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Military Saves Week 2012
Because financial-smarts is a necessity to the overall well being of a military-family I wanted to be sure you all knew about this … Military Saves Week is Fast Approaching! The official date for Military Saves Week is February 19-26, and more than 120 military installations, financial institutions, and non-profits have already signed up! View the complete liste of participants here. Check with the Family Readiness Center at your command exact dates and news about this important event! Be sure to read through MilitaryAvenue’s Money and The Military Resource Guide as well. We will be posting blogs throughout the week of February 19th to keep us all thinking about our financial health. How about…
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Valentine’s Day Cookies
MMMMM… cookies. Usually I only bake cookies during the Christmas Season. But the urge to bake over took me last week and I suddenly found myself in the Valentines Spirit. Here is a recipe for /delicious/ Pink-frosted Valentines Cookies (or really whatever holiday you want to make them for. Just change the shape of you cookie cutter and the food-dye color and viola you are “in season”.) Perfectly Valentines Cookies Cookie Ingredients1 cup granulated sugar1 cup powdered sugar2 cups vegetable shortening1 large egg, beaten3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (/or/ 4 1/3 cups of Cake Flour if you have it hand) 3/4 teaspoon baking soda3/4 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. Using your…
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The Heritage of a Military Brat
*E*, 9 years old, came home very excited. “MOM! We have a big project at school and it has to be about our heritage, where we come from. I want to do the country of Iceland!” What is interesting is *E* is about 25% Hungarian, 12.5% Norwegian, a splash of Irish, Danish and French and the rest German. Icelandic? There is none in his blood. But it does run in his veins. I lived in the country of Iceland from 10th grade through 12th grade at the now closed Naval Base in Keflavik. My dad flew helicopters out of the 56th Rescue Squadron with the US Air Force. So when I talk about…
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A Time for All Seasons – DoD Blogger Roundtable
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little“Put Me in Coach”! World and national events make this “A Time for All Seasons” and there is a reason that Friday is a favorite weekday of most! But it was with trepidation that MilitaryAvenue dialed into the DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable Friday afternoon to talk with Pentagon Press Secretary George Little and DoD Spokesman U.S. Navy Capt. John Kirby. Why? – you wonder? We were about to discuss the new 2013 budget proposal from the Pentagon. The subject always seems to be one of the tough issues that never please anyone. Which programs are being cut this time, manpower reductions, aircraft and naval vessel numbers slashed,…
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Snowmen Hanging In There
Tuesday has to be the best day, my favorite day; it is Esther and Jacob day. For a few hours I have them in the center of my attention. Their voices, bursting energy, spontaneous laughter and curiosity are with me. This is a recipe for a successful day: mirth.Tissue falling everywhere! We cook, create with playdough, design with pastels and paper and we chatter. Songs that I love to sing fill the car on the way down to the house only to be interupted by counting buses, both school and rapid transport. Seseme Street’s Count vonCount would be oh so proud of my charges. Snipping corners for the perfect look.Each week we…
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Pinterest and the Military Family
Hours … I have lost hours to Pinterest. But maybe lost isn’t the right word because Yes! I have successfully re-created some of the great ideas I have found. Dinner has become more exciting, I’ve discovered the many uses of vinegar, and it has helped me on my quest to keep “2012 the year of Organization.” I also created some resources that you, the military family, might find useful. There is a sea of information out there and this is a great way to keep it organized. Find what you like, pin it to your own board and you’ll have it when you need it (or have time to read it!) Military…
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Tasty Tuesday: Slow Cooking BBQ Chicken
A new baby, a sick family member, a recent (or upcoming) PCS, or ‘just because!’; there are many reasons a gift of dinner is so appropriate and heart-warming. If you are looking for a great dinner to deliver ahead of time this is a great one to try. (Bonus is that you will have two to give and one to keep!) Slow Cooking BBQ Chicken: 3 large unpeeled sweet potatoes4 large green peppers1 large red pepper2 medium onions3 tsps quick cooking tapioca3 – 4 pounds chicken thighs or breasts2 8-ounce cans of diced tomatoes3 tablespoons packed brown sugar3 tsps Worcestershire sauce3 tsps yellow mustard powder3 cloves garlic, minced3 teaspoons salt Chop, dice, cut … into your preferred bite size pieces. Dump everything evenly into three one-gallon…
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Financial Fitness in 2012
Welcome to a new year, military-families! We have so much ahead of us to look forward to: family time to spend, PCSs to plan, houses to buy, vacations to save for, retirements to plan for, new babies for some and others are sending our babies off to college (Yes, I would fall into that category). 2012 is going to be a great year!Did you make any New Years Resolutions, or I would rather call Personal Goals? How is that going? My big one this year is to get my home more organized. You can read more about that journey and steps I am taking on our blog ‘Our Letters to…
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Wordless Wednesday: The Wonderful World of Books
byLeanne KocsisonWednesday, January 18, 2012Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:books,children,Leanne,Wordless Wednesday
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Sarcoma Smarts
Some people know how to put exactly the right words down in writing so that your mind is able to take the jangle out of thoughts, desires, whim and fog. I walk in those feelings often. Dale was diagnosed with a rare cancer which is under the umbrella of Sarcoma. This sounded like some troll out of our long forgotten heritage: a member of our family hidden on our family tree that we didn’t know existed from an odd country. Sarcoma has come to visit and taken up residency in our thoughts and plans and tries to flick it’s ugliness into our faces a bit too often. Sarcoma scares occur: an odd bump, an increasing constant pain, a…
