Five on Friday

Life is in overdrive these days. We've just approached the busy season in our military lives, and thinking about it all just makes me want to go take a nap to put off focusing on it. That said, the busy season of moving and starting over is a blessed one, so bring it on. Here are 5 things on Friday. 

1. Very few things make me happier than this furry one. Best girlfriends for life. On the other hand, I think a "Dog Mom" car decal may be a little bit overkill, unless that's your thing. In that case, you wear that sticker proudly!

 

 

2. I went home to my parents' house a few weeks ago and decided to try on my wedding dress for fun. I mean why not, right? I'm chalking the fact that it still fits 3 years later up to a minor life accomplishment. All those cheeseburgers and ice cream cones later, and the dress still fits!

 

 

3. Parker decided to go swimming in the ocean outside of our house yesterday (seriously Navy, you did well with this location), so Jenny kept a watchful eye. She's not a water pup by any definition of the word, but she almost jumped in to save him from what she must have thought was certain death... almost.

4. Date nights with this guy will never go out of style. We are squeezing them in while we still can! Moving and training schools don't exactly scream romantic dinner every night, so we'll take what we can get!

5. I hope whatever you do this weekend makes you as happy as this lovely thing made me earlier in the week. I split it with two guys, and I can safely say I probably ate 70% of it. I wish I were even the least bit sorry about it. Happy Friday, yall!

5 Things I'm Good At

Last week, I shared 5 things I am bad at. I have thought of many more things I could add to that list, but rather continue with a list that will eventually get depressing, I thought I'd go the other way and talk about 5 things I am actually good at. So, here we go.  

 

1. Spelling

I've always been more of the English/Language Arts type. Spelling and grammar are important to me, and I cringe when I see the wrong form of "your/you're or their/there/they're used. Spelling is just something that came naturally to me. One time, in the third grade, I got a 100 on my spelling test which meant I didn't have to take the next one. I was the over achiever that actually wanted to take the test because I knew how to spell the words, so instead I spelled each word for a boy in my class who wasn't the best speller so he could do well on the test. Obviously this was cheating and we were scolded, but I thought I was just doing a nice thing at the time!

2. Talking
I'd like to thank sorority life for this one. I'm fairly social and love to be around people. I think that especially in military life, it's important to be able to carry on a conversation with anyone. We all have to move and start over so often that we are pros at making new friends.

3. Cooking
I mess up my fair share of recipes, but for the most part, I am a pretty good cook. Thankfully Parker isn't a tough critic at all, so cooking for him is fun and stress-free. The matriarchs in my family have always done all of the cooking, and I do 99% of the cooking in our house. It's what works for us, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

4. Dog Ownership
Jenny is my best girl friend, so caring for her is a privilege rather than a chore. Taking her on walks, feeding her, etc. have never been inconveniences to me because I love that pup so much. I'd like to think I'm a good dog owner.

5. Procrastination
Good grief, procrastination should be my middle name. I will get what I need to get accomplished, but I'll wait until the last minute. This is most evident in house chores. If I know someone is coming over in 30 minutes and it will take me 10 minutes to tidy up the house, I will happily watch TV on the couch for 20 minutes and then decide to finally clean. It's kind of a problem, but then again, maybe it isn't.

Well, those are 5 things I consider myself good at! Are you good at any of the same things?

 

Family Weekend on the Home Turf

There are good weekends, and there are great weekends. This weekend was a great one. I mentioned last week that Parker was supposed to receive his wings of gold and officially become a Naval Aviator this past Friday. Dates get changed in the military all the time, and unfortunately that happened for us. My family regrettably cannot make it down for the new winging date, but instead of just cancelling their plans completely, they decided to still come down and spend Memorial Day weekend with us. To say we were thrilled would be an understatement!

We got my sisters, parents, grandparents, and brother in law all weekend. I love these people so much it hurts, and to have everyone together was such a gift. Not to mention, it was on our turf! We got to show off the place we call home and show them what life is like for us in good old Corpus Christi, Tx.

Parker took the men to go see the planes Friday morning and fly in the simulator (minus my dad who didn't get in until later that day) while I stayed back to entertain the ladies. They had the best time. My grandfathers loved it, especially my Grandaddy who flew planes when he was younger. He hadn't flown a plane since 1986, so he was on cloud nine getting to fly the simulator! Parker loved playing tour guide and showing them his passion for what he does. I get to witness this passion on a daily basis since I have a front row seat in the life of Parker, and I loved that my grandfathers got to see it as well.

We hit up one of our all time favorite little restaurants, Snoopy's, for dinner Friday evening. I can't count how many times I have eaten at that place (once a year since I was itty bitty), so being back with everyone was amazing. Not to mention, I got to eat all the shrimp I could handle! Shrimp makes Parker sick, so I don't ever make it. I ate my weight in broiled shrimp that night and loved every minute of it!

We also got to spend a day on the beach, so there's that. It may have been covered in seaweed, but a beach is a beach and I loved it. This is the same beach my family came to every year growing up, so needless to say, this weekend was nostalgia overload being back. The girls got up early to take a 3 mile walk on the beach, and we all met up later for a little ocean time and Scorch. Scorch is a game my family has been playing on the beach since before I was even a thought. It's a cross between tennis and paddle ball, but we all say it's the best way to get your tan! Parker and I ate it up and even got to keep the Scorch paddles for future trips... score!

The hardest part of the weekend was having to say goodbye, hands down. This is goodbye until the holidays for several members of the bunch, but we are so blessed for the time we did get with them. Corpus Christi won't be our home too much longer, but I think this has been our favorite weekend since we moved in.

Coming off of this 4 day weekend, Parker and I are on an emotional high. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. We spent Memorial Day as a little family of 3 enjoying the day and the beautiful country we live in. We hope you all had a very blessed weekend as well!

Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites

I am late to the quinoa party. Really late. I kept hearing about all of the great health benefits and finally bit the bullet and bought my first box of quinoa. I found a recipe for broccoli cheddar quinoa bites and decided to give it a shot. I modified it and created great little protein-packed snacks or a nice side dish for a weeknight meal. This recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 1/2 cups water (vegetable broth or chicken broth works great too)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups broccoli florets, chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, eggs, broccoli, garlic, cheese, and paprika. 

4. Fill muffin cups with quinoa mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. 

5. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and continue cooling before serving. 

Enjoy!

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day friends! I hope you all enjoy a day off of work with the ones you love. I ask you all to say a prayer for those who have served, those who are serving, and their families. All gave some, and some gave all. Please remember the families who have an empty seat at the table tonight. 

 

We are the home of the free because of the brave!

source

Guest Post: Lacie with Rodan + Fields

Today, my sweet friend Lacie is taking over the blog to tell about her wonderful experience with being a Rodan + Fields consultant. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a free sunless tanner!

I’m so excited to be able to share a little bit about my Rodan+Fields business and myself, but first I would like to thank Chelsea for providing this opportunity to share my passion with you!

Okay so a little bit about me – I was a Delta Gamma at Texas A&M, which is how I met Chelsea.  I got my Bachelor’s in Marketing and my Master’s in Sport Management. I currently have a full-time job as a Marketing Coordinator for CES Performance, a sports performance company in Dallas, and a part-time job as an Independent Consultant for Rodan+Fields. And here is where I get to share my excitement about being involved with R+F…

In case you aren’t familiar with R+F, here is a short introduction – Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, same doctors that started Proactiv, launched this anti-aging skincare line that has since grown leaps and bounds. We offer skincare solutions for literally every skin concern (acne, psoriasis, sun damage, aging). You name it; we have a solution.  Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Britney Spears, Leann Rimes and many others have been touting the success of these products lately. Pretty cool to know celebrities who can afford any skincare they want, choose R+F!

There is one product in particular that I want to highlight for everyone since we are approaching summer -- our Essentials Foaming Sunless Tan. Magic in a bottle. This product has been a lifesaver for many others and me! We just got it back in stock after it was sold out for a month due to overwhelming popularity.  Our sunless tanner goes on light and smooth, does not have a strong odor and does not streak! Elizabeth, R+F customer, exclaims, “Like every other Rodan + Fields product, this sunless tanner has renewed my hope and raised my expectations.” Too good to be true?  Read more reviews!

If you are looking to get the best skin of your life, let me help you choose which products will get the job done! I’m personally using the Reverse Regimen and cannot say enough good things about my results thus far after only one month of use! Email me at laciemullin@myrandf.com and I can get you started!

Lastly, here’s the best part about these products -- they allow you be more than just a consumer! Once you’ve fallen in love with this company, like I have, you’ll naturally want to tell all of your friends and family about them, right? Well R+F makes it simple for you to become a consultant and make money by sharing something you’ll already be passionate about!  Think about it this way, you were already going to talk to your friends about these awesome products so why not make some money in the process!?!?

Once you’ve become hooked, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to become an R&F consultant!!!

  

Please check out my websites for more info!

www.laciemullin.myrandf.com <-----for the products

www.laciemullin.myrandf.biz <----- for the business opportunity

Thank you for letting me introduce myself and give some background on an incredible company and thank you, Chelsea, for reviewing some products!

It's Your Winging Day... Psych!

Today was supposed to be one of the biggest days of our lives. It was going to be the culmination of so much hard work, dedication, and passion. Parker was set to receive his wings of gold and officially become a Naval aviator. We have been counting down to this day and looking forward to it for months. Our families were driving/flying in, and it was going to be perfect. 

Unfortunately, Parker wasn't able to complete all of the required flights in order to wing on time, so his winging date is pushed back a couple of weeks. This is just one of those times where we have to roll with the military punches. It's not his fault that he didn't complete the flights on time. It's nobody's fault, really. Bad weather and maintenance issues on planes are factors out of our control, and ultimately, they are to blame for the date getting pushed back. 

We are both bummed, but this is one of those times where you have to shrug your shoulders and let it roll off your chest. No amount of stressing or wishing is going to change it, and it's not the end of the world at all. The date changing at the last minute means my family can't come to the winging now, and that was a tough pill to swallow. Our families' love and support have been pivotal in our journey, and I wanted them to get to be there to see everything come to fruition. We are glad Parker's family can still make it and glad my family is making a separate trip so they can still see us. The winging was going to be the first time our families would have been together since our wedding, but as my mother quickly pointed out "Don't worry, there will be babies!". Way to be glass half full, mother dearest.

We always say that nothing is official in the military until it is actually happening. This sort of thing happens all the time, so it wasn't a complete surprise when the date was changed. You can plan and plan and plan, and then the military will throw you a curveball, giving you no choice but to quickly adjust. There are a few advantages to the winging date getting pushed back, and we are focusing on those. I can't say we are mad about having to spend a few extra weeks in our home state of Texas. I can't say we are mad about that at all. God doesn't make mistakes, and we know there is a reason his date was rolled back. So until that winging actually does happen, we will just be sitting here rolling with those military punches!

Rodan + Fields Sunless Tanner Review and Giveaway

I absolutely love summer and always have. One of my biggest hesitations about moving to Virginia is the long, cold winters they have up there. I'm from Texas, yall, where the sun is in no short supply. I used to lay out in the sun for hours during the summer. I loved the heat, and I loved the golden tone it brought to my skin. 

That said, I kinda wish I could go back and slap my 14 year old self for being so careless in the sun. The summer sun is a beautiful thing, but it's also a dangerous thing. I didn't mind getting sunburned because it would "just turn into a tan a couple of days later". My mother lectured us over and over again about wearing sunscreen, and I didn't listen. Now that I am an adult with a hint of rationality unlike the teenage version of myself, I am hearing her message. Skin cancer runs in my family, and I have a good shot of getting it if I keep up my old habits. 

Gone are the days that I want to lay under the rays for hours on end with SPF 4 on. Let's be real, that doesn't do diddly squat. My health comes first. So, I turned to sunless tanners. I've used quite a few sunless tanners. They all seem to have two things in common. They stink to the high heavens, and they leave your skin looking like a pumpkin. I love the concept of a sunless tanner, but I'm not about the orange thing. If I am going to pay for a sunless tanner, I want it to actually look natural. Enter Rodan + Fields.

Lacie with Rodan + Fields is one of the sweetest girls on the planet. She is my sorority sister from college (my newly engaged sorority sister at that!), and it was so good to connect with her again! She was kind enough to send me a sunless tanner from the Essentials line, and I really cannot say enough positive things about how well it worked. One thing I really liked about this tanner is that it's a foam. It didn't get my hands messy or stick around like lotion does. I applied it, it absorbed, and I went on with my day. Parker thought I was nuts for saying I could see results in the first 10 minutes, but I promise I could! I applied just before bed, and when I woke up, it was evident my legs were a few shades darker. I plan to do a full body application now that I have the hang of it for Parker's winging in a few weeks.

 Check out the before and after, and see for yourself! I apologize for the slightly awkward pictures of my legs. I'm not a leg model over here.

Isn't that amazing?! I think this sunless tanner gives my legs a noticeably darker appearance without being over the top. I want to look natural, and I think this product accomplished that for me. 

This sunless tanner did have an odor to it, but I would say it was less intense than the off the shelf brands I have tried. My tan lasted about 4 days, which is what I expected. Lacie was a pleasure to work with, and I highly recommend her to anyone. Another reason she is amazing? She is giving away a free R+F sunless tanner to one Anchors Aweigh reader!!

You don't want to miss this giveaway, so enter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 Things I'm Bad At

I was inspired by Amanda to write a post about 5 things I'm not so wonderful at. We like to show the bright and sunshiny part of ourselves on the blog, but I think it's important to show the not so glamorous as well. In an effort to make this post as honest as possible, I had Parker contribute the things he deems me to be not so great at. It's quite the self-esteem booster when your husband comes up with said attributes almost immediately. We'll just side-step that fact. He came up with numbers 4 and 5, and I'd be offended if he weren't so spot on. So, here we go.

1. Banana Pudding

I consider myself to be a fairly good cook. I'm comfortable with most methods of cooking and love to mix it up and try new things. That said, I never, ever, ever... ever can get the consistency of banana pudding right. I've gotten it right a total of two times. Actually, maybe only once. The time I got it right for this recipe is the only success I can recall. I have no idea why it's so hard, but it is always too thin and runny for a pudding consistency. I've all but given up. So frustrating.

2. Twitter

I got a Twitter for the blog. I log on once a day to post my blog post of the day then immediately go to a different website. Perhaps it's because I genuinely don't see the point of Twitter, but I am as bad at tweeting and reading the feed as they come. I'm sorry if I follow you on Twitter and never "favorite" or "retweet" your content. It's not you. It's me. 

3. Video Games

I have said this before, but I just do not get video games. At all. I don't have any brothers, so true video gaming was a foreign concept before I got married. I loved playing Mario Kart and Mario Party just as much as the next girl, but I have been hastily informed that those are not real games. Last Saturday, Parker asked if I would play with him. Portal 2 was the game. I half-heartedly agreed because I love to make the guy happy, and he finally let me quit after 30 minutes of running around in a circle asking what to do next. There are a lot of things I am bad at that I wish I were good at. This is not one of them.

Pardon the awesome tan lines. I'll be sharing my remedy for that tomorrow on the blog, so stay tuned. Also, I didn't realize it was that bad until I saw this picture, so there's that.

4. Keeping Up With People

I so wish I were better at this. We have had to say goodbye to a lot of friends. Friends from high school, friends from college, friends from past duty stations... we are well versed in the goodbyes. I miss these people terribly, but I am so bad at keeping up with most of them. I'm not one of those people who picks up the phone to call, but it doesn't mean I am not thinking about them! If only I could telepathically communicate my feelings instead of telephonically. (I understand that I 100% made this term up, but you get it.)

5. Cleaning

As mentioned above, this was one of Parker's additions to the list. Hearing it was like receiving a giant hug, let me tell you. He's right though. He coined a term called "Chelsea Cleaning" shortly after we got married, and it's where I pick something up off of the floor and simply move it to another spot on the floor. I think it's worth noting that there is a difference between dirty and messy. I'm not a super dirty person, but I am a little messy. I'd love to be cleaner, but I don't really see an immediate change in the near future if I'm being completely honest with myself.

So there you have it. Yes, there are way more than 5 things that could have made this list, but any more would have made this post a bit of a downer. What is something you're bad at?

Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole

The minute I saw this recipe, I knew it was going to be a winner. It has everything a grown man is looking for and all the ingredients I love too. Meat? Check. Potatoes? Check. Buffalo sauce? Check. Cheese? Check. It's all of your favorite ingredients rolled into one little casserole dish! Parker loved this, and I mean really loved it. Anything that starts off with "Loaded Potato" has to be amazing, right? It does, and it was. I halved the original recipe since there are just 2 of us and will do that going forward as well. Below are the measurements that I used. I'll be making it again and again!

Ingredients:

1 lb raw boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4-5 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup your favorite buffalo sauce

1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup crumbled bacon

1/2 cup green onion, diced

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (you read that right. 500 degrees) and spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil and buffalo sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. 

3. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the greased baking dish, leaving behind as much of the buffalo sauce/olive oil mixture as possible. 

4. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. 

5. Meanwhile, add cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover buffalo sauce/olive oil mixture and stir to coat. 

6. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. 

7. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw, marinated chicken. 

8. In a bowl, mix together the cheese, bacon, and green onions and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix. 

9. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly. Serve with extra buffalo sauce or ranch dressing if desired.

Enjoy!

 

GoPro Round 2: Kayaking Adventures

The weather has been gorgeous in Texas lately (gotta love the 2 weeks of Spring we get each year before we reach triple digits!), so Parker and I have been making any and every excuse to be outside. Jenny has benefited greatly since 9 times out of 10, the excuse we come up with is taking her on a walk. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful bay in our backyard and go kayaking last week, and it was so much fun! The first time we went kayaking this season, Parker's phone disappeared into the blue abyss (Apparently you shouldn't just leave your phone loosely in your pocket when kayaking in the ocean. Who knew?). Naturally, we he was a little more careful with this trip. We can proudly say no technology went swimming in the ocean this time! That's a red letter day for everyone.

We rented a double kayak instead of two separate ones because, let's be honest, I wanted to enjoy the experience, not keel over due to my lack of arm strength. Double was the way to go! After using the GoPro to capture our road trip adventures turned out to be such a hoot, we decided to employ our little friend out on the water. We got some fun pictures and really enjoyed an afternoon outside taking in the beauty around us. We also managed to snap a few on the phone and not lose said phone in the ocean. Small victories.

 

Planning our route. I just figured we'd head any direction there is water, but thank goodness Parker was into the details.

Put your hands in the air like you just don't care? No idea.

The GoPro captured my less than stellar rowing abilities from Parker's view.

...And then the GoPro caught our jovial back seat rower in action.

This is how you kayak. I wasn't mad about it.

 We loved the hermit crabs on the beach. I feel terrible for said hermit crab, though. How would you like it if a giant Parker finger was headed straight for your shell? Poor little guy.

Walking along the beach is always a favorite, and it was a nice break from the rowing to get out and enjoy the scenery. The water felt great, the sand was covered in beautiful shells, and I can't complain about the company either. If you're anywhere near water this summer, go rent a kayak! It was such a fun way to enjoy this gorgeous weather we have been having, and I even counted it as my work-out for the day. Hello, two for one.