Manic Monday and Tidbit Tuesday....on a Thursday

I've been having trouble deciding what things I love the most lately, which is why I haven't written a Manic Monday post in a while.  I have trouble making decisions...go figure.  You may also be wondering what's been going on lately?  Well, maybe not, but here it goes.  Hmmmm, well, I  succumbed to an energy sapping (or is it zapping?) cold, and I had the privilege of going all ninja party planner and housecleaner in prep for hosting book club at my house (which was fabulous...so happy to be part of a book club again).  I actually got to play tennis twice this week because it wasn't raining, and I am happy to report that I am still manic about the sport.  It is such a great workout and so much fun.  It helps that I "play" with some awesome girlies.  Oh, and the A/C went out in my car, so I got that fixed, and all is now right with the world.  I am in the car driving kids all over this island on a daily basis, and we were all quite miserable.  Let's see...oh, Halloween!  The kids had fun trick-or-treating, and I am regretting the amounts of candy I eat everyday.  Same story, different year.  The hubs has been on a few trips and is currently on his way home from Japan, where he experienced a fairly sizable earthquake.  That about sums up the last week or so.  The kids had last Friday off, and they have tomorrow off as well.  I am thankful to not have to hear the beeping of my alarm in the morning.  OK, I am admitting this to the 3 people who may read this....I love the show Ghost Hunters, and I'll leave it at that (it's on right now).  I totally believe in ghosts.  I'm too ashamed to list it in my Manic Monday top 3, though.  Speaking of, here they are:

ROSS

This is not a store I frequent in the US because I prefer TJ Maxx or Marshall's, but I am at this place once a week here on Guam.  I feel like I'm getting a taste of my two favorite stores, and I always seem to find what I'm looking for there....well, me and the 500 Japanese tourists that stop in to shop there on their vacation.  Did I mention that K-Mart is a tourist stop here?  Anyhow, I love that we have this store here.  It makes me giddy.

LA TORTILLA FACTORY TORTILLAS

Being that I was born and raised in South Texas, I am not a stranger to savory homemade tortillas.  I never knew how bad pre-packaged tortillas could be until I moved to Florida.  I have tried to make my own tortillas in the past, but they just didn't turn out right.  Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon the La Tortilla Factory brand tortillas in the deli section at the commissary.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Thank you, Lord for bringing these into my life.  I have been trying to cut back on the carbs for a few months now, and these tortillas fit the bill.  I actually eat the corn tortillas.  The rest of my family eat the flour tortillas weekly on Taco Tuesday.  They are as good as the pre-packaged variety can be, especially the low-carb tortillas.  There are several "flavors" of corn tortillas...one of my faves is the chipotle.  Guammies, find them and try them.  You will not be disappointed.

MY BED

Yeah, this may seem downright silly to most of you, but I am always so freakin' happy to get in my bed each night.  There is nothing special about my mattress.  I don't have a Sleep Number, or whatever those things are called.  In fact, our mattress is almost 10 years old.  What makes my bed so comfy is the super soft sheets and cozy down comforter.  Who needs a down comforter in Guam?  We do, that's who.  We crank that A/C down at night and sleep like babies.  I love my bed, even more so after moving and being without it for months.  In fact, I'm going to get in it right now.  

Manic Monday

Yes, yes, it's been a while.  It's not that I haven't been manic about anything.  I am happy to report that I have been muy busy UNPACKING!  Shut the front door, we received our household goods a little over a week ago, so I have been trying to get this house together.  It's coming along, and I have to say that we even have pictures on the walls.  That's a record for me.  OK, let the mania begin.

MY HOUSE

Alright, I mentioned before that our house is pretty awesome for a base house.  It's new and a good size, and it's in a great location.  The layout of the front room is kind of weird, but I will make it work somehow.  Here's the deal.  I've been with the hubs for the past 17 years, and we've lived in a variety of houses.  Some had no closets, some no dishwashers, a few without garbage disposals, one with a 2 burner stove and miniature kitchen sink, 2 with dorm size refrigerators, a few without garages, one with a rather useless power shower (this equals zero water pressure...dribble, dribble), a few with the washer and dryer in the kitchen, no air conditioning, horrible heating...and the list could go on.  This house is normal.  It has a dishwasher, garbage disposal, laundry room, master bath with a double vanity, great water pressure, lots of closets, ceramic tile, a fabulous AC, ceiling fans, an oven that gives you the option to bake with convection, pullouts in the kitchen cabinets, a double car garage with automatic openers, a screened-in porch (I admit that we don't really use this since we back up to a huge hill.  Some people close these off with the built in typhoon shutters and make it part of their living space), built in typhoon shutters, a built in humidifier, built in generator hook-up (cause the power does go out sometimes, and it would really suck during a major typhoon) and neighbors we love.  The only thing that's lacking is a pantry.  Believe it or not, I've always had a pantry, even in Europe.  Oh, wait, I didn't have one in Rhode Island.  Anyhow, it's not my dream home, but it's better than many of the other houses we've lived in.  I am definitely not complaining. 

This doesn't suck, either.

EBAY

I love ebay.  Mainly, I love shopping on ebay.  I've recently re-discovered this little morsel, and I've been able to purchase a shower curtain that Bed, Bath and Beyond would not ship to me (they don't ship to Guam, yet they don't hesitate to send you coupons in the mail) and a dress for the upcoming Navy Ball.  Yes, the dress is used, but it's in perfect condition and less than half the price of a new gown.  Happy!  I buy my girls used GK leotards for gymnastics on ebay, too.  Not all sellers will ship to Guam, but I have gotten lucky.

New shower curtain for girls' bathroom

TENNIS

Another re-discovery for me...the game of tennis.  I took lessons with two very dear friends about 3-4 years ago in Florida.  I hadn't picked up a racquet since then...until last week.  I signed up for lessons, and I had such a fun time (and a very sore forearm for several days).  It helps that I can laugh at myself with a new and super fabulous girlfriend.  Our next lesson is tomorrow, and this time I won't forget the sunscreen.  Remember how I said you can get sunburned walking to the mailbox here?  Well, try 2.5 hours in the sun on the equator without sunscreen.  You have yourself a rock lobstah, AKA me.

It's just like the Wii, right?

Happy Columbus Day, my friends!  My day is almost over, and I just experienced my very first earthquake!  A magnitude of 4.6, about 38 miles south of us.  We were definitely rockin', for a few seconds at least.

Manic Monday

As I sit here with yet another maintenance man in my house, I have even more time to ponder the things in my life which I am so happy and thankful to have.  Happy Monday, y'all!

THE CROCK POT

The crock pot and I have become good buddies.  It is an absolute Godsend on those crazy days when we have activities until 7:00 PM.  I love that I can just throw all kinds of goodies in it in the morning, and an edible and delicious meal appears in the evening.  It's like magic!  Ta-Da!  Love, love, love it!  And, now we have the Crock Pot Girls on Facebook (or www.crockpotgirls.com), so I am getting all kinds of new and great recipes.  I tried this one (Beef Stroganoff with Cream Cheese) last week.  It is not exactly low fat/low calorie, but I did use reduced-fat cream cheese.  Everyone loved it (and that includes the kids, which is huge).  I even bought myself a new crock pot last week.  I had been using one that Mark bought before he met me, so it was at least 17 years old.  It works fine, and I am keeping it on hand, just in case I need it for a chili cook-off or some other event.

DOWNY WRINKLE RELEASER

This stuff saves my bacon on a daily basis.  If you hate ironing and haven't tried this, I am highly encouraging you to do so.  It may be terrible for the environment or cause animals to have two headed babies, but I don't care.  I am only concerned about my children getting out the door looking only slightly disheveled each morning.  Seriously, though, I do love this stuff.  I often use it as I am taking clothes out of the dryer, especially uniform bottoms.  It keeps me from having to break out the ironing board.  I am a terrible housewife.  

WASABI AND SOY SAUCE ALMONDS

These are my newest go-to snack.  I  ♥ them.  A lot.  Thank you to my good friend, Jody, for introducing them to me.  Tasty and good for you...the perfect treat!  Of course, if you don't like a little zing on the taste buds, then you won't like these.  Give 'em a try and see.  I think I should get paid for this free advertising.

Hafa Adai and Happy Monday!

Manic Monday

Hello, it's Monday again!  I am thankful to be experiencing another one, especially since I woke up to the sun shining.  I had a few experiences last week that influenced my selections for this post, so here are my top three LOVES for the week:

THE LIBRARY

If you don't already know this about me...I really like to read.  It's probably my favorite thing to do.  I began to really utilize the public library last year in Rhode Island.  I used to take my kids to the library in Florida, but instead of looking for the books I wanted to read there, I always thought it was easier to just buy them (and most of the time the books I wanted weren't available when I wanted them).  Our little library in Jamestown was fabulous!  They usually had the books I wanted, and you could check out movies for free!  They usually had new releases, too.  I've started visiting the library on base here, and that little place is a treasure trove.  A few days ago, I found the book I was looking for, which I had almost downloaded to my Kindle, saving myself $15.  I also checked out a few travel books, which will come in handy for planning our first trip off island.  I love it there so much that I asked to volunteer.  I have seriously been considering getting my graduate degree in library science.  Can you tell that I really love the library?

ONLINE SHOPPING

Living overseas makes finding some of the things you are used to buying a teeny bit more difficult.  I had my first "I can't find this" moment a few weeks ago when I couldn't find sun-dried tomatoes and buttermilk at the commissary.  No biggie, really.  I eventually found the buttermilk.  But, I had an even bigger moment last week (and started having flashbacks of living in England) when I couldn't find: 

1)  Any type of shorts/bottoms for the school uniform 

2)  Running shoes I liked in my size 

3)  Silver shoes/strappy sandals, etc. for the Air Force Ball (already had a pair, but was looking for something new)  

So, I ended up ordering shorts, and I'll probably order the running shoes, too.  Let me just say that I LOVE endless.com.  Anyhow, it really isn't too bad.  A lot of people here complain about not having Target, Wal-Mart, etc. Don't get me wrong, I do miss Tarjay, but I am not going to let it ruin my Guamanian experience.  I am going to really date myself here, but about 14 years ago when we were stationed in England, there was no online shopping.  If you wanted to order something, you had to call and order on the phone.  The internet was still a "new" thing, and not many places shipped to APO addresses.  We thought we'd hit the motherload when we visited the BX at Ramstein AB, Germany.  Aaahhh, it was our mecca!  I found when we moved to Germany a few years later that the availability of online shopping was a ton better, and many places had started shipping overseas.  Here, I haven't had much of a problem having stuff shipped to my house (we have a regular physical address, not an APO), and I really cannot complain about it.  There are still a few online stores that need to get with the times, but I have been pleasantly surprised.  Plus, sometimes I can't get out to shop, or I plain ole' don't want to drive around to a million stores looking for one item.  

CLIF KIDZ ORGANIC ZBARS

Yes, my kids think these rock, but that's not why I am am a freak about them.  I think they are pretty darned awesome myself, and my kids get peed-off when they realize that Mommy ate the last one.  They are smaller and lower in fat and calories than a regular Clif Bar, and they make the perfect snack, especially when you're out and about.  Add this to the short list of things I can't find on Guam.  I miss them and love them enough that I will either: 

1)  Order them online (did I mention that I heart online shopping?) or 

2)  Have my Mommy mail me some.  

It's just another Manic Monday, friends!  My Monday is halfway over....I hope your Monday is fabulous, wherever you may be!

Manic Monday

There are so many things I am totally loving right now.  In the day to day grind, I often fail to recognize that there are lots of wonderful things that I enjoy on a regular basis.  It's not that I can't live without these items/people/thoughts.  They just enhance my life and make me happy.  In celebration of my obsessions love affairs, I am going to start each week with a Manic Monday post.  To keep it short and sweet, I'll only list three items.  Hooray for starting off the week on a positive note!  Get ready to be dazzled...HA!

#1:  AVOCADOS

I could seriously eat avocado on just about anything.  Why isn't it a condiment?  That's what it's become to me.  I put it in my egg white omelet for brekkie.  I lather it on my turkey sandwich at lunch, or I may just mix it with a can of tuna and salsa.  Yummo!  I put it in the salad at dinner.  Those are just a few examples of my avocado uses.  If you think you don't like avocado, GIVE IT A CHANCE!  It really is good for you.  Here's some great info on the avocado fruit:

The avocado, popularly called pear, has its roots in Central and South America and Mexico. 

The avocado tree grows generally to twenty meters. The tree can bear hundreds of fruits.

Fruits vary in size and shape, round, oval, pear-shaped and vary in shades of green or purple.

Avocado has a high protein content and is 5 to 25 percent fat.

'Pear season' is normally August to December.

Back in the nineteenth century, avocado was spread on bread in the space of butter; hence it was known as 'Midshipman's Butter' or 'Subaltern's Butter'.

#2  SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Thank you, Lord, for the school uniform.  We are no longer scrounging each morning to find perfect outfits, complete with matching hair accessories, shoes, etc.  Life is made just a tad easier when the only choices are khaki or navy bottoms and a white/navy/black polo shirt.  Here's to making my mornings much less stressful.

#3  SUNNY DAYS

It rains on Guam.  It. Rains. A. Lot.  I don't really mind the rain because it's not freezing cold with pelting ice, but it does make me appreciate the rain-free days when the sun is shining and a cool breeze is blowing.  The kids can play outside, I can go walking or running and the umbrella doesn't have to  make its all-too-regular appearance.  Sunny days make me happy, happy, happy!

Hope your Monday is sunny!