December 2013 in review

Just sharing some highlights of December here in Bagram well and a few of back home

My month started off pretty great, I got to move to a bottom bunk.  Yes I was and still very excited.  Moving to a bottom bunk means no more ladder to get into bed, hanging curtains for a little privacy and that your time is passing.  

Here is my bottom bunk and wall locker, yes that is all my clothes that I have here.  I don’t need much, we wear our uniform every day, pt uniform if you work out and then pj.  It does make deciding what to wear to work every day pretty easy.

This month we have gotten some awesome care packages and the thing we seem to keep asking for is chips and salsa.  I often share this treat as dinner with Christina Chuchuru.

 

 

Also very exciting for me professionally, I was selected as CGO Performer of the Month for my Squadron here in Bagram. (CGO means company grade officer)  I was selected by my OIC (officer in charge), wrote some bullets up about the things I did this month.

I also received many awesome creations from my nieces and nephews, that I have hanging on my wall.  Thank you!

And we got snow here in Bagram, two days before the New Year

On the home front….

Once again we had an awesome football season.  We had a name change from the years past from Mudd Dawgs to Panthers.  Same coaches and team that we have had the last 3 years.  This year they won at the state championships and played in Houston.  

Danny decorated our tree this year, in years past I have always taken the lead on this task, I think he did a pretty awesome job.

The boys received some great gifts for Christmas.  Trent got an Ipad mini and Brice is loving his ‘Jordans’.

This month Danny & I celebrated 12 yrs of marriage.  I love that with all our ups and downs, we are still together and happy that we have the future together to look forward too.

Bacon Ranch Crockpot Chicken

yep another easy peasy dinner in the crock pot. so perfect for sports practice night.  yes football has started for us this season.  so my boy is hungry when he gets home and doesn't like waiting for food.  everyone loved this one, a little salty, so great if you like it salty, if not try a soup with reduced sodium. found this on pinterest, then linked to here.  oh and a few cheats/hints- I used crumbled bacon that I had in the frige that you find by the bacon bits, so I did not even cook the bacon.  but don't leave out the bacon because it might be the reason for being a little salty...but come on everything is better with bacon.  and yeah, I did not use fat free sour cream, but I guess you could...ewwww. lol. 16oz of chicken was about 4 frozen breast, that I try to keep on hand in the freezer.  and I cooked a 16oz bag of rigatoni, cuz I had it on hand.

Bacon Ranch Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients

2	butterball turkey bacon strips, cooked and shredded
1	tsp minced garlic
1	package ranch dressing mix
1	10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
1	cup fat-free sour cream
16	oz. chicken breasts, frozen or defrosted/raw
8	oz. pasta (I used rigatoni), cooked

Directions

Combine the first five ingredients. Place frozen or defrosted/raw chicken in slow cooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and pour sauce over the top (do NOT include water like the can mentions). Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours. Shred chicken with two forks. Cook pasta per package instructions on stove. Serve chicken over pasta.

First RV reno

YEAH!!! took our first camping trip last weekend and already did our first reno.  So Pinterest gave me the idea to change out these wimpy cam locks that by the way have universal keys! To these cool combo locks.  We are so excited to have one less key to keep track of.  Got these cool locks off Amazon and had them installed in less than 10 min.





Oh I have a whole list of things to do to the RV. 
Rip out the carpet
Replace the handle on the cabinets
Add shelves in the cabinets
Add drawers under benches
Replace the things that have just worn out/broken with time

Boys bathroom

 Another project done...this one, giving the upstairs bathroom aka boys bathroom a face lift.  The bathroom still had it's lovely oak vanity cabinet and oddly low height of about 28 in tall, hollywood lights, toilet that did not flush right and wall to wall mirror.  My little idea included staining the cabinet Java...which led to lifting the counter top, framing the mirror, replacing the toilet, cutting off the counter over the toilet and replacing the fan with fan/light combo.

This all started with Pinterest...how to stain the honey oak vanity.  This little idea and instructions here. I did have the stain for a few weeks, before I got started.  But, like many projects around here,  Danny leaves for work, he comes home to find demolition and and a new project has started. 

                














I did the first few coats of stain on the vanity.  Then my love said, 'let's do the other things you wanted to do in here'. Woohoo!!!! Now the real demo will begin.  We remove that huge mirror, still in one piece.  That I was hoping we could cut smaller, hang back up and frame out.  Next was cutting the end off overhang that went over the toilet at the end of the counter.  Danny was up to the challenge, he first started with a dermal, not working.  First of many trips to Lowe's... for a circular saw blade, not working.  Danny pulled out the reciprocating saw and went to town.  It worked!! Next was sanding the counter top to smooth it down.  It looks great, I just need to put some sealer on the end.

Getting rid of the overhang meant we could get a real toilet as in 'taller' one.  Again thanks so blog surfing I knew which one alot of people liked.  Happily, it has a 10 flushing power! Yes that is exciting to us.  And it was a great price.  After removing the old nasty potty we found that the wax rings had never been compressed.  Success...new potty in place and working.

Next up, removing vanity counter top.  My idea was to add a 1x4 to the top, like the idea I saw here.  To make the counter top higher.  This however led to extending the drain pipe, and another trip to Lowes.  The faucets we had replaced when we first moved in, so we left those.  Time to put the counter back on top of the vanity.  As Danny was reconnecting the water lines... they cracked!  So off to Home Depot for new water lines...finally plumbing done!

Next we took on the Hollywood lights. Lucky for us the electrical was center between the sinks.  When the builders put the light in they cut out the drywall, as you see in the pic.  That left us with patching, but that is easy stuff to us.  Happily, I did not even electrocute Danny this time when he was playing with electricity...Touch up paint, done.

Now we were ready to cut the mirror.  Well, lets just say we may have many years of bad luck.  That mirror was thick. So this led to another trip back to Home Depot for new mirrors.  Mirrors hung, then raised and hung again, yes they are even level. 

Here it is....for less than $500 our new bathroom.  I still have a few touch ups here and there and I am in the process of painting all our doors and trim, from oil based cream to a latex white.

Halloween 2012

Minecraft, Witch and Sniper

Welcome the the Witch's Kitchen, I brewed up so special candy today...yes every year I dress the same and add a few more touches to 'my kitchen'.  Trent is Steve from Minecraft, I found the instructions on Pinterest, he also has a pitchax. He had his picture taken alot around the neighborhood and lots of people knew who he was.  Brice is a Sniper, Danny made his gilly suit, I will add a pic later of him hiding in the neighbors yard. Here is my kitchen and my kettle that I had candy in.  Of course with all the excitement I did not realize that I did not have pics till after it was dark... 

Even those that did not dress up still had fun...how my man does Halloween...he sits outside with me, his Witch and keeps me company, and then helps clean up, I love him....

Halloween is also Brice birthday, this year he is a 'Double Digit Midget' I will post his day later