Easter Weekend Recap

I can't believe it is Wednesday already - my the time flies fast! We had such a great weekend this past holiday weekend. Joe had off on Friday which was perfect as it gave us plenty of time to get ready for a camping trip with some friends. It was such a great time, though we didn't get much sleep at all due to the crazy sleeping arrangements - let's just say 6 people do not fit very well into a 5 person tent. We went mini-golfing, hit up the beach, sung songs around the campfire, ate amazing food, roasted s'mores (we even made some with "peeps"). All is all it was a wonderful time!
We went to one of the early services at church on Sunday - since it was Easter we knew that it would be pretty busy and we were right- they had over 1000 people at the service after ours and 800 the one after.

Us in our Easter duds

I had fun picking out some things for Joe & I's combined Easter basket. Sadly, some of the stuff that I picked out for the basket, never made it to Easter. That's what happens when there's a Chocoholic in the house! And yes, you do see a penguin egg & Las Vegas piggy bank in the Easter basket - I know it's random but that's how we roll in our casa.

We finished up the weekend with a nap for him and a major study session for me.

I was also able to skype with my parents which was awesome - skype makes the distance slightly more bearable.
It was a great weekend, hope yours was too!

The Baconator

We had a great weekend, capped off by a trip to Denny's for a Maple Bacon Sundae - that's right, Bacon!

A sundae on a Sunday, it was the perfect way to end the weekend! It sounds like an odd combination but it was awesome! I love all ice cream and am an equal opportunity ice cream eater, so I'll try any flavor & I must admit the bacon & ice cream- sweet & salty combo was definitely worth trying!

In other news, we finally got some curtains. Ever since we switched up our furniture placement in our bedroom, I really felt like we needed curtains. A quick trip to Tar-get & few minutes later, we have curtains. Yay!

I have had a lot going on recently. I'm hoping to take the final test at the American Red Cross for my CNA certification soon and hopefully get a job. I also start taking a few online courses tomorrow & I'm really looking forward to them. Can't wait to see where these ventures might take me, only time will tell!

Hope you had a great weekend. Happy Monday, friends!

:)

What I'm reading Wednesday - LA Candy

If you're looking for a quick, easy read, this book fits the bill. It is written by Lauren Conrad (from Laguna Beach & The Hills) and it is fiction story which gives a lot of insight into the reality tv world. I even felt as if parts of the book could have been taken directly from what happened to LC on tv, fictionalized of course. It is the first in a series of three and I enjoyed the story about Jane and Scarlett, best friends who decide to move to LA and are discovered by a reality tv producer. Even though I found the book in the Young Adult section of the library, it still was an enjoyable read - perfect for a mindless day at the beach.

In other news, I was pretty excited the other day when I was shopping with Joe & he picked up a pizza and said he wanted to try it. It was spinach and goat cheese, I for one was shocked but said I would pick up the ingredients to make it. After my very successful commissary run yesterday, I had the cheese (on sale), the spinach and the crusts (GF for me and Boboli for the Mr.). I even picked up Root Beer and Ice Cream for some Root Beer Float action - yum! When Joe got home, he informed me that he didn't even look at the kind of pizza he had been holding up but was just talking about pizza in general - oh well! He made his pizza (Pepperoni, Mexican Cheese, Sun dried Tomatoes) and I made mine (Basil Goat Cheese, Sun-dried tomatoes, Spinach & some Pep) & we were both happy!

And yes I use scissors to cut my pizza- it works really well! Allie recently blogged about Gluten Free French Meadows cookie dough ( I am dying to try it!), so when I saw the same company made pizza crusts I figured I would give it a go. I got it at my local Safeway in the bakery section in the freezer where they keep Ice Cream Cakes. I'm glad I did, it was good, a little sweet but it wasn't super flaky or crumbly - a win in my book! If you're GF, give it a try & let me know what you think!

Happy Wednesday! Enjoy your day!
:)

Pretty stoked!

The following things that have made my week (so far):

(1) We spent all weekend cleaning - and by cleaning, I mean deep cleaning. Like pull everything we own out and sort & organize, type of cleaning. The longest part was going through all the Army gear (fellow Army Wives, you know what I mean). My guest room was all camo for the two days it took to organize. We even pulled all the furniture out of our bedroom and rearranged, I'm loving it! The new setup takes advantage of those awesome trade winds (read: I'm no longer sweating to death at night) woo hoo! The whole process wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, it was actually a great way to spend time with Joe. I feel like a new woman in this completely clean house, it is wonderful!
(2) We finally broke down and got a TV. This is a big step friends and the even bigger step is we are getting cable. Shocker, I know - I have not had cable in several years & it has been 7 years for Joe. I am super frugal but we got a great deal & no installation fees, so we're trying it out. I'm pretty excited to watch shows the day they come on, no longer will the Facebook and Blogger worlds spoil my shows, at least that is my hope!
(3) I went to the commissary today for my weekly grocery trip. I love to save $$ and have become a saver extraordinaire. I clip coupons, I look for deals, I plan it out & this time it really paid off, I saved over $12 in coupons - an 11% savings on my total bill. This is all on stuff that was on my list, things I actually needed. I'm really big on not spending extra $ on coupons for things I don't need, I feel like sometimes they try to trick you & you end up spending more money on items that you're only buying just because you have a coupon. I was pretty excited by my savings, though!

(4) In the great Spring Cleaning Extravaganza 2011, we spruced up our yard a bit. We got a grill from some friends who moved & have grilled out almost every night since! It has been so nice! We also got a hammock a while ago & finally put it up! It is the perfect spot to relax (and read!)- so peaceful and serene!

Hope you are having a great week, friends!