Seasons Changing

I don't make it much of a secret that I don't like living in Montana very much. 

One thing I have learned while living here is that Summer is my season. Winter is my enemy. 

I just can't handle winter, I hate being cold. I hate being so cold that my bones hurt. This last winter was mild and for that I am grateful. Paul and I have one more full winter left in Montana, then we will hopefully leave in early winter 2013. 

The last few weeks it's been warming up here though. I really like Montana summer. 

Besides the wind, I just can't handle the wind, but whatever. 

So today it's supposed to be 87 and I am so excited. I have to go to the chiropractor but I plan on spending the rest of the day outside with the dogs (and doing laundry)

Proof that winter is a distant memory:

The doggies sure do love playing outside 

Taco loves outside too, but he mostly has to stay indoors because he has a habit of making a run for it.

This years baby cows were born a bit ago

 And last years babies are getting bigger.

We've been playing outside a lot

And the horses and mules from the back pasture have returned

I drove out to Hauser Lake a few days ago, it's about 20 minutes from the house

Renji

Aiko

Mom's Super Easy Salsa Recipe

In honor of Mothers Day I'm going to share with you my Mom's Super Easy Salsa Recipe, which I have adapted to my liking.

You need:
1 can of diced tomatos
1 can of rotel tomatoes
1 Jalapeño (remove seeds for less heat)
1 small Onion (about the size of a lemon)
1 hand full of Cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 dash of Cumin
1 big dash of salt
Juice from 1/2 lime

Put everything in your food processor (or blender),
turn it on,
turn it off,
enjoy.

The great thing about this recipe is if you don't like Cilantro? add less. Love it spicy? add more Jalapeño. It's highly versatile, and you can add or subtract ingredients to your liking. Yesterday I smashed up a few avocados and threw some salsa into them and it was amazing!
It will last in your fridge for about a week, if you don't eat it all by then.

Sadly as great as this is, my onion was extremely bitter, and I don't love it as much as I normally do. I think next time I'll use a red onion instead of a yellow one.

Any ideas on how to get the bitter out?

up close and personal with all that goodness

Mom's Day!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

This is from when my mom visited me in Okinawa. It was the first time I had seen her in person in about 2 years. (Thanks to Skype, we would see each other regularly via the internets) 

My mom is my best friend and I would be lost without her. We talk on the phone daily, often several times a day. Living a bajillion miles away from her is hard, but since we are stateside now I see her every few months. I'm totally not lying when I say she is my best friend, Oh, she's your mom you have to say that, No I don't. But she is, when something happens good or bad, the first person I want to call is her. When I hear a funny joke, or watch a good movie, the person I call to tell about it is my mom. When I want to cry because I left the milk in the car for 5 hours on an 80 degree day, I call my mom (and she laughs at me). 

I love you mom. 

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Source: alexandranicoledesign.com via Alana on Pinterest

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day! 

Today is our day of recognition for standing behind our men in uniform, for our unwavering support and love.

Go Link Up with Riding the Roller Coaster

So a quick bit about me. 

My name is Alana, I've been a Marine Wife for 5 years. We've lived East Coast for I&I duty, Okinawa where my husband did a little comm tech but then was deployed to Afghanistan to train the Afghan army to be an army. Now we are in Montana on Recruiting Duty. Most of our Military life has been outside of the military. When we were on I&I we were at a small air reserve base, where my husband trained the reservists. Okinawa was pretty Military oriented, but we lived off base for most of the time, and I did much of my shopping and eating off base. Now in Montana we are about 2 hours from the closest active duty base, there is a small Army fort, but there are no amenities except a small shopette that is open maybe 4 days a week and drill weekends. 

We are hoping to be going back to Okinawa next November (this I talk about a lot, I really miss it there.) And that's about it. For now, Stay tuned though. I've got some cool stuff coming up in a few weeks and you'll want to be here for that. 

In no particular order, here are some blogs that I follow that are also doing Military Spouse Appreciation Day link up

The Few, The Proud, The Wife

Handling With Grace

Mrs. K & Captain J

Ramblings of a Marine Wife

Married to the Red White & Blue

Mi Todo

Somethings Drawn!

Go Link up with Mrs. K, And congratulate her on her pregnancy! 

This is one of my favorite things to draw. They are really yummy too, yummm.

Cute! 

Best Little Mermaid EVER!

Mom, this looks a little perverted. 

Top 5 Tuesday: Guilty Pleasures.

I saw this through Flip Flops & Combat Boots

1. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
I don't watch much reality TV, but I am hopelessly addicted to this one.

2. House Hunting in Okinawa.
I hope things all fall into place and I really hope we are headed back there next year.

3. Friends
I DVR it every day! It's on TBS 3 times a day so I get to spend an hour and a half every evening watching friends.

4. Popcorn

I love it. I could live off it if i needed too 

5. Fifty Shades of Grey

I've never been a romance reader, but this is a good book. 

Source: someecards.com via Alana on Pinterest

99 things

I've been slacking in the blog dept. so here's a quickie. I got this from 90% Blonde.
50 out of 99, aint half bad! 


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland 
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (is knitting an art? I think so)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (indoors)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I'm a shitty friend

What was it, like 3 months ago I was complaining about not having any friends?
Now I've got like 4 people who want to hang out, and be my friend, and I never call them, or make plans to hang out.
I suck at this game.

I think that I've just become so content in my anti-social lifestyle that being alone 90% of the time doesn't bother me as much as I thought it did.
And then there is my social anxiety that weighs heavy when ever I think about calling someone to hang out. That and the cold weather just depresses me and I want nothing more than to sit inside and be warm in my underwear.

Source: google.com via Cora on Pinterest

I need to work on that part of friendship.

Somethings Drawn

^ Join the link up! 

I am clearly amazing at Draw Something, hahaha. 

My sister is pretty awesome too

Maybe next week I'll save some of my not so awesome drawings. 

Do you Pinterest just to Pin?

I like to think of myself as an active pinner. I find things on pinterest and actually cook them, or make them, or clean them. Here are some of my pin reviews:

Source: crunchybetty.com via Alana on Pinterest

Okay I didn't follow this one exactly, but I did use olive oil and water and instead of the soap she suggests, I used brush cleaner. This was cool, but gross. My brushes were nasty. like really nasty.

Source: lifeingarrison.blogspot.com via Alana on Pinterest

 SunDried Tomato Cream Sauce

Again I didn't follow this exactly (I rarely do with recipes), but I was disappointed. Paul loved it BTW. I change it by adding chicken that was cooked with onions, and my tomatoes weren't dried, so I added them to cream sauce in the beginning. It think my taste would have liked it better if I had spiced it up.

Source: mmmisformommy.com via Alana on Pinterest

Crock Pot Ribs

Theses were an amazingly easy WIN. So much so I've made them twice.

Source: fabulouspinterestfinds.blogspot.com via Alana on Pinterest

homemade ranch with 1/2 the calories

this was mostly a fail. It wasn't bad, just not great.

Source: livingwithpunks.com via Alana on Pinterest

Floor Cushion 

Coolest thing ever, I just need to finish it. 

Source: erinerickson.com via Alana on Pinterest

Dog Bed

Cute and easy and a total WIN

Source: morganmoore.typepad.com via Alana on Pinterest

Awesome Smelly Room Stuff

This is great. sans the vanilla.

Source: diyhshp.blogspot.com via Alana on Pinterest

 Spoon to prevent boil over

Yeah, doesn't work.

Source: bathnbody.craftgossip.com via Alana on Pinterest

DIY Carpet Fresh

Okay I have made this but not used it yet. But it smells great!



Well that's all for today.
Time for me to be productive.