Potato Chowder with Chilis

I recently got a recipe from a friend and I wanted to try it out. So, while I was making enchilada casserole for James I decided to go ahead and make the chowder too. James came home from work when I was starting dinner and helped me. Oh man, it was a good chowder... a little spicy, probably due to the jalapeno. But it was so tasty. The only change I made to the recipe was that instead of topping with raw green onions, I sauteed the onions first in a little bacon grease and then topped the chowder with them. I will definitely be making this again. Oh, and it is an absolutely beautiful chowder. Really gorgeous. If I had taken a photo I would post it because it is so nice looking. It looks professionally done.

We are heading to KY to get our passport and visa paperwork taken care of. Unfortunately, the weather is supposed to be snowy. I hope that it is not too bad.

The boys and I had a great day today. Well, at least I think so anyway. We finished up most of our school work, got the house completely cleaned and even cleaned off a bookcase. I had the boys decide which books to take to Italy and which to leave in storage. They did a good job. Funny thing is though, the bookshelf has 5 shelves and they actually only put one shelf worth of books in storage. The rest they just couldn't live without. I am so thankful that they love reading. And the memories they have of the books they've read are great.

Oh, and today I got to exercise. I tried Jillian Michael's (from Biggest Loser) 30 Day Shred video. It was hard work but I love the way she justifies it. You can't just dial in or phone in she says - you have to be here and DO IT. No breaks, straight through, that is how you will make the changes your body needs and you want. I agree but it was H-A-R-D! Man, was I sweating. I am hoping to do it every day BUT since we are heading to KY tomorrow I may not be able to. I am still considering getting up early and doing it before I get ready for work. It is only 20 minutes so I might be able to do it. I am just not worth much first thing in the morning.

Normally, I get up early and get ready for work, then I make breakfast for James, prepare his lunch and then visit with him before he leaves. Then I have about an hour of quiet time before I need to leave for work. That means I have been awake for a long time and hold a cognizant, aware, conversation by the time I get to work. Perfect for me because otherwise I would probably not be speaking for the first 2 hours or so. Not sure I will be able to put my all into an early morning workout but I will set my alarm and see how I feel in the morning.

Blessings to all who read this. Thanks for sticking with me.

A---

La mia famiglia ed il mio amore

Me with the men in my life...



my soon to be teenager!



my gangsta



the love of my life!

More cards...

My crafting ....

Oh, I think I figured out how to post pictures so here goes.

The hearts are place card settings for our church's upcoming Sweetheart banquet! They turned out pretty cute I think. The rest are just cards I have been making. I have also been trying to "set up" the pictures. I am sure that I will get better as time goes on so forgive me if some are blurry or not great! Thanks for looking too. Enjoy!

Super Bowl Sunday

Not much to say today. James is feeling somewhat better after his oral surgery. But now he thinks he has a sinus infection. The last 6 months have been hard on him. I hope this is the last of his troubles and he can start feeling better.

He is now watching the Super Bowl while I am paying bills and getting ready to play in my craft room again. I have pictures but need to figure out how to post them here. Hopefully, I can figure it out before leaving for the night.

Thank goodness I don't have to work tomorrow either! WooHoo, now that we are getting ready to move to Italy my work schedule has shortened dramatically. I am so grateful for that. The checks were nice but I was so tired at the end of a day. Working for 5-7 hours (on my feet the whole time) and then coming home to wolf down lunch before teaching the boys. I would literally fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Now, I will actually have more time with the boys and I have missed that. I have hated the time they spent alone. They are old enough but I preferred at least being in the house with them.

I might even have the time to get back into a good exercise routine. That would be nice - I haven't been super fit in a long time. But, in Garmisch, I was getting pretty firm and strong. I wasn't embarrassed to be seen in my tight stretchy work out pants with a shirt tucked in. Now, though, I wear them with a big sweatshirt!

Living in Indiana has definitely been an experience. It is probably not IN but we have not enjoyed living here. The last year has just been so depressing for us. We came back to the US hoping to live closer to family, buy or build our own home, plant a large garden...live a more self-sustaining type of lifestyle. That was our dream. Instead we ended up a 26 hour drive from family in a subdivision that we fondly refer to as the Vinyl Village. We are in the middle of the corn fields right off of the interstate and have to drive to get anywhere to do anything. Much different than living in the Alps where we would strap on the roller blades, jump on a bike or just put on our running shoes and go... Go to the local Eis Cafe (Italian ice cream - can't be beat), walk or ride to the base and go to the library, walk the trails, hike around the Eibsee or the Reisersee, hike the trails between villages, ride our bike to the neighboring village, grab a basket and walk to the german grocery store and more. Now we have to get into the car to do anything - even just to get groceries or go to the library. That has been so disheartening and depressing for us.

We met fabulous people at church and love them. They have definitely been THE bright spot in our time here. Unfortunately, it is not enough. Great to have a church to worship and fellowship with but that doesn't fill the hole in our hearts that was left by living in Germany. We have prayed very hard for the last year and are now blessed with James getting a job offer for Vicenza Italy. We have also been in contact, already, with 3 different couples that are there in Vicenza or a short distance away (28 miles) that are missionaries there associated with our church. So unlike the Alps we will not have to home church - we will have others to worship and fellowship with that are like believers. What a wondeful opportunity for our boys too. They are so new in their faith and we think that this a wonderful way for us all to GROW in our faith and learn how to share it with others.

Speaking of being new in their faith...the boys served communion with James today for the first time. I was so proud to see them up there. Even with their confused and nervous faces. They did a great job! The three of them will be serving communion all month. Another way the boys can learn to serve and be a part of the worship service.

Well, I guess I will close for now. I have given you plenty to read. Mostly today I wanted to give you a bit of a background into our last year. Hopefully, it will give you insight into why we are making some of the decisions the way we are.

God bless you all!

It's me again!

So today was spent trying to take care of James and playing with craft materials.

Yesterday James had 3 teeth extracted, one crown, and one filling. So he has been pretty sore and groggy. His face is swelling a bit but so far he seems okay. I made him mashed potato soup yesterday and red pepper and tomato soup today. He is on soft foods for a couple of days. Poor guy.

The boys have spent the day playing with their DS Lites or favorite computer games. They love to spend Saturday that way. I really don't care for it though. I feel like we are too separated that way. However, when James is feeling bad it is often a good option. Plus, it enables me to play in my craft room which is just a few feet from the computers.

I made several cards today and took some pictures. Tomorrow or Monday, I hope to transfer the pictures from the camera to the computer and then to here.

We are in for some changes soon. Next week we will be attempting to make it to KY to get our visa paperwork started. Silly really. James works in a huge building with about 4500 people. However, most of the people there are with DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting S (not sure what the S stands for)) and James is actually with HRC - Human Resources Command. HRC's travel and passport people are in Kentucky at Ft. Knox. So, in order for us to get the process started we have to go to KY. Fortunately, it is only 3 hours away from here. Still seems silly that the people here can't help us.

We don't know how long it will take to get our Italian visas. But once we do...we will be scheduling a pack-out date and getting our travel arrangements made. Moving to Italy is going to be a bit different than moving to Germany. But it is still a long process with many steps. But those steps will come fast and furious once things get rolling. We are still trying to decide whether to store some items or just sell them. We are entitled to long-term storage but wondering how the washer and dryer will hold up. They are brand new right now but will no longer be under warranty when we return.

On to other things. I hope to be able to keep friends and family updated on our daily lives. So many small things happen in a day that it is easy to forget them and just remember the BIG things. But in the small details there is humor, pain, witticisms and life. Some times I feel I am just existing and not living. I want to live! And I want to share it with you. Plus, it will be a good way to keep up with the many changes of my guys.

Here is a for example...something I may forget if I don't write it down. Caleb's voice is changing. It has been a source of giggling between James and I for weeks now. Just the way he laughs now cracks us up. Caleb rarely answers the phone, Jared usually beats him to it...well, when I called home the other day I literally didn't recognize the voice of the person who answered. I thought perhaps I had the wrong number when it hit me that it was Caleb who answered the phone. Made me laugh when I realized that his voice had changed so much that I didn't recognize him over the phone. Later, I may forget that moment. But, I don't want to. I want to remember the trees and the forest - not one or the other.

If you have held on this long then thank you for reading my ramblings. Just some random thoughts I thought I would record. Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you would like to hear about.

Angy

Getting started...

Okay, so this is a test...

I have really wanted to start a blog. A place to record my musings, interesting and funny things the boys say and do, funny or irritating occurrences in every day life and also things I may be creating in MY SPACE. I hope to post pictures, maybe even tutorials. But mostly I hope to create a place where others can come to see how we are doing. A place to watch my children grow into men, the evolution of our life as I see it.

Welcome and please come back often.