Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Military Life

My Marshmallow Fondant Cake

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Marshmallow Fondant Cake

Marshmallow Fondant Cake

For my son’s birthday I had this plan of making a Captain America cake. Then I saw something on Pinterest about making your own marshmallow fondant. I had never made it or even worked with it before but I figured it would be a good chance to see if I would like it.

I decided to just make my cake from a box because it is easier…even though I feel like I am cheating a bit 😉

I was going to go with a white and pink inside. So that is how I did the layers.

Making a cake

 

After the cake was done and cooled I put some homemade icing on it. I got that recipe at Recipe Girl.

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I then needed to make the fondant. I decided to keep it white for the main part of the cake because I had never worked with it before. I went with this marshmallow recipe from How Does She. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. After about 10 minutes I was able to roll it out and then put it over the cake.

marshmallow fondant

 

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I then was going to get started on making it Captain America like but I couldn’t make a star. I have so many cookie cutters and not one star! So after a few failed attempts, Josh brought me an airplane cookie cutter and we decided to change the theme.

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I made a few mistakes and ran out of the blue icing that I made for the trim but I think it was a success. I think my letters are too thick. It’s funny because I got those cookie cutters for our wedding and it was the first time I had ever used them 🙂

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My little boy turned four and we had some yummy cake!  Drew is asking for a Skylanders cake. We will see what I can come up with for his birthday next month 🙂

Have you ever worked with marshmallow fondant before? 

 

 

Pink Buttercream Chocolate Cupcakes

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Pink Buttercream Chocolate Cupcakes

I love to bake. I haven’t done it for a while but I love it. Hate to cook, love to bake. I always have. My Grandma used to make cookies and cakes with me all the time. A few years ago I started to get back into it. I made some homemade cakes and cookies. Then life just got in the way. Last Christmas I finally got a good mixer with a KitchenAid mixer deal. I was using a hand mixer my roommates in college gave me that their parents bought when they first got married in the 70s so it was time for an upgrade.

I am hoping to work on a few things. I would really like to find a good Royal Icing recipe and get better at decorating cookies. I would also like to learn more about making cakes and cupcakes as well as decorating them. I think it is a lot of fun and you can make them however you want to.

So this past week I decided to make some cupcakes for Bunco. I also wanted to make some bigger ones as well. I really wanted to make chocolate ones. I get these ideas in my head and can’t get rid of them. So what does a novice baker do to find a good recipe? Pinterest of course!

So I made these chocolate cupcakes. I think they turned out good but I think if I made them again I would add chocolate chips to them or something. I liked how light they felt. I didn’t feel like I was eating a heavy dessert which was nice.

 

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Now for the frosting. I knew I wanted a buttercream one. I decided pink would be a good choice too. I used the Wilton Icing Colors which are gels because it works better for baking and I have more choice over colors than just your standard food coloring you can get at the grocery store.

I decided to go with this buttercream recipe and ended up using 1/2 butter and 1/2 Crisco because it would be firmer that way. After I was finished and gave it to my taste tester, he said he could taste the Crisco. So I added some milk and some Almond flavoring and it ended up tasting a lot better that way.

I made the frosting and then went to look for my icing tips. I am not sure what happened but I could only find one of them! I had the 104 and it is the petal one. So I couldn’t do what I was planning to do. I decided to look online for some ideas. I played around with it and this is what I got.

 

 

Pink Buttercream Chocolate Cupcakes

 

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I was really happy with everything and my friends seemed to enjoy the cupcakes as well.

Now I need to work on making some blue ones for Josh’s school and then a birthday cake for him.

What do you like to bake?

 

 

*This post contains affiliate links! 

Veterans Day Parade

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On Saturday we took part in the Veterans Day parade in Clarksville, TN with my son’s Cub Scout Pack. It was great to see so many people out and about watching our float go by.

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How did you spend your Veterans Day?

 

Make sure to head on over to Twitter and follow #milbizrox and #theconcertforvalor to hear about the Concert for Valor going on in Washington DC tonight 🙂

Veterans Day With Hair Cuttery And The Share-A-Haircut Program

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Hair Cuttery

 

As a Military spouse I am always excited when I hear about a company or an organization that is giving back to the Military. This Veterans Day Hair Cuttery is giving back to the Military in a special way. What is Hair Cuttery? It is the largest family owned and operated chain of hair salons the country, with nearly 900 company-owned locations on the East Coast, in New England and the Midwest. A full-service, value-priced salon, Hair Cuttery offers a full complement of cuts and styling, coloring, waxing and texturizing services with no appointment necessary, as well as a full line professional hair care products. Hair Cuttery is a division of Ratner Companies, based in Vienna, VA.

So what is it that they are doing?

Well, they have started the Share-A-Haircut program to give back to the Military community.

The Share-a-Haircut program was created by Hair Cuttery to give free haircuts
to underprivileged community members, specifically kids in need as they head
back-to-school. Since then, they’ve expanded the program to touch people of
all ages. In its 15th year, Hair Cuttery is proud to say that the program has
reached more than 1,000,000 children and adults in need through haircut
certificate donations, valued at more than $13.5 million!

How does the Share-A-Haircut program work this Veterans Day?
With every adult haircut purchased on Tuesday, Nov. 11, a free haircut
certificate will be donated back to a veteran in need, right there in communities
local to Hair Cuttery’s almost 900 locations. How cool is that?

How will the Veterans receive their free haircuts?
In each market, Hair Cuttery will partner with local veterans’ organizations reach those in need through the donation of haircut certificates. They are hoping to reach at least 25,000 Veterans this year! How great would that be? A haircut might not seem like a lot but as the spouse of a Military man, I know they can add up.

How do you know if there is a participating salon in your area? Just click here to find out where you can participate in this program.

You can keep up with Hair Cuttery on Facebook and Twitter at @HairCuttery.

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

How to Clean Your House Before a Big Move

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Becoming a military spouse means that you serve your country almost as much as your spouse does. Military families often move once every few years, and some families might find themselves moving as frequently as once a year or once every few months. Whether this is your first move or you move so often that it feels like old hat to you, you can still benefit from advice from other military families. Those families often discuss the importance of cleaning their homes before moving.

Go Through Rooms One at a Time

Military families generally get a few months’ notice before they need to move. While you might feel tempted to instantly jump to work and get your home ready, this can do more harm than good. You might find yourself packing things that you need prior to your move and keeping things that your family no longer uses. Start with the rooms that you use less frequently and slowly work your way up to the other rooms in your home. Working on one room at a time gives you the chance to focus your attention.

Keep Boxes and Bags Handy

When cleaning your home and getting ready for your next move, you need to keep bags and boxes nearby. Use the bags for trash and things you no longer need, including broken toys and stained clothing. Set aside a few boxes for items that you can donate to other military families and local charities, including clothing that it still in good condition and toys that your kids no longer want. The more items that you throw away or give away, the less you will have to pack and unpack later.

Don’t be Sentimental

Leaving your emotions at the door is the best piece of moving advice for military families. While you likely want to keep as much as you can, taking everything from one house to the next puts more strain on your marriage and your relationships with your kids. As much as you want to keep everything in your home, you need to know how to let go. Place possessions you’re unsure of in a box and tuck it away in a closet. If you still want to keep those things after a few weeks, go ahead and pack them. You might find that once those items leave your sight, you realize what is and isn’t important.

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to post it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I  believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Importance of Voting As A Military Spouse

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Voting as a military spouse

My husband and I had a date today. We usually have dates during the day when all the kids are in school so we don’t have to pay for a babysitter.

We decided to go vote! Ben will be starting school next week and the kids have off on election day so we figured that voting early would be a smart thing to do.

We both vote now in TN because that is where we live and we intend to be here for a while. As a Military spouse, I had been voting in KY until I switched it even though I only lived there one year. The local elections meant nothing to me. I wanted to have more of a say over what is happening locally. As a smart friend pointed out, when you have kids in school, it is a good idea to be able to vote in that area.

This November we get to vote for mayor and I am excited about that. I actually have an option about it because I am actually voting where I live. It is nice!

I know this isn’t something all Military members and spouses decide to do. A lot of people have ties back home either to their state or hometown. As much as I love California, I haven’t lived there since 2005 so I really don’t want to be voting there either.10543615_10154705338250705_3169437014414913254_n

After every election, there is always a lot of complaining. Not everyone wins so that is expected. But I wonder, how many of those people voted? How many times do we hear about an issue as a Military spouse and get frustrated over what the people in Washington DC are doing?  And I am not even just talking about the President. I think so many times we focus on who is in that role and forget about congress, even though they have so much power.

This November 4th we will not be voting for a new President but we will be voting on a lot of other things. We will be voting on congregational elections, gubernatorial elections as well as different amendments for different states. Here in Tennessee, we are voting on abortion rights.

This election really matters!  This is not something any of us should be ignoring, Military or Civilian. Voting as a Military Spouse

Yes, the Presidential election is important but everyone should be voting in the non-presidential elections too. Do what you can to get registered and then research the candidates. Find out what is going on where you will be voting and make a decision about it.

I think if more people did that, we would have a better system. If only 50% of the population votes, how do we really have the men and women the people wanted in office? If we as Military spouses want some changes made, one step is voting for the right people to get the job done. We can’t just sit back and let someone else have a say. We have the right to vote, we should be doing it, each and every election.

Even if the person we wanted doesn’t win, we at least did what we could to try to get them into office.

As a Military family, you can vote absentee if you don’t live where you are registered. This is great because you can vote from anywhere, I did it from Germany.

 

Here are some resources that can help:

  • GovTrack– Follow who voted for what and find out who your representatives are.
  • The National Military Family Association- Information on the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act.

 

Are you registered? Do you vote in person or absentee?

 

Saving for Retirement: When Should You Start?

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Television ads assure us that we are never too old to begin saving for retirement. That makes sense; even a little financial padding is better than none. Pundits, however, are now saying the best time to start retirement strategies is when we are between 35 and 50 years old.

The reason is simple: People in that age range have usually paid back student loans and are established in their careers. They are probably making respectable incomes and have more disposable money. They own more assets than they did when they were younger. At the same time, though, they are still young enough to take advantage of compounding benefits.

Of course, people in this age group may have accumulated debt as well. They are dealing with issues like how to finance their children’s education and possibly help elderly parents. In addition, employment retirement plans are moving from benefit-based to employee contribution-based. Social Security is certainly not secure, and it becomes obvious that people are going to have to be responsible for much of their retirement income. If these years are indeed the best years to begin investing for retirement, there are many questions that must be answered. Is it a better choice to help our children pay for their educations or to use the money to fund our own retirements? Should we invest in long-term care insurance for our parents if they cannot afford it?

Another question concerns restructuring debt. Does it make sense to restructure in order to be able to invest? The answer depends upon individual circumstances; restructuring could result in paying more interest. Should you borrow to get the funds to invest? How much money should you be contributing to superannuation as opposed to a separate investment portfolio?

Most people are not financially savvy enough to answer these questions for themselves. Sometimes, considering the financial future, people panic and begin setting aside clumps of money they need in their daily lives. There has to be a balance; individuals should have a plan to systematically put away what they can afford. If you have questions or concerns about your investments or retirement planning, visit your local Nationwide insurance agent. Together, you can map out a plan to make working beyond retirement optional, not mandatory.

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I  believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Difficulties of Solo Parenting

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I have heard it said that Military wives or any wife whose husband has to go away for work should not call themselves a single mom. I agree with this. We are not single moms. We do however go through periods of time as a solo parent. It could be weeks or it could be months or even a year or longer.

Being a solo parent means you are responsible for everything in the house having to do with the kids from day-to-day to the big decisions. This might depend on where your husband might be at the moment and how often he can talk to you.

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It means being mom AND dad for a period of time. It means not as many breaks.

It means doing it all for a temporary amount of time.

People tell us that they don’t know how we do it. How we get through the solo parenting times. How we can fill the role of mom and dad.

It’s not something that I would ever consider easy. It is the hardest part of deployments for me personally. It drains you, it puts you into survival mode. It makes you handle parenting a little differently than you might otherwise handle it.

There is the day-to-day. If you have a baby, everything from the feeding a to the diapers is all you. No one to hold them when you need a 5 min break, no one to change that diaper when you have had enough for the day. It’s hard!

With toddlers and preschoolers you are always moving. You are the one planning their days and figuring out bedtime. You make all the meals and tear your hair out trying to figure out what to feed them sometimes. It’s hard!

When you have school aged kids you are the one doing all the school stuff. You are the one taking them to scouts, soccer and church programs. You are the one telling them it will be okay and that daddy will be home soon. It’s hard!

Parenting is hard for everyone, Military families or civilian ones. 

It’s tough to take care of little kids day in and day out. Adding in solo parenting just makes it even more stressful. Not having that other set of parenting hands can take it toll.

I really think having a good support group and being able to change your perspective a little can really go a long way during these periods of time. Knowing you always have another mom or friend to call and hang with when you need it can be like medicine to the soul.

Realizing that your solo parenting days are limited is also a way to help you get through it. Don’t get me wrong, some days are harder than others. Some days no matter what you tell yourself you are going to feel pretty bad about the situation. However, some days, that simple reminder that there is an end date to the madness can help you at least get through until bedtime.

I always used to tell myself that this just time that separated us from life without my husband and life where I had my husband home.

Just days on a calendar I needed to get through.

If you are in the mist of solo parenting, know that you are not alone. Know that it won’t last forever and know that you can get through it too. It’s a frustrating part of Military life but one you can endure with support from those around you and the knowledge that there is an end date in your future.

How do you handle periods of solo parenting?