Decorating for the holidays

While I may not be into buying used thrift store beds, I definitely am into buying used thrift store Christmas trees!  This year's tree went up about a year early this season, d/t an unbelievable find (rotating, pre-lit 7" tree for $42) at our local Hope Outreach store.  :o)

This year's new ornament: coffee & beignets from New Orleans.  A great trip and an afternoon snack my oldest talks about to this day.  :o)  Hoping to also find a cute T-6 model to add to our collection, since that is Matt's aircraft this season and since he wasn't able to accompany us to Louisiana.

Carpets and yards

Carpets and yards have really been my only two complaints about base housing, with the exception of the fact that only about 20% of dog owners here seem to regularly obey the leash law (no tethered dogs without owners present, no off-leash dogs ever).  When we moved into our cute little duplex, everything was in great order except for the carpets.  They had an unbelievable amount of stains, but I comforted myself with the fact that, of course the carpets were shampooed between tenants, so at least I could rest assured knowing that while they may not look clean, they actually are clean.  There were two stains in particular that were driving me batty, so a couple of weeks ago I took out my carpet shampooer to have at 'em and try my luck.  Wouldn't you know it?  They lifted right out.  While I was thrilled by this, I was also a little displeased that the carpets were not cleaned prior to our move-in.  Particularly as we had to wait (and live in a moldy Best Western) for nearly two weeks after the prior tenants left so our home could be "cleaned".  We have moved many times over the years, and even the two ghetto-ish apartment complexes we lived in routinely shampooed between tenants.  That said, I still love base housing and our home, it was just a surprise and a good reminder not to assume things.

On another note, while I was shampooing the carpet around midnight the other night, it was like a dream come true for Matt.  He lay sprawled out and reclined on his special chair that he likes to sleep on (the upright angle helps his heartburn and snoring), with his beauty mask on, and the noisy hum of the carpet shampooer in the background.  He smiled and said, "It feels like I am relaxing in the First Class section of a plane," lol.  :o)

The only other real complaint I have had has been the yard service here.  Granted, it is free/included in our "rent" (base housing has our full BAH routed to their account each month to cover rent, utilities, maintenance, etc.), however our front yard is basically 45% dirt, which has become 45% mud thanks to the cooler, rainier weather--and I cannot get a thing to grow in our front flower bed because the two massive branch-shedding trees beside our house block all sunlight from filtering in--although they are great bases for hammocks/swings.  But, as I stated before, we are very happy here and actually consider our current home to be our favorite residence since our time in Misawa, Japan, about 8 years ago, when we were dual-military, pulling a double housing allowance and living in a huge hardwood-floor 4-bedroom home with heated toilet seats and floor drains in the bathroom.  :o)

Wagon rides to the commissary!

Just one more thing to love about living on base!  Grocery-getting doesn't get much better than this.  :o)

Best Halloween EVER

Monday, October 31, 2011 marks the best Halloween experience our family has had (unfortunately Matt had to miss it due to his 15 days of 12h shifts--but on the upside, his anti-motionsickness drug regimen gifted him an extraordinary flight).

The girls started out their day with festivities at Cimarron Montessori, which included a walk to a local nursing home, where the kids sang songs and put on a costume parade for, and then trick-or-treated from wonderful residents (and, having spent a semester of clinicals at a nursing home, I can only imagine what an absolute ray of sunshine this must have been for their day...I am such a sap, but it actually makes me tear up to think about how wonderful it must have been); then enjoyed an entire afternoon of pizza, crafts, partying, and movies.  The girls came home for a tasty dinner of mini mummy meatloaf, and then we were off to the base festivities!

I love a well-organized and safe event, and the base housing trick-or-treat was all that and then some.  The trick-or-treating hours were both stated and condensed (5:30-7:30pm), which I think inspired much broader participation.  An email was sent out instructing folks that did not wish to participate to leave their porch lights off.  Most folks participating actually sat on their patios/lawns to hand out candy, which gave the event a festive, friendly, block-party-esque atmosphere.

Heading out for some fun!

One of the commanders set up candy stations and a "pit-stop" with chili, cupcakes, drinks, and more; and the Enlisted Spouses Group served hot apple cider from a crock pot.  Security Forces and a team of volunteers, including McGruff the Crime Dog patrolled the streets and handed out safety coloring/goody packs to trick or treaters.

Thanks to a Halloween-day 50% off sale at Walgreens and no utility bills, giant inflatables garnished many yards...my kids are obsessed with these, so they were a huge hit!  It was such a fun and safe event.  The girls and I stayed out the entire two hours.  The kids walked a lot, but near the end of the evening, they curled up in our wagon with their favorite blankets, so it was a nice little workout for me, to boot!

Best decorated house of the night: spirited, but not scary...and that fence is not normally part of their yard--they really went all out (and I am sorry I did not capture the towering pillars they erected on either side!).

Thanks to Cimarron Montessori, Kenwood Manor Nursing Home, Vance AFB Family Housing, and anti-motionsickness drugs for a day of wonderful memories!  :o)

Community fish

Today we acquired two new members to our family of 6: goldfish.  A neighbor posted some free ones on our Student Spouse FB group and I jumped at the chance, thinking about how excited the girls would be--and I am all about low-maintenance, but fun, pets.  When I went to pick them up this morning, I learned that we would be their third family.  Fish are not the easiest pets to PCS (permanent change of station) with, and pilot students/families are here about 12-15 months, tops--so they have been bouncing about from one house to the next.

Social networking sites like FB make community-style offerings so very much easier.  The other day, the same family who gave us the fish picked up a stack of cardboard boxes from our garage.  Our neighbors just became the third owners of a giant trampoline.  And there are easily 10-20 freebies (everything from laundry detergent to fences to pets [this week alone included our fish and a puppy]) posted on our FB group each week.

Here are our two new little guys:

Little Sis has named the smallest one "Princess Susie" (she names just about everything "Susie", including all her "Ariel" dolls, lol).  Big Sis has named the larger one "Dorothy", but Dorothy is going by "Wanda" for the Halloween season, since it is "a witch name".

Halloween festivities

In addition to base housing offering a number of fun events for residents (one of which we will be attending tomorrow), the base also seems to have at least one or two really nice family events per month.  This month, we enjoyed Oktoberfest and a kids' craft and story hour at the base library (the latter of which is close enough to our home that you can see it from the street corner...we took the wagon there this weekend!).

Oktoberfest: Matt's quote about the event was, "I actually feel sorry for people who aren't here."  (Granted, this sentiment was probably due more than anything to the limitless availability of gluten free food: chili, pickles, onions, and burgers and hot dogs--available without the bun.  He was in heaven.  Base housing dining events are much more rationed, lol--though still generous and delish!)

McGruff the Crime Dog and Sparky the Fire Dog made guest appearances:

Big sis got her wounds (from tripping on uneven pavement) tended by the base fire crew:

Pumpkin painting:

Lassoing: 

Posing, big time:

Potato sack race:

Searching for rubber band bracelets in pasta:

Big Sis & her winnings:

Little Miss was OBSESSED with this fan-driven duck-racing game:

Rocking out:

Kids craft & story time: 3 cute Halloween activities and 3 fun stories.

Hard at work:

Big Sis is very particular about modeling her projects exactly as laid out in the instructions...

Little Sis, not so much.

...
And to close, one last "life on base" plus: one of the many perks to no utility bills...Petunia's guiltless indulgence in electric blanket warmth!

Base housing perks

Instant playdates, thanks to the great, open backyard layout!!

Our next door neighbors are moving in a trampoline, so we will definitely have a kid-attracting setup here--perfect for our little social butterfly girls!

Football Sunday

For the first time (I think ever), I went over to a friend's house for the Sunday games.  They, like Matt, are NY fans (only their team is the Bills, not the Giants), and they also have kids our kids age, and our families have a ton in common in general, so it was a very nice matchup.  The Bills won their match against the Eagles, and unfortunately the Giants lost to the Seahawks--but I could tell Matt had a great time anyway, as he was much more pleasant than usual in the aftermath.  :o)

I tried out a new recipe for Chinese turkey mini meatballs--which taste a lot like gyoza filling--complete with tasty dipping sauce!  AND, I discovered that if you cook mini meatballs in a mini muffin pan (1 meatball per muffin cup), you end up with much juicier meatballs than if you bake them on a flat cookie sheet.  Also whipped up some gluten free brownies, which Matt and I have already consumed waaay too much of as well as a personal pan gluten free pizza (green onion and kielbasa) so he wouldn't feel envious when everyone else was chowing down on Papa John's.

The kids had a great time playing!  They are getting old enough to play easy board games (like whack-a-mole) on their own, and also enjoyed a football-themed face paint session (although my oldest opted for Disney's Jasmine, as opposed to the much easier pink football with purple laces the other girls went for). I can never say enough how great it is to be living on base--particularly on this base that is teeming with playmates our kids' age.  It is remarkable, as well, how generally easy to meet/approach/get to know military families are--particularly coming fresh off of two years' reserve time where we really only made two close civilian playdate connections.

Anyway, we had a lovely time this afternoon and I could see us enjoying Sunday games in this fashion regularly.  Matt will be heading over himself next weekend, though, for the Bills v. Giants matchup, as the girls and I will be road tripping to/from New Orleans for a Princess and the Frog-themed adventure visit with my sister-in-law and her boyfriend/fiance.  Very excited to see them, but VERY anxious about squeezing a total of >24h driving time into 4.5 days!!

The luau

One of my favorite things about life in base housing is how family-friendly it is.  Our little community, in addition to having multiple social and support organizations for both officer and enlisted spouses, also offers at least 3 nights of fun per month for its housing residents--typically a scrapbook night plus two family nights that include dinner (all of which are free, requiring only an RSVP).  While I do not attend the scrapbook nights due to Matt's schedule and the fact that I am still scrapping my five year old's first year (meaning scrapbook sessions can be a little overwhelming), we attend every family night we can.

Papa John's make, take, 'n' bake pizza night was a blast and our second fun night for September was a luau, catered by Golden Corral (Matt's favorite local restaurant--dining out options are refreshingly slim-pickings around here, which means we have enjoyed every dinner at home [or at a free base event] since moving into our new place).  It was very cute and the clubhouse was well-decorated with flamingo lawn ornaments, inflatable palm trees, and cut-out posters for posing.  Tropical music played in the background and there were balls and ring toss games for the kids.

The girls had a blast decking themselves out in the Hawaiian theme, and Matt and I even got in on the fun a little.  Unfortunately, my face paint dolphin did not make it into any photographs.  Matt seems to think making weird faces when I take snapshots of him will keep me from sharing them...however, this theory has been proven, many times, untrue.  ;o)

As busy and stressful as pilot training can be, little things like this help lighten the load, get to know neighbors, and squeeze in some memorable family time every month.  :o)

Runaway dog

In addition to the large amount of intentionally off-leash dogs previously mentioned, there are also an incredible amount of strays on base.  I suspect this is in large part due to the fact that most folks' backyard fences are D.I.Y. projects--and may be lacking in the planning/skill department.  Quite a few of them have sizable gaps between end poles and the house, sinking posts, and sagging/unsecured sections of chain.

I suppose I am not one to talk since I usually don't put Petunia's leash on until we are on the patio (her excitement about walks/potty time often results in a submissive wet).  Well, last night, I was taking her out for her bedtime walk using our usual routine.  The second I opened the front door, she took off like a bullet--which is unusual for her as she is not very athletic.  She started barking like wild and made a beeline for a huge white dog--slender and tall, but with a bulldog-like face--who was unattended and squatting on our lawn.  Fearing for her life, I called her back at once, panicking and screaming when she wouldn't listen.

Our seven year old little mini doxie effectively chased a much larger (and probably younger) dog off our lawn--and had him whimpering.  AND, the second she got to the edge of our "property" (as much as base housing is anyone's actual property), she stopped on a dime, turned, and scurried back to me for her potty outing--which let me know she was truly trying to protect the family, without giving a moment's thought for her own regard.

Prior to this, I had always thought of Petunia as somewhat wimpy and mostly food-motivated.  It was nice--and a surprise--to see her loyalty kick in and I am very proud of her.  Definitely won't be taking her out before I leash her again, though.  While she scared this guy off, I know that may not always be the case!

Home improvements

When we first moved into our new home on base (which I LOVE, by the way), little things surprised me, such as the high volume of cigarette butts and beer caps in the yard.  In my mind, a family was living here before us, and while I am certainly used to the hubby leaving stuff around, I was trying to relate to the wife who presumably permitted her yard to get so out of hand--and the gardening was nonexistent.  We still need to finish weeding one of the beds.  In short, it was definitely lacking in feminine touch.  I also couldn't imagine moving somewhere and NOT forwarding our mail (particularly bills).  This past week has marked the first that we haven't received large amounts of important-looking mail addressed to the prior residents.

Other quirks include: the dishwasher missing most of the pegs on the bottom row (making it difficult to wash anything but pots in that section--however because the only upward jet is on the bottom, if you wash any pots or large bowls upside down on that level, you basically take the entire top shelf out of commission), and the oven's temp being totally out of control.  The latter, I suspected as soon as we moved in; however, I confirmed it only yesterday.  I like to bake a lot, and it seemed like since we moved here, I have been burning much more food than usual, so I suspected the oven calibration might be off.  I put my oven thermometer in and set the temp to 350.  The temp reached 350 and continued to rise, so I lowered it to 325--and it STILL continued to rise, reaching over 400.  It did not drop until I lowered the temp to between warm and 250, and then it began to do a sharp dive below 300.  So, basically, if I cook something in the 300-degree range (we bake a LOT of cookies), I need to constantly adjust the temp dial every couple of minutes to balance it at about where I need it, which is fine for short things like the aforementioned cookies (which I successfully made for the first time yesterday, after overcooking a total of 4 batches since our arrival), but difficult/dangerous for things like roasts, etc.

Luckily, maintenance here is very on top of things and has already replaced the bottom dishwasher rack and should be out to check out the oven today.  :o)

It was hard for me to imagine anyone with any sort of homemaker objective either dealing with or not noticing these oddities, and then I found out that about a year ago, apparently, base housing was largely vacant and not the popular, bustling, community it is today.  In an effort to fill out the homes, many were leased to groups of pilot students, who, from what I've heard (in our house in particular), mostly partied their weekends away, probably not paying too much attention to things like baking and dishes.

I am SOOOO glad that housing has since developed a wait list of appreciative families, as we have lived next to (and called the cops on) rowdy students for the past two years, and have not really enjoyed it.  I was always grateful Matt was around to handle things, though, as I am extremely nonconfrontational regarding these manners, presuming everyone I approach is either easily offend-able and vindictive by nature and/or carrying a concealed weapon.  It was not uncommon for Matt to march right over and ask the neighbors to tone it down--or to hand-deliver piles of discarded cigarette butts and beer cans left on our porch/in our yard the next morning.  He is a real warrior when it comes to inconsiderate neighbors (and poor customer service reps--his #1 pet peeve), lol.  :o)

Moving back on base

Having always been interested in medicine/healthcare, I opted to return to school to pursue nursing a few years back and was about to begin my senior year in an RN program about 90 miles south of here.  Matt and I planned to live apart for his year in UPT, assuming the sacrifice would not be that major considering how little we expected to see him during UPT anyway, and the drive was easy enough to make every other week or so.  Well, Matt left for Vance in early July, and by his second visit home, we were realizing the drive and cost (compounded by a $182 speeding ticket for 3mph over the limit), were much more than we expected--AND the kids, particularly our oldest, suffered through a fresh separation every Sunday night/Monday morning.  

We were also denied a second housing allowance (the last time we were separated due to my schooling, we received additional BAH, so we assumed the same would happen this time around, however we did not realize that option is pretty much only available when the military member is stationed overseas and the spouse opts to remain/return stateside).  Our budget calculation had us at roughly -$500/month living apart and +$1500/month living together, all expenses considered; that realization was definitely the final straw prompting me to put the RN on hold, test for the LPN instead, and move the family in together in Enid, OK.

Living in a military community again, after 2 years in civilian ROTC life, is amazing and refreshing.  I love how easy it is to meet people and find playdates for the kids.  I love that our housing layout here is very similar to the enlisted housing scheme in the TV show "Army Wives"--where all the backyards open up on one another [separated only by a bike/walking trail]--although thankfully each home here has a dryer hookup!  It is wonderful being able to frequent the Commissary and BX again, although I have to remember the whole "no food shopping on Mondays" thing.  Hearing Revelry every morning (foolproof alarm clock), the Star Spangled Banner every afternoon, and Tap every night is refreshing and instills a sense of national pride in our children as well.

Stress and car-free walk through the block with both girls on bikes plus the dog:

Living on a base teeming with cops patrolling every street corner 24/7 and knowing most folks on the installation have passed a basic background check is a breath of fresh air when I step outside with the kids on our walks, and enjoy an evening stroll with Petunia (our dachshund) after lights out.  Although I do still need to carry pepper spray to guard against the unbelievable number of leash law violators in the base housing sector (Hana has been jumped on twice [and was not hurt!] and Petunia has had two [thankfully peaceful] encounters, but after having a pup of ours viciously shaken by a neighborhood animal that escaped its flimsy backyard fence, I err on the side of extreme caution and paranoia).

A big difference living on base this time around is that pretty much all the families on the block are guard/reserve.  Most of the active duty folks (Matt is active duty) are fresh from ROTC or the Academy, very young, and single.  So, for most of our neighbors, this is their first real moving experience with the military.  I am very impressed with how friendly and welcoming they are, considering I had attributed the easygoingness of many military spouses to their presumably frequent moves.  We have already met some great families that I certainly feel like I have known more than 3 weeks, lol.  The hard part of it is that most of them are here for UPT, meaning most of them are here for 1 year, as opposed to the 2-4 year  stint you get at most other bases.  Oh well, thank goodness for Facebook!

Another thanks to FB is that we also knew, coming into this move, that one of our enlisted friends who we were both stationed with at Misawa Air Base from 2002-2004 (back when Matt and I were still dating!) is now stationed here, too, with her cute little family and young kiddos that our two girls already adore!  Definitely a small Air Force!  :o)

Mancave: under construction

The hubby's current project is renovating our 1-car garage into a "mancave", with the intent of using it for uninterrupted study sessions, "chair flying", time on his desk-mount flight sim, and (I am sure) fantasy football and ESPN.com away from my nosy eyes.  At first I was unsure about the idea of permanently relinquishing the garage, given the intermittent hailstorms and tornadoes prone to this area, but trying to cram all of his gear into our 3bd/1ba house is a scarier proposition, and I look forward to the day when he does not drop his [germy] backpack and laptop atop my primary cooking counter as soon as he walks in the door.  ;o)

Other positives are that we have a ridiculous amount of accessories to make his mancave more habitable: many portable fans, a small heater, a window A/C unit, an air purifier, electric blankets, and more.  And it makes our already-spacious 3bdrm home feel like a wonderful 4-bedroom house.  Too bad we can't up the bathroom qty, but I must say that having 1 toilet for the 4 of us is working out waaay better than it usually does.  At our last home (a 50+ yr old rental), the plumbing was awful and root-ridden, so frequent toilet problems had us using the yard and the neighboring McDonald's more than we care to admit.  Also, with Matt out of the house so much for pilot training, the bathroom is almost always free.  Prior to his busy schedule, it was not uncommon to see him head to the john with a laptop and candle several times a day.  ;o)

Here are some "before" pix (estimated date of completion--in terms of study area setup, not box removal: this weekend).

And yes, I more than realize that we have a ridiculous amount of boxes left to unpack.  Couple that with the fact that we've been living here for nearly a month and are not really missing/searching for any of our "necessities", and I am forced to admit that we have *waaay* too much stuff!!