I'm really excited! My mom and grandma are on their way down to visit from Kentucky! They're going to keep my company while Cody is away.They'll be here for almost a week! My grandma has never been to Georgia before, so I'm pretty excited to show her around here.

On an unrelated note, I bought some more cookbooks today. I think I'm addicted, but oh well. I'm so ready to try a bunch of these recipes. I even bought an Amish cookbook. The recipes look sooooo good!

I hope everyone has a great week!

I'm So Proud of Myself

I’m officially down to my first goal weight! I just weighed myself and honestly, I teared up. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point. I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, but I have! I’m not sure if you can see the difference when you look at me, but I know and that’s what matters. I feel so much happier and much more energetic since my journey began (again). I’m beyond happy with my progress! And I know I still have a way to go, but that’s okay.  I’ll make it there one step at a time.

I'm pretty excited! This week I'll be getting together with a few women to start a book club! It'll be so nice to have some social interaction. Especially since our new FRG leader isn't the greatest. She never coordinates spouse get togethers and we go months withou t having an FRG meeting. So I don't really associate with the wives of the men Cody works with.

But oh well. I get to meet new people later on this week :)

I woke up this morning with a message from Cody. It's a great feeling. He may not be physically with me, but he sure knows how to make me smile.

Today I have a lot to do. I'm gonna clean our house, do laundry, try a new recipe and work out!!

Today's Adventures

Our town just got a new bargain store. I decided to go today. I wasn't expecting much, but boy was I surprised. The place is HUGE and the prices are amazing! I bought 4 cookbooks, plus a novel and some KCups for my husband.  The retail value of everything I bought today is over $120 but I only paid $19! I'm so ridiculously excited about this amazing deal!

Two of the books I bought have DIY Christmas gifts in it. So I'm totally using them this year to make gifts for my friends and family!

One of the books I got is a Home Distillers book. It's a bunch of homemade alcohol recipes. I got it for Cody and I know he'll absolutely love it!

Sausage Balls Recipe

My husband and I sometimes have breakfast for dinner. We love sausage, but sometimes we like to shake things up a bit. So we make sausage balls! They're perfect appetizers if you're having a party or a side to complete your dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of hot sausage
• 1 c grated Cheddar Cheese
• 2 c Bisquick

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients using hands.
• Shape into 1 inch balls and place in baking dish
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 
• Enjoy!

Just Some Afternoon Thoughts

It doesn't matter how many times you've had to say goodbye, it never gets any easier. It doesn't matter if it's for a few days, a week long FTX, a month of JRTC or a deployment, watching my husband pack his things and walk away is one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with. I usually do fine during the day. Of course there are things that remind me of him, which makes me sad, but I can usually hold myself together. But when nighttime comes, it's really hard on me. I can't stand to sleep alone. I know it may sound stupid, but it's true. I feel safe knowing my husband is laying right next to me.

I absolutely cannot stand when people are rude towards those who have their SO gone for "just" a week or month. So what if they miss their husband? Let them. People handle things differently. No need to be hateful or rude towards them.

For the past couple of weeks I've been dreaming about what it'll be like when we are no longer military affiliated. It's not that I don't love the opportunity the Army has given us, but I can't wait to have the freedom that comes with a civilian lifestyle. I can't wait to finally be able to settle down, buy a nice house in a small town up north and finally have a normal life. I want to open my own coffee shop/bakery. I just can't wait.

Grandma's Pecan Tarts

Just like any family, my grandmother has always made the best sweets. I remember being a kid and going to her house after school. She'd always have some kind of goodies made and sitting on the counter.

One of my favorites that she makes is her pecan tarts. When I got married, I got super into cooking and baking, so I asked her for some of her recipes. I was lucky enough to get the recipe for her tarts and I couldn't be happier!

Ingredients: 

       For crust:

• 1 3oz package of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 cup of flour

       For Filling:

• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbs melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of pecans

Directions:

• Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add in flour and mix well.

• Roll into balls and press into tart pans.

• Chop or grind nuts coarsely. 

• Put some in the bottom of each crust in the tart pans.

• Beat eggs slightly with a fork. 
• Add sugar, melted butter , salt and vanilla. It should have the thickness of honey 

• Put mixture in each tart, filling it about 2/3 of the way full. 

• Sprinkle more nuts on top. 
• Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. 

Makes about 24 tarts.