Fort Living Room

Last Post For a While

2011-12-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

I hope you all stick around and are still following my often incoherent rambling. This will be my last post for a while when/if I come back. My life is just too busy right now with everything going on. Yeah, yeah....I'm making an exit speech even though I hate exit speeches.

I'm sure I will be back eventually. If not, it's not like my internet presence is all that important.

My Secret Santa Gift

2011-12-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

I blogged a few days ago, here, about the Secret Santa gift exchange I participated in this year hosted by Wife of a Sailor. I got my gift today and OH MY GOSH, I'm still on sensory overload. My fantastic and extremely, awesomely, creative Secret Santa, Mrs. Carpe Diem, Crystal sent me a box FULL of wonderful goodies. She paid attention to everything I put on my list of likes and managed to send me something that covered them all AND then some.

My absolute favorite is something that wasn't on my list and I had no idea existed until I opened the box and saw it in there. It's worth mentioning that I laughed really loud, like a lunatic and then tossed it to my husband so he could laugh too. I couldn't have asked for something that fit my personality better. Look at the picture below. Do you know what that is?

If you said gummy lobsters, then you would be correct! How awesome is that? Who even knew such a wonderful creation existed? I feel like my life is more complete now that I know this.

Suffice it to say, she has also supplied me with enough chocolate to handle any craving I might have in the next two months.....or two weeks depending on what my days are like.

With that said: Thank you Crystal for not only your participation and my luck that you got my name but also for your extra thought and creativity in gift giving. My already good day became great when I opened your box a few hours ago.

Now, all the rest of you go check out Crystal's blog.

Ante Up - Bert & Ernie Style - Link Up

2011-12-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

I swear my husband is either brilliant at finding these things or he's edging toward insanity. Possibly both. I'll probably keep him anyway. It's Thursday, which means thanks to the What's Your Song link up hosted by Goodnight Moon, I get to share yet another of my husband's hilarious musical finds with you.

This week, I give you Ante Up by M.O.P.'s - Bert & Ernie Style. As my husband said: "We roll Boogie Woogie Sheep!". I really can't make this stuff up. He's annoyingly amusing. Enjoy.

Ante Up

FRG's

2011-12-06T15:48:00.000-05:00

Some are good and some are bad. I shall name no names but I sent my very first and last email today to the FRG I currently have to deal with. I asked for one small clarification to something that was sent out in their email and rather than just answer me, they went to my husband's command to find out why I didn't already know the information.

Would it have been so hard to just answer my question? Obviously, there are times when I am going to have to rely on them and not him for answers to certain things so doesn't it completely defeat the purpose to go back to him? Don't you think maybe I would have asked him if he was available?

So, thank you FRG for living up the the stereotype and alienating me from this day on.

Election Year(s)

2011-12-06T12:35:00.000-05:00

Preface: I fully appreciate and enjoy that we live in a country where we get to freely elect the officials of our choosing.

HOWEVER, I get sssooo tired of the non-stop campaign commercials. Yeah, I'm whining and all I have to do is change the channel but I still get tired of the commercials and it makes it worse that I know it's still really early so there are many, many, MANY more to come before the actual presidential election next year.

Milspouse Friday Fill-In

2011-12-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

I've missed a few Fridays of this but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things with regular blog posts and my favorite link ups. Friday is the day I get to participate in the Milspouse Friday Fill-In hosted by Wife of a Sailor (who is also hosting the Secret Santa Exchange I just sent my gift for). Head on over and link up with her. All you have to do is fill in the blank.

1. If I could be on any reality TV show, I’d want to be on none of them! I hate reality shows because they are very rarely anything like reality.
2. This past Thanksgiving was the first time my husband and I have lived close enough to actually drive home and see family.
3. I’m looking forward to December because I actually have my very own money this year to buy Christmas presents with and am excited to do so.
4. One thing I’d like to accomplish this month is migrating the rest of the storage tubs that have been living the living room for the past six months since we last moved to one of the closets.
5. To me, winter is much more enjoyable now that we're not in the dreary Pacific Northwest anymore. That area is beautiful but just a little on the depressing side at times.

First of the Year (Equinox) - Link Up

2011-12-01T19:26:00.000-05:00

I missed last Thursday because it was Turkey Day and I wasn't anywhere near a computer, so I'm making up for it in style this week thanks once again to my husband. Where he always manages to find this crazy-awesome stuff I will never know but I was forced to listen to this song and watch the video earlier and I loved it.

Watch it and tell me you aren't just a little jealous that you don't have the powers that little girl has?

First of the Year - Skillrex

Now go on over to Goodnight Moon and link up.

Secret Santa

2011-11-28T17:32:00.000-05:00

Are any of you participating in any Secret Santa or other gift exchanges this year? Well, I am. I jumped all over the chance to be a Secret Santa to someone in the exchange being hosted by Wife of a Sailor.

This is the first year in a long time that I actually have any amount of disposable income to do something fun like this. I purchased and shipped the gift today, so my recipient should be receiving it in 7-10 days. I hope she likes what she's getting. If not, to the recipient (you will know who you are shortly), I'm not at all offended if you return it and get something you do like.

What are some fun things you're doing this season?

Happy Post-Turkey Day Weekend

2011-11-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My husband and I made the six hour pilgrimage home to see our families and it was nice. We even got to see his munchkin, which is a rare treat in and of itself. That alone was worth the trip.

Now that the busy week is coming to an end and things are getting back to normal, I hope to have more time to blog.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake

2011-11-22T19:10:00.000-05:00

Tis the season for baking, so I tried my hand. I give this recipe mixed reviews. I love cheesecake and I love pumpkin pie, so I figured worse case I should like it.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes Recipe

20 gingersnap cookies

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 tablespoon sour cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Whipped cream, if desired

Caramel sauce, if desired

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini cheesecake pan (12 cups) with cooking spray.
2 In food processor, process gingersnap cookies with on/off pulses until finely ground (about 1 cup). Add melted butter; pulse until mixed. Press crumb mixture firmly into each cheesecake cup to form crust. Bake 8 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, sour cream and salt, scraping bowl frequently. Add egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat until well blended.
4 Divide mixture evenly into crust-lined cups.
5 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
6 Serve cheesecakes topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Store in refrigerator.

It sounds yummy right? It is. IF you like pumpkin pie. I tried baking two different batches with basically the same results: it tastes like pumpkin pie. I don't know what I was expecting but I think I had some idea that it would be more like cheescake than it is. Don't get me wrong, since I like pumpkin pie I like this but it's not at all what I thought it would be. So, on a scale of 10, I will have to give this one a 7.

What great dessert do you like to bake?

New Books

2011-11-15T09:35:00.000-05:00

There's very little that excites me more than a good book. I am a self proclaimed reading junkie. Hello, my name is Fort Living Room and I am an addict. Since I finally have a small amount of disposable income I went on an Amazon shopping spree. It does sadden me that when we moved over the summer, we left behind my favorite used book store and I haven't found one to replace it in the new town yet. YET! I will though. I'm sure of it.

I am one of those people who picks up a book and doesn't put it down until I'm finished or have to sleep or go to work but usually until I'm finished. I can spend a whole day just sitting or laying around, lost in a book.

Do you like to read? Do you get lost in a good book?

Locks of Love

2011-11-13T14:52:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most of you have heard of Locks of Love, so you know what it's all about. However, for those of you who haven't, I'll give you a very brief rundown. Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics.

Pretty awesome. I happen to have really healthy, really fast growing hair. I've donated my hair to them several times. Today was another one of those days. I decided now that I have a job and can afford to regularly maintain my wayward locks, it was time for a shearing. So, roughly 14 inches later I have slightly longer than shoulder length hair. It feels great! My waist length or really annoyingly-long-because-I-sat-on-it-all-the-time hair was pretty sure but I'm not sad to be rid of it and I'm certainly not sad to have donated to such a great cause.

Yeah, yeah I know....pics or it didn't happen. You'll just have to take my word for it because I avoid cameras like the plague.

Thank You

2011-11-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all veterans past, present and future. Thank you to all who have served, are serving or will serve. I don't have a gift with words like some and I don't have a beautiful poem to share. I simply have a grateful heart and a sincere appreciation for you all.

Misery - Link Up

2011-11-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

Thursday is the day of one of my favorite link ups. Go check out Goodnight Moon and share your song.

This week, I'm sticking with my general theme of being frustrated. For those of you who are children of the nineties or who appreciate music from that time, you should remember this song or at least the group.

Soul Asylum - Misery

Frustration

2011-11-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

First, let me start off by saying that having a job again is great. I'm so happy to finally be able to pay all the bills and still have disposable income to do fun things or dare I say it, buy things. It's even better that the learning curve wasn't there since I got my old job back.

However, I'm having to re-learn patience. I'm working with an entirely new group of people (figuratively and literally) and I've found that I have very high expectations that are more often than not, not met. I won't say they are unreasonable because I only expect that these co-workers of mine do their respective jobs. Nothing more, nothing less. That seems to be too much some days.

They're all very nice people but I think I got so used to working with a very tenured group who knew everything I knew and often, more that I forget not everyone is on the same pace I am. That's not a brag or boast. I'm well aware that I've got many years of experience on some of these people but they're only doing entry level work. Not one thing they have been asked to do so far is complicated or difficult, yet it's like everything they touch is a first for them.

It's very frustrating. Very, very frustrating to now be in a slightly more elevated position than where I left off and to be delegating priorities for other people but having no power to make them acknowledge the priority level I have assigned.

Does that sound whiney? Probably, but that's the joy of having my own blog. I can whine if I want to.

Sexy and I Know It - Link Up

2011-11-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday so it's time again to link up with Goodnight Moon. This week my song is one my husband has only recently discovered and become slightly obsessed with. He just loves this video. He chuckles the whole time he's watching it. So, this one is for him.

Be sure to head over and link up yourself or just check out the other lovely blogs linked up.

Bad Day

2011-11-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Do you ever just have that day where it seems like nothing goes right? That day where you're pretty sure everyone you talked to was completely inept or straight out stupid? Well, that was my Tuesday. Here's hoping Wednesday is MUCH better.

That's all I can type for now since I'm still too keyed up and will just rant endlessly if I keep going. Sorry for the annoying shortness of this. :-)

With that said, don't forget to hop along by clicking on the picture below.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T09:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!!!

Milspouse Friday Fill-In

2011-10-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Man oh man where has the month gone? I've missed out on several weeks of this link up but I picked a great week to catch up. I love the fill in questions this week.

The best part of October was getting a job .
The worst part of October was traveling all the time for the job, just to come home to my husband being in the field .
For Halloween, I’ll be hiding in my house unless I remember to get candy this weekend .
I hope that in November I'll get to spend time with family.
Wifey has posted MilSpouse Secret Santa. I WILL TOTALLY be participating.

This is Halloween - Link Up

2011-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

I know this has been shared by others and will probably even be shared by someone else in this same link up but I'm posting it anyway. First, I love this movie. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all time favorite movies. How can you not love Jack? So, when I saw the creativeness of this person in California I was delighted.

The first video is the cool house with the awesome Halloween lights. The second video is the actual movie scene. Go link up with Goodnight Moon and enjoy more songs!

Utterly Chaotic Designs: GIVEAWAY!

2011-10-26T23:28:00.000-04:00

Looky what I just found! If you like the look of my blog or if you just want a new look for yours, then don't pass up this chance. Simply Sunshine and Daisies whose blog I just found thanks to Diapers, Dogs, and Deployments is hosting a free design giveaway by Utterly Chaotic Designs.

Brea at Utterly Chaotic Designs just recently put together the awesome new look for my blog. Go check them all out and enter for you chance(s) to win.

Twitch twitch

2011-10-26T16:27:00.000-04:00

I blogged previously about how I lucked out and got my old job back and wonder of all wonders, I managed to get it back with a significant pay raise and I get to work from home. It's been great! I'll even suck it up and deal with the times I have to travel just to get to enjoy only having to walk to the living room from my bedroom to go to work. It's been almost a dream come true.

UNTIL

The last two days of having my husband home. I swear he's more annoying than the dog and acts like he's five half the time. I love him. I really do. I can't begin to imagine being married to anyone else but right now....right this minute, if I could really shoot darts with my eyes, he would look like a pin cushion. All day long it's been blah blah this and wah wah that. He NEVER wants to just talk when I'm not working or when I want to talk. For some reason though, put a work computer in front of me and he might as well be a little kid screaming "I'm bored, play with me, play with me".

Sigh. Ask me again why I don't have or plan to have kids. I have one. He just happens to be a 200lb kid.

Facebook Problems

2011-10-24T17:36:00.000-04:00

Am I the only one who intermittently but with increasing frequency has problems with Facebook? I'm having stupid problems with the page for my blog. It seems I went away on business for a week, came back and now am being punished for my Facebook hiatus or something. It's taking forever to log on to and I can't access any other pages when I'm logged in as my page. It's been a real bummer.

She's Lump - Link Up

2011-10-13T08:30:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday and time again to link up with Goodnight Moon for the What's Your Song Link Up. My song this week is one from my middle school days and not one I had thought about in years until last night. My oaf of a husband was being a moron and kept rolling over on me when we first got in bed, pretending to be more comfortable laying on me. So, I said "get off me you lump". Which, naturally, made him break in to this song. That followed by both of us of making up our own lyrics about: get this lump out of my bed. It was stupid and awesome.

Presidents of The USA - She's Lump

Yes, dear....you can do housework too

2011-10-12T09:11:00.000-04:00

I have a job now. A full time job. Monday through Friday job. I'm working a minimum of 40 hours a week again. However, it's a virtual job. Which means, I work from home. My living room is my office. It's still WORK though. Real work, for a real corporation. My husband hasn't seemed to grasp yet that yes I am at home but no I'm not just sitting around all day. I am WORKING. So far, there still seems to be a disconnect regarding how all the housework is going to go down now that we're both working. So, yes my dear, wonderful, loving husband...YOU CAN DO HOUSEWORK TOO!