Baking

I like to try out new recipes. Sometimes it works out....sometimes we have to throw in a frozen pizza. I usually have better luck with baking (usually...). Don't have much else going on over here, so figured I'd share some of the things I've tried lately. Let me know if you want any recipes!

Salted Golden Caramel Bars---Like rice krispy bars with a slight twist

Shoo-fly Pie- Pretty rich and sugary for some tastes but has an awesome flaky crust

Chocolate Swirl Delight- has chocolate fudge pudding in the middle

Bavarian Pretzels- soft and delicious...a hit at my house!

Happy Veteran's Day

Ted's soldiers made him this gift and presented it to him while they were out to lunch a while back. I respect him so much for being the kind of man that makes his men want to honor him in this way. The flag inside the frame is the one they flew in Iraq. It is a beautiful keepsake, and one that he should be proud of. I am!

Edelweiss

Well, my sister said, "I check your blog all the time and there's never anything there!"
So I guess I'll put something here.

This weekend we had the opportunity to go on a marriage retreat in Garmisch, Germany. It is down by the Austrian border, and there is an Army resort called Edelweiss. We left on Friday morning, got there shortly after lunch, and had the rest of the afternoon to explore the area.

Our room was very nice, with a lovely mountain view

Lake Badsee, which was very clear and beautiful

The water was like glass!

My favorite pic this weekend- at Lake Eibsee, beneath the Zugspitze

Scenic Panorama at Lake Eibsee

Friday night we had sessions with the chaplain, and then, because of a snafu with childcare, we had the rest of the weekend off (nobody was going to complain about that!). Saturday morning we got up and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then we drove out to the Zugspitze, which is the tallest mountain in Germany. We definitely want to go back there to ski this winter.

View from the Zugspitze



:0) It was a long train ride down the inside of the mountain

After a wonderful lunch on an outdoor terrace, we parked at the bottom of the Olympia skistadion and walked to a scenic gorge. It was pretty, but maybe more of a walk than we had bargained for. That evening we made reservations to eat at the restaurant at the hotel, so we headed back to the room to clean up and rest for a bit before dinner. After supper we enjoyed the hot tub for a while and then called it a night.



Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast before heading out on the road. It takes about three hours to get home, and traffic was relatively light on the autobahn. It is raining now, but we could not have asked for better weather this weekend, especially since it is already November. It was nice to get out of town for the weekend and see some new things!

Welcome Home

Ted and his platoon made it back to Grafenwoehr around 0130 this morning. All the wives and the rest of the company were so glad to see them back! I'm a little tired today, considering we didn't the bags upstairs until about 3am, but he's going strong, like the energizer bunny. I'm sure it's good to be around all his things, and it's definitely good to have him back in the house! Here's a few pictures from the Homecoming Ceremony last night:


The Countdown clock: Ten seconds until they start marching in the door!

My man in front of his platoon (and there's me, front and center, ready to pounce on him).

Celeb Fridge

Every month in Every Day with Rachael Ray, the very last page of the magazine has an article called "Celeb Fridge." It's probably my favorite part of the whole magazine. I can't explain it. I stare intently at the picture trying to decipher how much of that crap they did just for the picture. Nobody really keeps decorative bowls of uncovered food in their fridge...do they? Anyway, I decided to do my own Celeb Fridge, just for you.
Note: Do not enlarge the picture. If it's dirty in there, I don't want you to know about it.

Hey, Ashley! Your fridge looks way too neat. Did you arrange it perfectly just for your readers?

Yes. It was tough. Everything is in alphabetical order by food group.
Just kidding.

What's your favorite thing in the fridge right now?

Honey roasted turkey and string cheese!

What's that in the bottom left drawer?

I have no idea. I think that's where I used to keep taco stuff. It's a safe bet that the drawer hasn't been opened since January. Thanks for asking.

Don't you ever cook?

No.

Why didn't we get to look in your freezer?

We all know what hot pockets look like.

What does anyone do with one slice of Kraft American Cheese?

Nothing. That's why it's still in there.

Are there any go-to ingredients you always keep around?

Yes- milk, eggs, butter, BBQ sauce, and cold water. Those are the only things guaranteed to be in my fridge at any given moment.

Is there anything else you'd like to say about your fridge?

Someday I will have one with an automatic ice maker. Until then...no ice for me. Or any of you that visit. I don't believe in ice cube trays. And Germans don't believe in icy drinks. All's well that ends well.

This concludes this month's edition of Celeb Fridge. Questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions may be submitted to the author.

And don't worry. I won't do this every month.

Not Me! Mondays....

Several ladies out there in the blogosphere have been doing Not Me! Mondays (started by MckMama...http://mycharmingkids.net/). The point is to share silly or embarrassing things you've done recently but add "Not Me" in the sentence. For example: "This past week I did not run smack into the automatic door because I was walking way faster than it was opening...." I find reading them quite hilarious. Some of them, anyway.

I don't have anything much to write about, so I thought I would participate. It being Monday, and all. Here goes:

Earlier today, I most certainly did not march myself straight to the Nah and Gut to buy three bags of.....

Oh forget it. Who wrote a blog today?

Not me.

My favorite part of running....

I recently read an article about a beginning runner who, after fifteen months of running, had a break-through. Suddenly he was running and it didn't even FEEL like he was running....gone was the shortness of breath, the pain in the calves, the being-chased-by-a-bear heavy breathing....he had found a rhythm....and actually, finally, enjoyed running.

Even though I've been forced to run for over five years now, I still consider myself a beginner. I very rarely find myself enjoying my runs. I try desperately to think of other things besides the sweat in my eyes, the people at the beer garden on a Friday night who are laughing at the loser running by, the shoe that's not tied quite tight enough for my liking but if I stop to fix it I will walk the whole rest of the way so I can't, the Rolaids I would've paid one hundred dollars for if someone had offered them from a street corner as I passed....you get the idea.

So tonight I found myself in a position of absolutely, positively needing to run. I'll spare you the gory details, but it involved watermelon and gummy bears.....lots of it. My intentions with the watermelon were good- I read a recipe for a watermelon feta salad....but somehow the feta and salad part got tossed aside in the heat of the moment and were replaced by....gummy bears. 2-3 hours later, when I finally managed to get myself in a standing position with shoes on, I decided to ponder on what my favorite part of running might be.

I jogged down the street, happy to have something to think (and later blog?) about.

My iPod blared out "Open Arms" by Journey. Next. "Baby Blue" by George Strait. Next. "If You're Reading This by Tim McGraw. NEXT. Sunday Morning Coming Down, by Johnny Cash. What the.... That'll teach my to head out without a playlist. While I will not run without it, music is not my favorite part about running.

I came to a downhill slope....and for a brief second I almost smiled....DOWNHILL! This could be a favorite! Only then my knee started to hurt and I started to run bowlegged. Scratch that idea.

I've heard women talk about how cute clothes motivate them to go to the gym. So I tested that theory for a few steps in front of a storefront window. I tell you what, running can make the cutest clothes look awful. Something is always riding up, or lifting up, or rubbing wrong... Nope, clothes are not my favorite part of running. In fact, if one little thing feels remotely off I will immediately stop running and walk all the way home. Yeah, I am that dedicated.

What else is there? There's sweating.. Sunburn. Spit (or is that just me?). Sore legs. Side stitches. Shakes, rattles, and rolls. Talking myself through it. Out loud. Breathing. Not breathing and wondering if I'm doing my body more harm than good with this whole running thing.

I kept thinking about what I might like about running all the way home (trust me, I had plenty of time). When I finally got there, I found it:


My favorite part of running: Lying down in front of the fan and knowing I did it. I'm done. At least until tomorrow.