Where we are

About a year ago, I made a post about huge changes coming our way. Then that all changed. He decided to stay on the path to re-enlist. All was looking good until February. We found out once again they were pulling his orders and keeping us in 29 Palms for another 23 months. This was devastating to us. We needed to move on. He needed the opportunity to advance his career. He was fed up with the USMC game so he decided he couldn't do it any more. I supported him fully. We set the terminal leave date, set up the movers and on April 13th, we loaded up and said goodbye to many dear friends. Friends who had become family. Oh it was hard. So very hard.

We packed up and came to Texas with basically no plan. He applied at many police jobs, tested and still we wait. Getting into a police department is a long and tedious path. We had some savings but it wouldn't last forever, and probably not until he got onto a police force (IF he does). So he also started looking into temporary jobs. He found an AMAZING job with a security company. But you know the saying, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Well it was. The company was a sham. No one communicated. He showed up for training and no one knew what he needed, who he was, why he was there. It was a mess. They wanted him to pay for uniforms (he wasn't in a uniformed position) and much more. He had a terrible feeling and walked away. It was hard for him to do that, it was hard of him to let go of that one opportunity but he couldn't risk himself for that mess.

So we were back at square one. Where we still stand. He finally got approved for unemployment, and got a job (though not paying much a job) working overnight and unemployment will help supplement.

We are still waiting on phone calls. Praying something comes through soon.

The kids are doing well. They LOVE being near family. Getting to know their Aunt, and Uncles and all of their adopted aunts and uncles. LOL They love their 2 cousins to pieces. They love living with the grandmas. They were so sad when the grandmas left for vacation. They keep saying "I hope the grandmas will hurry home soon". We have our rough days where they kids miss their familiarities. Their friends and toys but we are powering through.

I knew this route wouldn't be easy. I knew walking away from all we had known in our adult life would be as emotionally hard as financially hard. But we have an amazing support group. Our friends in California, our friends in Texas and of course our family. We couldn't' do any of this with out each and everyone of you.

So, if you have a moment, think of us and pray for an amazing opportunity to come our way.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

So, I am sitting here thinking about making granola and the only place I have the recipe is here on this blog. Terrible I know, I need it backed up somewhere else! Anyways, it inspired me for a new recipe, that I made today. This salsa is FANTASTIC! AND super easy to make! 

I know the sugar sounds weird, but trust me you want it in there to break up the acidity of the tomatillos! 

Ingredients:

1 lb tomatillos, remove husk, and rinse

1 poblano pepper

1 small red onion, peeled and quartered

cilantro

juice of ½ lime

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

salt to taste

pinch of sugar

Directions: 

Turn oven on to broil. Toss tomatillos, quartered onion, and poblano pepper very lightly in olive oil, and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Broil for 15-20 minutes, or until the skin on the pepper is bubbling, the tomatillos will brown, as well as the onion. Immediately place the pepper into a large plastic baggie and seal shut. Let it set for about 10 minutes, when it is cool enough to handle gently remove the skin front he pepper, and pull off the stem and remove the seeds. 

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender (I prefer a chunkier texture so we throw ours in the processor). Blend until desired consistence, adjust salt and serve! 

This made about 28oz of salsa! Plenty to share or store in the fridge for later! 

HUGE changes

Hey Y'all.

Its been a while. Life has gotten out of control. I went and visited family for SIX WHOLE WEEKS! It was blissful. Texas is just where I am meant to be. I am ready to get out of the desert faster than a roadrunner.

During my stay in Texas, my husband gave me some VERY surprising news. He has decided his time in the Marine Corps must come to an end. He is tired of missing out on things with our children. He was tired of being away from family, and missing the happenings going on at home. He has never met his niece and nephew and it breaks his heart, they are 3 1/2 now.

Instantly stress struck. What were we going to do? How would we live? Where would we live? What would we do for work? Could I even get a job, after not working for 6 years? The list goes on. 2 months after this decision came down, and we are still stuck in the stress. In the midst of what may be a never ending deployment, it is effecting when he will be able to get out. We have no answers, we can't make plans, and my brain just isn't handling any of this well.

I am so blessed to have wonderful friends in my life, who put up with my crazy rants, and freak outs and complaining. Seriously, Andrea and Kelly deserve medals, for putting up with my insanity. Its a miracle they have't run for the hills yet (maybe because its 110+ in the hills). LOL

The last 2 months I have spent the weeks reorganizing the house, cleaning out boxes that haven't been opened in years, and making space. If we don't need it, its being donated, or sold. Buying things we need, while we are able to, and attempting to build a savings we can live off of for a few months (just in case).

Oh, and preparing for homeschooling again. Little miss is a 1st grader now! PLUS, I am working on enrolling in classes for next semester too. It is a wild ride, but we are going to get through it!

I have been researching our options, VA loans, and helping hubs look at potential jobs like a mad woman. I want to be armed with all the information possible, because this is our first military move! A part of me is sad it is also our last. Next week I will be attending a class for spouses about transitioning out of the Corps! I hope to learn a lot!

I hope to spend some more time blogging some amazing recipes soon! See ya next time!

25 days of positive

Facebook is constantly a platform for anger, hatred, bullying, and much more. 

What if someone disagrees with you? Well, obviously it's because they are a homophobe, or racist, or hate the poor, or atheists and hate religious people. 

Seriously. This is not the case. We are all entitled to opinions, especially different ones. How boring would it be if we all believed the same thing? Plus, I love a good intelligent debate. 

But the bashing hatful behavior needs to stop. We need to uplift each other. Display your opinions respectlly,  no need to name call, or put another person down. 

I would love for all of you to join me in #25daysofpositive. It's my birthday month. Do it for me, and for you. 

That status update you were going to post about hating your boss, make it about that awesome coworker who brought you a Starbucks. That news story about that murder, swap it for a good samaritian story. Don't agree with something on TV say just that "I didn't like it" no need to call those who did unpatriotic. 

Try it. Not just on Facebook, when you get mad, force a positive thought. Don't wait on someone else to make you happy, share your joys and relish in your blessings. 

#25daysofpositive find me on Instagram 

16 Things every military spouse should know

I don't write much about military life but recently in a lot of facebook groups I see a lot of new wives asking questions, seeking advice and looking for comfort. So, I asked around, and got a great list of things every spouse,new and seasoned, should know about this lifestyle.

1. Do something for yourself. This is so important. You need to have that one thing to look forward to. Some wives go out and get their nails done, I personally plan group dinners with friends.

2. Make friends. You are not in this alone. When I first came out to 29palms I had a rough time. It took me 6 months to make friends, but once I did I learned to enjoy myself. Emma was only 6 months old but I still went to playdates at the park with the lovely ladies I met, I mean come on we need adult time as much as the kids need play time.

3. Plan for the worst, enjoy the best. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS plan for the military to mess up your plans. Be it family vacation, deployments dates, return dates, field ops, You will have to reschedule your life over and over again. So, never buy plane tickets without insurance, or hotel rooms that are non refundable.

4. Nothing is guaranteed. You know that saying "nothing in life is guaranteed in life except for death and taxes" with the military nothing is guaranteed except late nights at work, and frustration. Until you are in the middle of it, don't count on it. Even in the middle you can still get thrown off course! 

5. Your spouse will miss important days. It is okay to be sad, but remember they are feeling sad too. Don't blame them, don't ask "why didn't you try harder to be here" because it is out of their control. Plus when they can  be there for important dates you can cherish it a little bit more.

6. Find a hobby. It is so easy to become bitter about this life when you sit at home alone all day. The great thing about military life is there are so many resources. Volunteer with your husbands unit, attend LINKS classes, join MOPS, find a CWF group, bible study, chruch, play groups, just find something.

7. Go to College.  If you desire an education get one! Don't wait. Military spouses can receive HUGE discounts on tuition. Also consider your might qualify to use your spouses GI Bill.

8. Don't get caught up in the drama. Yes, there is drama. Bickering, name calling, yup just like high school! Don't get involved in that mess, just turn around and walk away!

9. Find out what services your base has to offer. Being that we are in the middle if nowhere our base offers quite a few activities. From fall festivals, Easter egg hunts, sports teams for adults and children, 5ks for those who enjoy running, and much more. 

10. Deployments aren't the end of the world. Don't let yourself get caught up in the depression. Also refer to #6.

11. Learn the lingo. No news is good news, Semper Gumby, head, deck, they will soon become part of your vocabulary. Learn the abbvreations: IPAC, DTS, DMO, and hundreds more. You will need them to understand so much of this life. 

12. Support him. You are the one he comes home to everyday, after a crappy day at work. The last thing he needs to hear is 101 reasons for him to get out. He chose this job, not it may not be what he expected, but every job comes with bumps and bruises. Remind him why he chose this job. Let him know you are there for him and love him. 

13. Don't forget your place. Okay, before you get mad keep reading. You do not  hold rank. It doesn't matter to anyone of your husband is an officer with 12 years under his belt or a e-1 with 6 months. And trust me the people who do care, don't matter. You won't get saluted coming though gate, no one is going to listen to you because you are a staff sargents wife. When it comes down to it, your are just another civilian. 

14. Calling so and so's command won't fix your problems. Corporal smiths, officer doesn't care if his wife called you a bully on Facebook. Two words: letti go.  Now there are probably times to get a command involved but if that arises you should probably call the MPs first. 

15. You represent your spouse. While it is true he can not be punished for your behavior, please present yourself with decorum and class. I am not sure about other bases but I know this one has a dress code. Put some clothes on. Cover yourself up, this ain't Walmart. K? Got it? Also keep in mind, being on base, shopping on base, etc. is a privilege. You can have it taken away with unacceptable behavior/dress. 

16. Shop on base. It will save you money! Even with the surcharge I pay much less shopping at the commissary than I do out in town. Also our exchange lets us take in ads or even use online ones for price comparison shopping, which is great because I find the exchange to be a bit pricey but it is local! Gas is also cheaper on base! 

Is there anything else you would share with a new or seasoned spouse?

I know you all have been waiting, so here it is...

The BBQ sauce recipe! 

I have had so many people ask for this recipe. Every time I make it, I take a jar to my neighbors. I used to joke with Sam, that is was the only reason she kept me around. My BBQ sauce. I have also had friends try and drink it. It is a combinations of lots of experimenting from random cookbooks, and online recipes.

I have 2 versions, one with vinegar and one without. There are so many ways to tweek it and change it, so have fun, be original and enjoy it! 

This is for the regular tangy sauce:

 

BBQ sauce

2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 ¼ cups vinegar (white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or even white wine vinegar)
½ cup maple syrup/honey/molasses (I most often use honey)
4 teaspoons hickory flavored liquid smoke (DO NOT USE MESQUITE)
½ teaspoon garlic powder (or throw in 1-2 fresh minced cloves)
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon celery salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a large sauce pan. Bring to a low
boil, reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

For a sweeter sauce that is awesome on chicken and pork ribs drop the vinegar.

That's it. Super simple, and delicious!

Homeschooling

This year miss Emma is a Kindergartener! Now most parents are preparing to send their little ones off to school, and the little ones are preparing for a life as a big kid, all on their own in big kid school. But here in the Brisendine family we are preparing for our first year of official homeschooling!! Emma has occasionally asked why she can't go to big school, and I respond with, "Mommy would miss you too much, and I just want to be the one to teach you the things you need to know". Honestly, that is why we decided to homeschool. I want to be the one to raise our children, I want to be the biggest influence in their life.

So after lots of research I decided on a simple and straightforward curriculum from Alpha Omega Publications.We will be specifically be using the Horizons Curriculum.

 Horizons offers a great little package for Kindergarten. I like that it isn't lumped together so if we wanted to use a different math I could order it separately .

We will be using the Math, Reading and phonics, as well as the health package. 

I also wanted to do a bible study as well for the girls so we decided on, Explorer Bible Study, In the beginning it was good. 

Also if all goes according to plan for science we will be participating in the Jr. First Lego League this year. As a previous robo kid I could not be more excited for this. Once we get our team started there will be a post all about it. 

I am very excited to get this going for the girls and watch them grow and develop! 

I also love to be very organized. I know some people do well with online organizers but I am a girl who needs paper. I want to walk around with it, mark it up and erase. I need to be able to hold it. There are several cute planners out there for a small cost, but I dug deep and found an amazing one for free! Over at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus. Not only is her planner free, it is freaking adorable with tons of cool options! As soon as I get my in a binder I will load up a completed pic, but for now you can see how I went printer crazy! She also has a home management binder as well.

Are you homeschooling this year? What curriculum are you using?