ten days of nothin'

it's been awhile

almost ten days!

since i've last blogged

and 

frankly tonight

as i sit and stare at my computer

i still don't know what to blog about

in the last ten days

i've accepted a position

that frankly i am not thrilled about

but it's an in

i've worked out 

alot

they say initiation to italy is a "pasta five" 

and i've proudly been initiated to italy

and i've slept

not alot but some

*

so this positon

is an education aid

for the base school

and my first two days 

i left in tears

i have a degree

two in fact

i am a professional 

and 

i do not respect people who don't treat me as one

but i was hired

for a "paraprofessional"

position

which means

"treat me like crap please"

but 

it's a gs position

an "in" to the system

so i grin and bear it for 35 more school days

and realize it's not about me

but about this special student

who needs me

*

working out 

alot

has shed three of the pasta five

but

i can not lie

i enjoy the food to much to worry about the other two

in fact

i might be tempted to put on the other three

the food here is really good

like really really good

*

my sleep pattern

is changing

kenneth's schedule is changing

mission first

and

benadryl second

benadryl=my friend

my way of sleeping

while he tries to be nocturnal

*

so that is my last ten days

nothing exciting

i told a dear friend of mine 

the honeymoon has ended

we realized 

yes it's italy 

but our american chores

followed us

and 

so we have to be 

responsible adults

darn it

happy wednesday ya'll

now back to my boring italian life

 did i mention i was going to croatia in two weeks

:D

how to build a bunny

 {well he did}

and 

i accepted the challenge

so today was the day

can i make a cake look like a bunny

honestly

kenneth was so excited 

he put most of the cake together

i just took pictures

first

a bunny needs a stage

a platform

something to sit on

take a box

and foil it

like so

next cut the round cake you made

in half

then you ice it

and smash it together

then stand it up

cut a "v" out for a tail

also a holder for the ears

and then ice

like crazy

do you see the bunny?

a bunny has to have eyes and a nose

use the jellybeans or chocolate eggs 

and now your bunny can see and smell

coat in coconut

a bunny also has to have ears

use construction paper 

i sketched two ears

then cut away

place your ears

 a bunny loves to sit in the grass
it's a favorite past time of his

so take a bag of coconut

and green icing

combine in a bag

and shake

add the grass

and the eggs

jellybeans or chocolate eggs your choice

we did both

scatter the eggs

and alas 

you have a bunny

and i have a very happy husband

happy easter everyone!

oh no he didn't!

it's coming up easter

and

the kennels are having an easter celebration

in which we are to bring food

so kenneth thought it would be a great time 

for me to attempt

this

why?

because his mother always did

i pondered it

and 

thought sure why not

so when i came home with this

and was super excited to attempt 

to recreate

kenneth's childhood dessert

i was met with

"my mom always made it from scratch"

excuse me?

i responded with

"yea, i bet... she probably made the box and then just told you it was scratch"

he promptly said

"no, i grated the carrots"

well ain't that grand......

at this point my blood was starting to boil

how can i recreate this childhood dessert

and not make it from scratch

it was like

kenneth was challenging me....

so 

i accepted

foolishly and with much pride

never had made a carrot cake

from a box

or from scratch

i found my recipe 

here

{tasty kitchen's: best carrot cake of all time}

with a title like that how can i not win?

so let the challenge begin!

first you mix 

the flour

the salt

and the cinnamon

in a separate bowl

mix the eggs

sugar

vegetable oil

buttermilk 

and vanilla

then mix the two

now 

for the fun part

grating the carrots

remember this was kenneth's 

"job"

as a kid

i decided to conquer the carrots

by myself 

after ten minutes

and all i had was this

and a battle wound

which i quickly bandaged

kenneth discovered my secret

and decided to help

i was trying to keep it a surprise

but kenneth found me

wounded

and desperate

he took right to the carrots

and it multiplied like rabbits

he did it so much better than i could

so you have your two cups of carrots

then add the carrots

the pecans

and

the coconut

to the mixture

this recipe calls for pineapples

kenneth was firm

no pineapples

pour the mixture into your pie pan

this recipe makes two carrot cakes!

and stick it in the oven

at 350 degrees fahrenheit

for 20-30 minutes

while its baking

start your icing

i didn't use this recipe's icing

i used 

{pioneer's woman vanilla cream cheese icing}

which consists

sugar

cream cheese 

and 

vanilla

mix it 

then beat till smooth

 

and yes 

i make a mess with powdered sugar

yum....

by now 

your cake should be done

pull it out of the oven

and inhale the scrumptious smell!

and 

then you let it cool

remember how i said 

this recipe makes 

two recipes

well we tested one carrot cake

and

kenneth's response

"good job babe, this is really good"

and that my friends is sorta of a victory

tomorrow 

i will assemble the bunny....

this will be the true test

can i recreate his childhood memory?

ray of sunshine

someone once described me as 

"a ray of effin' sunshine"

and i responded

"well thank you"

obviously i do not think this person 

was being sincere

but 

it opened my eyes

do people think i'm this peachy person

that nothing bad happens to them

then 

i have fooled everyone

here's the honest truth:

i cry

 i get angry

i drop expletives here and there

i pout

especially when things don't go my way

i do try to see the good in every situation

but sometimes

i throw pity parties

so 

please do not mistaken me for the white picket fence person

it's not that easy

and 

yes sometimes i fake it

till i make it

just keep swimming...

but 

i am very content in my life

in who i am

and how i got to be who i am

i have no regrets

i believe everything happens for a reason

and it isn't my job to understand that reason

a good friend once told me 

"speak it and it will be true"

it's a simple saying 

but it's helped me in 

turning my view to a positive view

speak positive

life will be positive

speak negative

and you will be miserable

and there is no fun in that

so today

be a ray of sunshine

just try it

fake it

no one will know the difference

foods of aviano...part quattro

it has been awhile

since i've posted 

about the 

{foods of aviano}

but 

trust me

i'm still eating

and 

enjoying the wonderful food here!

because i know the breakfast of champions

is tiramisu

or cupcakes 

i decided to start your day off right 

with a pictorial menu

of your breakfast choices

should you decide to come and visit

without fail

tiramisu

but for those who desire

more omega-3's

fish

did you notice the fish eating the rubber fish

italians do have a sense of humor!

of course 

any american would love

pizza 

for breakfast

the tomatoes make it a healthy choice!

how about

a pisatacchio cookie?

and for your last choice

and my favorite!

cupcakes!!!

these were made by me!

and they are delicious!!

you too can make them 

just follow this 

{reciepe}

they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day

and

i've given you plenty of options

so

eat

drink 

coffee preferably in the morning

but the italians have wine at nine am so why can't you?

be merry

and have a beautiful day!!

leaving a piece of us in italy

my husband is a sentimental guy

or he just knows what to say to get what he wants

and

while at the 

{sacile spring festival}

he wanted a tree

or a bush

or a plant

just something

i hesitated for many reasons

one

i have a black thumb

i pretend to have a green thumb

but honestly

it's black

two

i had no clue about the soil here

i didn't want to plant something

and two days later

it's dead

refer to reason number one

and lastly

we are only here four years

why put money into something we can't take with us

let me say this

we landscaped our home back in oklahoma less than a year ago

and now we can't enjoy it

yes, i'm bitter

so 

for all the reasons listed

i was set on 

"No"

nothing goes in the ground,

potted plants ok, 

they are cheaper 

and easier to keep alive.

but then

he says,

"babe, but what if i want to leave a little bit of us in italy"

oh geeze! the corny lines that make me say

"ok dear, whatever you want"

and now we have this lovely bush

and because when we got home

i realized what i got sucker into

i told him

"i'm not planting it today"

he's still considered "post-op status"

and really shouldn't be digging a hole

he kindly responded,

"no, hurry. 

besides

i don't think we have a shovel."

some things you choose not to move

and a shovel was one of the things

we choose not to move

but alas

he had his mind set on 

planting that darn bush

and 

by george

we did have a shovel

so he went to work

he chose this location because

the dogs tend to run

and wear down the grass

his hopes

is the bush will stop them

and he dug some more

admiral even helped him a little

digging dirt in italy

is hard work

look at the dedication

while digging this hole

we found rocks

lots and lots of rocks

which makes 

digging 

a little more difficult

but

in the end

the bush got planted

please ignore the fact the yard isn't mowed

i'm secretly waiting for kenneth to be no longer post op status 

so he can mow it! 

and 

we will leave a little part of us 

in italia.