Will you marry-(nade) me?

Thank you for tolerating my bad pun of a title and still clicking on to read. Bless your blogging, little soul.


I am a type-A perfectionist. I like to clean often, I track my milage in a day, and I live for color coding. Except in the kitchen. I grew up sitting at the kitchen counter, watching my mother whip together the most amazing meals, but never once did that woman lift a measuring cup.

Tonight, as we were away for over a week, I had limited dinner ingredients and needed to get creative come 6 o'clock. Bless the intuition of my mother, I just may have learned a thing or two from her.


Here are two different chicken marinade recipes. You should be warned that each ingredient measurement could include "ish" at the end. Since this was just an experiment with luckily successful results, I'm going to give myself a hearty pat on the back.

Marinade 1:

6 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of light mayo
1.5 teaspoons of Cajan Mustard. (This was actually just a tiny jar that came in a fruit basket that we had laying around. I bet spicy yellow mustard or Dijon would be good too.)
A splash of lemon juice
A larger splash of soy sauce

I let a few chicken tender strips (the style of cut, not breaded chicken tenders) marinate in this for a while (i.e. cleaned and studied until C came home and could grill them.) Then I had the master grill-man do his thing and wah-la! Dinner.


Marinade 2:

4 tablespoons of spice mustard
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup of brown sugar
A few shakes of salt and pepper
3 teaspoons of olive oil.

Follow the same very precise and calculated directions listed for the first marinade.


Now, I've got to be honest, I'm pretty darn proud of how this turned out. Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of times that my efforts do not yield such success,  (Read - baking...) but this one wasn't half bad!

Let me know how your meal is if your try these marinades out!

Care Packages

A cousin recently asked me about care packages. A friend of her's was looking to send one to a person who was deployed and she wanted some advice. 
Care packages are something that I know a lot about. In 2013, my boyfriend, C, was deployed overseas for a year. A big pet-peeve of mine is when I mention that he is in the military and then people are all suddenly interested in him and asking about our relationship and how it must be soooo romantic to have him be in the military. No. Just no. First off, the military is part of his life and his job. Secondly, there is nothing romantic about it, just like there is nothing romantic about your boyfriend working at CVS. Sorry, that might sound mean, but his value is not because of his commitment to the military, it has to do with the wonderful and strong-hearted person he is. 

Rant on that over. Despite all of those things, care-packages were one tiny silver lining of his deployment. I love crafting and I love spoiling C. So having an excuse to combine those two? I was all about that. 
I liked to set a theme for each box and decorate the inside of the box accordingly.

Here are some things that were great treats to send:

- SNACKS! (aka the way to a man's heart) such as cheeze-its, beefy jerky, cereal, cookies, granola bars, ect. Do not send anything liquid-y, it'll either end up being punctured and ruining everything in the box, or explode from the air pressure in the plane and then ruin everything in the box. There's no winning. Also avoid things that will melt (such as chocolate) as many military personnel are in very warm environments when deployed.

- Depending on how long it takes for the arrival of the package, you might be able to pull off baked goods. Putting a piece of sandwich bread in the container helps absorb any moisture and delay any mold growth. Also, putting them in Tupperware or a Pringles-type container will help protect them from being smushed. I'd wait on sending baked goods until you've figured out just how long the delivery process is. Getting his favorite brownies, but having them be covered in mold probably won't evoke the joy that you're hoping for.
- Pictures. Nothing eases the hurt of missing home like having a little piece of it there. I had semi-professional photos done for valentines day (Not shown as they were for him only, but use your imagination.) Pictures of family, friends, pets, you! Imagine what you'd want to see if you were 7,000 miles away from home.

- Letters. C and I always write to each other when we are apart for long periods of time. Whether you just send a letter, or include it in a care package, it's sure to brighten his day to read your words and see your familiar handwriting.
- Personal gifts. I sent a little bottle of my perfume once (but wrapped it and packed it in Tupperware in case it exploded.) This was a risk, but worth it because he loved it!

- Entertainment. Books, CDs, video games, crosswords, footballs ect. There is a lot of boring down time and not always a lot of resources for entertainment. 

- HBA things. Don't assume that when he runs out of the soap that you bought him before he left (because it is gentle on his sensitive skin...) that he is buying more... Most likely he is using whatever the cheapest available option, borrowing someone else's or not using anything at all! SEND MORE.
- SUNBLOCK. This is self explanatory, and coming from a SPF fanatic.
- A local newspaper. Little reminders of home and keeping him in the loop goes a long way.
- Another idea is not a care package at all, but ordering a gift and having it sent directly to him. I once did this with a company that sent cakes to troops over seas. He received a huge brownie cake to share with everyone and it was such a fun pick-me-up and surprise for everyone. 

Important tips: 
- Use a USPS flat-rate box. They come in varying sizes and cost a flat rate, according to the size up to a certain weight. (I think the largest box maxes out at 70lb, which I never even got close to.) If using a regular box, they will charge according the weight, which gets price-y real quickly.
- Be prepared to fill out the devil of the international shipping form. I actually got a few ahead of time to do a practice draft because it was such a pain. 
- Know that whatever goes into that box is likely going to be seen by many people other than the receiver. So keep that in mind when getting embarrassing or personal...
- On that note, if you're able to send things to share, you'll be a hit with all of his buddies.  

This was one thing I did during that year to help pass the time and the missing him. Although care packages were a fun project, having C home and safe trumps being able to send him things in the mail any day.
No matter who you are, how old you are, or where you are, getting a package in the mail is exciting. Being able to send one to someone so special during such long and often difficult time is even better though. 

My Goals

I... am a crazy list lady.

There is no denying this. I have been known to make lists of lists to make. I can't imagine a functioning life without lists.

There is a list I have never written out, but always think of. So today, I am making it with you as my witness.

My Goals

May they be long term or short, here they are.

- Be a licensed RN

- Become an NP

- Be a parent

- Get a tattoo
- Develop a gym routine

- Travel to Washington state
- Travel everywhere! (This is its own list entirely.)
- Get a second dog (Huskie? Golden?)
- Own a Farmhouse
- Get Regular Manicures
- Be well enough off that my regular supermarket is an organic one.
- Blog regularly
- Pay off school loans
- Get married

Most of these are random, but I think goals are an important thing. It is easy to become bogged down by the stress and pressure of every day life. Having these exciting possibilities to work towards are a wonderful reminder of how much this beautiful little world has in hold.

Things I Love

I feel like this next post is one I always have running in my head. I have a solid reputation for being thrilled by the littlest things. Ice cream? I'm jumping for joy. This was a quick rattle-off of the first ones that popped into my head. I think it is so important to remember these things during the stress and chaos of every day life and seek their joy. 

1) Handwritten notes.
 - C and I wrote each other notes constantly for a number of years. Whenever we were seperated for long periods of time due to the military, we wrote each other daily. Some love letters, some silly letters, some just talking about our days. Having that little piece of him show up in my mailbox every day was so special. I still have every letter saved in a box in our bedroom.

2) PB&J
 - Such a simple delicacy. I can't get enough, lately.

3) Sleeping in a freshly made bed.
 - It is so comfy to get wrapped up in crisp, clean sheets and a blanket. Add in getting out of a warm shower and into a clean bed and this girl is in heaven.

4) Showering.
 - Speaking of showers, I could do it forever. C thinks I'm crazy because I turn the water so hot, but there is something soothing about it.

5) Mountains.
 - Something so natural and so much bigger than you is a treasure. Thank you, nature.

The Happiest Place on Earth - Jefferson, NH

6) Naps.
 - Although I do not get the opportunity very often (Read: Never) waking up in the middle of the day or early evening in that lost, dreamy warmth of a nap is so cozy and wonderful.

7) Nice Pens.
 - I am a crazy lady when it comes to pens. I'm a .5 inky kind of girl. I even have a certain brand that I order off amazon because I like them so much. (and of course I label my name on every pen.)

8) Getting Mail.
 - I covered this a little already, but the feeling of getting a package or letter in the mail is so exciting. (Even more so, sometimes, when it's something you've ordered online and you're anxiously awaiting its arrival.... like pens!)

9) Harry Potter.
 - When I was a little girl, my mom would read a chapter of Harry Potter to me, then I'd read the next chapter to her, and so on. Waiting for the next new book to be released was so special. I still re-read them all the time.

10) Boston
 - I've traveled through so many cities, but I can still attest that Boston is my favorite. It is so small and messy, but also historic and filled with energy and a sense of community.

11) Tea.
 - Iced tea, hot tea, chai tea, sweet tea. I love them all.

12) Dogs.
 - I was raised with dogs and I do not think a home is truly a home without one.

13) Photographs.
 - I love taking pictures and having moments and memories captured.

14) The Boston Red Sox.
 - I was raised by the #1 Red Sox fan in the world. Having those memories of my Dad are so special.

15) Flying.
 - I know flying is such a common fear, but I so enjoy it. I love airports. I love adventures. I love knowing how small I am in the great, big sky.


I could go on forever. Writing this kind of list is such a great way to force a smile onto your face. What do you love?