawaiitours.com/?utm_source=BING&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=DHT">HERE</a> is a list of some tour options: PRICEY! As a comparison, you can do a "Pearl Harbor Experience" for $119.00. We went to Pearl Harbor. The Arizona Memorial is free to all, you just have to wait for it to be your turn for the ferry. There are other museums, battleships and monuments you can see for a charge, but we enjoyed several hours there just walking around looking at memorials and going through their Valor in the Pacific centers (mini museums). You can also purchase an MP3 tour for about $20. We also visited some other places which the tour covers, like downtown Honolulu, Iolani Palace, the Kamehameha statue and Punchbowl cemetery, all for free. Plus, you have so much more freedom to enjoy things at your own pace when you don't have to worry about keeping up with a group. This is just one example of many. Do your research in advance, use resources like Pinterest, Yelp, or Trip Advisor and figure out where you want to go and what you want to see and then just go do it for yourself! With a rental car and GPS the possibilities are quite endless! Adventures are fun!<br />
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Also on the topic of activities: <em>CHECK GROUPON!</em> This applies to Hawaii or any place you intend to visit. You can get deals on local restaurants, shops and activities! I browsed through the Honolulu offers several times before we left and there were many great offers for things like surf lessons, massages, fancy restaurants, and all sorts of water sport rentals. We personally purchased a lovely catamaran sunset cruise for half off its normal price. It ended up being one of our favorite things we did there!<br />
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We did "splurge" and do a luau at the Hale Koa as we felt it was worth it. There are many Luaus to choose from and they can be pricey, but it just seems necessary for the Hawaiian experience. We also splurged a bit and rented a jet ski. Decide what you want to do, save where you can and then spend where you want to!<br />
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<strong>*SHOPPING:</strong><br />
We aren't shoppers. We do not so much like to browse and wander stores. We do not like to purchase many things. So we save money by not shopping. Honolulu had MASS amounts of malls and shopping centers but we avoided them for the most part. We did get some souvenirs, home items, clothing items and COFFEE but over all this isn't a big chunk of where our money goes on vacations. <br />
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<strong>*DINNING:</strong><br />
Obviously, the best way to save on dinning is to not dine at super fancy places. On past trips elsewhere we have also gone to the other extreme and dined at places like taco bell too many times and while we saved money, we felt ill. Find a happy medium. Maybe plan for a nice romantic dinner or two, and then for the rest of the trip see what else you can find. We love local food and little less-frequented-by-tourists establishments. Farmers markets or food trucks and sometimes have great deals on local cuisine. The fresh fruit is the best! We also stopped at a flea market and got several different local handmade breads which served as snacks and breakfasts a couple days. Other Tips: Order water. Sometimes we get an appetizer (its always calamari) and split a meal. Sometimes we have salads and a dessert. Or two meals and split dessert. And then there is alcohol: we aren't what you call drinkers, but Hawaii is not really Hawaii without a few fruity rum beverages. Those $8 drinks can add up real quick and take a huge chunk out of a budget, so...just consider that.<br />
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Just as is with any vacation, with a little careful planning and budgeting you can have a great time for a relatively reasonable amount of money. Does anyone have any other tips I missed? I can't wait to post more photos and stories about our lovely trip to the gorgeous island of Oahu!</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-33672883712975648982013-05-27T18:16:00.000-07:002013-05-27T18:16:00.733-07:00Yet another wedding flashback...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We'll be home from Hawaii in a couple days, but until I can update you with <em>those</em> pictures, here are some more lovely wedding photos from our wedding on May 26th of last year. Again, all photo credit to <a href="http://jeffcrandallphotography.com/#">Jeff Crandall Photography.</a><br />
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Only one more post coming, I swear. These pictures just make me so happy!</div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-22297752407775012132013-05-26T11:00:00.000-07:002013-05-26T11:00:04.689-07:00Flashback to one year ago today: Our Wedding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post is being brought to you thanks to the power of scheduled posting. JoJo and I are currently still enjoying our Oahu Vacation and today are<strong><em> celebrating our FIRST ANNIVERSARY</em></strong>!<br />
<br />
To celebrate blog style, here are some wedding ceremony pictures! I realize I actually never posted any of the official ones. Another post with reception and formal shots coming later. All these lovely photos documenting our most wonderful day are accredited to <a href="http://jeffcrandallphotography.com/#">Jeff and Vicki Crandall</a> of <a href="http://jeffcrandallphotography.com/#">Jeff Crandall Photography</a>.<br />
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I cannot believe it has already been a year. Wow. For the record, ^^this is <em>still</em> the look on our faces.<br />
<br />
We've been told repeatedly that the first year of marriage will be the hardest. Can't say I agree...I mean, yes we did do it a little different. We got married and 8 days later he left on his first deployment to Qatar. That was 6 months. We have now actually been together geographically since December (and its so much better this way!). Our Pastor said probably the first year and three months would be a better gauge for us, since the whole deployment thing...but again... I really can't say this has been hard. Different? Most assuredly. Are we learning a lot about each other and married life? For certain. But we are so enjoying it a whole lot. Being best friends helps. I think part of it is we had a really good foundation of being able to communicate well, thanks to all the long distance. Also, we think we have just been really blessed. And we are mighty happy about it. <br />
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<strong>Happy one year to us; here's to forever.</strong></div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-2897057490710288272013-05-20T15:59:00.000-07:002013-05-21T09:45:46.505-07:002 tickets to paradise: Oahu Trip Itinerary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tomorrow morning we are leavin' on a jet plane with our two tickets to paradise <em>(*two songs, one sentence, BAM!*).</em><br />
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We have been planning this trip since I think June of last year. We didn't do a honeymoon after our wedding last May (instead we spent 8 day on his base submitting all manner of paperwork before he deployed), so this here is it. And its a celebration of our one year anniversary as well! It will be 8 days of oh-so-fabulous. We're beyond excited over here.<br />
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JoJo and I travel very well together. Neither of us are into super touristy attractions. We like the outdoors and adventures. We are the sort to kind of just drive around to see what we can see. Out of the two of us, I am the one that plans ahead. He is more spur of the moment. I just like to optimize time and not waste any looking for something to that day. So my job is to make lists ahead of time and we figure it out day by day when we get there. It balances out between us just lovely.<br />
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I have spent months pinning away on Pinterest and I spent 7 hours last week looking up maps and address of places I think we would like to visit on Oahu. Nothing is set in stone, but here are some things we MIGHT be doing. I guess we'll have to compare when I post after the trip!<br />
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We are staying at the<a href="http://www.halekoa.com/index.cfm"> Hale Koa.</a> It's a DoD resort with great military rates, right on Waikiki Beach.<br />
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While we are anti-tourist I don't think we can go to Hawaii without going to a Luau...apparently the Hale Koa has a great one. We'll be checking that out. Hula shows and fireworks also make the list of necessary but horribly tourist activities.</div>
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We'll definitely be checking/hiking Leahi, aka Diamond Head Crater. Anything else we can hike, will also be conquered.</div>
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There will be plenty of stargazing. JoJo is an astronomy fanatic and Hawaii has beautiful clear skies.</div>
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Visiting Pearl Harbor and the memorials there is another thing on the list.</div>
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We've rented a car and will surely be driving up to the famous surfer's paradise that is Oahu's North Shore.</div>
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Hanuama Bay, known for its snorkeling and sea turtles.</div>
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Find as many Waterfalls as possible and play in them. Manoa Falls is high on the list.</div>
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The only truly set in stone thing is the <a href="http://sailboatcharterhonolulu.com/">sunset dinner on a Catamaran</a> which we purchased on Groupon (by the way, I highly recommend checking Groupon before you head out on a vacation!). </div>
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I have a list of restaurants and favorite local eateries we will likely visit. We will be consuming as much fish and local food as possible. Iron Chef's Morimoto's restaurant, anyone? Places were they catch fish and within the hour feed it to you? Yes. Anything with pineapple or coconut? Yes and yes. I'm excited to try out some of the food trucks on the island, as well. There will be plenty of drinking (and buying to bring home) of delicious Hawaiian grown coffee too.</div>
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We will try and avoid anything with the word "tour" in it. Limited trips to tourist trap souvenir shops will be made. Although, I have been promised a lei or two which I am most excited about. (also, flowers beware, I will pick all of you). Saver's and Goodwills in the area have been mapped out. Farmer's Markets have also been made note of.</div>
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Renting jet skiis is another must on the schedule (there are few things more fun in the world than basically quadding in the ocean). We don't want to try surfer bad enough to pay for lessons, but if someone offers to teach us then bring it on! Same goes for kayaking. It could happen.</div>
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We are also going to try and visit as many beaches (especially the less tourist filled ones) as possible. We plan on beach mornings and afternoon/evening adventure. Of course, we'll pop over to the palace and say hi to King Kamehameha's statue. That's a must as we are naming our first born son after him (...just kidding...or maybe not). Maybe by some miracle we'll get in a shark cage <em>(actually we won't, I have been informed). </em>There will be lots of random driving. Also, anything that can be hiked, climbed or jumped off of probably will. </div>
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Overall, there will be much adventure having and enjoying of the 80+ degrees and sunshine. When I update you on the trip I will have been magically transformed from Washingtonian pale to Hawaiian Bronzed. See ya then!</div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-68603563535952975882013-05-17T02:30:00.000-07:002013-05-17T02:30:03.953-07:00And that's all my phone has to say about that...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">planted some grass seed in our back yard. it is amazing for the amount it rains out here how dry stuff can get. and how moss can choke out the existence of all things. also, how bird would rather peck at my grass seeds than eat from their feeder.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGVZlE1ObV23YXntRpwxNjjHZ9H244RC_3AQAFc6UAalmzXaJ10_cZ7GNFit5yaD2b56Ldau7cBrmvIk2Me9Wx8vR_4dBRe8283nIyZ-6ub-9-qDVLq6QUzsH9thfjoT3FGBpCRHnSug/s1600/0511131808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGVZlE1ObV23YXntRpwxNjjHZ9H244RC_3AQAFc6UAalmzXaJ10_cZ7GNFit5yaD2b56Ldau7cBrmvIk2Me9Wx8vR_4dBRe8283nIyZ-6ub-9-qDVLq6QUzsH9thfjoT3FGBpCRHnSug/s400/0511131808.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">flash back to JoJo circa 2009. I think this was his favorite shirt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">the back says <em>"chain saw brutality, tornado strength"</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Back in the day of hardcore bands, size small, skin tight shirts, long hair and skinny pants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(good lord...) (and no, those weren't not his sunglasses, thank you Jesus.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">now its my shirt. strangely, it seems to fit pretty well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> this both fascinates and disturbs me. so I wear it because it is laughable.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIiC0Zn2fB8L9Xf0d1Ccc2DQHthCvPdFV6L5KtzvOdKMhWpLPmDUTbzdffJSwtnXoOqeVT-K3UHPKoSFmvoG0cHuf01jj4pje6VkBgnNv5NafyKXZpnycs4AxgNwxcB-UMbLSelcVZs4/s1600/0514131925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIiC0Zn2fB8L9Xf0d1Ccc2DQHthCvPdFV6L5KtzvOdKMhWpLPmDUTbzdffJSwtnXoOqeVT-K3UHPKoSFmvoG0cHuf01jj4pje6VkBgnNv5NafyKXZpnycs4AxgNwxcB-UMbLSelcVZs4/s400/0514131925.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">there isn't much that the kitty boy loves more than popcorn. it is second only to milk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">every night we munch some while we watch TV and Trink begs until we throw him some little kernelless pieces.if we aren't quick enough he tries to steal from us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We throw it, and he catches them between his front paws.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> It is adorable. So we keep allowing it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(we don't feed him people food...save for milk, popcorn and pretzels...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">what is this weird thing, you ask?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> a washing machine drum. purchased on craigslist for $25. Why? Because my cool welding husband is going to transform it into a super backyard fire pit. quite excited about that project! (note: its upside down in the picture)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">there are few things more curious and suspicious than feet under the covers. cats are so silly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fxdVjW3VMr9FJ_VGVNrgRdgiwsZKX7AZ-v2xUZBytLcbwO2ksJFFdy0tV-oaeMBomhmrfGiBoGNW-Mq2ELAI3b_zYPw6uMC46itUpUNEpsYyxap3iXZQrvTZy8G1Puh8tEGLqefUw20/s1600/0513131819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fxdVjW3VMr9FJ_VGVNrgRdgiwsZKX7AZ-v2xUZBytLcbwO2ksJFFdy0tV-oaeMBomhmrfGiBoGNW-Mq2ELAI3b_zYPw6uMC46itUpUNEpsYyxap3iXZQrvTZy8G1Puh8tEGLqefUw20/s400/0513131819.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">you know those people on facebook who seem to constantly be getting free samples in the mail? </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm one of them now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">my mother in law just had kittens!!! 4 little itty bitty black ones! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> well, her cat did...obviously. next time we are home visiting we are taking one (or two or all of them, according to JoJo) back home with us. Trink needs a baby sister. Just think, then you can all endure constant pictures of ALL our cats! Yup. We're crazy cat people. Deal with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Giant garlic clove. Next to an average sized mushroom. This intrigued me for unknown reasons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">this weekend we are attending a birthday party for our friend's fabulous baby girl. she is turning one. and i wanted to buy here every outfit in the store, but settled on this one as she like to play in dirt and garden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">my cat has an eyebrow nibbling fetish. it is weird. as you can tell, we own Mr. Kitty Personality, over here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pearls! Real ones!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Anniversary gift from my love for me to be fancy and fabulous in Hawaii.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">According to the anniversary chart thing, your 1st anniversary is paper and your 30th is pearls. I don't understand any of that stuff one bit, but lets just pretend JoJo is prophesying into our marriage with these. Besides...who wants paper? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Unless its plane tickets to Hawaii. Those were good too :P</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IAlD6xk2HOH24nZShyphenhyphenIQSYScRxIVnLOEKOovhN_RvZIBNI0ceC43X0tM3ZUEviioXCD03ufUyPD_9zm4JZB48bOdXSC9CrxvXzlNJZqE-FgrLbbevhZo_XDv3YwyYa95H0_1TVdW67c/s1600/0514131237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IAlD6xk2HOH24nZShyphenhyphenIQSYScRxIVnLOEKOovhN_RvZIBNI0ceC43X0tM3ZUEviioXCD03ufUyPD_9zm4JZB48bOdXSC9CrxvXzlNJZqE-FgrLbbevhZo_XDv3YwyYa95H0_1TVdW67c/s400/0514131237.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">most importantly, this week I finished school and began packing (and forming detailed lists of attractions, activities, stores and restaurants) for OAHU!!! We leave Tuesday. We never had an actual honeymoon, as he deployed shortly after our wedding, so this is our honeymoon and one year anniversary and first vacation all rolled into one. We are excited out of our minds over here. Don't worry, thousands of (quality, not phone) pictures to come!</span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-69826440300679858412013-05-13T14:18:00.000-07:002013-05-13T14:19:04.025-07:00Hiking Point Defiance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My husband had the day off on Friday so we took a nice long hike/walk in the beautiful Washingtonian woods. We had visited Point Defiance Zoon and Aquarium Park in the past, but on Friday we got to finally explore the gorgeous Point Defiance Park. 700 acres of water, wildlife and old growth forests (including huge sequoias!). They also have several beautiful gardens, as well as recreational fields and boat rentals in the marina (excited to go back and try those!). It was absolutely lovely. And I hauled my camera the entire way.<br />
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We started with a nice picnic lunch and then headed onto a trek through the woods...<br />
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Apparently if you follow a specific trail you can hike the park in about 5 miles/2 hours. However, we only sort of followed the trail and made lots of our own, so overall we had something like a 7 mile hike which took us 4 hours. And it was glorious! I'm so very glad to have someone to explore miles of woods with me!<br />
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-48884131289565136842013-05-09T17:22:00.002-07:002013-05-09T17:31:20.710-07:00And that's all my phone has to say about that...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">flash back to last Friday- make chocolate covered yumminess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">pretzels and peanut butter balls. high in both calories and deliciousness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">they were so yummy people who had said they weren't coming showed up upon being texted about the chocolate goodness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">the week started out terribly sunny. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Washington was actually like the warmest state in the USA at one point over the weekend. It was miraculous. 0% chance of rain- that just doesn't happen out here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">flowers picked on the hike mentioned in the previous post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">at first i thought I acquired poison ivy on the hike when I woke up with a rash on my arm the next day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">when within hours I was a completely rashy mess we began to think a food reaction was the culprit. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">that and my husband suspected I was turning into a goose (...looked like I had goose bumps everywhere...). Yup.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Next was a 101 fever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">long story short, I spent about 5 hours on Monday between the doctors, a blood lab and the army base pharmacy. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">i know I have a monosodium glutamate (MSG- a common food additive which acts as an excitotoxin and messes with my endocrine system) allergy and i accidentally ate some (its in the majority of packaged food). the dr. also did a panel of food allergy tests on me. waiting on results. i am now armed with epipens and after a bunch of steroids and Benadryl I'm doing much better. fun times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">we've started feeding birds in hopes of giving our indoor kitty something to entertain himself (and cause we like birds).</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">so far, a couple of brave chickadees and a squirrel picking up what drops to the ground have been our only visitors.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHbWOUk_HLQZstvS1fB0_cKuo0KWHEBNVtpNtbXmrHtd_tbn_DFTpNt3Wbq0lELGwubm1Wr2Gu8UE2-xoucWI7t7hEpRyRx-1C_2kcWsrO3fwL_0LeVmg4Uza2npo4bVMJM4li2r2ijU/s1600/0506131240a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHbWOUk_HLQZstvS1fB0_cKuo0KWHEBNVtpNtbXmrHtd_tbn_DFTpNt3Wbq0lELGwubm1Wr2Gu8UE2-xoucWI7t7hEpRyRx-1C_2kcWsrO3fwL_0LeVmg4Uza2npo4bVMJM4li2r2ijU/s400/0506131240a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">trink thinks the squirrel is good fun. we call the squirrel Caliban </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(also, like Trinkilo, a character from the Tempest). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Funny part is he didn't notice him at first and the squirrel stood frozen for a couple minutes before the cat whipped around and gave him full attention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">another really great cat hobby is running around underneath a shoe box. the goal being to keep it on top of you so you may stealth attack people's ankles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">gearing up for<strong> Hawaii in 10 days</strong>!!! so excited! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">we will be staying at a military personnel resort right on Waikiki beach. Celebrating our one year anniversary during the trip. Unbelievable! </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Until then, we are watching every movie set in Hawaii- most importantly <em>Lilo and Stitch.</em> JoJo has 3 day weekend so let the amping up for the trip begin!</span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-62706666021777543942013-05-07T19:08:00.000-07:002013-05-07T19:08:29.372-07:00Weekend Walk on the Tacoma Nature Trail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This past weekend was gorgeous. Mid seventies up to eighties. 0% chance of rain (which is rare out here!). Finally, as the weather warms up we are getting a chance to enjoy Washington's beautiful outdoors. We have so much on our to do list of outdoor activities, but this week we started small.<br />
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Saturday we took a hike. Well...it was more of a walk. We had planned on a 5 mile hike deep in the woods, but it was my husband's turn to carry his shop's emergency duty phone which meant if he got a call he had an hour to get to it and being 5 miles in the woods wouldn't work. So, instead of our initially planned hiking location (coming soon!) we went to the <a href="http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/tacomanaturecenter/">Tacoma Nature Center.</a> <br />
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It was nice to be out in the woods, even if it was only for an hour (about 2 miles). We looped around Snake Lake. I had read about it in a hiking book and was led to believe that it is a "moderate" trail on the ranking of difficulty...but...apparently we are a lot more hard core woodsy than we realized. Some parts of the trail were very pretty, but unfortunately the trail runs along the highway. It is hard to feel like you are enjoying the wilderness with car-noise in the back ground. Very little incline and overall un-treacherous trail. I guess it would be a fantastic place to go with little kids, but for two outdoorsy adults it was a little disappointing.<br />
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We did enjoy the weather. The sound of birds is always nice. We looked at the pond and admired the very tall trees. I picked a huge bunch of wild flowers. JoJo patiently stopped and waiting every time I made a stop to pluck some sort of fern. We talked. We saw a nasty giant ant mound (they are everywhere in Washington. It's scary). We followed a trail of ants. And on the way home, we stopped and had half-off Frappuccinos from Starbucks. <br />
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Overall, it was a lovely little Saturday date.</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-75732310356292993112013-05-03T09:22:00.000-07:002013-05-03T09:22:03.404-07:00And that's all my phone has to say about that...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Typical morning view:</span> </div>
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"<span style="font-size: x-small;">Good. I have woken you. Now feed me or I'll start purring incessantly and biting your eyebrows."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> some good stuff right there ^^</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> First ever attempt at making scones. Strawberry with a strawberry and lemon glaze. They tasted like freckled lemonade from Red Robin!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> We bought this cat bed when we first moved here in December. He refused to have anything to do with it until about March. Now he would rather sleep in this than anywhere else. Sometimes he picks it over sleeping with us!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">large rock by our front door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I've become an addict.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Made a trip to the library on base yesterday; it made me happy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Being unemployed is pretty disheartening. However, reading books in your back yard and laying in the sun all afternoon is pretty darn fabulous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Everything a cat could want, all in one spot: a cozy bed, a sliding door to look out of, a shoe box full of mousies and jingly things, and a box fort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">this made me laugh. JoJo and I attempted to feed some ducks stale crackers a few weeks ago down at the lake near our house. this sign appeared shortly there after. It is funny because the birds had never been offered crackers and had no idea what to do with them. out of probably 40 ducks we got 2 interested. And a squirrel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The weather has been weird. Monday it was barely 50. By Thursday it hit near 70. I've been determined to enjoy the sun (cloudlessness) regardless. Coats and sunglasses combined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Little signs of life along my walks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">LOTS of signs of life in my garden!! I've got foot tall sugar peas, sprouting green beans and little baby spinaches, lettuces, cilantros, and basils. Parsley and Lavender hopefully making an appearance soon. Tomatoes next month! I'M A REAL FARMER!!!!</span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-6306143074089287072013-05-01T16:21:00.001-07:002013-05-01T16:21:30.664-07:00Thrifty Thinkin': On Eating, Food Budgets and Couponing, Etc...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When I moved out here in December, finally able to live with my husband and do<strike> exciting</strike> dreadful things like grocery shopping I had utterly no idea how much food two people would need in a week, or a month, or a day for that matter, or what a food budget for 2 people trying to eat reasonably healthy should look like. And I loathed grocery shopping, which didn't help much.<br />
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I grew up in a frugal family. But I knew not-too-much about grocery shopping. I am good at money saving, but rarely did my homeschooled past teach me about buying grocery staples for two. When there are 10 people in your family it is not common practice to shop in a grocery store, you see. My mom shopped in bulk 98% of the time- Sam's Club, B.Js, etc and belonged to Natural Food Co-ops where food came by the crate. I don't know what my family's food budget was, but come checkout time it was usually $200-$300 + for a single trip. <br />
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This left newlywed me slightly confused: what does like...1 item, such as a jar of salsa cost...instead of like 15 of them. How much milk do two people need; probably not like 5 gallons a week. Only my husband eats meat; how much meat does he eat? And on and on...also, I had no idea how to cook for only two people, but that's another story.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: I am still newly married, only 22, and truly probably have no idea about anything. But I'm learning and this post is simply a reflection of those recent learnings.</span></em><br />
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I live on an Air Force base and I do all my shopping at the commissary here (with an occasional natural food store or farmer's market trip). It is close, convenient, tax free (sale tax in WA is over 9%). Every month my husband and I are<strong> allotted ~<em>$348.00</em></strong> as our allowance for food (aka: "BAS"- we love a good acronym for everything...). Initially, I had no idea if that was enough for two people. Was I supposed to spend all of it? Half of it? Was it only half of what I needed for us? <br />
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The first couple shopping trips I was baffled. The first couple months I was way over our BAS. But every month since December I have whittled down our food budget (in our defense, the first month or two we had NOTHING and had to buy all the basic staples. Items like ketchup, all the spices known to man, baking powder and salt. Now we are well stocked). <br />
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I have now discovered that our $348 a month toward food is MORE than enough and we are able to put a large chunk of that into savings each month. I aim to keep a well stocked pantry and freezer, and always make sure we have enough fresh foods for a week or so. The pantry and fridge are kept clean and organized so we (I) know what we have. <br />
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We don't have a specifically set food budget other than I'll be in trouble if I go over $348, but I try to keep each <strong>shopping trip (3 per month) at $80 or less</strong>. Meaning, <strong>at most $240 a month</strong>, which is a savings of about $100 out of our allotted amount. I try and keep the month spending between<strong> $200 and $240</strong>. That works for us and a newlywed couple (with one furbaby). Obviously this is a slightly different number than what it would be if I was not shopping tax free (and commisary prices are a tad cheaper as well), but hopefully this gives you an idea.<br />
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Here is what I have learned in the last couple months of being the chief grocery shopper and cook:'<br />
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1<strong>. Make a list</strong>. Better yet, make the list and <strong>bring it with you</strong>. And <strong>use it</strong>. <strong>Cross items off as you go</strong>. And <strong>don't buy extra stuff </strong>unless it is extremely justifiable (if I see they are having a sale on a nonperishable/something we eat regularly, I will stock up. Things like that.) I use a pen and paper, but there are also Apps which you can download for grocery lists. Trying to shop without a list is just asking for troubles. You will forget things. You will buy other things you don't need. And then you will have to make another trip to get the stuff you forget, and subsequently buy more things you don't need. Which leads to...<br />
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2<strong>.The more trips you make, the more you will spend</strong>. Simple Concept. I am amazed by some people who can do one grand shopping trip for the entire month. You can save a lot that way, but it also requires a lot of freezer space, which I do not have. I have managed to knock my trips down to 3 times a month, rather than weekly though. I try and plan what I need for meals in advance and shop for a week and halfs worth of food. I am able to freeze some fresh produce and I freeze all of our breads, bagels, etc, as well as our meats so everything keeps as long as possible.<br />
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3. <strong>Don't bring my husband</strong>. Generally he and I are happy to do any boring/tortuous activity together. However, grocery shopping it better alone. He is a bit of a whiner. He is also one to add things to my cart not on my list. Plus, if he is there I am distracted and I forget things. I love him whole-heartedly but it is better to just leave him out of this one.<br />
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4. <strong>The more junk food I manage to purchase, the more we will eat</strong>. This is more of a health tip than a shopping/frugality tip. I have simply noticed if that we have 4 bags of reese's in the pantry they will be eaten up very quickly. If they aren't in the house, we cannot eat them in ridiculous amounts. Simple.<br />
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5. <strong>Try and shop the outer aisles the most, and the inner ones sparingly.</strong> Most of my shopping trips consists of fresh produce, or things like eggs, milk and meat. I try and limit our processed foods in takes pretty seriously. Yes, those items are cheap and on sale, but it isn't worth it for what it can do to my health. I don't buy any freezer meals, premade-anything or ready-made mixes. Convenience costs, always. It may take a bit of time and effort, but making foods from scratch can save a ton! I am not one to try and stick to a diet or certain way of eating, but we try and eat as much fresh, whole, unprocessed, clean, good-for-us food as possible. I always try to make sure that the items in the cart are in majority healthy. Fresh veggies are actually cheaper than microwave meals!! <br />
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6. <strong>Don't shop on a military pay day</strong>: the commissary is a nightmare. This is just a military side tip. I've also learned <strong>I much prefer shopping on a weekday </strong>afternoon (usually Tuesdays) than I do a weekend or evening. It's a lot calmer; I already hate shopping without having to play bumper-carts with other shoppers. This works with my currently unemployed schedule and it means I get to spend more time on the weekend with my husband. Matter of preference.<br />
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7. <strong>Buy in bulk, but only when it makes sense. </strong>As I mentioned, I know all about shopping in bulk. I can compare unit prices like a boss (a price comparing boss...). However, there are only two of us. Shopping in bulk only make sense if you can eat the item in the amount of time that it is still fresh/ you won't be sick of it from having to eat it daily. I buy all my baking items, flour etc, in the largest quantity available at your average grocery store. I buy large quantities once a month of chicken and beef and carefully freeze it. When buying items like, tomato sauce, I buy the largest jar and keep it in the fridge after opening. Today I bought a 10 pound bag of potatoes (we love 'em!) for 99 cents. If we can eat it before it goes bad then yes, we buy it in bulk. I never want to be throwing out rotten or expired food because I bought too much of it; that isn't savings at all!<br />
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8. <strong>USE COUPONS!</strong> Yes, I am a couponer. Not like *those ones on TV*. Just...a practical one. Couponing for healthy foods is a little tricky. Generally if a company is big enough to offer manufacturer's coupons then they are probably not the best for you. A lot of the stuff is processed and has an eternal shelf-life. However, when possible, I use coupons. <br />
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I love <a href="http://coupons.com./">Coupons.com.</a> You select coupons you'd like and print them at home. I also use (exclusive to military) the <a href="https://deca.couponselectionpage.com/offers/all">Commisary Rewards program</a>, which allows me to select and load coupons to my Commissary Rewards card to be scanned at checkout. I don't get a newspaper, but my kind mother sends me nice notecards full of clipped coupons from home that she thinks I might like. It's fabulous.<br />
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I am not getting food for free and I don't have any sort of "stock pile" going, like the TV couponers, but I do save money every trip. Usually only like $5 (off products like Coconut Milk, shredded cheese and bacon), which may seem small, but it adds up. Since beginning my shopping adventures in December I have saved, to date $81.00 in coupons. For us, that is equivalent to 1 weeks worth of food paid for in coupons. And that makes me happy. I have a goal to save at least $200 in coupons by this years end. Again, it is not a lot, but it counts.<br />
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I bought a shopping list with file-folder type pockets at Target and I use that for all my list making and couponing needs. In the back I keep a tally of what I spend per month and what I've saved in coupons. It works for me!<br />
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Hopefully this post winds up helpful to someone. I've learned a lot, but I am still going to keep learning and trying to better perfect our food spending each month!<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">*end note: I grocery shop with a debit card. Yes, paying cash is a great technique to keep to a budget, but I am pretty good as calculating costs in my head and making sure I stick to my desired amount. We never, ever shop with a credit card as we are determined to live debt free! We do have a couple, but rarely are they used and they are always paid off by the month's end.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">*end note 2: I am not really sure how this effects our budget, but I only buy meat for 1 person-my husband- as I am a vegetarian. I do buy some Morning Star and Boca-type products but I try and get my protein elsewhere. I would *imagine* this keeps our costs down as well.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">*end note 3: we rarely, rarely eat out, save for the occasional Friday date night. At most, I'd say twice a month. I enjoy cooking homemade, and JoJo likes eating it. This saves us a lot. We do go out, we are able to use what we are saving on our food budget for a nice dinner.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">*the end for real.</span></em></div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-79533671718002950082013-04-30T13:21:00.000-07:002013-04-30T13:22:01.110-07:00Thrifty Thinkin': Homemade Syrup-Filled Banana Pancake Bites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yet another quick and easy breakfast to make ahead and enjoy all week: Pancake Bites!<br />
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As we know, I love cooking anything I possibly can in my muffin pan. I also try and cook a week's worth of breakfast on Sunday afternoon, so I can quickly reheat in the oven or microwave. This way my Airman husband gets a decent homemade breakfast before he is out the door at 6:30 and I get to not get up at the butt-crack of dawn and cook for him. Win-win.<br />
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Last week I made syrup-filled mini pancakes, or "pancake bites" in my muffin pan and my husband enjoyed them all week long. <br />
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<strong>You'll need:</strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*oh, and <strong>your favorite syrup</strong> will be necessary too. The real stuff is always the best!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*preheat your oven to 350!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I used about a cup and a half of dry pancake mix and added the needed ingredients accordingly. Follow whatever your normal pancake routine would be. My cup and a half came out to 8 little pancakes/muffins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*doesn't have to be bananas. pick your favorite pancake filling, or leave them plain!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*adding the syrup after the 10 minutes allows for them to be syrup "filled." If you mix it in with the batter it would sort of cook off by the time 25 minutes is up</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*though these are called "syrup filled" I suppose they are more syrup "infused." When you bite into one it isn't like a fruit gusher (why can I not think of a better example!?) or a jelly filled donut- nothing will ooze all over your hands. The syrup soaks into the mostly-cooked pancake batter. When they are done you can still taste the syrup and they are a little sticky, but it has dispersed throughout the pancake bite. You could do without syrup, but I think it makes them more like pancakes and less like muffins. Another option would be to bake them plain and dip them in syrup later if you aren't rushing out the door.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*easy reheat: 5 minutes back in the oven at 350 or 45 seconds in the microwave. Keep in the fridge (in plastic baggie) to enjoy all week long!</span><br />
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-63789595417802836492013-04-30T13:16:00.001-07:002013-04-30T13:16:32.352-07:00Thrifty Thinkin': Easy, Homemade Peanut Butter (Reese's) Brownie Bites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post will be short and sweet. Very sweet, with a hint of peanut butter.<br />
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My husband is a brownie addict, as<a href="http://mynameisnotking.blogspot.com/2013/03/thrifty-thinkin-homemade-brownie-mix.html"> I have mentioned before</a>. Although, more than he loves brownies, he loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. So of course, a recipe combining the two is an automatic win.<br />
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This is one of my favorite ways to make brownies and one of his favorite recipes to devour. It is basically like making a regular batch of brownies, only I bake mine in a muffin tin. In the above photo you can see aluminum foil; I line the tins with it for easier removal from the pan. You could also use cupcake-type liners. <br />
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To make your own Reese's Brownie bites, follow whatever instructions your usual brownie mix gives you. I make my own mix to be frugal, as well as to avoid unnecessary chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients in our brownies. You can find <a href="http://mynameisnotking.blogspot.com/2013/03/thrifty-thinkin-homemade-brownie-mix.html">my recipe here</a>!<br />
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Once you have your brownie batter all mixed up, divide it evenly into a grease (and lined) muffin pan. Insert 1 Reese's peanut butter cup into the center of each. Bake just like you would for your regular brownies. Let cool and remove from the pan. They are a great little treat and easy to pack into lunches! Enjoy!</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-2209900215418263602013-04-28T14:39:00.001-07:002013-04-28T14:39:56.922-07:00Hand-Painted Art for My Kitchen: "Where You Invest Your Love..."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post has been a long time coming. This project was finished a couple weeks ago, but I was waiting to get it hung up (with the help of my husband) before posting.<br />
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As you know, I live in a little cook-cutter, white walled, baby house on an Air Force Base. Base housing is far from character-filled...in fact it is a little stark white and very un-personal. We are allowed to paint or hang stuff, but it must be returned to the state we found it in upon leaving, which being in the military, you never can be sure when that will be. Someday we will live in an old house, full of charm and character, but for today we don't. For now, I am trying to make my little baby house as homey, charming and personal as I can without investing to much into it, as it is, after all, only temporary (only probably a year or so). <br />
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We were able to purchase plenty of furniture for our house together and now I am left with the task of doing the little ("girly") tasks of decorating. I'm not a huge fan of white walls, and white walls without art are super sad. I, however, have trouble finding art that I like within our budget, so I have therefore be doing the DIY thing (which I do anyway but..).<br />
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About a month back on a weekend, my husband and I were at his shop (he works in a Civil Engineering Squadron doing Structures). They have a bin of junk wood and scraps. He was throwing some stuff in there when I spotted this...cabinet door-like thing...<br />
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I am still not sure what it was. Looks like a cabinet door, but it has 6 weird little hooks on it, and no signs of and hinges ever being there so...it's a mystery. But I liked it. It looked like it wanted to be painted on. I waited another week of it being in the scrap bin before I ..*pilfered* it for my own. <br />
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I decided on painting some of my favorite song lyrics on it. <strong><em>"WHERE YOU INVEST YOUR LOVE, YOU INVEST YOUR LIFE."</em></strong> (Mumford and Sons: <em>Awake, My Soul</em>). If I was the sort to get tattoos, that would already be on me somewhere, but as I am not quite that sort I figured painting it as art for my kitchen was a close substitute. I pondered getting some stencils to make the letters crisp and precise, but that is not really indicative of myself. Instead, I free handed it. I did pencil in some lines to help keep it all straight- I have an horrible inability to make straight lines without ruler guidance.<br />
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Lyrics alone don't make a painting for me, so I bordered it in some Hungarian-inspired flowers. Hungary has some <a href="http://www.google.com.qa/search?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&rlz=1I7TSNP_enQA501&q=hungarian+embroidery&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45645796,d.cGE&biw=1366&bih=651&wrapid=tlif136718349069210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=hpB9UYWmN4SLjAKPpoCoAg">gorgeous embroidery</a> which has always been part of decorating my family's home (my grandfather was from Hungary and one of my sisters is adopted from there), so I decided to bring some into mine.I am incapable of embroiderying such beauty, but painting it is fun. I considered painting flowers to also mimic Polish paper art (called <a href="http://www.google.com.qa/search?um=1&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&rlz=1I7TSNP_enQA501&hl=en&q=polish+paper+cutting&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45645796,d.cGE&biw=1366&bih=651&wrapid=tlif136718355148311&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=2ZB9UZzZEZLWiALg84CIDQ">Wincynanki</a>), to honor my Polish heritaged husband. But it is incredibly detailed and when I practiced on other paper my flowers looked awful in paint, so I scratched that plan and stuck with my own roots. When I finished my couple days of painting it, I sealed it with spray varnish.<br />
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I am pretty pleased with how it came out. It's unique, I think. That's probably why I like it so much. JoJo helped me get it screwed into our kitchen wall and it now is hanging over our little dinning area. Just one more little bit of homey charm to our house!<br />
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Still a little stark and sad, but getting happier! If you can't tell, I'm a fan of color. You can't see the rest of my kitchen in this photo, but all the colors present in the flowers are basically the color scheme of my kitchen. Anything with a folksy print, bright color, or vintage vibe is welcome. I suppose salvaged cabinet door wall art fits in nicely. </div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-73015600699533132302013-04-26T18:16:00.000-07:002013-04-26T18:16:28.148-07:00And that's all my phone has to say about that:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Saturday we spent the day with my husband's public speaking class. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The kind professor is also a local pastor, and he brought the class out of their classroom and to his church to use the mic in a big space. Then he had us all to his beautiful home and fed us. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Not like the usual hot dog cook out- an entire Salmon! I brought cookies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Customary never-ending fascination with boxes which all cats possess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Knitting a blanket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I've crocheted many, but knitting is much slower going for a project this big. Been at it for months and only 45 squares in. By fall I WILL have a nice Queen sized stripey blanket. I love how it looks so far!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This mama's boy has to get himself into everything I do. He is such a good helper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Been learning to drive stick on my new (used) car. Finally, we are a two vehicle family!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Husband bought it from a friend relocating to Japan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's a Teal 1996 Nissan 200sx. (haven't gotten pictures, but <a href="http://www.cardomain.com/ride/596767/1996-nissan-200sx/">this one here </a>is what it looks like)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I tried to learn driving standard at age 17 and failed but I'm happy to say with my husbands help I'm doing much better this time around and there has been minimal stalling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">lso, my previous driving experience has been my family Suburban, my Durango, and my husband's Dodge Ram. A little car is a new thing to me. 40 mpg is nice though!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tip: don't make the same mistake we did. You don't need both a cat and a paper shredder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Most cats are willing to help with shredding (not being serious, but he sure is a good shredder)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Been dehydrating fruits in my oven (post to come). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I think they are super delicious. JoJo does not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Meal planning: it is a good thing. But we are pretty routine people. Tacos on Tuesday, Breakfast for Dinner on Wednesday and Fishes on Fridays. Only have to get extra creative on Monday and Thursday. It works for us. (and yes, we do eat on the weekend, but I don't try and plan it.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Somehow the Word of God always seems to make more sense and impact me more when I am outside. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ive been talking walks in the lovely weather (praying as I go- something my friend Jeri taught me)</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">down to a pond on base and doing my study </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="http://www.myfoursquarechurch.com/devotions/">this one from my church</a>!) there. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I always take notes and doodle when I read the Bible. It just works for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">seriously wish I could sleep in a literal ball like this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">out for a spring time walk. Finally some sunshine around here! Weather in the 60's!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (anyone know what type of tree this is? blossoms were all...fluffy and pompom-y...not a cherry tree?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not sure how it got there but a section of our garden area by the front door is FULL of mint (because mint will do that. it takes over everything). Brought some inside and been making tea!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Blinds are super ugly, but a nice sunset peaking through makes them a little bit better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>**Wanna apologize if these posts are super random, but they are more for the benefit of my folks back home than anything else. Hope they aren't annoying you too much. Just try and tolerate me and my excessive cat photos, please.</em></span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-9332756066196213632013-04-23T13:44:00.000-07:002013-04-23T13:44:02.195-07:00Home Tour: Our Base Housing Bedroom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since moving to Washington I've had a significant bedroom downsize. While the husband was deployed at was living at home, sharing an over-garage, converted attic bedroom (of like 400 square feet)with one of my sisters. Walk in closet, room for 2 twin beds, a couch, 3 chairs, a desk, a table to seat 4, a keyboard, etc. It was BIG. And now I live on McChord AFB with my husband in base housing. I love our house. It is little and cute. But did I mention little. I am not sure of the actual square footage, or the specific square footage of rooms, but our bedroom is a lil' thing. However, I adore living here and actually being in the same geographic location as my husband. It's great.<br />
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When I moved out here and he returned from Qatar we had NO furniture to our names. I shipped some dishes and blankets, packed my clothes in a suitcase and that was it. We spent weeks on an air mattress with a open sleeping bag as a blanket and all our clothes in piles and suitcases (and we were plenty happy about it after 2 years of long distance and 6 months of deployment). Eventually we got a (super nice) mattress, but had to wait on our bedroom set to come back into stock. Since then it has been slowly progressing and looking more and more like a home. <br />
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Due to the temporaryness of being in military housing, we have opted not to paint or hang curtains (because we have to return it to as was upon leaving), so the challenge is finding other ways to make our house look homey. Black/red/white/tan is my favorite color combo, and it is on the approved as "not too girly" list by the husband. Slowly, our bedroom is coming together. We've been here for about 5 months; not quite there yet, but well on the way.<br />
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Here's a lil' peak:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA_BPrIui4bOsbDfAPi3T3T3oTALimpnzt2rpQq0Zp0wn29eaRUIjgDcVgIR7ZEHohSDondKmykSPtAulx2iooHQHHbrS3OnBmVsRQqKA2F7RQfuqO5wpH9gR0bOB3peMRB-OWnl-xFI/s1600/PC230152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA_BPrIui4bOsbDfAPi3T3T3oTALimpnzt2rpQq0Zp0wn29eaRUIjgDcVgIR7ZEHohSDondKmykSPtAulx2iooHQHHbrS3OnBmVsRQqKA2F7RQfuqO5wpH9gR0bOB3peMRB-OWnl-xFI/s400/PC230152.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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air mattress phase</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvadrKx82wGiQXYqcv3MDC_hqfUZjMzDaH1h45611BM2QbhmgI6SMD1vurDn4QgLyNKN0uNlUb-4eYQxR1jzgcsXfQFELfzyODMkF9LipMTOkchFLLqA3Sk64UKeZvEbIRzB4dBT09BI/s1600/178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvadrKx82wGiQXYqcv3MDC_hqfUZjMzDaH1h45611BM2QbhmgI6SMD1vurDn4QgLyNKN0uNlUb-4eYQxR1jzgcsXfQFELfzyODMkF9LipMTOkchFLLqA3Sk64UKeZvEbIRzB4dBT09BI/s400/178.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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mattress on floor phase</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_e99lymq8kPNRRW0XmCHVawtV7bJopo0TzcNNfcsDRzVvkvMyYttVMGIvztmLukTwn6SOHoOj6iSacVW9jBUp5ZFY_ghU1845OeDkCjltjuQq-JLSRGUn6JBqLoutpMMcb8jnlritHU/s1600/IMG_9882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_e99lymq8kPNRRW0XmCHVawtV7bJopo0TzcNNfcsDRzVvkvMyYttVMGIvztmLukTwn6SOHoOj6iSacVW9jBUp5ZFY_ghU1845OeDkCjltjuQq-JLSRGUn6JBqLoutpMMcb8jnlritHU/s400/IMG_9882.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, about 2 months in, we got some furniture. </div>
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Hard to get everything in a picture, but we got a set with bed frame, chest of drawers, dresser, and one night stand (and I, to this day, remain nightstandless. Still hunting.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgve3APLgZqEHdlehg09f_51WZ4IyKh3Xdpf4sjbO_GXXyuRASzKaJ-fouyVKTQmYCcCgvaFaJq8DsN7pXIhPoT0o1u2o948sQKkVuSDZWYy1TPiFKdWvZPOirxDyvrMvzsoiRWKQ5EHyg/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgve3APLgZqEHdlehg09f_51WZ4IyKh3Xdpf4sjbO_GXXyuRASzKaJ-fouyVKTQmYCcCgvaFaJq8DsN7pXIhPoT0o1u2o948sQKkVuSDZWYy1TPiFKdWvZPOirxDyvrMvzsoiRWKQ5EHyg/s320/IMG_0346.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYA9AiP4T8P61rh8ceVoegMGolxC09bJVqDE8wUDQMchuS9G8LfVltgImP0F88YSnDC2qDU6VXxnzj83LAhu6tcFCnq1L05r6AgeoFfnVY7mKyoX6dst4aBCJPXfpgiPm-PZTqqCD51M/s1600/IMG_0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYA9AiP4T8P61rh8ceVoegMGolxC09bJVqDE8wUDQMchuS9G8LfVltgImP0F88YSnDC2qDU6VXxnzj83LAhu6tcFCnq1L05r6AgeoFfnVY7mKyoX6dst4aBCJPXfpgiPm-PZTqqCD51M/s320/IMG_0347.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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While I greatly miss my walk in closet, I am very thankful for the closet space this house has. Our room as two decent sized closets with sliding doors. Separate closets are wonderful! Guess whose is whose?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07ho2gsThtdwBoeRBE7r9jF2NMVfkbA_z2cgg0JXWx8ecMAFhYuoksLOfb30SCe2RbCWvPGtPZNIWmWGzBFOVrpSmJdl-rOlWMr2Ukyam-KGen3SHbtuz1n0fT7kLHVXNqT74iNh57s0/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07ho2gsThtdwBoeRBE7r9jF2NMVfkbA_z2cgg0JXWx8ecMAFhYuoksLOfb30SCe2RbCWvPGtPZNIWmWGzBFOVrpSmJdl-rOlWMr2Ukyam-KGen3SHbtuz1n0fT7kLHVXNqT74iNh57s0/s400/IMG_0341.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m9zwKMorHcya_kCyeAYE_Tju-AT3RWd5Hia26sr_rLHRdbRWHBT40gTOcmeAF1JKJlZWfQ0HA5AUj-LMB3rVA0MHNwdSjah8eMtUeiLb29UKtLHTENuM6ZgEb_JP0yq3RWqh8O-Rx1U/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m9zwKMorHcya_kCyeAYE_Tju-AT3RWd5Hia26sr_rLHRdbRWHBT40gTOcmeAF1JKJlZWfQ0HA5AUj-LMB3rVA0MHNwdSjah8eMtUeiLb29UKtLHTENuM6ZgEb_JP0yq3RWqh8O-Rx1U/s400/IMG_0343.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I think art is a key way to turning a space into a home. However, we (I) have yet to find some reasonably priced art fitting for the bedroom. The words over the window are a decal from Urban Outfitters ($19) that just arrived by mail last week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBX0pm7e3_uvY5npPAJ0C3f31yWTydKcgl3nngQI4w0dNzsotpN8c6wc4pPXt9QW39jE6PKd3xsL1s_MeNjU0GXxN-_EptIT2JF7kqZt8tREqg4rjZEv_gNEv-eL1Qe5ep2hPnwHLcrOk/s1600/IMG_0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBX0pm7e3_uvY5npPAJ0C3f31yWTydKcgl3nngQI4w0dNzsotpN8c6wc4pPXt9QW39jE6PKd3xsL1s_MeNjU0GXxN-_EptIT2JF7kqZt8tREqg4rjZEv_gNEv-eL1Qe5ep2hPnwHLcrOk/s400/IMG_0336.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My plan is to take one of my own photos, probably something regarding nature or architecture (hopefully from our upcoming 1st Anniversary trip to HAWAII!- more details soon!), make it black and white, blow it up and hang it over the bed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwPP4bwfbE1f3s3NoQfdkjY5UNifeRgVq37LOG8RWFh-UxzQ82fLz8qn4DMniWIxgH7b-XOwgKfKb6h50KhxWq4K2a-XKs3Vjm0UZnyvmGbbLpIDL3L-lVmDOBSs6Aycos9vBaH5DQ7w/s1600/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwPP4bwfbE1f3s3NoQfdkjY5UNifeRgVq37LOG8RWFh-UxzQ82fLz8qn4DMniWIxgH7b-XOwgKfKb6h50KhxWq4K2a-XKs3Vjm0UZnyvmGbbLpIDL3L-lVmDOBSs6Aycos9vBaH5DQ7w/s320/IMG_0333.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGgUPde1tZWqzlOesRWuazf9gCGsgWlwzkQI_DyevSSbkXjcToOF4zjv3d5XUOVq1LdonXzNWgyzy_egr-gBLdtEYgsDgYX-n6HEfVgjukwocqIzFIdbSTIX5GTJqQ7MpaM1WTQRwiQE/s1600/IMG_0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGgUPde1tZWqzlOesRWuazf9gCGsgWlwzkQI_DyevSSbkXjcToOF4zjv3d5XUOVq1LdonXzNWgyzy_egr-gBLdtEYgsDgYX-n6HEfVgjukwocqIzFIdbSTIX5GTJqQ7MpaM1WTQRwiQE/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Little bits and pieces also make a home more homey. </div>
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I swapped out the red dresser runner for my vintage hand made British flag. </div>
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I picked up a unique lamp for $5 at Goodwill.</div>
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I continue to hoard throw pillows.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgwgsR56_LlY6pJELk253KbFc2phhERT1_YLGe4fS8oVMAY3oCfN60DvHh2EjhhGp5yOExpht3DjzA2TIjEZeVq4sZC2EYxdqc2uABHTTCf7lmLGhBGT-SXMu1Q1O5jNggf8ZNLnELoI/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgwgsR56_LlY6pJELk253KbFc2phhERT1_YLGe4fS8oVMAY3oCfN60DvHh2EjhhGp5yOExpht3DjzA2TIjEZeVq4sZC2EYxdqc2uABHTTCf7lmLGhBGT-SXMu1Q1O5jNggf8ZNLnELoI/s400/IMG_0339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also recommend finding yourself a rascally furbaby to shed on your blankets to add character to your home. Our furbaby finds a freshly made bed to be most exciting (jumps, runs, spins and digs) and cameras are also pretty fun to get in the way of.</div>
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As time and budget allows I hope to keep adding character and personal touches to our bedroom. </div>
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The husband was content once we had furniture, but for me it is all a little too...new...I hope to find some older, used and vintage pieces to mix it up a little.</div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-83881661551013197002013-04-22T04:40:00.000-07:002013-04-22T04:40:00.104-07:00Cat Comics: "Please pet me so I may then bite you" addition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNlRWRBOxbHPkMjIr8jheCEp6oMZZWj9ZrOgqgMfQXu5fh0E_LldE0ClnKwaSIQg6BpNB7F7Iu0qruTrmoqxSi1RkRZG6oGmZpiltGCzRovWDGSjKjXp5WtTwM3URPFGJSBFj5LgiQJc/s1600/d1e8529e46521868b50d8a47062fd817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNlRWRBOxbHPkMjIr8jheCEp6oMZZWj9ZrOgqgMfQXu5fh0E_LldE0ClnKwaSIQg6BpNB7F7Iu0qruTrmoqxSi1RkRZG6oGmZpiltGCzRovWDGSjKjXp5WtTwM3URPFGJSBFj5LgiQJc/s320/d1e8529e46521868b50d8a47062fd817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cat logic cannot be argued with any more than it can actually be explained. Here is a display of <em>"please pet my belly...oh this is so nice...nevermind... *bitebitebitekickkick*"</em> cat logic as displayed by Trinkilo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwMT3Y96vdRQW9qFnBjP5dvtW_PrEa4pjvSUGfj7ttmCoO7Qb2TbTtDrdT6dMr4Z8LfmWtUstLQDvdgBl_GY9VLYYWbmoUswUqUz4sgLxPjfNvnCBOKMA8zVzpS5bPQ-cg6GqfqN0B-s/s1600/cat+comics2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwMT3Y96vdRQW9qFnBjP5dvtW_PrEa4pjvSUGfj7ttmCoO7Qb2TbTtDrdT6dMr4Z8LfmWtUstLQDvdgBl_GY9VLYYWbmoUswUqUz4sgLxPjfNvnCBOKMA8zVzpS5bPQ-cg6GqfqN0B-s/s320/cat+comics2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(to see better:)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9q2GzgIqci-WlJIFrfopfofpHpjcb-EDoNn-4f1XyfyXOr4ChgL3hVIL0Rz2p9yBsNM9JVueCiLDADtFMSXEwcwNcdPzjYsuuAfkyy6I-Lx0E6XmCLkyID69JSEPZiKl264wgjOsVlSo/s1600/cat6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9q2GzgIqci-WlJIFrfopfofpHpjcb-EDoNn-4f1XyfyXOr4ChgL3hVIL0Rz2p9yBsNM9JVueCiLDADtFMSXEwcwNcdPzjYsuuAfkyy6I-Lx0E6XmCLkyID69JSEPZiKl264wgjOsVlSo/s400/cat6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRLVL41Y0GkKUh4yOrxetfbxWCIJBbl6TPLCNbHZNx3EuNo4nbuyrEtdTtzgQZhXGk0EZkb33sOIgxHBepuF57CQlTmc2BjMRjkFOuNDpcck1E8RHBuZmkIq1g_dPCEu4-iX8iP6jKSY/s1600/cat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRLVL41Y0GkKUh4yOrxetfbxWCIJBbl6TPLCNbHZNx3EuNo4nbuyrEtdTtzgQZhXGk0EZkb33sOIgxHBepuF57CQlTmc2BjMRjkFOuNDpcck1E8RHBuZmkIq1g_dPCEu4-iX8iP6jKSY/s400/cat1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfG0GJ28hJKRRF_jBnkMBvreZk96aPYf3hoNS1jLlL7A1P2_Gw_nEHSM-ZAGpStjxMmtOdf-lom1uJv2dJuEw_6LHGOPaZjIRFhf2UjToo38Ea0v-SjaBO43Jf76oXU2ERW3dbDSfkkH8/s1600/cat4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfG0GJ28hJKRRF_jBnkMBvreZk96aPYf3hoNS1jLlL7A1P2_Gw_nEHSM-ZAGpStjxMmtOdf-lom1uJv2dJuEw_6LHGOPaZjIRFhf2UjToo38Ea0v-SjaBO43Jf76oXU2ERW3dbDSfkkH8/s400/cat4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3T0NPV0wtrJnZL-36UyCkpaVfndRrPrWyMcP4EtDTcOVkrESuQAlqe6LDyBSJdG-RweV7oSCSVf57cwluQ2uWWkrdRA-FEIFSxiGb-7ZMzUqaCNEh6nlApe9Pvrkf-ztrD_ZxRvMpoU/s1600/cat5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3T0NPV0wtrJnZL-36UyCkpaVfndRrPrWyMcP4EtDTcOVkrESuQAlqe6LDyBSJdG-RweV7oSCSVf57cwluQ2uWWkrdRA-FEIFSxiGb-7ZMzUqaCNEh6nlApe9Pvrkf-ztrD_ZxRvMpoU/s400/cat5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And that is that, people.</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-729846887946891192013-04-19T16:06:00.003-07:002013-04-19T16:06:23.209-07:00And that's all my phone has to say about that...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This week according to my phone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx-d5Sh85LvvkiEJZGDkI89TU2pwfOgx0GZVN7P0eL_o4mQT_T1kZKXV4s0JWakpriDFH0cbVRuka8JyCL2-qGO61vPsP5mHPSROYXeceC5gXilw9YwnINTtsb-7zM1k-cPZ233GorZw/s1600/0418131152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx-d5Sh85LvvkiEJZGDkI89TU2pwfOgx0GZVN7P0eL_o4mQT_T1kZKXV4s0JWakpriDFH0cbVRuka8JyCL2-qGO61vPsP5mHPSROYXeceC5gXilw9YwnINTtsb-7zM1k-cPZ233GorZw/s400/0418131152.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is my cat. This is the face my cat makes when I am taking notes for school and he desperately wants to chew on my pen. Any pens left unattended in this house will be pen-napped and will wind up under a fridge or couch with many little teeth marks in them. Silly cat.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShf5opCkH-b2rKqZv8Qk7_NivKJ7CXEXCNFYP-iaHMjJpqfcABDky2wzTmfZ1T-4uWaftg3ehImqvkrB3N1UcEW1canOGMhtAIXJ2hmG3nVdUEZkakGVT2LxuBeAYXlKxCyKuzGPpNYc/s1600/downsized_0417131241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShf5opCkH-b2rKqZv8Qk7_NivKJ7CXEXCNFYP-iaHMjJpqfcABDky2wzTmfZ1T-4uWaftg3ehImqvkrB3N1UcEW1canOGMhtAIXJ2hmG3nVdUEZkakGVT2LxuBeAYXlKxCyKuzGPpNYc/s400/downsized_0417131241.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We had been putting off buying a weed whacker and lawn mower as long as possible and then all of a sudden it poured for like 2 weeks and that grass just kept on a growin'. Finally we got that situation taken care of. By the end we had a huge pile of grass and it looked like a freshly hayed field. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Also, please note my husbands stylish combat boots and jeans. You can fight wars in them or weed whack your grass- super practical!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This blurry mess is my husband playing the 1st Squadron intramural volleyball game of the season. JoJo's the blue blur, haha.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaPlDldFe76yKSRqg5eXefJ5uRY_IvazzRh6PD7W7c9VNaHaspNO1WbWH4D4ShAPIeT5xBmJAQbClxZnaZ-jxyW_T2l0dt3jLdbi5-hnufpyNjR-FrSyqGhqEI4I7omjJdZ6nt3l1HxM/s1600/0415131123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaPlDldFe76yKSRqg5eXefJ5uRY_IvazzRh6PD7W7c9VNaHaspNO1WbWH4D4ShAPIeT5xBmJAQbClxZnaZ-jxyW_T2l0dt3jLdbi5-hnufpyNjR-FrSyqGhqEI4I7omjJdZ6nt3l1HxM/s400/0415131123.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Finally, it decided to stop raining and let me plant some more of my garden!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJAvoP0txpME5_coSec-DXamd5dFIEadxWtD8CcNv4Ah2EK9_LcK1iucydyh9Amw7h3XAl65FwyGAPlpwmyeDw0BOs1a_bdv01RF7vI5v0fQkbEX9orbbbaFq-xwPWlCNvvinhFcSLLs/s1600/0419131547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJAvoP0txpME5_coSec-DXamd5dFIEadxWtD8CcNv4Ah2EK9_LcK1iucydyh9Amw7h3XAl65FwyGAPlpwmyeDw0BOs1a_bdv01RF7vI5v0fQkbEX9orbbbaFq-xwPWlCNvvinhFcSLLs/s400/0419131547.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">wearing a bracelet or two (or 6) on Friday evenings to our young couple's small group so that the leader's beautiful blue-eyed baby girl will want to play with my jewelry and be my bff.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">BEWARE OF THE BIG EYED MONSTER...</span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-56789052118503612042013-04-17T11:57:00.000-07:002013-04-17T11:57:02.030-07:00Thrifty Thinkin': Healthier Homemade Blueberry Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am rather infamous for things I can cook in a muffin pan. Breakfast quiches, cupcakes, rolls, pancake bites, stuffed pizza bites, brownies, mini popcorn balls, baked macaroni...etc. A muffin pan is probably my #1 kitchen necessity. However, up until this week I had never made <em>actual muffins</em> in my muffin pan. I had actually never made muffins in my life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAAiHHDjK6rukmQ-Ds6bI61SU23wc16YhrlE7jFuiSVj_PiWEttwX2k29-LB8IBaXwe_2ue1Eafk3Z5wI1cGkxwRJpYg4OoOGs5yatLXTQhJy0NBWzlktLvdQ0ZCNf4EJbU1qD_c_OQo/s1600/muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAAiHHDjK6rukmQ-Ds6bI61SU23wc16YhrlE7jFuiSVj_PiWEttwX2k29-LB8IBaXwe_2ue1Eafk3Z5wI1cGkxwRJpYg4OoOGs5yatLXTQhJy0NBWzlktLvdQ0ZCNf4EJbU1qD_c_OQo/s400/muffins.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Usually every weekend I try to come up with a reasonably quick and healthy breakfast that I can make in advance and then either quickly heat in the oven of in the microwave before my Airman husband has to get to work in the early morning during the week. Usually it involves eggs (and probably in a muffin pan). But this week I thought I might give something else a go- <em><strong>BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!</strong></em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsyUjGu96i9jprI9gkqyxdtDHLxbuKySGWSmH4TIw45jUBI1DkSp7ZOrzqOhNa3HH-OgmHLkZ-aLwMe-Gs_SCNYiQ0BiAuUoQV6WxYfw17NTWJSX5xFFe-C2UpV12xfEM5xy7EqmgHi0/s1600/IMG_0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsyUjGu96i9jprI9gkqyxdtDHLxbuKySGWSmH4TIw45jUBI1DkSp7ZOrzqOhNa3HH-OgmHLkZ-aLwMe-Gs_SCNYiQ0BiAuUoQV6WxYfw17NTWJSX5xFFe-C2UpV12xfEM5xy7EqmgHi0/s400/IMG_0329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I did a little pinterest hunt and came up with this: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/341848/blueberry-muffins">Blueberry Muffins According to Martha Stewart.</a> Then I did a little tweaking of my own. I followed her recipe exactly except for 3 minor changes. Instead of the 1 1/4 cups of white sugar (something I do my best to avoid in large amounts) I substituted in<strong> 3/4 cups of honey.</strong> Because of the honey burning easier than white sugar, I also lowered the oven temp from 375 to 350 instead. Then, instead of the 1 cup of milk (something I also try and avoid in large quantity, especially now since some milk contains unlabeled aspartame), I substituted <strong>1 cup of unsweetened original flavored coconut milk. </strong>You could also use soy milk, almond milk, etc.<br />
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So: Here is Martha's Recipe<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<em>Martha Stewart Living, July/August 2000)</em></span>, with my changes in bold.<br />
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<li class="ingredient first"> 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 3 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon salt</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling<strong> (3/4 cups of honey. I did sprinkle a little white sugar on top though)</strong></li>
<li class="ingredient"> 1 large egg</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 2 large egg yolks</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</li>
<li class="ingredient"> 1 cup milk <strong>(1 cup unsweetened coconut milk)</strong></li>
<li class="ingredient last"> 1 3/4 cups blueberries</li>
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I preheated my oven to 350. If using white sugar instead of honey, go ahead and set it to 375.</div>
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Butter your muffin pan. This recipe makes 6 large muffins or 12 small muffins. I went with the 12.</div>
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In once bowl, mix/sift together your flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.</div>
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In another bowl, cream butter and sugar/honey until fluffy, which will take about 3 minutes with an electric mixer, or about 5 with a wooden spoon. As I don't yet own a mixer of any type, I used a google old fashioned wooden spoon for this whole recipe. If you have fancy gadgets like Martha, go ahead and use those.</div>
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Add in the egg and egg yolks, along with the vanilla to the sugar/honey and butter mixture. Then gradually add in parts of your flour and milk/coconut milk until it is all combined into a dough. This can be done on low with a mixer or by hand. Then gently fold in your blueberries. I used frozen, but fresh would be equally delightful. This is the fun part because you get to watch the mixture turn blueishpurple. </div>
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Divide the muffin batter between the tins. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden. Approximately 45 minutes for large muffins and about 30-35 for small muffins (this would depend on which temperature you set your oven too, so keep a watchful eye on them!). Before removing from the pan allow to cool for 15 minutes.</div>
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Once cool, I removed them from the pan and pack them up in a ziploc baggie, ready to go for the rest of the week. Now at 6:30 AM all I have to do it set a muffin in the microwave for about 45 seconds, slap some butter on it and hand it to my husband as he goes out the door. Easy and delicious!<br />
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-21502329275232607592013-04-16T09:46:00.000-07:002013-04-16T09:46:00.226-07:00Armed Forces Night for Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEiD5JDTVbTu4v2H84HG2cl8d2xd0Nt5_50IbW0pjSX3B3TOMosP23KD1S4UR7fhQHEoYkLP1Mq15OLORtKn9nscVrdd7pzvwFMssmtFPOKoANlISUpOLIKh38Z7NZoF_-1i6wSBUT00/s1600/891740_10151582248691967_1736715188_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEiD5JDTVbTu4v2H84HG2cl8d2xd0Nt5_50IbW0pjSX3B3TOMosP23KD1S4UR7fhQHEoYkLP1Mq15OLORtKn9nscVrdd7pzvwFMssmtFPOKoANlISUpOLIKh38Z7NZoF_-1i6wSBUT00/s400/891740_10151582248691967_1736715188_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This past weekend my husband and I went to our first baseball game together. We went to see the <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_14_texmlb_seamlb_1&mode=wrap&partnerId=LR_wrap">Seattle Mariners</a> play the Texas Rangers at <a href="http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/sea/ballpark/index.jsp">Seattle's Safeco Field</a>. They were doing a night to honor the Armed Forces and their families and JoJo and I thought it would be a good idea to check it out. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dCR8sfcHv9UR8ut3JJZq_F76qYLQzJibWjqyKk61nfbESXvB8PbFzngg1GG5vgB5vY4ILp21aOSo5MVSQc_v_os0hPJnA_NzfstXuVWaPWvcBsDGb9Sg6QiSBmxfDqX5aTizxjW-Fuk/s1600/549598_10151582248591967_1757363524_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dCR8sfcHv9UR8ut3JJZq_F76qYLQzJibWjqyKk61nfbESXvB8PbFzngg1GG5vgB5vY4ILp21aOSo5MVSQc_v_os0hPJnA_NzfstXuVWaPWvcBsDGb9Sg6QiSBmxfDqX5aTizxjW-Fuk/s400/549598_10151582248591967_1757363524_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Now I cannot say I'm much of a baseball fan. At all. But my husband likes baseball (and by marriage, as well as birth, my allegiances lie with the Red Sox). I've been to baseball games before but only the Red Sox and only at Fenway Park with my dad and uncle. Here's a flash back to the 90's for you:<br />
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JoJo and I don't usually do too much on Saturdays, so it was nice to get out and have a little adventure. It was a typical Washingtonian rainy evening, but we bundled up and enjoyed it quite a bit! And of course, we brought Kidder Matthews along.<br />
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As part of our adventure we took a bus (as parking is silly priced and trying to park a giant truck in the city is also pretty silly). Washington has a relatively nice and clean bus system. The ride there was lovely. The way back it was the drunk crowd so that was a little less fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgoXU1eR265dzv-NSGTuWs8rcSCz4OTAIo3Re6MhfaNJEuUtCpdZiEq2xkzE2qVCXKUDkxANQu9OCb6AV_6-zrpjPpmQ1r-WmBfz3daOAa-io3WwHDzAK8ttcu6QlOokwW-nwbh8lWoI/s1600/seabpk02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgoXU1eR265dzv-NSGTuWs8rcSCz4OTAIo3Re6MhfaNJEuUtCpdZiEq2xkzE2qVCXKUDkxANQu9OCb6AV_6-zrpjPpmQ1r-WmBfz3daOAa-io3WwHDzAK8ttcu6QlOokwW-nwbh8lWoI/s400/seabpk02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Safeco is relatively new (1999) so it is a pretty neat and modern ball field. We were so thankful for that roof with all the rain!<br />
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At the field we were sure to eat some nasty ball park food just to complete the experience. Nachos for me!<br />
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The Rangers ended up winning but...I don't so much care, honestly. It was nice to go and my husband was glad to check out the field for the future Red Sox games he will be seeing with our dads when the come out in July.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgW4ahHo9Qf05X8HyAtk0MiC6tv6QYvW5Qq-F813UD6UzwcbTbq4Q3URHVXXzRXrAf324gtA3kSbk33Szp-0Da6cbtCwl9Ahu91cqKIFHCTJgZ_6RabqrtsLBxB04lL2S8QrCirLUv0q4/s1600/150771_10151582248361967_1853209164_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgW4ahHo9Qf05X8HyAtk0MiC6tv6QYvW5Qq-F813UD6UzwcbTbq4Q3URHVXXzRXrAf324gtA3kSbk33Szp-0Da6cbtCwl9Ahu91cqKIFHCTJgZ_6RabqrtsLBxB04lL2S8QrCirLUv0q4/s400/150771_10151582248361967_1853209164_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0npuaB8ST0hjd3v-llyjDdd_ba6hEnAQvO87fxyFuSUx4YCsn7tMtHPYIGFP_jrOvV4t0bSmOh5zFGN2EeqblqYxN_YuDPc9nfU98_ExtXC8l_HABPVpJxtOkfyQBpB-C5ZK1G-W68cw/s1600/533297_10151582248736967_177167302_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0npuaB8ST0hjd3v-llyjDdd_ba6hEnAQvO87fxyFuSUx4YCsn7tMtHPYIGFP_jrOvV4t0bSmOh5zFGN2EeqblqYxN_YuDPc9nfU98_ExtXC8l_HABPVpJxtOkfyQBpB-C5ZK1G-W68cw/s400/533297_10151582248736967_177167302_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday night with my husband! Yay baseball!</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-2315397488645176982013-04-15T09:25:00.001-07:002013-04-15T09:25:29.812-07:00And that's all my phone has to say about that...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week according to my phone:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPJX3dxstWZ5-fsGmLyjRqHpSmz-FpKlJUvKg6N4r4fiFHtFyjXho57cPoc0bKQbA3_8b09_CMaq2m6WJs69Bf3jOV80LV-7-BIpb6yqEJbxAB1oqnfn_SCGQyZq2y-AkAciEko_c_9o/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPJX3dxstWZ5-fsGmLyjRqHpSmz-FpKlJUvKg6N4r4fiFHtFyjXho57cPoc0bKQbA3_8b09_CMaq2m6WJs69Bf3jOV80LV-7-BIpb6yqEJbxAB1oqnfn_SCGQyZq2y-AkAciEko_c_9o/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">the majority of my week was 45 hours of nannying. I was having a good time getting paid to play play doh and read dragon books. But alas, that has ended (see previous post)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3vSWn6DUjIzVX-QigeDmsseJS2PE825_bC2CwDzD01kPHDZ1XlqS0_e_QVTLo_Z8ntgWXv-fvJ6HgxJKka2IjU1RfVoZAFaSye7MYXeIgv2GWc2mjc-GcxE-c-iWkbi5INgqbqMkJHU/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3vSWn6DUjIzVX-QigeDmsseJS2PE825_bC2CwDzD01kPHDZ1XlqS0_e_QVTLo_Z8ntgWXv-fvJ6HgxJKka2IjU1RfVoZAFaSye7MYXeIgv2GWc2mjc-GcxE-c-iWkbi5INgqbqMkJHU/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">my new buddy I made on the job who went by the name of "mow" (rthyms with "wow") because the littlest boy thought everytime she meowed she was trying to tell him her name. cute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">my own kitty boy helping me out with homework. one paw on the mouse, one paw on the keyboard.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90nARyMxwJxFEkeoPRTmGAGhm_SiEsywsAD4RIKxBeP6heSykCl0qJlglu2mgkwhli-6t6z2MLJpQeAEw1LXouE4o5-AhI_nDrqoIE3GyaTqZLLjX5CbH8oFHBYnVRKzu_Y4rzEEOO4o/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90nARyMxwJxFEkeoPRTmGAGhm_SiEsywsAD4RIKxBeP6heSykCl0qJlglu2mgkwhli-6t6z2MLJpQeAEw1LXouE4o5-AhI_nDrqoIE3GyaTqZLLjX5CbH8oFHBYnVRKzu_Y4rzEEOO4o/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I've never been much for doing laundry and it sure doesn't help that I have triple the amount of laundry a normal newlywed couple would have, thanks to all the military uniforms and such. I got a little behind last week and had to fold this mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I love how low the clouds feel/are in Washington. Some gorgeous blue skies this week, but the large majority of the week was either pouring rain or showers every five minutes. then it also hailed on Sunday. Lovely.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslK38Hde6sbeJ_7l3_G0nu3RFMN22sU7IdR2gjnOD_uIes5kpaBruY053P8cBCS_vHNWeUrsSuEE4EF3PP9qgaS2am2n_e2eGe5UZaiOh370qJd1kUodNPstpN4_pGx0Nmn3BFFWIu-0/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslK38Hde6sbeJ_7l3_G0nu3RFMN22sU7IdR2gjnOD_uIes5kpaBruY053P8cBCS_vHNWeUrsSuEE4EF3PP9qgaS2am2n_e2eGe5UZaiOh370qJd1kUodNPstpN4_pGx0Nmn3BFFWIu-0/s400/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Slimely, greasy, messy ball park food. JoJo and I went to our first baseball game together. Mariners and Rangers at Safeco Field. Post to come!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1IXGSvcukHBmKQanJ52aXCRDitpP7rAVxp6HJj62dkYSzVtmnSYZmhAMr0wVpifcp4B5ms94vpvgAv8Wa-1L87tt5_rtJGdAeFA3FPue26fJnrA-iRPN4yzx1dyPHwwhU6e1N-llTJ0/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1IXGSvcukHBmKQanJ52aXCRDitpP7rAVxp6HJj62dkYSzVtmnSYZmhAMr0wVpifcp4B5ms94vpvgAv8Wa-1L87tt5_rtJGdAeFA3FPue26fJnrA-iRPN4yzx1dyPHwwhU6e1N-llTJ0/s400/16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lousy picture, but this is probably the highlight of my week. Our cat has this thing about imperfections or dust on walls and ceilings. He suddenly saw a little fluff stuck to our bedroom ceiling and starting...cat yelling...severe meowing...I don't...at it from the bed, super upset he couldn't reach it. JoJo picked him up and he got the fluff (ate it). Then after my husband put him down he spotted some dust and ran back over and yelled for JoJo to pick him up again. What foolishness...</span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-7515481209122170282013-04-14T17:45:00.002-07:002013-04-14T17:45:18.645-07:00On Nannying and Disappointment:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember, last week I was all excited because after 5 months of searching I finally found a great full time, good paying, good scheduled job? I was a nanny to 3 boys under 10, remember? 5 days a week 45-50 hours a week? <br />
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<em>Well</em>...not any more.<br />
<br />
It is a bit of a complicated story and I don't really feel comfortable disclosing many details about the family on a blog, but basically there was a lot which I wasn't told up front. Multiple instances of the kids telling me stuff and then saying "but mommy said not to say anything about that to you." There was also some major behavior issues and a lot of really bad language in use by the kids. However, it was great money, a good schedule, and I really do love working with kids. I was just hoping that over time I could better establish some authority and end the "yeah well, you're not the boss of me" type behavior. I was looking forward to it in fact. Also, my initial hope had been a family with at least majority, if not all little girls. But it seemed to all be working out for the 2 weeks I was there, so I was going to stick it out because I had been praying "if this is the job for me then work it out or close it down God." <br />
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<em>Well</em>...apparently He closed it down.<br />
<br />
I had been getting tons of postive feedback. The kids really liked me and were begging for me to stay after their parents got home. We had had several days of super hero mask making, ninja fights, reading books, minecraft, playdoh, angry birds, clay and other such little boy activities. I left on Friday with the promise of "see you on Monday!" <br />
<br />
However, five minutes into my half hour ride home the mom texted me. Apparently, the original nanny whom I was supposed to be replacing was planning on taking a new job but then she didn't end up getting it (The original nanny was also the best friend of the mother and I don't know all the details but she was being paid less than I was or not at all). The text informed me that the parents didn't want the kids to know or get upset, but as their original nanny friend was now available again they were taking back my position and returning it to her. After 8 days of nannying I was done. My job was being rescinded and returned to the initial nanny. And was told so over text so it would be kept on the hush hush for the kids. Grand. I was kindly informed that they all loved me and I did nothing wrong and they would gladly keep me in their contact list if anything changed but<em>...the end</em>.<br />
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Needless to say, I am super frustrated and rather annoyed. I am not looking forward to more job applications and searching job boards all day. I spent months getting that job. We were both thrilled to have a second income which we were just putting all in savings. I was really hoping it was going to work out for the duration that we are stationed here. Apparently not. But I know it must be for the better. I can't say why it came to an end but I am trying really hard not to be mad about it. Who knows, God may have been protecting me from something or may just have something way better coming my way. I am annoyed that I have to start the process all over, but I am looking forward to whatever it is I will be doing in the future. But for now, I'm make to being a homemaker/crazy cat lady/unemployed and job hunting wife. I'll keep you all posted; prayers appreciated.</div>
Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389125651110740819.post-41549225021157186582013-04-08T04:00:00.000-07:002013-04-08T04:00:03.453-07:00Super Power: Praying Cats into Being...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes. A super power. Not many people can say that they have such a thing, but I think I do. I pray cats. I call them unto myself. My record is 2 for 2.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">...Okay this is nonsense...It's not a super power. I think it is just the favor of God. But nonetheless, let me tell you about my history of praying for cats.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Back when I was a little girl I wanted a cat so badly. My parents said "no" for years. I would pray and pray and hope and hope, but no cats appeared. One night, when I was about seven or so, my parents and I were discussing cats on our back porch and finally said "okay, you know what, you can have a cat if God sends you one." Now, with their permission, I prayed even harder that night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The very next day my mom and I were again on the porch. My mom answered a phone call: my dad. I could tell she was trying to be all hush hush or speak some secret parent code, but I was onto them. "ITS A CAT, ISN'T IT?!" I yelled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes. It was a cat. A calico kitty about 3 years old. She had shown up at my fathers law office. She had jumped into his vehicle. She snuck herself into his office.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">To summarize that story, that day I got my first cat because God sent her to me. We named her Csokolom (meaning: "kisses to you" in Hungarian). She was a fantastic cat and was so very tolerant of the loving "torture" I put her through (such as wearing hats and doll clothes or being worn around my neck like a scarf). I also had a rather bizarre made up language I spoke to her in. I was devastated when we had to put her down due to cancer several years later. I never thought I would love another animal as much as I loved that cat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Now fast forward a couple years to JoJo's first deployment. He and I had always talked about having pet cats. I wanted a gray kitty named Trinculo, named for the comic relief character from Shakespeare's The Tempest. JoJo wanted an orange cat named after Milo from Milo&Otis, his favorite childhood movie. By the time we were into month 5 of the 6 month deployment both of us were miserable and there was little that we could discuss over skype which made us happy. Cats, however, were an exception. Whenever we were grouchy we would both google images of cats, watch cat youtube videos or look at ridiculous cat memes. Perhaps this is not a normal deployment strategy but...whatever. It worked. Towards the end of the deployment we also spent some time looking for images of the future kitten we were talking about getting once he got home. We would try to find kittens on google that just resembled what we would want. Somehow it was a good pass time. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">These were my favorite dream kitten images:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DUVvIrnZKYVoePydtgpMauAqKmWEGhB9PMQHZclpxn6dMJQB2TTOcKoXA3BnPQCcbL9Eb3cZmkYBXmq-VHZvUznq1AEdIhz1FPFZvALeIOAFV2o8bBuc6oPsFwyC4hyZs3sS6BgHMC8/s1600/kitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DUVvIrnZKYVoePydtgpMauAqKmWEGhB9PMQHZclpxn6dMJQB2TTOcKoXA3BnPQCcbL9Eb3cZmkYBXmq-VHZvUznq1AEdIhz1FPFZvALeIOAFV2o8bBuc6oPsFwyC4hyZs3sS6BgHMC8/s320/kitten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfVpb2zbn7NaZys3HDmxTjFZJzzpHnKew4vs3z2h07rGccA5Rkv_wEqs5HHT2fGTk0xeXYaWk2mP8A2gGP41MjNBR7YG65MI4vYLlun_QP9PWdPn_nMCdJMHbd_nUB3Q1oswOc_FIS70/s1600/kitty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfVpb2zbn7NaZys3HDmxTjFZJzzpHnKew4vs3z2h07rGccA5Rkv_wEqs5HHT2fGTk0xeXYaWk2mP8A2gGP41MjNBR7YG65MI4vYLlun_QP9PWdPn_nMCdJMHbd_nUB3Q1oswOc_FIS70/s320/kitty.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I began praying that the two of us would be able to find the perfect kitten for us <em>once we got to our new home in Washington.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Then, 2 days later ,in mid-November of last year my uncle sends me a text with this image (Mind you, I was in CT at this point and JoJo was in Qatar).</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToL8efXMckBwmIEDNQzJkSt46pH2JSsHsF-9iVLFNcHixnsS5WAPPv2w3hK6amTZcf7bYN5ADGX9cOOeDtBAjjyGgYFNn8nBwadvGueM_TwPMA4vT9mhRD1weurxI_biQzraME2y9jOk/s1600/trink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToL8efXMckBwmIEDNQzJkSt46pH2JSsHsF-9iVLFNcHixnsS5WAPPv2w3hK6amTZcf7bYN5ADGX9cOOeDtBAjjyGgYFNn8nBwadvGueM_TwPMA4vT9mhRD1weurxI_biQzraME2y9jOk/s400/trink.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">uncle's family came home to find a cold and hungry Maine Coon kitten (who of course looked exactly what like what I had wanted) in their garage. The temperatures outside had been below</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">freezing and he just wanted to get warm. My Aunt and Uncle weren't interested in another cat, but they thought I might be, knowing I am a softy for all critters. I tried to turn him down at first. I didn't think I could possibly manage to adopt a kitten, get it all its vaccines and whatnot, and get him on a plane to Washington in a span of 2 weeks. Plus, I thought my husband would think it was a crazy idea. But my uncle kept on texting me all day trying to guilt me into that kitten. I kept refusing to go see it because I knew I would wind up taking it home. When it came time to talk to my husband over skype that day I sent him the picture and explained the situation and was like "just going out on a limb here...any chance we should adopt this kitten despite all the craziness we'll have to do to get him to WA? He needs exams and shots and..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">His immediate response: <em><strong>"Bella, that kitten needs love. Go get him. Now."</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em> </em></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">My husband is the coolest, by the way, and is just as much of a softy as I am. Immediately, I went to my uncles house and brought that baby home</span>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnDOmS99K-yQ4tHAgAUXZnDlyQ55k2hkcZrk6AZ8KZ0aod3_FCmzHwiB-US2lIi6-pyJt1hB58voTLkqgzz4lqYnO_q43Wm1z0Q0B5fI6GojP9u6BQ_RAQw2IH3nVMeO8Cuoq1-wEKXw/s1600/trink5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnDOmS99K-yQ4tHAgAUXZnDlyQ55k2hkcZrk6AZ8KZ0aod3_FCmzHwiB-US2lIi6-pyJt1hB58voTLkqgzz4lqYnO_q43Wm1z0Q0B5fI6GojP9u6BQ_RAQw2IH3nVMeO8Cuoq1-wEKXw/s400/trink5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">That 8 week old baby cat got lots of vaccines, a $150 plane ticket, a fancy $70 traveling bag, lots of treats and toys, and an 8 hour flight across the country to be able to come and live with us. He's a tough little bugger.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0peWo_ItCjDfpverTIC9z7ICZ7hBNiBErm01IyZ1AABypLOHQgsnxSeoyvpA6yNi2HqMFMPvMGSkzmzwJz2Y_KVI_Z3CkdqdgFZUp_F4t_hyDbG1YNn5jVIWzWuIvzkf4lSoJfgxDUQ/s1600/trink6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0peWo_ItCjDfpverTIC9z7ICZ7hBNiBErm01IyZ1AABypLOHQgsnxSeoyvpA6yNi2HqMFMPvMGSkzmzwJz2Y_KVI_Z3CkdqdgFZUp_F4t_hyDbG1YNn5jVIWzWuIvzkf4lSoJfgxDUQ/s400/trink6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Having him made the last 2 weeks of the deployment so much more bearable; God's timing is so perfect like that. He knew we needed that little guy before getting to Washington. He kept me busy and it made my husband happy to be able to skype with a silly kitten. God knew he was perfect just for us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SYQx276iaqOu1rt8bNJKQO1Cfru-M73UQ7GAtoGO1mviSqH0vqOWewUWfXE7nTDpWo43Orz0F8L68Ye4CF0HlDF2b7oGsUTqBKzgEPmpkcftXXHPquGzbo9iQZuVTltKQXUGT3XfPJQ/s1600/trink4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SYQx276iaqOu1rt8bNJKQO1Cfru-M73UQ7GAtoGO1mviSqH0vqOWewUWfXE7nTDpWo43Orz0F8L68Ye4CF0HlDF2b7oGsUTqBKzgEPmpkcftXXHPquGzbo9iQZuVTltKQXUGT3XfPJQ/s400/trink4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">JoJo and I adore that cat. More so than any pet either of us have ever had.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">He is our Trinkilo (changed the spelling so it better matches with Milo) and he is so perfect for us. We have about 5 million nicknames for him- HiHi, MisserWhissar, Stinkilo, Weis , OwlEyes...and many more that also don't make sense! He is our furbaby. He has the most adorable personality. He is loving and sweet, but very rascally and ridiculous. He makes strange sounds- rarely meows but often "trills" and "chirps." He does weird things like attack the imperfections in the wall, bites eyebrows, attacks bear legs, and chews on just the ends of all our bananas. He can jump 4 feet in the air and also specializes in catching popcorn between his front paws. He is the absolute perfect cat for us. He is now about 7 months and is 11 pounds and still growing! I really get a kick out of looking at the pictures and seeing how much he has grown!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh7xTLbEsiROCRUZpLP6fhFYtQ_LKSE6wRtLWaIiGB7Rxacmjq6hjdz778m9n0NutkBdzWZYyVceDWJczMAU254ak5htEnlopbZ4-IC4R-dFh24qyfeXOjhuroTptMSHZsRuDnXivmGM/s1600/trink2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh7xTLbEsiROCRUZpLP6fhFYtQ_LKSE6wRtLWaIiGB7Rxacmjq6hjdz778m9n0NutkBdzWZYyVceDWJczMAU254ak5htEnlopbZ4-IC4R-dFh24qyfeXOjhuroTptMSHZsRuDnXivmGM/s400/trink2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfhSEfHZXVvUZSATEdbMOgOoBeODz0BDnuhdEJ87TS_eym0H0ONQ-QO_W3CY4jn32D0pWNJ8zmtSB-eybUFbrr6cw6hRRm9snVGApeTZvGFXIs5ARtrNJiw96nAYwLJsxvd9LCIzRNNU/s1600/trink3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfhSEfHZXVvUZSATEdbMOgOoBeODz0BDnuhdEJ87TS_eym0H0ONQ-QO_W3CY4jn32D0pWNJ8zmtSB-eybUFbrr6cw6hRRm9snVGApeTZvGFXIs5ARtrNJiw96nAYwLJsxvd9LCIzRNNU/s400/trink3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OJaRxvEOPv5EtMLktXfqLpXM45MVLUp4nbTx28dx3j1gWjAZIyZHHlGbeuPWAD26ns4Qmk-qRyyrcWP0A0ZgaUvlsEUSLJ6BLSxttPQ7BBa23NpeSAIhTM4r7XQI5zrpT5xE0evIBnw/s1600/trink1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OJaRxvEOPv5EtMLktXfqLpXM45MVLUp4nbTx28dx3j1gWjAZIyZHHlGbeuPWAD26ns4Qmk-qRyyrcWP0A0ZgaUvlsEUSLJ6BLSxttPQ7BBa23NpeSAIhTM4r7XQI5zrpT5xE0evIBnw/s400/trink1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Now, fair warning: I am praying for the seemingly magical appearance of our second cat, an orange kitty we can call Milo. Hopefully, updates on that to come soon! I apologize for the very long post; obviously, I am an unashamed cat lady!</span></div>
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Isabella Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17016324975355885632noreply@blogger.com1