Little Hobbits

I know, I know, I have not been blogging as much as I should be but really my life is not at all interesting so I have nothing to write about! haha

Jake and I are LOVING BBC's Top Gear. Seriously, these 3 guys are absolutley hilarious!



We can't ever tell whether they are being serious or whether what they are saying is scripted, but nonetheless, its fantastic! It is about cars which I really don't have any interest in BUT they make everything so funny I am enjoying learning all I can!


Hmmm....what else...well I have been learning about different foods and other health subsitutes for items from my day out with Veronica. She introduced me to pink salt, sucanat, and brown rice syrup.  I have not heard of any of it till being here because of course we NEVER cooked with those types of items but I'm telling you they are so good and GOOD for you!

Pink Himalayan salt is EXPENSIVE if you buy it in a health foods store so I went to Ross's (which is a lame excuse for a TJ max here...) and they had 16oz for only $4! Compared to 8oz for $13. My sister says they carry it at home at the TJ max there and I highly recommend it.

Benefits:

• naturally pure
• extracted by hand in the Himalayan mountains in traditional salt crystal mines (I know this isn't really a benefit but def. cool)
• Contains 84 minerals
• free of bleaches, preservatives or chemical additives
• contains trace elements in amount to provide a multitude of health benefits.

You use it the same way you would use regular salt. They have it online at Amazon for 5 lbs. for like $4 so that is probley the best deal.

I haven't used the brown rice syrup yet but am planning on making some sticky nuts with it and the succanat. You can sub. this syrup for caro syrup in pecan pies for half syrup half caro. It's just a natural sweetener like agave. Use it instead of sugar or tea sweetener ;). But make sure it is organic because some pretty nasty things can be found in the GM kind.

Sucanat is just dried cane juice that has high levels of vitamins and mierals in it compared to the refined white sugar. It is composed of molasses and sugars. It is pretty pricey so I'm not sure how often we are going to be using it but thats ok. I found a little store in Dora OK called Squash Blossum and am gonna check it out when I get back home and plan on going to the Downtown Farmers Market some Saturday mornings if anyone wants to come! Not sure how excited my sweetheart will be about waking up at 7 just to go produce shopping.

Speaking of my sweetheart, he went jogging with me the other night and was sooooo kind! Of course it was easy for him seeing as how my short little legs couldn't keep up with his long strides but he taught me some breathing exerices and other techniques and afterwards I asked him how long we went and he only guessed about a mile. Well the next day I did the same route and it was 2.5 miles! Shows how much fun we had. lol. I've been trying to stay on track with this jogging/power walking hobby and I feel so good! I am scared to go back and miss this beautiful 70 degree weather tho :(

I am currently obsessed with Once Upon a Time! I can't believe there are only 2 more episodes until a next season! What am I serisously going to do.....I guess start all over again. No but I wish I lived in Story Brook! I love all the characters!

Watched 101 Dalmations the other night and boohooed throughout the entire thing. This shows how much I want my own little one and how evil Cruela is! haha

I am needing this weather to be beautiful so I can actually convince people that yes, I lived in Hawaii....just look at this tan I have! But as of right now, theres no tan and only boring whiteness.

Hmmm...what else...this is a random post.
OH, is it just me or is it that everyone and their mother is pregnant! What is going on? What is really sad is a lot of people aren't even married!?! What happened to True Love Waits? It is so sad. So SO sad. Hopefully Jake and I can wait a little longer and enjoy each other till I have baby fever again but seeing as how everyone will have a baby around me, I don't know how long that is going to last. You see, I LOVE babies! Everything about them! Here the fever has died down because its just Jake and I really, but at home...MY GOODNESS! Some of those babies are just gorgeous tho. I hope to not weird anyone out if I randomly just want to snuggle with your child for a good while. :)

Jake is wanting to play on a softball team when we get back. I LOVE softball. How cute would it be to go to his games and sit on my little quilt with my baby and puppy.....oh I mean just puppy. Not so fast. Our baby would either look like a hobbit or a German Natzi I have decided.
I hope it's a hobbit.
Oh I know what we are doing for Halloween now!
ok not so fast...haha.

well I am gonna skype with my momma. See you all soon!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well its Almost Here!

I know I have been kinda vague on my blog posts about where Jake and I will be after his EAS date of August 12th of this year. We weren't for sure about reinlisting or getting out to pursue other things. We honestly were and still are seeking God's guidance for our life and at this moment feel at peace with our decision to move back home in July! It is going to be hard to say bye to this beautiful island. I am going to miss so many people, places, and memories here because this is where it all began for our little family. It will be hard not being able to go to the beach every other day or drive over to Ford Island and across Pearl Harbor every week. People respect America here and you wouldn't dare hear people disgustingly talk down about America or military. I am going to miss that bit. Well....the natives here don't much respect America but to an exent I can't really blame them with all the corrupted history.

Anywho, please pray for Jake and I as we make this HUGE transition. I am so looking forward to a whole month of payed vacation with Jake that I don't even know what to do! We are wanting to go camping and start moving into our little house. There are so many decorating possiblities I feel as if I am in nesting mode!

Also......WE GET TO BECOME PARENTS!

to a golden retriever ;)
There will be a new litter available towards the end of summer and if everything works out, we will be bringing home a beautiful ball of fluff named Copper I believe. I already called the breeder and she told me to call her back in a couple of weeks to see when the litter will be available.

Packing this place will be so strange. I came over here with 2 suitcases. Jake owned a car and an X-box. We built our home here and to see it all put into boxes and into a crate is weird. Hopefully it will arrive sooner than the alotted 2-3 months later in all one piece!

There are still many options that we have to decide on but this new season is coming and is coming fast!

I am really going to miss these women here I have become friends with. Many of them have become role-models to me because they have shown me so many wonderful things. I love how true and pure their views are of Christ and how they don't let the world pervert them. They all have stories and testimonies that would humble anyone and have shown me a love that I never expected while living here.
I have learned so many wonderful things about marraige here. I know that it isn't the popular view but it is the biblical view. I've learned about nutrition and exericise. I have learned about perseverance, patience, and humility. I have learned how to sing the Doxology in native Hawaiin also!

One thing we are desperatly looking forward to is returning home to our families and our friends! We do not yet know if it will be a long season back in Greenwood but that's ok.

and the countdown begins:
2.5 months to go. . .

weekend recap :)

This weekend was so wonderful. Jake had a three day weekend so we got to relax and enjoy each day with one another. The reality of us being here for only 3 more months is slowly wrapping around me and I have mixed emotions about it.
Jake planned on Friday to have a fishing trip for us on Saturday. We cleaned the truck out Friday night and on Saturday morning Jake went and got a new red fishing pole with fresh bate...not worms but squid... and we drove over to Hale Koa. Hale Koa is by the cabanas where Jake and I spent our first 2 months of marraige. It is a camping site and it is beautiful.

He saw some fish but they were a little too big for his pole. It was so nice. That evening our friends took us out to a cute little italian resturant and bought us some great food! Sunday we woke up ate some breakfast and drove to church.
Yesterday we went grocery shopping and then went for a motorcycle ride around Lanaiki beach and rode around all the little beach cottages and EVERYONE and their mother was out running and exercising, canoeing, or riding a bike.

This week Veronica is taking me to whole foods to teach me how to 'eat' better. I have mentioned before that she is organic. She gave me a pamphlet about GMO's and what to look for on ingredient lists and I am looking forward to Friday. Yesterday I was very aware of what was going into our cart and what the total amounted to.
Veronica is also teaching me some knitting skills on Wednesday and had bought me yet another Fiesta Ware casserole dish! I am really going to miss her and her sweet family. She has really inspired me on how to create a home.

Sunday's morning message was so good! It was on Jesus' first miracle at the wedding by turning the water in the purification crates to wine. Many people use this passage as an excuse to say "Jesus drank, so can I!" Well....if that is how you feel like the Holy Spirit is leading you than I can't argue. I can argue that God calls us not to be drunk. Drunkenness is a sin. When alcohol starts altering your state of mind, then it has become a sin. But my question is where is that threshold of drunk, buzzed, and somber? 1 drink....maybe 2? And what about a christian's witness? As for our household, Jake and I have decided not to drink. We would not ever want to risk our witness or have others question on faithfullness if they see a beer in our hands. I know there are arguments but really, any one can make arguments on anything. This is how we chose to live.

If doing something that may risk your witness, then why risk doing it?

I don't ever want to be a stumbling block for my brothers and sisters in Christ. This means in all areas of life.

This morning I found a beautiful path right behind our street that leads up to an amazing view of all Kaneohe Bay and the base. It was so nice!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Tuesday!

Food for Thought

There are a list of foods that are labeled 'The Dirty Dozen' because they contain 50-60 different pesticides found within them.

40-60 different pesticides.

1. apples (more than 40 different pesticides have been found on apples)
2. celery ( USDA tests have found more than 60 different pesticides on celery)
3. strawberries (nearly 60 different pesticides have been found on these berries, though fewer are found on frozen strawberries...wooh)
4. Peaches (more than 60 different pesticides found...fewer can be found in canned)
5. Spinach (nearly 50 different pesticides..frozen spinach has nearly as many, canned has had fewer detected)
6. Nectarines (imported)- are among the most highly contaminated tree fruit...overall 33 pesticides have been detected.
7. Grapes (imported)- more than 30 pesticides found. Raisins also have high pesticides residue.
8. Sweet Bell Pepper (OH NO!)- (nearly 50 different pesticides have been detected on sweet bell peppers...)
9. Potatoes- (more than 35 pesticides have been detected on potatoes in USDA testing.
10. Blueberries (more than 50 pesticides have been detected as residue on them [consider juices also]. Frozen blueberries have proved somewhat less contaminated...thank goodness)
11. Lettuce (...kinda figured... more than 50 pesticides have been found)
12. Kale (tie with collard greens and fatty meats)
13. Milk (crap...)- Twelve different pesticides found in milk alon! This is a special concern with pregnant women and children's diet. Still not sure if I am willing to fork over $11 for a half gallon of organic milk tho...



But there are 15 'cleaner' foods that are so clean of pesticides that you wouldn't need to buy organic.

1. onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7.  Mango
8. Egglplant
9. Cantaloupe
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

Products I Love

Nestle just came out with a natural coffee creamer...



It has literally only 4 ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, and natural flavor. When they say natural flavor (ex. vanilla) they dry out a vanilla bean and then take the flavor from those seeds. I learned about this in my thursdays bible study and compared it to the usually fat free coffee mate I was buying and never realized what was in the other kind. The natural bliss is kinda rich so a little goes a long ways.



Another product (and brand) that I have been introduced to by Mrs. Pantling is this old country styled muesli. You can buy a 4 pack 18oz on Amazon for $16 (good deal). Here they are only $3.50 a piece since its on a military pricing but its very good. She told me to use it on top of cobblers or mixed into granola for a heartier healthier meal. I did.....OMYWORD...so good!
He also has some gluten free Cornbread mix which is amazing! I am a Jiffy cornbread mix but his is so moist and sweet...

Life Is Good

This week Jake and I are getting to have jake over for a week long visit! Last Friday I went over to the Pantling's and she taught me how to make macaroni casserole and she made some for my friend here who just had a little boy! She is so thoughtful and let me bring jake back with me till Easter! This past weekend was just purely wonderful. We took jake to Kailua beach and ran around the park and had a picnic. Can you say perfection?!
We sat out by the pier and watched the wind surfers and other dogs run around in the waves...sigh...

Don't get me wrong, I love our Boston Terrior's but they just don't compare to the loving you can get with a big secure dog!
Which brings me to another subject! Jake and I will have enough money saved up by August to finally be able to buy one! We didn't want to just spend frivously on buying a dog so we (as always it seems) took Dave Ramsey's advice and have been putting back enough money each month to be able to buy one, plus food for several months, dog crate, house, leash, and shots. :)

We want to name him Copper.

Last night we had a little date night and went out to the food court, looked around at the PX for some things we wanted and are waiting for till they have 20% off day (I love 20% off day, it only comes around April 21st each year and its where you get 20% off anything you can fit in your bag) and picked up some movies to rent. We came home and watched the most WONDERFUL movie! We Bought a Zoo is such a great family movie and I just can't say how much we enjoyed each scene. We did not want it to end. Def. worth buying! It reminded me a lot of Secondhand Lions so if you loved that movie (momma) you will LOVE this one!

Well I'm gonna get back to snuggling with this precious animal right next to me! Hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday!