New Army Wives season starts tonight!

I have watched the show from the beginning and I've loved it. So long as I approached it from an entertainment standpoint and never expected "reality." Of course, it is drawn from reality and there are many relatable characters and realistic story-lines. And there is the Lifetime-network magic that gives the show a little "oophm" when needed.

The new season - number seven - starts tonight and I have mixed emotions. I have said (probably for the last three seasons) that the show could have had a finale and been wonderfully complete. Last season that was especially true. The standard characters (and my most beloved) are almost all gone. The show did a great job of using the story line (PCS, deployment, death) to remove the characters from the show, but since most of the actors are on to different projects and they've released a huge line-up of new characters, the show is going to look drastically different.

{Side note: two of the new characters are pop singers: Asanthi & Jesse McCartney. I'm not sure about McCartney, but Asanthi is a singer/performer first and an actresses...probably fifth. Another new addition is Brooke Shields who is a great actress, but I simply can't stand her. I can't pinpoint why, but I never have. Perhaps these new additions is the biggest road block in my mindset for the new season.}

Frankly, it looks like a completely new show. Which could be wonderful, or totally awful.

I am going to watch with an open mind and report back with my thoughts next week. In the meantime, head over to the show's page and watch the preview. And tell me in the comments if you're a fan and what you think of the new season!

Saturday Share: Beat the Winter Blahs

There are many aspects of winter that I love. I am from Minnesota, after all. I love warm, winter days where you throw on boots and clomp around in the snow then come inside for hot cocoa and your favorite flick. I love having a white Christmas. I love love love hockey season!

Usually, though, once the holidays come and go, winter feels like such a burden. That period between NYE and Spring Break is such a drag and often brings feelings of lethargy or even sadness. You've heard the term cabin fever? Well, that's the type of antsy I feel when winter doesn't end quite as quickly as I'd like. 

This week, father winter was especially cruel. After a gorgeous, warm weekend (high 50's and sunny!) we were hit with a storm that dumped just enough sleet and snow to cause frozen roadways on Monday. The rest of the week was spent thawing out and hoping it never returns again.

If you're feeling as blah as I am about winter at this point, here are some great ways to get through the funk. Spring is just around the corner and these few tips should help you hang in there until then!

Healthy (food) Tips for Beating the Winter Blahs - Life Your Way
Other Mood-Boosting or Energy Yielding Foods - The Daily Muse

Use your indoor time to Boost your Creativity - via WiseBread
and to tackle a small project around the house. Here are some ideas from Our Fifth House.

Get organized! Complete a project around the house to reduce clutter. Check out my Pinterest board on Organization for some great ideas!

This is also a great time to organize your closet, pull out spring and summer clothes, get them washed and pressed, and pack away the winter layers you no longer need. Here is a resource to help with that. 

Have a great weekend and don't let winter get you too down! 

Two Ways: Shawl Collar Poplin Shirtdress from eShakti {and a discount code!}

I have a special treat for Fashion Friday this week. I was contacted by eShakti to try out one of their items. If you're not familiar, eShakti is an online shopping site that allows you to customize their items to your preference. If they show a dress with sleeves, you can remove them. You can change the length to hit more or less conservatively and you can even change the specific measurements if you, like me, are smaller on bottom than you are on top. 

I chose the Shawl Collar Poplin Dress in the gorgeous spring green. I have been searching for a great green dress that I can wear with a blazer, or throw on flats for a casual brunch. This dress is perfect! And I wanted to show you how it transitioned from daytime to weekend-wear.

Here are a few shots of the dress un-styled. 

{Pockets! Love them!}

Look 1: Office Wear

This would be most appropriate for a casual Friday or a work setting with a more casual dress code, but it still looks appropriate and pulled-together. I paired it with a striped cardigan on top to cover up the curviness of the dress and add a layer to the arms. I then threw on a pair of work-appropriate heels and my trench coat for a work ready look.

Look 2: Weekend Wear

 I'm sorry I am mean-mugging y'all in this photo. 
I couldn't get the dog to stop running in and out of my shots! :)

The weekend look is great for brunch or even a get-together. Once spring is here to stay, the sleeveless look would work. Until then, I would put a light cardigan or a jean jacket on top. 

For an extra-special treat, eShakti has offered a discount code to all my lovely readers. Simply head over to their site and choose your favorite item. Upon checkout enter code: MELSMNYHTS and you will receive 20% off your order! They have extremely reasonable prices to begin with and with the extra 20% off, you can score an amazingly tailored item at a great price! Do not forget to customize your pick before you complete check-out so you can have exactly what you want! The code is only available through 3/20, so head over and use it now!

Wordless Wednesday: Sneak Peek

Don't lose your mojo when facing a setback

I'm not perfect. I am smart and dedicated. I work hard and I have accomplished many great things. I treat people well and love my husband with everything I've got.

But I still fall short sometimes. We all fall short sometimes.

Recently, I failed one of my license exams. It was tough materials, with a lot of numbers and difficult computations. I regrouped and studied again and passed the second time around. Then, last week, I failed another one. This time, the material was law based and even though there were some difficult concepts, I thought I had it all down. 

I was floored and I spent the next couple hours beating myself up mentally over my mistakes.

On the first test, it was easy to forgive myself because the concepts were so foreign to me. I knew absolutely nothing about mutual funds and stock pricing and how to calculate yields. On the second test, however, I didn't have that excuse. The subjects were analytical, legal and business oriented. These are things I know. Things I went to school. Things I've already proven my knowledge of when I passed the bar exam.

After I had a few hours to get sad, then mad, embarrassed, and finally calm, I pulled out the test results. I realized that I actually knocked the law section out of the park. The topics that I did not excel at were the topics revisited from the first exam. It makes a lot more sense that the concepts I struggled with the first time would give me additional difficulty on the second exam.

Finally, I was able to regroup and decide a new course of action. I sat down and developed a study plan for the next month, biting off small sections of information each day and incorporating an array of learning techniques. I created a plan similar to the bar exam by giving time to each subject individually and readdressing them at the end of each week. 

I also used that time to touch base with my energy and my passion - to hang on to my mojo. I needed to remember why I started this business and what I love about my job. It was (and still is) important to learn from my mistakes when it comes to studying and the material itself but also learn how to control my stress level and change my attitude so I can head off a similar mistake in the future.

I'm not perfect. I'm not going to win every time and I'm certainly not going to be the best at everything. We all make mistakes, in our personal lives and our professional ones.

Here is the best part: making mistakes is actually a good thing. It is life's way of teaching us valuable lessons and setting us back on a track for success. That is, when we forgive ourselves for those mistakes, keep our mojo, and learn how to do better the next time!

More resources: 

Don't Lose Your Mojo - LifeHealth Pro

3 Steps to Turn Setback into Success - The Daily Muse

2013 Goals Review

In know February is a short month, but I am still shocked by how quickly it flew by! Now that March has begun it is time to look back at my goals and how I achieved them during February.

Expand Mind

1. Did I read at least 1 book? Yes. I read "Basic Black" by Cathie Black (review to come!)

2. Did I develop any skills? I have done a lot of shadowing new classes at the gym so I can be more versatile. I also became certified as an AFTB instructor so I can lead classes on post. (Details here.)

3. Did I teach/tutor at least 1 child? I did not tutor this month, but I took on another new class at the gym to coach.

Increase Wealth

1. Did I payoff any debt? Yes! We paid off our smallest debt this month!

2. Did I increase ER savings? No. This actually took a big hit this month. I had to pay quite a few registrations/fees for my licenses and a few expenses for my upcoming trip. We have a plan to counteract that now that we paid off some debt.

3. Did I increase additional savings? Yes. I increased the amount by about $30 this month.

Advance Career

1. Did I attend at least 1 event? Yes. I attended 2 different meetings/events.

2. Did I write at least 1 article? Not personally, but I participated in an interview with Kaye at Successful Military Wife. (Details here.) 

3. Did I make steps toward finding a mentor? I am currently working on an application for a mentor through the Young Professionals division of the chamber.

Enhance Home

1. Did we make progress on the guest bath/bedroom? We finished the guest bath and started clearing out the guest bedroom.

2. Did we make progress on clearing the Radon? No progress per se, but we did price out the process so when we're ready to move we can do so.

3. Did we make progress on the outdoor projects? Small steps. We drew up plans and priced all the materials. We have started a garden indoors that will be moved outside when the ground de-freezes. We are also researching the best ways to revive our grass.

Saturday Share: Coffee

It is no surprise that I like coffee. I like coffee a lot. 

So, inspired by my favorite drink addiction, here are some great links all centered around delicious java. Pour yourself a latte and enjoy these coffee-related links for your Saturday!

The Science Behind Coffee and How it Might Actually be Good for You - via Lifehacker

Mocha Cappuccino Cookies - Sweet Chick

Best Friends Mugs - via Beautiful Mess
**Note: From the many pins I've read on these, the only way to get them to truly be permanent is to use a food-grade, ceramic-based paint pen. You can get them at Michael's and supposedly they are the only permanent solution. However, I have not tested that myself.

"But first, coffee" tank from Skreened
{I seriously need this tank!}

This big database of coffee recipes, many of which can be made using a Keurig or Nespresso machine (or other in home brewers) - www.javaqueen.com

Happy Saturday!

AFTB

Not long ago, I spent three days in training to become an AFTB instructor on Ft. Carson. In my experience, the Army is known for over-exaggerating training needs. For example, in order to serve hot dogs in the motorpool to our guys last summer, we had to become "certified" in food preparation. To put a hot dog on a bun and hand them chips.

Now, as an attorney, I get it. You have to be cautious and cover your bum, but it still seems like overkill. I can honestly say I did not learn any safety or health measures to make the food process any better. The class was a merely a stamp so the Army could say they took the extra precaution. 

Nevertheless, when I decided I wanted to teach AFTB courses on post, I signed up for the class. Three days, all day. And it was a wonderful experience - as well as a necessary one.

Before I tell you about my experience, let me first explain more about the AFTB. AFTB stands for Army Family Team Building and is a component of ACS (Army Community Services.) At it's most basic level, the AFTB provides free classes on a variety of Army-related topics. More specifically, it is a resource of information and a collection of tools for spouses to better understand the Army, how it works, and what it provides. The AFTB is often the first point of contact for young (or new) spouses entering the Army family.

I have always had a special passion for young military families, and becoming an instructor allows me to mentor some of those newly-minted spouses and help guide them to success in the Army lifestyle. Some of them are starved for information about even the smallest details - like where the Commissary is located and what the heck zero-nine-hundred means. Some of them need deeper mentorship and a guide to staying clear headed and healthy during many scary transitions. 

Think about it. How many careers out there have a built-in system of networking and information to guide you through the process? I've worked in the business world for many years and I can tell you that few of them do. I decided that this was a great opportunity to help spouses on the path to success, whether they simply want to be a happy, fulfilled military spouse, or pursue career options and volunteer opportunities. The great thing about the AFTB is that it offers a vast array of information services, classes, resources, etc... and can be suited to every single person's desires and goals!

I am certified as a Level 1 instructor, which is all the basic military info and resources for incoming spouses, but I have the ability to train in higher levels and to branch into other classes. Of course, with recent budget cuts, they are not training as many people or offering the same amount of services, but I hope to do as much as I can with the experience.

It was a great experience I can't wait to teach my first class!

My Interview for the Successful Military Wife

Two weeks ago, I had the sheer pleasure of having a Skype date with the ever-so-lovely Kaye Putnam. She is the brain (and personality) behind The Successful Military Wife and she also advises business owners (with special focus on military spouse owners) on marketing their businesses for portability. 

{courtesy of Kaye}

The fact that military spouses need help in business and careers is not new - this is a fight many of our leaders (and us) have been fighting for years. The way Kaye brings the information to the table, however, is quite remarkable. One of the best pieces of advice I've garnered from her site is that you can't just be "good" at business, you have a be a good and likable person too! 

In fact, Kaye recently ran a three-part article discussing ways to be remarkably liked so people flock to your business.

{courtesy of Kaye}

And really, if you think about it, that makes perfect sense. If you are likable, interesting, charming, and even funny, you are going to make more friends, networking easier, and build a stronger base of support around you. Those are the components necessary to successful business. 

When I first ran across her site, I felt compelled to connect with Kaye. I have always had a passion for encouraging spouses to pursue their education and career dreams and I knew I wanted to help her in any way I could. She emailed me back (almost instantly) and asked for an interview. I was thrilled. 

And then I was nervous. What made me an expert in business? Certainly not the fact that I am slowly making my way through starting my own. Nor the fact that I went to law school and focused on business law. Those are just pieces of paper. Nevertheless, the Skype interview went swimingly (it helps when the interviewer is so delightful and puts you at ease immediately!) 

Even after she excitedly sent me the link to the video, followed by "It's live" and a smiley-face emoticon, I was still nervous. How am I going to come off on this video? Will people think I know what the heck I'm talking about? Did I have anything in my teeth? 

Please head over to The Successful Military Wife and let me know what you think. (I don't have anything in my teeth, I already checked!) Also make sure you take the time to check out the other amazing features on her site. Thank you, Kaye, for spear-heading an amazing business and for inviting me to be a part of it!

 I hope that we can help other women to find the balance between pursuing their dreams and supporting their spouse all while navigating this crazy military life!

Recipe: Portabello Pasta in Red Wine Sauce

This recipe is so quick and simple (we adapted it from a recipe on the stewed tomatoes can!) and yet one of the more delicious meals we've had in a long time. Even Al was gushing about it and it contains no formal protein (a big deal for him.) 

Ingredients:

           1 box Penne Pasta          2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes           

1 1/2 Cups Portabello Mushrooms, chopped

        1 Can Tomato Sauce   1 White Onion, chopped    1 tsp. garlic powder           

1/3 cup red wine     1/4 cup oil (canola or vegetable)

     1 pinch (each) italian seasoning, fennel, & pepper

Process:

o Boil water in medium saucepan and cook pasta per instructions.
o Meanwhile, in a large skillet, put onion, mushrooms and garlic in oil and brown
o Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.
o Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
o Add almost-cooked pasta and cook for another 5 minutes (until pasta is fully tender and has soaked in the tomato and wine flavors)
o Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and serve!

Voila! A delicious Italian meal full of flavor and relatively healthy. If you have a heavy red wine that you would prefer not to drink, this is the perfect way to use it up! If you did want to add a protein, we actually thought clams would be amazing. It would keep the Italian flavoring and add a great texture. If shell-fish are not your thing, a few slices of pepperoni would also be delicious!

**Note: I used a burgundy wine for the sauce and it was perfect. Any red cooking wine (not a sweeter red for drinking, would work well) but test a small amount before adding to the recipe. The pasta will soak up the flavor and if you pick the wrong wine, you will not be able to salvage the rest of the dish!