Five Question Friday & A Light at the End of the Tunnel!

Why, good morning friends!

Do you want to know what grinds my gears? Basketball. It is my least favorite of all the sports and, sports junkie Sergeant J is watching the March Madness like it's going out of style. 

But do you know what brings me joy?

via

via google search & pinterest

Source: someecards.com viaZoey on Pinterest

Source: keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk via Zoey on Pinterest

Spring ball is not enough. But unhindered joy awaits me on the other side of the March madness. ::sigh:: 

P.S. I have been a Giants fan my WHOLE. LIFE. I don't mind the bandwagoners though, the more the merrier. And when they drop off the bandwagon and we have another quiet season, I'll be here waiting for them to return. Because we always come back.

Together, we are GIANT.

Ok anyway. Back to the regularly scheduled activities. I'm linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday. She was kicking some serious questions over here. I hope y'all stick around for my long winded answers lol! Always a good time :)




1. What advice would you give a newly married couple?
Be quick to apologize and quick to forgive. I think that about sums it up!

Seriously though. The most important thing to remember is to communicate! With each other and with the Lord. I mean, this is our biggest hang up. When the Sarge is grumpy, my mind always makes it something I did. Or, when I'm mad and I think silence is telling him everything he needs to know... I'm being immature and often petty. When we talk to each other, most of our "problems" dissipate because they weren't problems at all (just PERCEIVED problems). So talk! Talk to each other every day, about more than what bills are due or what's for dinner. Chit chat. Joke together. And when you're upset, TALK. And if it's an argument, fight fair. And when you can't see eye to eye, talk to Jesus. He'll put you in your place.

A second thing I'd say for us ladies is NEVER down talk your hubby to anyone, ever. Not even him. Not even your mom. Not even your BFF. Not even your sister. Not in public, not in private, NEVER. It is damaging to you (and him if he ever finds out, and then you again). Don't do it. 

2. Who does more laundry around your house?
Me! Sergeant J will do it when he feels like I'm slacking, so... never.

3. What items, if any, do you prefer to buy organic or make yourself?
I TRY to stick to the dirty dozen when budget is an issue (I don't always) -- that is apples, cucumbers, potatoes, celery, bell peppers, berries, peaches & nectarines, spinach, grapes, and lettuce (did I miss something?) but when I don't have budget as a concern I buy organic food boxes which are 100% local and organic. The main reasons are that I prefer to buy locally, organic produce is often more flavorful, and non organic produce seems to be HUGE (in size) which creeps me out and the fruit never really smells like... well... the fruit. I'm not obsessive about it, but I do choose organic when I can. When the Sarge is gone, I'll be eating only local, organic produce as part of a largely vegetarian diet. I will eat organic chicken and grass fed beef occasionally because cooking for one allows me that kind of flexibility and let's be honest.. I'm an omnivore. 

AS for homemade. We've pretty much nixed all canned goods with the exception of tomato products and Rotel (which, I guess is also a tomato product). I don't think ALL canned foods are bad but I don't like studying labels so I just skip that section. I make cream soup bases when a recipe calls for cream of "...". I believe in WHOLE, full fat varieties of all food. Then, if I can only have a handful of something, at least it's a tasty handful! I make all of our bread (hot dog and hamburger buns included!) partially because I am creeped out that it takes store-bought bread a month to mold, and partially because I just like making bread. Everything in my house is homemade, from scratch (except sausages and pepperoni). The only ingredients I buy are base ingredients or items with 2-5 ingredients (like butter, pasta, etc.). Occasionally I do buy tortilla chips, but I make our salsa and guacamole. I might buy Ritz crackers when I'm feeling feisty but that's about once a year.

I don't talk about it much (I don't think I do anyway) but I prefer life this way for now. Will I ever change? I'm open to it as I know things change when you have kids, etc. But, my hormones are out of balance so I'm picky about hormonal meat. Also, blood pressure is an issue in the Black community so I want more control over what goes into our bodies. So there's my abridged discourse on "clean" eating. 


4. What book/TV series would you recommend for a friend on bedrest?
TV: How I Met Your Mother, Breaking Bad, and Duck Dynasty reruns! I have never been much a TV show person, but recently the Sarge and I have found some fun stuff on television. I'm saving up a bunch of shows to watch on Netflix while he's deployed so pretty soon I'm going to be as saturated as anyone else. Oh well! 

And books, well, honestly I would recommend anything from Beth Moore or Jen Hatmaker. In fact, if you're on bedrest, how about ALL of Beth Moore and Jen Hatmaker? Just saying. Also, Redeeming Love (I know, I'm late) is a fantastic read. I've read lots of books that I thought were worth reading (One Day, the Emily Griffin "Something Borrowed" saga, Beautiful Creatures and any Twilight book, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Hunger Games trilogy, Diary of a Mad Fat Girl, pretty much all of the Sookie Stackhouse books, yes, even the Fifties.....) but most of my best books have been from curiosity and browsing the 3.99 and under section of NOOKbooks. So that's what I would recommend. Read all the $.99 books and a couple $2.99ers or so, and you'll read your way right out of that bed!

5. So, they say it's Spring now...what does your "spring" look like at this very moment?
It's 51 degrees and clear in Central Florida -- perfect for me. But give it a few hours. I'm sure it will be 85 degrees before long!

Why didn't anyone tell me?

Why didn't y'all tell me that $30 (ish), a final decision and a hammer were all that were keeping me from giving my room a new life???? 

Here is what our bathroom looks like now. Like... exactly like this. 

But here's a sneak peek at what we're doing this weekend.

I AM SO EXCITED!!

Let's be honest. I'm excited by a lot of things these days. But what can I say... life is so good right now :)



So I'm linking up to Mama M for my (second) favorite weekly linky. Have a great weekend y'all!!



1. What is one thing you wish you did not have to teach your children?
I don't have children. I haven't really thought about this, but one of my friends has. She has two small kiddos and her little girl is the most outgoing and sweet girl I have ever met. But last year, she experienced some bullying. I think it's such a bummer that some kids just aren't going to get along... some kids really have no home training and the reality is, some kids are raised with different values. That was hard to watch them go through. I wish people could just get along or stay away from each other but we all have to live in this world together. You can't be friends with everyone while still staying true to yourself. And even though it's hard, it is a valuable lesson for her.(Hopefully one that she won't have to learn too many times!)

2. What are you going to use since Google Reader is going away?
I'm using Feedly as I mentioned yesterday! I did finally sign up for Bloglovin' since SO many people seem to be going there, but I like the Feedly interface much MUCH more.

3. British comedy; Hilarious or strange?
Well, I haven't watched any British comedy. But I think it would be unfair to call it strange because there's a different culture. If that weren't the case, they wouldn't have to take the UK version of The Office and create a US version. So.. I'm going to hilarious. To some people.

4. Do you prefer card games or board games?
I don't know many card games, but my favorite game is Spades. I haven't played many board games either so I feel like I'm completely unqualified to answer this question! Does Taboo count as a board game? I like games like that.. Apple to Apples, Cranium.. and so on. So whatever those are, they win.

5. Will winter ever end?
It's OVER here in Florida (if there ever was one) but for now the weather is pleasant. I'm trying to enjoy it before it gets nasty. I'm not sure when it happens, but I know it's going to happen. We've already had a glimpse of the 89 degree and humid weather (in January) so I hope winter (or.. more mild) weather NEVER stops lol!!

Five Question Friday!

It's Friday! So as an act of getting back into the groove of blogging, I am linking up with Mama M over at Five Crooked Halos!




1. Does your family coordinate clothing for church on holidays like Easter?
No. We never have. I used to get dressed up when I was younger, but I'm just not really that formal a person so... as soon as I was old enough to protest, I did. But I LOVE Easter. It is my favorite holiday! Because HE'S ALIVE y'all!! This should be the happiest day of everyone's year!! But no. No matching outfits :)

2. How do you get out of a funk?
This is a hard question for me, because it is super easy for me to get into a funk. I think the BEST way that I have found to get out of a funk is to spend some time with the Lord, reflect on my overall situation, and get some perspective. It helps me to write out prayers to God. It's okay to reason with the Lord... you will always be humbled (like Job) and these prayers usually end up as praises! I also listen to some music -- usually I start with music that matches my mood (lame) and I hear a song from an album I love, listen to the other music from the album, and get perked up that way.

3. Online friends - real friendships or not?
I think online friendships can be real. I don't think a person I have only ever known online could ever be my BEST friend necessarily, but that's because I think you need real face time with a person to really get to know them. So.. friends, why not? I've met people online that I would consider friends. I have also met people through blogging who I thought could be friends, but then they stopped replying to my emails lol. We (at least my generation) need to be more careful about how we treat friendship. The word friend gets thrown around so carelessly these days and I am a believer that it actually has an emotional impact. I'm still marinating on this idea. 

By the way, have you seen what has happened to Manti Te'o over "online (girl)friends"? I mean, this guy is fighting to convince professional football teams that he won't be a distraction because of an online girlfriend that didn't exist. I believe he really didn't know it.. I PERSONALLY know people who have "dated" online. I don't think there's anything wrong with meeting people online, but there is NO SUBSTITUTE for real life relationships. Don't cheat yourself! 

4. What is the one food you must eat in a restaurant (not make yourself)?
French fries! Really, anything deep fried. It can be messy. I don't ever want to be seen buying that much oil. And battered and fried is not a food group. That way, it doesn't happen often!

5. What would happen in your home if you ran out of ketchup?
We usually don't have ketchup anyway! But if for some reason we didn't have it and wanted it, I would probably find a recipe to make my own. You know. Because I rule.

Enjoy your weekends friends. I'll see you next week! 

OH and if you love these memes (is that what they're called?) I'm reviving an old one I used to do waaaaay back when I first started blogging called Top Two Tuesday! It was not my idea, but I LOVED doing them and the original blogger is no longer blogging publicly. So... hopefully I don't step on any toes. Come back Tuesday for more information!
 

TGIF

 
 have you entered my giveaway? enter to win some perfectly posh products and pamper yourself!! monday's the last day!

hey everyone! happy friday. i've been busy doing poshy business, and haven't had really any time to settle down and type! fortunately, they make memes for that :)

1. Who mows your grass?
lincoln military housing. on thursdays. thank you lord!

2. Do you have a picture wall or picture gallery in your house (show us! <--- my addition to the question)?
i do not. i've been thinking about it for three years, and now we're moving. i'll have to light a fire under my behind and do it at our next home!

3. What book has influenced your thinking the most? Or, what blog? (I want to read what gets people thinking!)
i enjoyed the shack. and of course the bible, but (for me) that goes without saying. 

i'd have to say the MOST influencing book i've read recently was Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. but it's kind of a tough read -- it was written in what is now rather antiquated english. but WELL worth fighting through. 

and of course, mere christianity by c.s. lewis. and ANYTHING by tozer.  

4. Do you have allergies? If so, how do you handle it this time of year?
no, not really. occasionally i'll struggle with a stuffy nose in the morning, but vacuuming my mattress has helped with that!

5. What's your go to meal to cook in an hurry?
pasta with ham and peas. i just sautee some onions and garlic, throw in some ham, and pepper and toss it with butter, pasta and peas (i cook the peas during the last 3-4 minutes of the pasta boiling -- i only use frozen or fresh veggies). 

friday memes because i feel like it

happy (early) friday. what are y'alls plans for the weekend? i'm haning out in sunny san diego with my dear friend nicole and i'm excited. i always have fun down there with her. anyway.. i came back for another post. perhaps there is hope?

and, well.. everyone needs a little writing inspiration! :)

 

fill in the blank friday!
with lauren

1.  The highlight of my week was   an awesome, awesome small group with my ladies on Tuesday and making plans for a fun weekend with a good friend! .

2.   If I had to classify my interior design aesthetic it would be   traditional. except in my kitchen.. that is just a bundle of who what when and where! but yes. traditional. we just bought this couch and a matching loveseat and i loooooove it. we're going to ditch the pillows before long though... .

3.  My first vehicle was   a 1992 honda accord lx! it was maroon with a grey interior and it was the bomb.com .

4. An item I need to have in my day in order to function is  water and lip gloss. is that weird? .

5. My favorite way to waste time is  well... a little pinterest, and a little facebook gaming that i am just not ready to divulge in the public arena! and sleep. always sleep .

6. Right now I could really go for   liposuction lol (i ate too much and i'm feeling like i overdid it!!) .

7.  This weekend I will be   doing LOTS of homework. like.. lots. and helping my friend clean her house! .

five question friday hop!

1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?
i have never been, but i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that i die to think of the amalfi coast in italy. but i think anywhere in that country would do. 

if we're talking reality.. well, victoria (canada) or catalina island are probably my favorite two places so far. they're so pretty and i feel fancy and relaxed and just.. happy. that's what vacation is all about, right?

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

i LOVE the real housewives of orange county. and sometimes new jersey.

i feel so guilty about it because i kind of feel sorry for them but their drama is so juicy. :)))

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Or, in the past?

my favorite.. hmm.. i'm not really trendy so this could be totally off. but i love coral, teal and gold. it's been on pinterest, so it counts... right??

4. What are your spring break plans?

HA! we don't get a spring break in the grown up, childless world.

5. What baby names do you hate? 

okay i have erased and reworded this answer four times now so i'm just going to say it. stop naming your kid after inanimate objects.

 there i said it. 

and for the record, i left out a lot of other names i hate that don't fit into this category but i don't want to hurt anyone's feelings :))

now... hop on!!

 

day two, and 5qf

day two: about my blog. 

i talked about this once before in this post. basically, it came from two sources: the first being my pastor saying "happy wife, happy life" (lol) and the popular "no bad days" sticker.

it's a philosophy.

i guess it's not really about being happy but about being joyful in all things. as a believer, i have faith that all things are working together to the ultimate glory of God, including the things that we don't understand. just being given the gift of a salvation i didn't deserve is enough. of course, not every day is fun or easy or "happy" but i know that i have a hope that is greater than the worst "luck" working against us all some days. so, it's not a fake and unrealistic life philosophy...

as far as what i write, i have absolutely no theme other than every day life. there is no reason anyone should be interested in what happens to me. (except when i fall in public, inherit a pregnant dog, encounter all kinds of critters, or have a dramatic, out-of-shape five mile walk.) i have expanded the  blog to include a dedicated cooking and genealogy section, neither of which i have updated recently. i blame the six puppies that turned my kitchen into a play pen.

occasionally, i also give away free scentsy. you know you love that part.

so tell me about your blog and link up with katie for her 30 day challenge! (see bottom of post for the hop!!)

AND it's been a long hiatus from five question friday, so i'm linking up with mama m. again for old time's sake.

1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay? ideally, nay. i think shoes are gross. but the truth is i don't really like being barefoot either. especially on non-carpeted floors. and yes, that includes my bathroom floor. my answer has been to compromise by having "house shoes", which tend to be one of about fifteen pairs of old navy flip flops.

2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc? flip flops -- thongs make me think of butts haha.butt floss for your feet! yuck.(nothing against actual thongs, by the way. they are practical and impractical at the same time.. and anything that lives in a conundrum like that makes me happy.)

3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to? pretty much any britney spears song... i know a few. in fact, i had one of her albums, the one with oops on it lol. i get it. some of you love her, but she was a joke in my circle of friends. sorry.

4. What is the best quality to have in a friend? this is a strange answer, but friends who take the initiative. i am not a good friend -- if we don't live in the same city, it's difficult for me to keep in touch. i LOVE my out of town friends as much as i ever have, it's just a hard concept. i don't really like talking on the phone. so, maybe friends who take the initiative, and are persistent. and don't have their feelings easily hurt. i'm a terrible person.

5. Do you know what you want for Christmas? my parents to come visit. and a couch. but i'm probably only going to get one of those.. and i am quite happy to sit on a broken couch for another year.

 

friday hop!

1. Have you ever had roommates?

I have had several. I have loved one. The rest... well... the rest just didn't quite jive. 
 

One had our whole basketball team over, one by one, in a matter of weeks. (yes.)
 

One's crazy ex stood outside our window until midnight until she finally called the cops on him. I realize that's not her fault but.. wow. 

 
One was a Jesus loving, Christian Ministry majoring, drunken wanna-be party girl who managed to make out with (or more..the jury's out) at least 3 or 4 random guys from the VFW in town. And cheated off my Christian Theology notes. (what?)

Most of my roommates eventually ended up pretending I wasn't alive while I returned the favor. Haven't had much luck in that department... except the Sarge. He's a good roommate.  

2. How many names do you/your children have? (i.e. Prince Charming William Phillip Arthur Louis John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt)

I don't have kids yet, but I don't understand all the names. My kids will have a first and middle name. And I'm even wondering why a middle name, but three sounds so well-rounded and complete when rolling off the tongue!

3. Did you watch the Royal Wedding?

I did! I wasn't particularly interested in it, but the girls all got together and we wore tiaras, made crumpets and cucumber sandwiches, and drank girl drinks. So.. it was fun. I actually only watched her walk in and then went home. 

4. What is the messiest room in your house?

The storage room! Oh my gosh. It's out of control. I don't even want to talk about it.

5. What is your ideal mothers day?

One where I have children...and that's all I have to say about that!


 

Link up and hop on (after the jump)!

royal wedding... erm, five question friday.

I have absolutely zero interest in what happens in the United Kingdom. First of all, I thought we left Europe because we were over them and their monarchy (and I say, "WE" very loosely for obvious reasons). For about three weeks when I was 13, I had a crush on Prince William but the reality is that Prince Harry turned out hotter. Okay, that may or may not be false. Anyway. I always thought it was so ridiculous to have crushes on (and look at stalker teeny-bopper photos of) a prince, because seriously.. what are the chances? I mean, I totally could have met the Backstreet Boys one day and miraculously easily won over AJ...

 
Not that those chances weren't slim to none, but they were a heck of a lot more possible that the freakin' prince of England. Eldest, at that. AND to top it off (I'll just put it out there) I'm black. If he ever were to see me in some freak show "The Prince and Me" kind of way, I'd be underneath the bottom of his list... I'm not bitter about it, I'm just saying.  When was the last time you saw royalty intermarrying to that extent? It's just one of those things haha.

(I tried to find a picture of Prince William with a black girl. Then just a black person. But.. oh well.)

ANYWAY. That's not the point. The point is, I went to a party last night.. It was a royal wedding watching party. And why, you ask? Because I needed some girl time and what better way than to dress up in the middle of the night and wear my wedding tiara? So, you get where I'm coming from, right?


It was so fun. We (they) made cucumber sandwiches, red velvet cupcakes and crumpets (that looked so good but I couldn't partake in). And some girly drinks that were yummy, of course. (Of course I don't have pictures--sorry.)

And her dress was pretty. But I only stayed long enough to watch her walk in (I got home about 3:30). There is just no sense in staying awake for all that nonsense. But they did look happy.. like they actually love each other. So that always makes me happy. And they are a very beautiful couple.. I think it was a sweet event. Not sure about all the hoopla (there--yes, here--not so much), but I just love weddings in general so that's how I justified peeking at this one.


Now. On to things that matter. It's finally FRIDAY! Yessss!

1. If you could buy any car, money not an option, what would it be? 
It would totally be a Range Rover Autobiography. I've had a crush on the Range Rover for about 3 weeks now.. and I think I could be in it for the long haul. I definitely am going the obnoxious SUV route for my mommy mobile.

2. What was your worst first date ever?  
Well. I have had a lot of first dates, but none of them were bad. For example, one of my first long-term relationships started with a date in which I totally spilled my whole Dr. Pepper all over my date. I was kind of nervous, but his car didn't reverse haha.. So it ended up fine. I wasn't embarrassed or anything, but I suppose that would be the worst. 

That, or the guy who held his hand facing up on the arm rest at the movies... like in Twilight. No lie! But I'm not sure that was our first date, either haha! That guys first date, he expected me to pay! (Obviously I was not dating him seriously!)

3. How old were you when you fell in love for the first time? 
I was 16 and I loved me some Colin Nathaniel. What a shame to be young and dumb. (For the record, I'm sure good ol' Colin turned into a fine gentleman, but he was 19--young and dumb--too. He had the makings of a good guy.)

4. When was the last time you reconciled your checkbook? 
Last September, right before we started Financial Peace University. Now we track our money a bit differently, but we do it at least once every two weeks.

5. If you were going to fashion a "Wanted" Ad for a best friend, how would you word it? 
Usually these are like 50 words and under so here it goes: 

Wanted: Female friend for late-20s military wife. God fearing desired, sticks-in-the-mud need not apply. If you're offended, that would be you. Age not an issue. Laughing at yourself a must. Equally health nut and couch potato, lazy and spontaneous, outgoing and socially awkward. Sports lovers are a plus. Contact me hello@aleasa.net :)

5QF

i'm linking up with mama m. again this week for five question friday. just like i love wednesday, i love friday. i get two fridays in a row with my job, but the second one (the actual friday) is the best. tonight, sergeant j and i are watching grown ups and couples retreat and having italian sammy and soup night :) i can't wait to hang out with my hunk-a burnin' love! (can you tell i just left mama m.'s blog? haha)

five question friday!

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?

black, duh. :)

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?

I haven't don't anything special for summer in my adult life! all my vacations come during the holidays, so seat of my pants for sure! we do like to get away once in a while, but it's usually a weekend trip on a whim!

3. What is your favorite meal to cook?

chicken parmesan! The Sarge LOVES it, and i love making food that he loves. it's a long process and keeps me entertained for a while.

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?

no. not at all. it's a little weird to receive them for anything other than the typical "wedding" thank yous or something...

5. How did you meet your best friend?

i have more than one best friend, you know. Sergeant J, my best friend of all, i met in college. i met jen and jenna when i was in middle school (they are best friends because we still talk occasionally! haha). i met shauna when i was a member of abundant life, and carin as a member of new song. i met megan and emory in college :)