Chicken, broccoli and cheddar casserole.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI AND CHEDDAR CHEESE
CASSEROLE
4 chicken breasts
1 bunch fresh broccoli
1/2 brick shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used crm of chicken and it was still delic)
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. white wine (optional)
Panboil broccoli; set aside. Boil chicken for 20 minutes. Cut broccoli and chicken into bite-size pieces. In saucepan, heat up soup, mayonnaise and wine. Layer in 9x13 inch baking pan the sauce, chicken, broccoli, cheese, sauce, chicken, broccoli, remaining sauce and cheese on top. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes when cheese is bubbling.


Seriously, this was so so so easy and so do yum!! Hubby ate two helpings. And my son finished his plate! (which is rare for him)

*sigh* It's Monday again...

Yup yup, it's Monday again... I said this last Monday as well and my hubby got himself a week off due to bad weather. (Bad weather, in ALASKA still BLOWS my mind, btw) We had ourselves some frozen rain. And we were all pretty much told to stay indoors if possible. So let's see what happens when I say it this week. Haha.

Last week I ended up in the ER. I'm fine but for like 2 days I could NOT move, so Tuesday night hubby loaded up the kids and me and forced me to head to the E.R. because I was in TEARS! I mean no joke could not move without crying... it was ridiculous! Turns out it was a really bad bladder infection. You're probably saying "that's all?! she went to the emergency room for a bladder infection?! Psht!". Well, PSHT yourself man! That shit was BRUTAL!! They send me home with vicodin and antibiotics after I spent 4 hours there. But I took a pic for y'all to all giggle at...

Didn't I just look PITIFUL!? Haha. Seriously when they made me put that awful gown on I no joke thought I was going to loose a kidney. (I think I was a bit delusional from the pain, but HEY! I was just praying it was the one that hurt that they took) I was texting my momma and she ended up making me laugh my butt off about the whole thing. It was just a long night. I was EXHAUSTED, lonely, freezing, in pain and I had no idea what they were doing or going to do. (haha)

Like I said, i'm completely all better now.

On to our Thanksgivings. Yup, ings. x2 We went to hubby's platoon's thanksgiving and were invited to a friend's house.

There was a good amount of people and I finally got to meet some of the people he works with.

This was my plate after my children got ahold of it. Keep in mind they totally had their own plates on the table. Cows.

See this dress?! When I bought it on sale at walmart for like $5, hubby said I'd NEVER wear it because it was just too much going on.... Little did he know that I have a knack, nay! A gift for toning down crazy prints. (My friend Ashley pointed it out when I wore a yellow leopard print tank UNDER a black tanklike thing-it was cute)

So, I wore this dress with a white quarter length sweater over it and black leggings under. I rocked it. :)

oh and here's a pic of my pretty face just to throw in there.... feel free to keep the "oh you are so gorgeous" comments to yourself please and thanks.... I wouldn't want to get a big head or anything. (HAHA. Boy, I really hope some of you can take jokes or you'd think I was nuts and conceeded.)

Anyway, now I know we've seen these glasses before, but my kiddo still loves them! And still cracks me up with them, so again I'm going to share....

Then..... for shits and giggles....

(hahaha)

How cute is she?! She has her little princess camera and is SCREAMING out random items and she takes their picture. So funny! She says, "bella!!!" then points the camera at the cat and just sits there.... waits a minute and giggles. Screams. waits. Giggles. everytime. Kids are funny. Right?! Maybe it's just my kids?!.... No? Oh... most kids are funny. I agree. Yup. (Do I sound sleep deprived?! Cuz I kind of am.... sort of.)

Ok.... seriously.... are your kids this funny?!?! How can you just not love them?! They are just so stinkin' cute!!

My baby girl was going "daddy?! Hello!!" So my hubby pretends to talk to her... she SLAMS her phone shut and walks away completely ignoring him. It was dramatic and hilarious!!

And finally.... puppy.... *sigh*

This sums up puppy at the moment.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I explored, I'm thankful and my kids are crazy.

A friend of mine is PCS'ing soon and brought over a child couch and chair for my EPIC TOY ROOM BASEMENT!! (Seriously, BE JEALOUS!! It WILL be awesomely awesome soon.)
Anyway, I tried to get some cute pics of her enjoying her new furniture.
These are "MY TOES!!!" as she sits in her new chair.

This is her half blinded and laughing hysterically at God know what.


So I decided we should go exploring on Sunday. We had no real plans, nothing we needed to do... then we decided instead of actually trying to explore Alaska with two cranky, nap needing toddlers, we decided to shovel the driveway (seeing as how we got a notice saying we needed to do so immediately!) That and we were almost out of gas. Haha.
Like I said though, this little girl was NOT happy and needed a nap!!


So after I laid a tiny miss crankypants down, I continued to snap some pics of my handsome little man "helping" daddy.

Mean ole hubby threw snow right at me!!
My poor boots have seen better days. *sigh*

It's ok though.... I was defended by a brave brave little man.

But in the end, daddy always wins. Poor baby never even saw it coming. Haha

Oh.... and hubby chilled himself a beer for all his hard shoveling work. Haha.




Now that I've locked myself in my room, maybe I can get something accomplished and finish up this post. Did I mention my husband is home today?! I love him more than anything, but good grief he drives me up the wall whenever I'm trying to do something (it's taken me a good 2 hours just to get to this point....)We heard last night that an ice storm was heading our way. Freezing rain. NOT a good thing. We woke up today to the roads being "black" meaning unless you NEED to go somewhere, like exceptionally important, DON'T! So hubby's home today. The kiddos want to go outside, but freezing rain says otherwise. Everyone is bored and I just want to finish my post, damn it!!
*sigh*

Anyway, have I mentioned how excited I am for Thanksgiving?! Cuz I am!! It's SOON!! I'm going to eat some very delicious food with some very good friends and I'm pretty excited..... so while on the topic of THANKSgiving, let me dish out a few thanks. (haha dish out, get the pun?! oh yea... you know it was punny!)First, I would like to thank my mom. Mommydearest, if you read this... Thank you! Thank you for raising me to have a few decent bones in my body. Thank you for always being there and supporting me, no matter how crazy it got. Thank you for busting your ass to provide us Thanksgiving meals and all other meals. Thank you for teaching us that without family, you have nothing. (Including Ryan. Haha kidding Ry!) Thank you for all the forwarded texts you send me that always get my hopes up, thinking I actually have a REAL text from mommy!! :)
Thank you for being my mom, my friend, grammers to my kids and for just being you. I love you and I miss you SO much!!
(tiny intermission to wipe some homesick tears)

To my hubby;
You are the biggest pain in the butt I have EVER met, but I love you so much it is absolutely ridiculous! When I was 13 years old, I went to vacation bible school at my Uncle's church about 2 hours away. I am completely thankful for that because that is where I met my spouse, the father of my children and my best friend. Hubby, had it not been for you, I have no idea where I'd be in live, but I honestly can not picture my life any other way. I am so thankful that I have you. No matter the dumb fights, the stress, the crazy hours and the crazy times we have, I know that no matter what, I can come to you with anything. You'll probably make fun of me (it's what he does) but I honestly love you and know how blessed I am to have you. And thank you for being you.

I am also thankful for my friends, old and new. If it wasn't for the old, I wouldn't be me and if it wasn't for the new, I'd be so sad and lonely and cooped up in my little house trying to keep my sanity.

I am thankful for my babies. My babies are incredible! If you haven't had the chance to get to know them, you are surely missing out. They are smart and sneaky and gorgeous and polite and just amazing. They get me so frustrated over little messes but than they run up and hug and kiss me and my heart just melts.



OK.... thankfulness is going to have to be put on pause. My crazy little rugrats found my not so secret hiding spot and are up here destroying stuff.

What did you do this week?! What are you thankful for?! Turkey day plans?!
I hope everyone is warm and safe and has a full belly!
<3

Dear moms,

I see moms all the time that always look so put together, hair perfect, manicures, talking about the latest book they've just read, etc etc.... As I sit here needing to mop and vacuum and do some laundry, I wonder HOW THEY DO IT?!?!?! I have a bookshelf full of books that I've yet to finish or even start!! (I have an obsession with Barnes and nobles and never walk out of there without a coffee and a new book to add to my "I'll eventually read you" shelf) So my question is...

If you had time to do some pre-kid activities, what would you do?!
I would:
*read every book on my shelf.
*always be on top of the laundry instead of SERIOUSLY avoiding it
*become a fitness guru.
*always have AMAZINGLY pretty fingernails instead of the nubs I have.
*get my exploring on. Seriously, I live in Alaska for crying out loud! I would LOVE to actually get out and explore without worrying about tiny fingers and toes freezing off and kids getting bored/cranky/tired/etc.

How do they do it?! How do they always look so put together?! I'm sitting here in a tanktop and sweats, hair a mess, seriously needing to paint my toes. (I'm serious. They're looking ROUGH!)

Tips?! Suggestions?!
I've heard it all:

*Do it while they nap....
--mine don't nap.

*When they go to bed....
--psht please!! By the time they go to bed, i'm too busy stuffing my face full of the food I didn't get to eat earlier and mad crazy cleaning up and then sitting on my butt, getting those two seconds of peace before one of them wakes up, the dog needs to potty or hubby is ready for bed.

*Get a sitter for the day....
--not for me. I HATE getting a sitter unless it's more neccessary. I have two kids, man!! Two toddlers!! I don't want to pay someone else to take care of their crazy butts so I can get my nails done.

Now, I'm not whining or moaning about my kids, they are the best thing that has ever happened to us. I'm just asking/blogging/stating my opinion, etc etc.
I imagine once they are in school, I will be bored to tears and probably accomplish everything on the list above, but until then.... I'll just dream and wonder and paint my baby girl's toes instead.

shargar gothathong:the beast that has no name.

It's been a pretty boring week/weekend.

We had a poker night at a friend's house which turned into the husbands gaming while the wives played with the kiddies. Good times and lots of junk food. Mmmm.

Let me tell you about my Sunday. *sigh* Hubby had staff duty, so it was just a day of me, the kiddos and this crazy ass puppy. My son decided he wanted to smash his marshmellows and when I ask him WHY he would do such a thing, he says, "I was rolling them up, mom" *sigh* My coffee table, a blanket, a wet wipe case, his face, his tummy, his hands, his legs, the dogs ear, the dogs body and my toilet seat ALL needed a good hard scrub. *sigh*
Then my darling daughter decided she wanted to spill her juice everywhere.... RED juice. Tan carpet. *sigh* Let me pause right here and thank my dear friend, Emily for letting me borrow her mini steam cleaner while putty training puppy.... (it's been used more times for kids' messes than for puppy messes) Again, *sigh*


So, I've been window Christmas shopping. Usually we are pretty much screwing ourselves financially when it comes to Christmas. We have a bday in August, September and October. Then with Thanksgiving being in November, and Christmas in December... *phew*
How do you Christmas shop?! We usually get a big present for one kid and a small for the other on one payday, swap on the next, then just 2 little presents each other payday and then random stocking stuffers and wrapping paper and all that in between.
Also, when do you start decorating?! Most people I've asked say AFTER THANKSGIVING.... Yesterday while driving around, we saw trees up already and some decorations up. Something about Alaska just makes you wanna decorate early!! I am ACHING to start decorating, but I know A: hubby would give me a hard time about it and poke fun at me and B: puppy would have a FIELD DAY with all the new stuff to chew.
Oh, speaking of chewing... *sigh again* Puppy used one of baby girl's little purse straps as a chew toy. GRRRRR. I went to the PX over the weekend and picked up two chew ropes, a bouncy tennis ball, a squeak ball and a little stocking full of puppy toys (a hamburger squeaker, a rope, a bone squeak toy and something else, can't remember) all for under $10!! If you have a PX near you, check out the little clearance section in front (at least ours is in front, when you first walk in). Lots of little cheapo Christmas stuff and some leftover Halloween stuff and random little things. I also picked up the kids some Slinky's!! $1 each!! And they LOVE them!! I walked out the px spending like $20!! It was pretty fantastic!! YAY PX!!

**30 minute break to detangle a Slinky.... i no longer love them**

Anyway, it's been snowing all weekend. Lightly of course, but really pretty!!

This is a tree in my backyard (over the fence of course)

Did you notice Tuesday's low?! Holy cow, I think winter is here!!! EEEEP!!! Exciting!! Sort of!! I'm determined to take the kiddos tubing down BirchHill!! And I'm trying to talk my hubby into taking our son to a hockey game!! I firmly believe he would LOVE it!! LOVE it!!!


Love: when my son comes up and asks for hugs and kisses.
Hate: neck kinks. Ouch!




PS: If you're questioning the title, we're on a scooby doo kick in our house. *sigh*

two days in a row... whoop!

Yup, lucky y'all get two posts in two days. Go you!! Whoooo hooo!!
Anyway, this is probably going to turn into a mini rant, and for that let me just apologize ahead of time. My bad.
Let me start by saying, rumors and gossip spread SO ridiculously fast.

Hubby goes through this phase of places he wants to be stationed. It changes with his mood. It's been: Georgia, Germany, Washington, California, Hawaii, etc etc..... So with that being said... his recent facebook status said something about going to Hawaii after Alaska. And this is where it starts.... a crapload of people comment on it... (this was like 3 days ago)...then I get a facebook comment about Hawaii, then 2 different people text me asking.... I just want to scream "IT'S A FACEBOOK STATUS!! NOTHING SET IN STONE!! WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH SAY IN WHERE WE GO!! SHUT UP PLEASE!!!!" Other military wives, out of all the duty stations that you have been too, how many did you actually get to pick??
Hubby got Ft Knox last time he reenlisted-it was close to home, and he was needed so we lucked out and go Ft Knox. As far as Ft Wainwright, we just got sent here. He's talked to the people about Hawaii and it's NOT AVAILABLE for us!! So The Mack Family isn't going to Hawaii any time soon.
Also family and friends that are so concerned about us going to Hawaii and jumping the gun, please keep in mind: being part of a military family is hard. It's even worse when we have a bunch of friends and family begging us to come home and asking when we're going to visit all of everyone, EVERYWHERE!! We can not afford all the plane tickets. Hubby does NOT have all the time in the world to take leave. If we were to ever go to Hawaii, we probably wouldn't come back and visit our families (in two different states) because it would cost us a FORTUNE!! Another thing, I don't see you coughing up the money for a plane ticket.... I don't see you offering to visit us. Suck it up and deal with it. There is NOTHING we can do about it. There is NOTHING you can do about it. JUST DEAL WITH IT!!
**End rant**

On another crankbutt note, this puppy is driving me up the wall. Seriously, she'll poo outside but pee in the basement. She REFUSES to eat puppy food/dry or wet, dog food, cat food.... only people food off of my children's plates as they are trying to eat. I'm seriously losing patience. I love her, the kids love her...she isn't a bad dog by any means, just a puppy! I've thrown away shoes, diapers, toys, books, sippes, cups, plates, etc etc etc thanks to her chewing. She has toys, she has bones. She has treats out the ass. She is a very spoiled little thing and a very BIG pain in my hiney. (sp?!)


Happier note, yesterday my son and I went to a little boy's birthday party. My handsome little man had a GREAT time!




He ate lots of cake and chips and had a blast with all the litte kids and it was nice for mommy to have some adult time. Daddy and our little princess stayed home because a certain little girl decided to wake up at 3 am and then be a fussy butt the rest of the day. Not pleasant.

End.

Oh, I hope all is well with you, my fine readers.

things i love and things i hate.

HATE:

I hate when I get a whole post typed out and go to reread it and realize that my current frustration is coming out in my typing. So let me try this again, without the frustration.

I hate when people try to tell me that I won't like something based on their opinion of it.

I hate when my fancy smart phone middle ONLY button stops working.

I hate when my fancy smart phone drops calls.

I hate when my dog uses my basement as her pissing grounds.

I hate judgemental people.

I hate when friend's stop talking to me because they've found a new boy toy.

LOVE:

I love when my son lets my daughter jump on him just to make her laugh.

I love when my husband cleans the house so I don't have to.

I love when my kids go back for seconds.

I love when my daughter hugs the puppy and cats.

I love when my son gives the cat eskimo kisses.

I love when I finally find an outfit that looks super cute.

I love fall, the colors are GORGEOUS! The air is so crisp and it's usually the PERFECT temperature!

I love wearing boots with shorts.

I love big sunglasses.

Ok, i'm cranky today.
End.

Twisted Thursdays...

If you like to try new recipes, or have some to share, check out my friend, Sarah's recipe blog!


That is all, clicky clicky! :)

a crapload of pictures with a few words in between.

The other day, my friend, Jenn hosted a giveaway & I won!!
Visit Renee's shop here.
Seriously, this stuff is amazing and smells even better!! I got vanilla bean and pumpkin spice lotions along with a vanilla almond oatmeal soap and a cucumber melon soap.
She even added a little note on the side. How sweet!

Again, click HERE to visit her etsy shop! Thank you so much guys!!

In nongiveaway news, this weekend was busy for us. My baby girl turned 2, we cohosted a Halloween party and went trick or treating! Exciting stuff going on over here!!
While decorating for this Halloween party, my little girl saw me hanging up wall decor and I handed her one to play with, I turn to see her dragging a chair to the wall, climbing on the chair and holding her bat on the wall.... then she says "Ahhh!!", climbed down and continued to do this all over the basement. Place it on the wall, say "ahh"! Haha. Kids are too funny!!

My handsome little mister also had himself a bit of fun. He put these glasses on and "scared" everyone!! Haha!!

Halloween funs:

Hubby was an "illegal alien"


Cranky pants was mad because I set her down. She was a "baterina"-it also came with ears and gloves but she refused either. And she did her own face paint. :/

Mommy was just mommy! :p

And handsome man was an unhappy monkey! Cute though huh?!

Baby turns two:
Her half smile. So pretty! She really didn't care that it was her birthday until she realized SHE got presents!! Haha!! She's such a happy little thing (for the most part) She just lives in her own little bubbly world.

Hope everyone has had a good week so far. Let me hear about your weekend and don't forget to check out the etsy shop I posted at the beginning of this! :)