Yes, I'm still alive! :D

Well, hello there! Is there anyone still following along??? It's been a rough couple of months; trying to adjust to my hateful blood pressure medications, the leg & foot pain which has increased dramatically, and the lack of any consistent sleep! Ugh!! For a little bit I thought things were improving, but then the sleep went out the window again and everything else went with it. I have no clue HOW to make my exhausted body sleep with any regularity anymore and it makes for a pretty tired & cranky Jeannie, let me tell you. Still, I do my best and on my "good" days, I try to be as productive as possible and push through the pain. :D

I have a ton of stuff that's piled up, waiting to be blogged about. Some pretty old news!! But here's some of what's been goin' on over here...

Kathy sent me a "care package" filled with all kinds of thoughtful treats and presents, including this lovely mug!!! It was perfect timing too because I truly needed a new mug. Naturally, I love it!!! I have the bestest best friends in the world - thank you, Kathy!!!

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Thanks to Facebook, Pinterest and other online resources, I've been trying out all kinds of new recipes. I'm try to eliminate processed foods, as well as add flavor to our meals. Because my sleep can be so unpredictable, usually for the worse, I've been using my crock pot all the time!!! I think it's one of the most amazing inventions for making a Mom's life easier!

This was a recipe for Chicken Teriaki.

I loved it but no one else did. Bummer!

Cheesy Chicken Mushroom Bake! Crazy good!!!!!

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1 8 oz container of green onion (chive) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
package of fresh mushrooms, sliced
small bag of fresh spinach
minced onion
garlic powder
salt & pepper
6 oz. Kraft Italian blend shredded cheese (or mozzarella)
2 oz. Parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 375*. Spray 13 x 9 pan. Place chicken strips in the pan, covering bottom. Then cover chicken with spinach, then mushroom slices. Sprinkle seasonings to taste. In a bowl, whisk cream cheese, olive oil and chicken broth. Pour mixture evenly over chicken. Tent foil over pan, but do not seal. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, bake additional 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheeses over dish until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and serve over rice.

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I hadn't ordered anything from The Ribbon Girl in a long while, but when I saw this larger width white lace I couldn't resist a small order. Due to the currency exchange rate, buying English goodies isn't very affordable and the government has seen fit to cut our COLA almost in half since January. Still, a girl has to have some treats once in a while, right??

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I finally, finally finished my peacock card!!! Took long enough, huh?? I colored the bird and flowers with my Spectrum Noir blendable pencils, did the background in Copic markers, and used a golden blend of Frantage embossing powders. I have a fortune in products in my stamping studio that have gone sadly neglected most of the summer. Hopefully I can get up there on a regular basis before I go completely bonkers, lol!

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I was the lucky recipient of a "pay it forward" surprise from an old friend who now lives in Florida. I met Ivelisse when our husbands were both stationed at Fort Stewart. Friendships bonded during deployments are some of the strongest, and I love her to pieces!!! They are from Puerto Rico and she is an AMAZING cook!!! Because she knows I love cooking too, she sent me this incredible cook book. The photos are truly drool-worthy and I can't wait to make some of these recipes up very soon!!! Thank you, Ivelisse!!!!

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It was actually clear for the September "super moon", and it was soooo gorgeous!! These were the best of the photos Thomas was able to take. I was already in my nightie, so I sent him out in my stead. *wink* It looked so huge and lovely - God's miracle in the sky!

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My Grandson Emmett turned one year old on October 1st!!! He's such a little charmer and I wish so much that I could hug and squeeze on him. But alas, he's on the other side of the world from me right now. His Mom mentioned on Facebook that she was looking for a new crib for him that was a convertible one, as the one he was using was borrowed and she needed to return it. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to help her out! I found this lovely model on Amazon, which converts to a toddler bed, then a daybed and even into a full sized bed later. So this is something he will be able to have and use for many years.

Of course if you're going to get a new bed, you need new bedding, right??? They like country and farm themed things, so I found the perfect set for him.

And I thought getting a new mattress was really important too. Emmett needs the best of the best!

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Huge, heart-felt thanks to Christina for this lovely fall card. I LOVE getting mail as much as the next person and this was such a delightful surprise!!! Doesn't she make the most amazing cards??? LOVE IT!!! Told you, I have the bestest friends!

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And here are the last of Bella's birthday cards and treats. She has been in hog heaven opening and reading all these lovely treasures. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to make her month-long (almost!) birthday truly special!

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After a particularly rough patch health-wise, Thomas surprised me with not only bringing home dinner, but also with these lovely pink roses!!! Isn't that so sweet?? He's such a gem!

And just so Bella wouldn't feel left out, he brought her two roses as well!! I put them on the table in front of her place setting, so she could see them every day.

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I've hardly done any crafting in the past couple of months, and my sanity shows it, lol! I miss my creative time!!! Just getting school in with Bella, cooking, laundry, and minimum housework in uses more energy than I even have most days. But when I do have a good day, I try to sneak up there and do a little "something"!

Aren't these the cutest hedgehogs ever??

I haven't used them on a card...yet! It was fun using my Prismacolor pencils and gamsol to color and blend these cute critters!

I did however manage to color these, AND get them on a card!

Pretty simple style for me, but it needed to get made and put into a box to be mailed out. It takes me so much longer to make a card now because I'm woefully out of practice!!! Really need to fix that!

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Even though I hadn't had much sleep, I made an apple pie because Thomas really wanted one. I was pretty pleased with myself until someone on Facebook commented that it didn't live up to "their expectations" and wasn't "creative" enough to be made by me. That really hurt. A lot. I'm so tired most of the time, and in chronic pain 99% of the time!!! And if you don't pay my bills, what right do you have to judge me in the first place??? I thought maybe I was being too sensitive about it all, but without mentioning anything, Thomas even got upset when he read the comments on my page. (So I know it wasn't just me!) I just deleted the comments, and then posted these photos...

My Sweet Baboo LOVES my homemade pie!!!

He's getting tired of all the photos about now...

...so he made this face, lol!

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Another dinner I made was minestrone soup in the crockpot. I've made it several times before, but this time it was reallllly awesome! The flavor was so great, and everyone loved it! This photo is when I first started it, but it had to cook all day long. An hour before serving I added sweet Italian sausage and cooked shell pasta. And as good as it was for dinner, it was even better the next day for lunch! Yummy!!!

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Bella sent Thomas this kiss during the day. Naturally, he loved it!

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We had talked about getting an XBOX One, but I really couldn't see getting yet another gaming system when we already had three and they hardly get used. I will say though that having the Kinect component really makes games more fun by having your body be the controller. We used to play with the Wii all the time, but controllers can be a real drag. When we learned we could just buy the Kinect part alone and use it with the XBOX 360 we already had, I was sold on the idea!

The Just Dance game makes mini movies of your routines and this one was soooo funny I had to record it on my camera to share!!

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My newest present from Thomas...a new Coach purse!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!

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Now that Alex & Nathan are settled (mostly) in Alaska, they sent Bella her birthday box!

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Last weekend we all participated in the Pink Up The Pace 5k run/walk on post. It meant getting up early on a Saturday, but even with my bad back I made myself go! There was also a 400 yd run for the kids, which Bella also did.

Bella with her medal!

She was so proud to wear it!!!

Unfortunately, Bella pooped out on the 5k after about 1 1/2 miles, so I sat out with her while Thomas finished it. Here he is crossing the finish line. No medals for the adults!!! I was kind of mad about that as they have always had them before. I wasn't so ticked off with Bella when I heard that news because if I had done the whole thing and not gotten a medal I would have been crushed!!! That is a LONG distance for me after being pretty much house-bound for four months! But I tried!

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Every time I "promise" myself that I'm not going to get any more stamps, someone comes out with a 'must have' set!!!!! Case in point? THIS....

An ugly sweater stamp set!!!

Actually it's two sets, and also has the matching die to cut out the sweater and vest. I'm going to make the cutest, ugliest sweater Christmas cards ever, lol!!!! Anyone want one this year???

OK, so that's it for the catch up! I'm sure I missed a ton of stuff I've forgotten or didn't take photos of. Mostly I've just been trying to sleep, trying to feel better and teach Bella her lessons every day. Fifth grade is going well for the most part and we have a good routine set up for it. I think we are all ready for our next military adventure next year!! I'm all for it...except for the stress of moving part, LOL!!! See you soon....I hope!