Halloween costumes?

How far back can you remember what you were for Halloween? I sat and thought about that and the farthest I could remember was the first Halloween after high school. Maybe in high school I just didn't dress up and that is why I don't remember who is to say?

2007: football player

2008: flapper girl

2009: vampire

Dustin: Scottish man

2010: ballerina

2011: zombie

Dustin: zombie

2012: toddlers and tiaras

Dustin: Viking 

Kyra: butterfly

Now to decide what we are going to be this year!

Apple butter and pumpkin pancakes

So neither of these were huge undertakings so one shared blog of fall food goodness should subsisse!! The pumpkin pancakes were so easy probably cuz I did them lazy style by just adding pumpkin to the pancake batter only took a couple seconds!!! I was impressed I don't make pancakes after a few morning meltdowns I had given up. But these sounded so good i has to give it a go and they turned out THICK but not burnt so I'm making progress.

And Kyra loved them!

The apple butter,  just grabbed a simple recipe off of Pinterest and dove in. I have never made anything of this sort and although the pictures look like other apple butter pictures it seems odd to me. I guess cuz butter is like thick creamy and this isn't it really should just be simply called what it is, apple jam! Lol either way it tastes good! I refrigerated one and froze two, one I am gonna save for the holidays for Dustin to try!!

Apple butter however is a process to make.

Step 1: peel the apples. Why are peelers made so crappy? They are metal are hard to grip and don't do a good job has to be a simpler idea!! Maybe I just got a cheap one,  but it was all I could find at the px.

Step 2: Slice into quarters. This was like the easiest step for me!

Step 3: Cut out the core. Obviously if you have an apple slicer/ corer you are way ahead of the game and very smart my friend!

Step 4: Cube the rest of the apples, helps it cook faster. Than add 1/4 cup brown sugar, some cinnamon, some all-spice, and about 1/2 cup of water with the apples into the crock pot and let cook on low over night approximately 10 hours.

Step 5: Take a potato masher, and smash it down to mush land!!! Haha I guess you should proceed to cook it for a couple hours longer but I didn't....so mine is a bit more chunky than would be normal so mine is a mix between apple sauce and apple butter!  Also at this step you can stick it in the blender if you would like no chunks at all!!

Step 6: Can it, or in my case Tupperware it!! And store accordingly!! Or just eat it yummy!!

So my verdict on attempting them both for the first time???


AMAZING, MUST HAVE FALL TREATS, they will be made again next year!!

Kyra Bug is 18 Months!!

Nicknames: Kyra Bug, Bug, Bunny, Fluffy Butt, Butterfly, Booger

Clothing Size: 24 months-2T

Personality: You crack me up. You are so funny, you love to say animal noises and you are amazing with all the new words you have been saying!! It may be just cuz I am your momma but I think you are the smartest baby ever!!

Things I Could Do Without:  The new set of temper tantrums. Throwing yourself, screaming, or pretty much just going limp when I am trying to get you to walk holding my hand when I have my arms full. Potty training lol it's stressful and doesn't combine well with trying to keep super busy so time will pass!

Item/Toy We Love The Most: Books! You are always bringing me books to read! Lots of different ones, we try to do 20 mins of reading time each day, help ya learn more words!!

Item/Toy You Love The Most:  Horses All the time everyday. I think the horse population in our house grows daily! Even when we go to other peoples houses you find the horses and carry them around like they are your babies!!

Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Everything about you!! I really enjoy our days now! There is always an adventure to be had. I can't imagine not being around you for a day, you make me a very happy person

Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Playing games, and dancing with mommy!! You also love going on walks and see everything around us. Your such a happy baby and love anytime you have with your friends too!

Workout til your happy!!

So lately I started a new workout routine, and I am getting some awesome results that my friends and family are noticing!! Since so many people have asked how I am doing it and what my trick is. I have previously done an article on my diet Diet Vs. Eating Right.

But now I am dong Blogilates with Cassey Ho. I downloaded her app on to my IPad and for only 99 cents a month I get a new calendar with 2-6 videos to do a day, and somedays even have fun things to do like paint your nails, or water drinking challenges!

Her best quote: "Working out should be fun, it shouldn't feel like a chore or you will always hate it!!"

Plus Cassey is just super amazing. I love the variety of having new combinations of videos each day!! I also love that she has lots of cardio that I can do from home!!  She does have a beginners calendar also for people just starting out!! And her videos will make anyone want to keep going as she has this super outgoing fun personality and encourages you the whole way through. 

I am super impressed with how my body is changing. I HAVE ABS!!  And also my love handles are just melting off its the workouts I have been looking for for a long time. In just one week I have already lost 1.4 lbs and 1.75 inches from my body! Other workouts I have purchased were just to repetitive often with 4-5 different videos that you replay throughout 30-90 days. And to me doing the same thing over and over was bad cuz when a day on the calendar had a video I had done 10 times and hated I would dread that day, and or just make that day my rest day! And the other website I had been attempting to use was great and some day I will end up going back to it, but it was far to advanced for me right now.

I am in no way sponsored by Cassey Ho at Blogilates.com I just really want to give her a shout out for the awesome videos that she puts out almost weekly and how much it is helping my fitness goals!! And I have already got 2-3 people from my Facebook world trying her stuff and loving it!! Feels great to help out people with something at is working!! 

Here are my results so far!! I hope to keep this up during class this fall, and next fitness blog might just be an awesome picture of abs!! Here's for hoping!!

Potty Training Chronicles

Day 1: I went Into this so positive I knew all too well it was gonna take more patience than I can usually muster, but I wanted to make it a good experience for her. After her first nap and her managing to dirty three pull ups in 2 hours I decided we were gonna do the naked method after all cuz I assumed I would be able to watch her and catch her in the process easier without one on. This went well until you turn your head for a millisecond. Potty training the naked method means you can't be on the computer or watching a show you have to literally be watching the toddler non stop. She peed on the floor 3 times and pooped once within a 40 min time frame, I put her on the chair every time and she wouldn't go in the chair!!  I picked up so much pee between her and the dog who can never listen when spoken to. Over all day one was exhausting, gonna need some meditation to refill my patience for day two. Oh yeah gave up on naked method at 1630. And just kept trying to set her on the chair every 20 mins until bath time.

Day 2: I knew I had to start each day fresh, no matter how frustrating the day before was you can never make progress without trying. So I started out excited about potty training again. And you know what we made some progress. However we haven't had any pottys in the chair we are spending more time actually sitting on it. I bought a couple apps that help you track and have video and game rewards for going on the chair. And have decided since I have plenty of stickers and we bought a package more of her choice, that she gets a sticker each time she tries which makes trying less scary. She even follows me to the bathroom for potty time every 20-30 mins. And we sing the potty time song!! It is very frustrating when she goes in her pull-up right before potty time. Still learning. Also gave up on the naked time it was no fun for anyone baby, dog or mommy. So we are doing with pull-up just to get the idea of visiting the potty frequently this week. Next week we are gonna try wearing panties instead so she can tell better when she is going!! We bought a 6 pack so hopefully she makes it to the toilet a couple times so we aren't using them all in one day!!

Day 3: Most of the day went just the same as yesterday, it takes A LOT of patience, you have to realize no matter how many videos you watch or blogs you read your kid is not the same kid as theirs. Each kid learns differently, and frankly if this is your first child your learning right along side them. We still go into the potty every twenty mins but I'm realizing you do end up having to stay longer if you want them to really go specifically the first week or so until they learn how to turn on and off their pee/poo. So with a lot of free time on my hands I took kyra into the bathroom after drinking a juice box about 10 mins later. We sat in the bathroom for like 40 mins before she went, I had her sit on the chair at least 30 mins of that time and than just let her play in the closed off bathroom. Which was when she finally started peeing, she started peeing 3 times standing up and I would quickly move her to the chair. The third time was the charm and she finished peeing in the chair!!! I was so excited for her!!! We jumped around clapped danced hugged and got candy!! She was so excited and the pride was running through her. Now I just hope we can keep this up!!

Day 4: I woke up today in a funk. Just didn't have the energy to even workout kinda funk. So after three days of intense potty training we are gonna just wear pull ups, and try to potty every once in a while but not on strict 20 min intervals. I think we need a break, from baby boot camp. Progress will continue as long as we still do potty time, so a break won't hurt anything.

Day 5:  I feel like all day long we have either been running errands or sleeping, the cold has taken over so not much potty training has been going on today, tho every time I change her pull up, I have her sit on the potty for 5 mins or so just to keep reenforcing the idea!! My sister came up with the good idea of using cloth diapers without inserts as underwear when we are home help absorb some of the mess, and allows her to still feel what happened. We have a busy weekend coming up but plan to continue to do potty time as often as possible.

After a week I have realized that when people say potty training is the hardest thing you will ever do they ain't lying!! Doesn't help that we caught this cold right in the middle of the week. I plan to on the next 3 days we have empty to try again with the baby boot camp version of making her try every 20 mins, and may even go back to naked time!! Consistency and Patience are the essential ingredients to Potty Training. Stay tuned for more adventures with potty training.

A letter to my love

Dear Dustin,

I sit here looking back at our time together, and so many memories come to mind. It is kinda hard to believe that it has been 4 years since we walked nervously into the court room in Hawaii surrounded by friends and held hands in front of them to say our vows and become Mr and Mrs Johannes. Maybe it wasn't this amazing picture perfect Hawaiian wedding, but it was perfect to us! And as much as I love that moment in time it's other small moments that have made our time together so amazing. Some that I often think about are from years before we even started dating, when we were just good friends and hanging out in school. Weirdly enough something that I remember was when one of your guy friends asked me "why don't you and Dustin date?" Lol and my response was " I don't know because....it's Dustin". It was weird for me to imagine it than but clearly people saw how much we were meant to be together. Than your Junior Prom I waited forever hoping you would ask me to be your date, I brought up prom but you didn't seem like you were gonna go. And I was green when you showed up with not one but two girls on your arm.

Most of these people are still in our lives :D

Visiting me in College!

You could never guess by this picture we were just friends!

So cute!

Fast forward to your senior year, you came up in January and visited me in college and yet somehow even tho you were willing to drive 4-5 hours to come see me we were still pretty much on friends terms. Although I later found out that you started liking me than! After that trip we went our separate ways and I only saw you for a couple mins at graduation! It wasn't until after you had gone through basic training and were headed home for Christmas Exodus from AIT that we got in contact again. And we planned for you to come spend the weekend with me in Colorado!! It took just that weekend and we realized the time was finally right and we were ready as adults to start dating, and we have been happy ever since.

Right after we got engaged!!

First actually married pictures!

Well you put me right into the Army life!

Our relationship has had to endure a lot including the first 9 months of it being pretty much separated. We have also done quite a few training trips, and 1 year deployment. We are currently doing 6 months separation and will miss yet another anniversary. But these things do nothing but make us stronger. We may miss holidays and birthdays because of the Army but none if that effects how in love with you I am! And there is nothing that excites me more than sitting and thinking about the fantastic things we have planned for our future.

On your way to the Bus for Deployment!

Welcome home Ceremony!

Ball after Deployment

St Patricks Day durin R&R

Thank you for being such an amazing man, father, and husband! You help me to grow and learn from my past. We go together perfectly and even if we fight we can't help but smile at each other whenever we are near each other. Our fights never last more than a couple hours. You are the cheese to my macaroni, and you are my M&M!!

Maternity Pictures on the Beach

Kyra Lee Our Sweet girl!!

Such a sweet family picture

Trip To Koln

Family Pictures from Kyra's First Birthday!

Happy 4th Anniversary!!! 

Sabrina

River Cruise after a long training!

Our Anniversary last year!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Progress on my Resolutions

Has it really been 9 months already. This year is just flying by or is it me? Haha yes it really is, I mean I am already thinking about resolutions and things I want to do differently next year. Specifically with this blog but it is going to take the rest of the year to make the decision on what to with it.

So last time I checked in on my resolutions things were going pretty well I had adjusted somethings so basically my resolutions were adjusted to:

1.Save money
2. Love my Body
3. Work to be a better person.

So we had gotten back up to 1000 dollars in the savings but with Dustin being stateside, and my emergency trip home we ended up spending some of that and having to get a 3000 dollar loan to get me home. Luckily we are getting paid separation pay, which has helped us pay that loan back so by the end of the month we will be done paying on that, and will be able to start putting that sep pay into savings.
On top of that we have been constantly paying on our other debts (car and student loan) and having talked to our banks are happy to announce by March the car will be paid off!! NO MORE 500 dollars a month payments!! Which also means our insurance should drop that on top of the fact we are both turning 25 next year so that will help too! So although we may not get that much saved this year, we will have a huge chunk of money headed that way by this time next year!!


Love my body. Well leave to states kind of did a number on this area, there is so much yummy food to eat. And its hard to get a workout in when you are trying to keep on the go and visiting. But I came back to Germany with the motivation to do something about it. I was going to do the 30 day shred with my mom, but she is working a lot and had trouble finding time to do it, and the workout is too repetitive for me I like doing new things everyday.
So I went back to watching and browsing Blogilaties videos and doing them. Than I came across her recent video talking about an app. I had to check it out and its amazing I pay 99 cents a month for a full workout plan!! Plus recipes, and an area to chat with fellow Blogilaties doers. I love doing pilates and that makes me love working out which allows me to work on my body and love all the things it can do!!

So I have been a lot more positive in most manners. Of course the Army itself gets to see my bad side because they know how to push my buttons. But I think a trip home with a little help from family was just what I needed. Plus I have started to surround myself only with people who are positive and just want to enjoy life. Amazing what a differince that makes, you hear it all the time but you never really know until you try.
Also going back to school next month again!! I love school and I am so proud of myself for getting a 4.0 last semester, and making the Deans List that was all the encouragement I needed!

So this is gonna be my last check in until the end of the year/new resolutions blog in December! See ya around the blog and keep an eye out for some awesome changes in the future.

Apple Pumpkin Crisp!!

I was out walking my dog this evening and boy oh boy has it gotten chilly out there already. Granted I was only wearing jeans, flip flops, and a hoodie, so that could have calculated for some of it. When I packed away my summer clothes my flip flops probably should have went with them and probably will join them sometime tonight before bed.

With all that being said the heaters are turned on low, and the best way to warm a house is to bake!! And well we have tons of apples and I prepared for the season sell out of pumpkin pie filling weeks ago. So when I came across a recipe that used both I was SOLD!! Plus it kinda crosses two things on my list off at once pumpkin pie and apple crisp. But since it is more of a crisp I am going to just cross of apple crisp for this one!

Here is a quick List of what you need:

Ingredients

• 2 cups APPLES, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup FLOUR
• 3/4 cup BROWN SUGAR
• 1/4 cup BUTTER, softened
• 3/4 teaspoon PUMPKIN PIE SPICE, divided
• 1 cup PUMPKIN PUREE
• 1/3 cup WHITE SUGAR
• 1/4 cup MILK
• 2 Tablespoons FLOUR
• 1 EGG

And the Directions are so easy you could do it in your sleep!! Okay maybe not!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place apples in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Microwave 2 1/2 – 4 minutes, until apples are crisp tender.

In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, butter and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Stir together until crumbly, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, milk, 2 Tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and egg. Pour over apples in pie plate. Sprinkle crisp topping mixture over pumpkin layer.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let cool 30 minutes, serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

As I write this blog I am in the 30 mins cool stage which is TORTURE because it smells so amazing! The cooking 30 mins was nothing because I was working out so I could consume the calories this thing probably has in it!

Would look prettier in a pie pan as it was supposed to but I don't own one!

Wouldn't this be super yummy with ice cream on it?

Here are the yummy results...As I eat it I am wishing I had some Vanilla Ice Cream or Frozen Whipped Cream!!  Can't wait to feed Kyra some tomorrow I can bet she is gonna love it! I even resisted eating more than one even tho my taste buds were screaming at me!

Potty Training Round 1

So I made a promise to myself that when we finished the last case of diapers we were going to start potty training. I bought pull-ups instead of more diapers. I know she may seem a little young but my idea is to do it just for a pack of pull-ups and than if we aren't making progress we will buy another case of diapers and wait a month before we try again!! I just think getting the idea and concept in her mind young is a good idea! But I also know she won't ever do it consistently until she is ready to.

But to make it more fun I set up her potty chair next to a stool with all the pull-up choices and let her pick which one to wear. And I made a sticker chart to show our goals and what she will get when she goes so many times! And than for the first 3 days I am going to put her on the chair every 20 mins so she knows she has to keep going in and trying! I was gonna do the naked method, but decided for now doing it every 20 mins with the pull up on was good enough. Maybe round two we will try just being naked.

Keep your fingers crossed that things go well and I will be back to keep you updated on how our progress comes in the next week or so!