being brave in the kitchen

Today I got a kids recipe book at the Airman's Attic. So I thought that maybe Leia and I could make something fun tonight. The only thing in it that I had ALL of the ingredients was an pineapple upsidedown cake. I assembled all of the things that we needed and let her do it pretty much all by herself. Including the mixer.Luckily most of it did stay in the mixing bowl. She even opened the cans. Yes I know I have a stone age one. The movers lost my electric one.But this works pretty good and doesn't take up counter space. It made my young friends look at me weird though. They didn't know how to work it. I had to laugh.
Leia scooping out the sugar


Leia sampling the sugar. I guess she had to make sure it was sweet enough

YUP sweet enough and so is the sugar.

She did pretty good at the blinder.See the roses behind her. I had to cut down most of them due to a bad storm with heavy winds. Most of the long stems buckled and the roses were handing on the ground. So I had enough to make 3 vases. One of them with about 15 roses. They smell so so so good.

I forgot to take a picture of it before we dug in. It was pretty good.

Leia enjoying her fruits of hard work.

garden

Just sitting back and watching the garden grow. There's nothing really exciting going on around here unless you count the dogs digging up the garden , yard, and house work.I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the garden. Things are starting to bloom and grow. I am excited about that. So enjoy the pictures. These are some Morning Glories that I got from a seed packet for like 20 cents at Wal-mart. I planted 2 containers of them and these are the only ones that have taken off.Leia planted these about 3 weeks ago.
This is some Lavender that I couldn't pass up on. I am growing some by seed but it's taking forever and the dogs have dug up one of those pots so I'm not sure if any seeds will make it.So I couldn't wait to find out so I bought a plant. I can't stop smelling it. It is heavenly.


This is how big my blueberry plants are growing. I am so so so excited to say that they are getting berries on them. I can't wait to eat them.

My strawberry plants are blooming as well.

These are the blueberries on my tree

These are Dahlia's that we planted 3 weeks ago.

This is my Calla Lilly taking off.I planted this about a month ago.

Even my blackberry bushes are getting bigger and started to bloom.

garden

I so want to send 2 dogs to the pound. Just joking but I am so so so mad at Sharkbait and the neighbors dog. I just caught Sharkbait in the garden .This morning I went out to look at the garden and noticed that all of the corn was dug up, the tomato's and strawberries had been slightly dug up. Those I could save, the corn is in cornmeal heaven. Just a few minutes ago I discovered that a dog had chewed up a flat of flowers that I just got the day before. Destroyed it totally. There were a few stragglers with a little bit of root on them so I planted the chewed up ones just in case. I suspect Rocko did this one, but now that I just caught Sharkbait in the garden I'm not so sure. I seriously want to cry.I have put so much time,effort and money into it. It's suppose to save me money though the summer and fall. I know I have high executions for my garden,but dang dogs. I have a fence around it but they're still getting into it. Any suggestions???

garden

I'm just showing off some of our garden. These beautiful rose bushes and Azalea bush were here when we moved in . The roses are a stunning Salmon and red color. The one Leia is smelling is my favorite. I went to Lowe's to get some chicken wire to put around my vegetable garden and couldn't leave without a few other plants to go out front. This one is a butterfly bush.

A Dahlia


The red rose that was here earlier that is in full bloom

The Salmon color one in bloom

I can't remember what these are. To me they look like purple daisies,but they had a different name

A view of my front yard

My blackberry bushes have started to grow. Even the one that The neighbors dog chewed up.

This is my cherry tomato plant. It has tomato's on it. I can't wait to eat them.

This is what my garden looks like. I know it's small. It's my first time to have a garden other then a few plants that never made it. So keep your fingers crossed that I can keep these alive.

Another view of my garden/

I planted some Dahlia's and lavender seeds and they are starting to grow. In the cat planter is catnip. It wasn't doing so good so I replanted it in here and it's now thriving.

Leia enjoying the flowers.

bingo

We played Bingo at the Community Center here on the base. It was fun. Leia won a puzzle on the third round. Showing off her puzzle. We tried to put it together today. So many pieces not enough time.

Some of the prizes that they had.

We went to the park a few times. It was so nice to be outside.

I love this hair raising picture

Friday the base had a bingo game set up at the Community Center. We went and had a good time. Leia even won one. Her prize was a puzzle. Over the weekend I worked in the garden setting up fence and replanted a few things that the dogs have destroyed. I also bought a few flowers and planted them up front. I'll post pictures of that as well when and if I get this thing working. We've had a good weekend. I did take Leia to the park a few times and we had a picnic the one time. She had a blast.It's finally cooled back down to the low 80's so we spent most of our days enjoying the sunshine.

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I've applied to an MRI job so keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.
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I talked to Chris today and he's been sick. He went to the hospital to get checked out and they said he had food poisoning or a stomach bug. He's on quarters now until he gets feeling better. Which I think he was starting to feel better when I talked to him.He said he ate at the chow hall at noon on Saturday and shortly after was sick as a dog.He said the meds work and he was trying to sleep it off. Other then that he is doing well.

Not much else is happening around here.

I miss you all.

today

Today after I picked Leia up from school I took her to the Library where I found the coffee shop inside. Definitely not Starbucks. Who knew they could screw up coffee. So after majorly doctoring it up I finally liked it. We got a few books and took them to the park. Leia and I stayed there for over an hour reading and playing. Then I took her to McDonald's. I don't know why kids love it so. The food was awful. We came home and watched one of the movies and I'm getting Leia ready for bed. It has been a great Leia and Me day. I plan on having many more days like this. I told my friends that they should only come over when Leia's in school. It's causing Leia to act out in a bad way.And I'm down to one friend as of today. There is a big rift between Fanny and I and I don't care to see her again. She said some nasty things and called Leia a cuss word and it's totally unacceptable. She's 7 for goodness sake. SO I am totally done with her.Jen is keeping me strong. Why is it so crushing to one's self when your told your not liked by the spouse and then to call my kid nasty things. Why am I hurt so much by it. I was trying to back away from her anyway and not pleased that their orders got cancelled and they're not moving.It's going to be a long 2 years. I need a job to get away from the drama. All I keep repeating today is stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me. I think words can hurt way more then broken bones. Hence you get meds to take care of that pain. HA Ha Ha!!!! I am better tonight . I'm waiting on a call from Chris. I will hang tough. Love to all.

haircuts

Leia and I got our hair cut yesterday. I'm warming up to mine. It looks like they didn't do much to it,but O well. The girl knew I didn't like it and she told me there wasn't really anything else she could do to it. I had another girl there work on it to fix it and she did a few snips and then told me to come back Monday to really fix it. I think I'm not going to go back. But It looks like my old haircut just shorter. Plus all my friends got together last night and had a hair dying party. I colored mine back to my natural color and Fanny dyed hers a bright red. We had wine and some good laughs and a good time.

Leia's hair I warn you is really short now. I told the girl I wanted it to be an inch or 2 below her shoulders, instead she has a short shag haircut....Probably 2 inches above her shoulders. It's just hair and it will grow back.Leia loves it and I like it too. She looks so different.Still cute as a button though.

OK

I know you want to see the pictures so here you go.

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(A GOOD WAY TO KEEP YOU WAITING) HA!!!)

orthodontist

I took Leia to the orthodontist a few minuets ago. They want to see her back in 9 months. They want to put in a spacer and 6-8 months later partial (Early Braces). Phase 2 is after her baby teeth have fallen out to get full braces and phase 3 is a retainer. He classified her crossbite as a class 2 and its top and bottom on the right side. Leia is so upset at the word braces and says she's not going to talk or show her teeth anymore. It just crushes me that she feels that way. I love her cute crooked grin. I definitely need to get a job to pay for it. there are 3 phases and the first 2 phases cost as much as a down payment on a house. They wanted me to schedule her an appointment and told them I would call them back on that. I have to digest the information a bit.They did say the sooner the better ,I just need to do more research on it. My neighbor Fanny had to have the same exact thing done when she was a kid and she still has screwed up teeth,because her jaw went back to the way it was. ANYWAY that's all I know.

Love to all,

Amanda

EASTER

WE HAD A NICE EASTER. CHRIS AND JEAN CAME DOWN FOR THE WEEKEND. WE HAD A NICE VISIT. LEIA GOT TO COLOR EGGS AND HAVE A NIGHT TIME EGG HUNT .FLASHLIGHT AND ALL. IT TOOK A VERY LONG TIME TO FIND 10 EGGS. ONE OF THEM IS FOREVER LOST. WE FIGURE MAYBE ONE OF THE DOGS GRABBED IT AND BURIED IT OR TOOK IT OVER TO JEN'S HOUSE. AFTER CHRIS AND JEAN LEFT WE HAD AN EGG HUNT AT ONE OF THE PARKS. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN BUT HOT. IT WAS 90 DEGREES AND IT'S GOING TO BE THAT ALMOST ALL WEEK. THEN I INVITED JEN AND HER FAMILY OVER FOR A BBQ. IT WAS A GOOD TIME.

MOM DON'T EAT MY CHOCOLATE. WE WENT TO A PARK AND HAD A NICE EASTER EGG HUNT.

LEIA MADE OUT ON THE CANDY. SHE HASN'T GONE THROUGH THEM ALL YET. BUT HALF OF THEM ARE LITTLE TOYS,CHANGE,AND STICKERS. I FIGURED THAT SHE DIDN'T NEED ANYMORE CAVITIES. HA!!!!!!!