I'm So Proud!

I have some good news to share about Carrick's job! He has never been thrilled about the 'job' he has in the Marines, and is trying to change to a different one. I won't bore or confuse you with the military lingo, but basically to get this new job he had to improve some test scores and HE DID! I'm so proud of him and excited for this possible next step in his career. He still has some more steps to go through to see if he qualifies and gets accepted, so we'll just have to see how it plays out.....

Oh, and I leave tomorrow to Iowa! See some of you soon!

I love making bread... and eating it too :)

The recipe I use for white bread is really basic but good.

Ingredients:

6 cups flour, more or less, divided 1 tablespoon sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 envelope active dry yeast 2 cups very warm water, about 120° 3 tablespoons softened butter

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Beating at low speed, add the water and butter. Continue beating at high speed for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour and beat 4 minutes longer. Stir in 3 cups flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes,, or until dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour as necessary.Place dough in a large buttered bowl, turning to butter top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place, free of drafts. Punch dough down; knead until smooth. Cut dough in half, cover with the mixing bowl, and let stand for 15 minutes longer. Roll each half into a 12x9-inch rectangle. Starting with the narrow edge, roll up, turning ends under to make loaves to fit pans. Place rolls seam side down in greased loaf pans, 9x5x3-inches. Cover pans with clean towel and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes. Bake loaves at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped with fingers. Remove from pans to racks; brush with butter for a soft, more flavorful crust, if desired.

Makes 2 Loaves.

Cereal Box Organizer

This is my first crafting post. I hope you enjoy it!

Because Okinawa is such a small island, recycling is mandatory and taken very seriously. I've always been an advocate of recycling and re-purposing items that would otherwise go in the trash. I was looking around my recycle box and wondered what I could do with the items instead of just setting them out on the curb. This gave me the idea for my cereal box organizers.

They're super easy to make! Just trace a paper organizer that you may already have, or do what I did and just eye-ball the first side with a ruler.

Once you cut out one side, lay that on the other side and trace where to cut. This way both sides are even.

Next cover the box in any scrap booking paper you like. I used scrap booking glue on one box, and hot glue on the other... both work well.

Fill with papers, notebooks, recipes, and enjoy!

Materials Needed:

Cereal Box

2 Sheets scrap booking paper, any kind of paper, wrapping paper, or even fabric would work

Glue stick / Hot glue

Scissors

Ruler
Pen / Pencil

Update List

Needless to say, Carrick is not capable of taking a non-goofy picture :).

Wow! It's been a while since I've posted and a lot of things have happened around here. I think it will be easiest if I just make a list.

1. Yoshi got a much needed hair cut (see pics)

2. I've been busy with sewing projects. I've made my self an apron (see pics) and some other secret projects that I can't share yet :)

3. Carrick got me a new camera! I love it, but I haven't had much time to figure out how to use it yet.

4. I'm coming to Iowa!!!! I've booked a plane ticket for Aug 22 through Sept 5. I'll be bringing my friend Chris with me because he has island fever and needs to get away from Okinawa. He's a big outdoor buff and I think he'll love the scenery of North East Iowa. I'm SOOO excited to see everyone!

5. We almost had a typhoon! I was actually disappointed that it missed us. At work we had to clear the deck of everything and tie down tables, which practically took the whole day. You could tell all the Americans were taking precautions because the commissary shelves were looking bare. I was planning on going grocery shopping, then the typhoon condition was announced and I knew it would be crazy! Everything is fine though, we've just had some cool days, which have actually been a nice break from the heat, and some high winds.

6. I've been getting the crafting bug. I've always loved arts and crafts and if anyone saw my room growing up you could tell by all the random-ness I had taped to every surface. So, I've decided to start posting my projects on my blog. Some will follow in the next couple of days.

I guess that's it. I can't wait to see some of you soon!

Love Missy

Expo Park Adventure

We had a busy weekend enjoying some of the offerings of this island. First on Saturday we went to eat at a restaurant Pizza and Sky. It was a very basic menu. pizza. salad. drinks (which were very good fruit juices). But it's easy to see that people really go there for the view and atmosphere. It sat high on a hill, in a wooded area. The dining area was traditional Japanese. low tables, mats on the floor, rice paper sliding doors (which were all opened, adding a nice breeze on a blistering hot day).

Then we went to Ocean Expo Park, which has the second largest aquarium in the world! It was pretty sweet. We saw all kinds of fish and ocean life, coral, manta rays, whale, tiger, and great white sharks, and the dolphin show! It was a fun day!

Celebrating the 4th!

Hello Family and Friends Back Home!

We had fun celebrating Independance Day in Japan. We went snorkeling... Carrick actually got in the water! It was great and Carrick was like a little boy getting excited over the fish! We then went to a yakiniku restaurant, where we grilled our food at the table. Then it was off to the seawall to watch the sunset and fireworks that followed. It was an amazing day with great friends.

The Pictures above are from the other night at Western World, a line dancing bar here. I tried teaching Carrick how to two-step.... which kindof worked. :) And I rode the bull... video below.

SNAILS!

There are huge snails here that are kinda cool but creep you out at the same time. Most are small and you hear them crunch under your feet when you walk, but once in a while we get Huge ones in our yard. Yoshi usually sniffs and barks at them :)

As for Carrick and I we are doing good. Girl Scout Camp is this week, which we will both be at. I'm excited and a little stressed, but it will be a great time! So far it's been pouring down rain for the past two days and forecasted for all next week so we'll see what happens!