Fill In the Blank Friday

{Courtesy of Little Moments}

1. My Thanksgiving plans this year will include Jesse, my parents, bro, Jesse's mom, two dogs, turkey, stuffing, cranberries, broccolini, pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, and whatever else I can't think of.

2. My favorite Thanksgiving was probably the Thanksgiving after I met my husband.  We didn't spend it together, but still talked that day.  We had a great time and it was super laid back.

3. My signature Thanksgiving dish is.. I usually like this 'Watergate Salad,' but this year we're not doing it.  I can't live without turkey or ham, mashed potatoes...And dessert :)

4. My favorite Thanksgiving food is See above :)

5. Thanksgiving free association! Turkey.

6. Thanksgiving is a nice, relaxed day filled with food & family.

7. I am thankful for  My husband being home this Thanksgiving.  Also my family, pets, and all of my amazing friends that have gotten me through the past couple of years.

I hope you all have a great holiday!

♥

Wine Wednesday

In celebration of last week's

Wine Tasting Day

that Jesse & I did, I felt like Wine Wednesday this week should be good.

And, with the holidays coming up, this is what I am going to purchase for Thanksgiving this year:

Domaine Ste Michelle

Brut Sparkling Wine

If you are curious what a sparkling wine is,

it is like a champagne but without the grapes from France.

You cannot have a champagne from the US unless its grape certified to be sold as a champagne.

I've heard there is one place in the US that is able to do this, which is in

California.

There are several different kinds of sparkling wine from Domaine Ste Michelle:

Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Noirs, Brut, Extra Dry, & Luxe.

Here is a description of each so that you can find the one that you like:

{courtesy of Domaine Ste Michelle}

Blanc de Blanc

Style – Dry to medium dry
Aromas – Pear & pineapple
Flavors – Crisp green apple and a toast coconut finish
Pair with – Brie, chocolate desserts or creamy dishes

Blanc de Noirs

Style -- Medium Dry

Aromas -- Spicy ripe raspberry and strawberry

Flavors -- Delicate raspberry and fresh strawberry

Pair with -- Fresh berries & melons, Asian-inspired cuisine

Brut

Style -- Not too dry or sweet

Aromas -- Apple and citrus

Flavors -- Citrus with a light toasty finish

Pair with -- Spicy fries, artichoke or cheese dips, calamari and salty snacks

Extra Dry

Style -- Slightly Sweet

Aromas -- Rich, sweet, creamy

Flavors -- Deep apple with a lingering toasty finish

Pair with -- Sushi, Pan-Asian cuisine, Mexican food, or anything spicy

Luxe

Named for the international unit of illumination, Luxe is the product of diligence, finesse, discipline, patience and extraordinary raw materials.  Blended for complexity, flavor, and balance, it is a classic Blanc de Blancs vintage sparkling wine crafted in teh time honored methode champenoise tradition.  After primary fermentation in oak barrels, and 9-10 months of sur lie aging (aging on residual yeast), only the best lots of this first-press wine are used to blend the base wine.  Sur lie aging the bottled wine for 5 years gives it a lovely complexity.

Happy Wining!

♥

467,499

467,499 pounds of turkey that was delivered to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan along with:
61,813 pounds of stuffing mix,

13,231 cans of sweet potatoes,
107,832 pounds of corn and green beans,
8,952 cans of cranberry sauce, and
51,652 pies

Just in case you wanted a glimpse in the life of our men and women overseas this Thanksgiving!

First of all I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't believe I mentioned a couple of things that I did yesterday, so I'll go over those.  Work wasn't slow, but people aren't buying a ton right now.  I have a feeling when all the SBCT's (Stryker Brigade Combat Teams) come back from their units in Iraq and Afghanistan business will be booming...  Two-thirds of Fort Lewis soldiers are currently deployed.  I'm absolutely positive things will pick up a ton this weekend, thank GOD I'm not working!  I did make some sales the other day - more than I probably should've.  But either way I'll get a little extra cash for Christmas.

Jesse had called me on the way home, and I was bombarded by my brother when I walked through the door.  I got to talk to Jesse for a little while, which was longer than normal.  I know I already mentioned what was new with him in the last blog, so I won't keep you reading about that!

After I talked to Jesse we went out to get some pizza and some things to make cider for my brother.  We finally convinced him to jump on the crock pot bandwagon, and he was itching to make this cider.  So, we picked up supplies for him while we were out too.  I could tell that Fred Meyer had already started gearing up for Black Friday, one place I am going to try and hit up tomorrow.  We headed home, ate pizza, and watched the Biggest Loser special.  I stayed up way too late, which I decided I need to get under control.  With my future work schedule I'm going to need all the extra sleep I can get!

Today I got up and gave Stryker his meds.  He seemed to be doing okay -- not as well as I would've liked.  Mom and I went out to our house on post to check out some paint stuff, which took a bit longer than we would've liked.  We had to stop at the store, made a pit stop at Starbucks (I had to get Jesse a travel mug), and came home.  By then my dad and brother had already gone to Paul and Jeanne's (where we were doing Thanksgiving dinner).  I almost had a panic attack when I saw Stryker's nose.  Dad had taken him out for a walk with the other dogs and his nose was huge.  It is getting worse, and I'm trying my hardest not to go into a panic.  Why does it always get worse at the worst times?  So, his new bed is taken away, no more rough housing at the park, we're going to be vigilent with his meds, we're going to be getting a "collar of shame" (for those of you who have seen the movie Up), and I'm calling the vet tomorrow.  I'm doing hot compresses on his nose off and on (recommended by the veterinarian), which doesn't seem to be doing anything.  He's also bleeding more from the abscess.  Ugh!

So we went to Paul and Jeanne's, they had already started dinner (thanks to my father who didn't tell us they were going to start eating).  They had a lot of food, which was good, and we did get some to eat.  I would like a pumpkin or pecan pie here at home; I think mom is going to pick one up at a later time.  I thought I might hear from Jesse, but I know he had a lot to do today (it is Black Friday there already).  I stayed for a little while but was getting so worried about Stryker that I wanted to come home.  Since I drove, Taylor and I headed home.  They were just watching a ton of football anyway.

I am slacking on my Christmas cards.  I have considered not sending a Christmas letter this year, I don't like the fact Jesse isn't here to help proofread everything.  Not that I can't write a letter, but sometimes I don't get the acronyms right.  We'll see how that goes.

Next project for me right now (that doesn't involve a lot of thinking) is a Christmas layout for the blog!

If you're going shopping tomorrow - good luck, and if you're traveling - be safe out there!  Enjoy your weekend!

Jesse's Care Packages: What TO do and what NOT to do!

First of all, I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers are going out to Ft. Hood tonight.  How horrible that was!  It's very tough to see soldiers turning on soldiers in the worst way possible.  Being a spouse of a soldier it hits so close to home.  There is enough danger and worry as a spouse (or a close family member or friend) to someone in the military, and its even worse to hear of this type of situation.  Its hard thinking that this is the first time something like this has hit a military base, and it adds salt to the wound to find that this tragedy was created by people who live, eat, and breathe this same life as Jesse and I do along with many of our friends.  It is just heartbreaking.  It should be interesting to see if this event changes security measures on our posts nationwide.

Here at home my mother had off today and decided to do some much needed cleaning and decorating (for Thanksgiving) and my father got home early from work.  He did get laid off, an event that happens quite often in his career as an ironworker.  It is good to hear the economy is picking up, for they are expecting more work again in January.  So there is that possibility that he may not have a job through this Holiday season.

He and I took a trip to the store (I'm a little obsessed with finding stuff I can send to Jesse), and bought a lot of stuff.  Or at least probably more than I need to buy at the moment.  But, I feel good enough about it.  I also was on the hunt for some very large cardboard photo mailers for some large photos I'm going to be sending out around Thanksgiving.  Most everyone that follows this blog will likely get a photo of Jesse in or with their Christmas card this year.  I also mailed my Thanksgiving cards today, which I know seems a bit premature, but I had a couple people I wanted to get them out to sooner than later so I just sent them all!  I also stocked up on my stamps, I'm gonna need 'em!

So, my point to this blog today (other than my aforementioned updates) is to try and give you some do's and don'ts for Jesse's specific care packages.  I also will offer some suggestions.  I know many of you remember Jesse's last deployment and sent things to him then, but I may bring up some points you want to consider.  I also may bring up some stuff that may be cheaper and easier to do.  All things I am discovering myself through this deployment along with Jesse's experience with his past deployment!

DO's & DON'Ts:

  - Keep in mind Jesse will have to likely carry around anything you send him.  Many sites recommend sending "fun" stuff like mini Christmas trees, decorations, etc.  Most likely that is something Jesse will not do, for in the Infantry they often times don't sit at a desk, they are going out and doing missions.  If you send something like that Jesse (nothing against the person who sends/wants to send the gift) will throw it away.
  - Try and avoid sending things/packages that aren't disposable or that you wouldn't want thrown in the trash (ie cookie tins).  I personally will be sending goodies (such as cookies and other food related items) in small, sturdy boxes within a bigger box which will prevent the goods from being crushed.
  - If you send cookies/goodies/food, it's best to send everything with (or in) a ziplock bag.  I'm probably going to use a food saver and include a ziplock bag with them so he can transfer them from the food saver bag (which keeps the food fresh) into something he can carry around and seal (to avoid sand/dirt).
  - To keep things fresh I've been told adding a piece of bread to the cookies to help with moisture issues is a good idea.  Like I said before, it can take up to 22 days to get to him.
  - Sending candy is fine, as long as it won't melt in high heat.  I wouldn't send chocolate for that reason, even though chocolate chips in cookies and such should be fine to send.  Besides that, Jesse doesn't really care for chocolate candy anyway, he prefers things like Mamba's, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, etc.  Include a ziplock bag with anything like that you send!
  - Postage is like sending something stateside!
  - Letters & drawings/pictures from kids would be a good morale booster for Jesse!  He may not hold onto them for a long period of time but I know he would appreciate them!  Please don't send anything that you would NOT want to be thrown away.
  - I am going to send any Thanksgiving and Christmas cards that I receive onto Jesse so that he can see them.  Please let me know if you need my address.  If you want to send cards to Jesse that is fine too.  I likely will be sending him packages bi-weekly and letters daily.
  - USPS offers FREE boxes, larger envelopes, and priority mail tape to military families (and probably friends too).  This includes 10 boxes, 10 customs forms with envelopes, 10 shipping envelopes, and a roll of the tape.  Call (800) 610-8734 for this "Mili-Pack."  It does take money to ship the box but it's a flat rate.  You can visit www.usps.com and look up "Supporting Our Troops."
  - Also, make 100% sure you send it addressed to Jesse specifically.  When I get the address I will post it EXACTLY how you need to send a package to get to Jesse.  If you are interested in sending a care package to any soldier, visit www.anysoldier.com, do NOT send it to an address with the name as "Any Soldier" or anything of the like.  It will not go anywhere.

I may add/subtract from this list so I don't keep posting stuff about care packages on every blog.  So if you need a reference it'll be here!  I do not have an address for Jesse yet, I'm thinking I will by the end of the weekend!

Sites that I found interesting with care package information:
www.spoucebuzz.com/blog/2006/12/care_package_id.html
www.operationmilitarypride.org/packages.html

There ARE restrictions to what you can send.  Please take note of those, even though I don't believe anyone will send most of the things they list!  Please e-mail me with any questions.  My e-mail is:  marissa.mcadam@gmail.com!