We're ALIVE!!!

     Wow!  It doesn't seem like it's been as long as it really has since I was last on here...which is a good thing because that means time is moving fast.  Where or where to begin..........

     Kristen helped me relax with several trips to the beach and some girly pampering :)  I only wish their time here was longer!

 

 

     The dogs wished she could have stayed as well and they let me know it.  As soon as all company had left it didn't take long for them to destroy my house.  They DID NOT like being left alone....especially with Bill Lee gone.  They ate window sills, tore up my living room carpet, dug two feet deep holes out of their kennels, ate my dining room carpet, destroyed countless towels and blankets in their kennels, etc.  It was a LoNg  deployment!

 



     The day finally came (earlier than expected) when Bill Lee came home and we were all a little excited!!!!

Pre-Deployment--See the sadness in Karalee's eyes?  Baya isn't sure.

 

Post-Deployment--They wouldn't get off him :)

Pre-Deployment in front of the battalion's BAS.

 

 

Post-Deployment in the motor pool parking lot fresh off the bus!!

 

 

Since then life has been a whirlwind.  We've been working on so many home improvement projects and enjoying our first real snow in years!!!

 

Office

Office

Spare Room/Reading Room

Spare Room/Reading Room

Spare Room/Reading Room

 

Rough Housing with Delight!

Snow tastes soooo good :)

Karalee always stands so perfectly.

Baya waiting for her ball to be thrown!

Such a cutie pie :)

 



MIA

     I know I have been missing in action (MIA) for awhile but there have been quite a few changes in our house and it has taken me some time to adjust. 

     First of all, I switched careers back in February and have found my passion for kids again!  I am currently working in a preschool classroom while trying to get my early childhood degree/certificate, not sure which yet.  This job has brought me back to the days when teaching is all I wanted to do in life....I AM making a difference in our future and to these kids. 

     Secondly, Bill Lee went through a month and a half training in California back in February-March for a deployment he is currently serving in Afghanistan.  I have had to take on all of the responsibility around the house and yard while working my new full-time job.  He is doing well, despite the heat.  We are all doing well in NC, although I think the dogs miss their daddy. 

   My mom came to visit for two weeks and help me clean and organize my house and storage shed....the girls LOVED her company and miss her dearly.  Good thing they will get to be spoiled by Kristen here shortly :) We enjoyed our time at the beach finding many sharks teeth!

Chief Davis

On September 14th, 2012 HM1 Davis became Chief Davis!  I am so proud of Bill Lee for advancing so much in his career in such a short time.  I have no doubt that he will make Master Chief in his next 11+ years (which is the highest rank for an enlisted sailor).  The ceremony was inspirational.  I don't have many photos, as I was on stage part of the time, but when I get some, I will post more.

A week after the ceremony was the Khaki Ball.  It was a nice celebration of them making it this far and surviving initiation, a 45 day introduction to Chief life. The ball was inside the aquarium on Emerald Isle.  It was so pretty and fun to eat a lovely catered dinner in front of the shark tank and other various salt water animal tanks.  An experience I won't forget!

Ceremony Stage

 

 

Marching In

 

 

Chief Petty Officer Selects 2012

 

 

Chief Davis Pipping Through :)

 

Me and Bill Lee After the Ceremony

Chief Davis

 

 

Chief Davis and Me at the Khaki Ball

 

Chief Madden and Ashleigh, Chief Ramirez and Jessica, Chief Davis and Stephanie

The Three Amigos Through Initiation!

Good News!!

Not much ever happens in our lives here, however, we just received some great news on July 31st!  Bill Lee is now Chief Select Davis in the USN!  That's an E7 rank in just 8 short years (It takes most people 12-14 years).  He is known as the baby of the group because he is the youngest Chief Select by like 8 years.  I am so happy for him to receive such a huge compliment like this for all his hard work and dedication to his career. 

This is a photo of him as an E6 taken this past spring.

Lemon Bars

It is a well known fact that I LOVE three things: angel food cake, lemon pudding, and lasagna.  So when I found this recipe that combined two of them, I was in heaven!  And no, I didn't combine angel food cake or lemon with lasagna, that just sounds disgusting.

Lemon Bars

1 Box of Angel Food Cake
1 15 oz. Can of Lemon Pie Filling
Powder Sugar (Optional)

Step 1: By hand mix cake mix powder and lemon pie filling until powder is wet.  Do not over
             stir.  It should look like this........

Step 2: Place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan.

Step 3: Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes until the top is a golden brown color.

Step 4: While the bars are cooling you can dust the top with powdered sugar.

Step 5: When COMPLETELY cool, cut into squares!

The person who originally posted this recipe says you can try it with any flavor of pie filling...blueberry, cherry, etc. I haven't ventured that far yet, but if you do, please let me know what you tried and if you liked it!

Practically Living's Blog





Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I have been trying to come up with a healthier way to cook chicken for my chicken tacos.  Usually I cut it into strips and cook it in a skillet with oil, but it always comes out greasy and I don't really care for chunks of chicken in my taco.  So after playing around a bit with different ingredients I came up with this recipe. 

Now, there is nothing fancy to it, and you can add any spice you want to make it your own.

Chicken Tacos

2-4 Chicken breasts (more or less depending on how many people will be eating it...   
                                    4 made about 8 tacos for us)
1 Package of Ranch Dressing
1 Package of Taco Seasoning
1 Can of Chicken Broth
Water

Step 1: Dump chicken broth, ranch dressing powder, and taco seasoning powder into 
             crock pot and stir. (I have added some chili powder, cayenne pepper,
             and salt/pepper too, just a pinch of each)

Step 2: Place frozen or thawed chicken breasts into crock pot.

Step 3: I have a large crock pot and one can of broth barely covers the bottom so I usually
            add water until there is about 1/4 to 1/2 inches of water at the bottom. Cover and
            cook!

Step 4: If frozen, cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If thawed, cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

When its done I usually take a fork and shred it :)

My finished product! And yes, I know there is a lot of sour cream...I love it!

Time Flies

Well, it seems that this summer has breezed by the Davis household.  Between training the dogs, working on the yard/house, organizing, and trying new recipes, Bill Lee and I have been busy.

First of all, it's hard to believe that almost five short months ago we added two new members to our family.  Time is going too fast and they are getting too big :)  They still can't live without each other, and while they love their dad, they are mommy's girls!

Left: Karalee (10 Weeks)

Right: Baya (7 Weeks)

Left: Karalee (6 months)

Right: Baya (5 months)

Bill Lee has been working hard tearing down and building a new deck/patio, cutting down trees, and building a fence to contain our very curious and exploring dogs!

We went from this..............



To this..............



As soon as I can figure out my photo shop program, I will add some pictures of Kristen's trip to NC!