BIG News! {The Sweet Salute}

As you can see, the blog has taken on a new look and I'll explain why. There has been a topic floating around our household for a few months now, and we're finally ready to share with all of you some big news!

After 10 years of being in the Marine Corps, we have decided it's time for a change! Sometime this year, Stuart will be getting out of the Marine Corps and we'll be moving back to TEXAS! We are excited, nervous, scared, and pretty much any other emotion you can throw in there. This is a huge decision for our family. I could think of a lot of reasons to complain about the military lifestyle, but the Marine Corps has given us everything we've ever needed. We honestly wouldn't be where we are today without the Marine Corps, and we will forever be grateful for that! The benefits are amazing, the job security is amazing, living in California is amazing....but there is a major part that we are missing. And that's our family. Stuart and I started this journey into the military before we were even married, I couldn't wait to get out of Texas and live in a new place! But now we have these 3 little girls and would give anything for them to grow up near their family! You really don't realize what you're missing until you don't have it anymore. We don't know anything different than living this lifestyle, so it's going to be a really big change for us. We don't have many details about the future (which is the scary part) and we know it'll definitely be a challenge, but we're giving it all up to God and know that it's the best decision for our family. We cannot wait to be back HOME in Texas for good! We would appreciate any prayers you could give us along the way!

So with that said, this is our "sweet salute" to the Marine Corps and this season in our life. It's bittersweet, but we couldn't be more excited about what the future holds for our family!

Our week with family

It's been 6 months since we've seen my sister and brother in law. I was so excited when they decided to come visit us for the past week! We had a week filled with places to go and things to see. We started our week out at the San Diego Zoo. We have annual passes, so we always like to take our guests. And it's just a beautiful place to spend the day!

As you know, we're from Texas and we LOVE and MISS our tex-mex! Ever since we moved to California, we've been trying out different mexican restaurants but nothing has met our expectations. Until a friend suggested Casa De Reyes in Old Town San Diego. It's really good, and the only place we eat mexican food now! I'm obsessed with their pico! The atmosphere is so fun, it's all outdoor seating with live music, fire pits, and little shops. Old Town is definitely a fun place to spend the night!

It's always nice having visitors. The girls absolutely love being with their family (even if they're super hyper) but just simple things like waking up to enjoy small talk over a cup of coffee with my sister is much nicer than a chat over the phone!

Bridget & Scarlett's birthdays are both next week, so we decided to have a little party so they could celebrate together. Scarlett requested Hello Kitty...

We also went to Temecula for a day to enjoy a little wine tasting.

And you can't come to California without watching the sunset! 

This little seal was hanging out with us in the cove. 

Rodan + Fields

Hey y'all! I have some really exciting news to share with you about some BIG changes coming for our family this year, but first of all I wanted to share about another new exciting part of my life!

I recently became an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields Dermatologists. If you've never heard of Rodan + Fields, it is an anti-aging skin line created by the same doctors who created Proactiv! I've been looking for a way that I could help provide an extra income for our family, but didn't want to give up the ability to stay home with my girls! Once I found Rodan + Fields I knew that it was an awesome opportunity that I couldn't pass up! I'm in LOVE with the products. We have products for wrinkles/fine lines, acne & post acne marks, dark spots or uneven skin, and sensitive skin. There is something for everyone! I'm amazed at the potential this business can create and most of all I'm in love with the fact that I can stay at home with my kids! If you would like to know more about the products, or if you're looking for an opportunity to work very part time hours from home please contact me and I would love to share more with you!

Email me at thesweetsalute@yahoo.com

Cheese!

Someone finally got her top 2 teeth!!!

And she loves to show them off ;)

Homemade Coffee Creamer

For those of you who know me know that I love coffee. One of our goals for this year is to use fresh ingredients. I'm always buying coffee creamer, which is usually filled with junk. So I decided to make my own. Super easy, and it's cheaper! Here's the simple recipe that I used:

1 quart half & half

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

That's it! Then I blended it all together. I guess you could call this a "vanilla" creamer, but you could always try using different flavors or extracts. I've added pumpkin & cinnamon to this during the holidays. Yum!

December 2013

It's funny how many visitors we've had since we moved to California. In December, Stuart's brother Stephen came to visit and then my Dad came for Christmas & New Years.

We love having visitors! It gives us another reason to get out and explore. When Stephen was in town we went to Mission Bay. The girls loved the park there and rolling down the grassy hills. 

Then we headed to Balboa Park.

And the night before Stephen left, we went down to the beach and made a "sand man" ;)

Which apparently requires you to bring giant shovels to the beach.  

Brynlee also had her Christmas show at school. Her class sung a Christmas cowboy song :)

My dad drove in town right before Christmas. We've been lucky to have him celebrate Christmas with us for the past 2 years!

The girls sprinkled their reindeer food out...

We decided 2 days before Christmas to make that little kitchen you see in the background. Nothing like a last minute project ;) I'll post more details on the kitchen later.

The girls enjoyed their time with Papa...

Not to mention that my dad is the baby whisperer! Ellie fell asleep in his arms almost every night. So sweet :)