Cinco de Mayo!

We had potluck at work today to celebrate el Cinco de Mayo.  Actually, I think it was more of a reason to get together for a big feast than it was to celebrate the actually holiday.  We love to do that here.  You guys, it was a HUGE, stinkin' potluck.  I mean, it was the bomb diggity.  We had more food than we knew what to do with.  There were salsas, 7-layer Mexican dips, tortilla soups, tortilla chips, enchiladas....just food....everywhere.  It was insane.  But DELICIOUS!

I made these bad boys and they were soooooooo gooooooood, I felt like I really had to share them with you guys.

Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Ay, ay, ay!

Guys, these were TO DIE FOR.

I mean really.

The recipe is posted on my cooking blog, so check it out.

And lucky me...I've got some leftover frosting in a big bowl in my fridge.  I might just have to make some chocolate cupcakes tomorrow!

How did you spend your Cinco de Mayo?

Wordful Wednesday

Here is a picture of my hubby enjoying our dinner from last night.  In an attempt to keep all of our meals healthy, I've been pulling a lot of recipes from Cooking Light.  This recipe was for Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Cucumber.  It was delicious and reminded me of cold noodle dishes I'd had in Hawaii. 

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, so head on over to my cooking blog!

Also, stay tuned for my CSN Stores giveaway!

And...happy two months to our Baby V.  We love you!

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday everyone!  Before I get to my Getting to Know You Sunday questions, let me just tell you guys that Malu and I went to our friends house--Leah & Jay's--last night.  We had Italian night and check out the great dishes we had.  It was all so delicious!

I made a Tiramisu Bowl to kinda fit in with the theme.  I posted the recipe to my cooking blog before I actually tasted what I'd made.  Here is a picture of it...isn't it so pretty?

Oh my goodness...it's so wonderful and wonderfully easy to make.  So check out the recipe if you're interested!

Anyway, it's time for another edition of Getting to Know You Sunday!  Head on over to Keely's at http://www.mannland5.com/ to get linked up!

Here are the questions:

1. Thong or Granny Panties?

Honestly...I've tried thongs and just don't like them.  They're totally uncomfortable.  Although I own a good share of granny panties, I like the boy shorts style of underwear.  They're the most comfy.

2. If you see a guy with his fly down, do you tell him?

Only if it's a guy I know.

3. Spanx or no Spanx?

I have never worn Spanx, but hey, why not.  I'll probably be wanting some later down the road.

4. Do you sleep in your sheets?

Yes.  It gets nippy in the early mornings here.

5. What is your favorite Disney character?

I'd have to say...Cinderella.

6. Dream vacation spot?

I want to go to Greece so badly!

7. What is your dream job?

I would just like to work a Department of the Army Civilian (GS) job after I retire from the military. 

8. Who is your hero and why?

Oh, that's easy...our men and women serving in the Armed Forces both here and abroad--for all of the sacrifices they make every day to ensure the freedom of our Country.

Not sure what we're going to do today...it's one of those lazy Sundays!  Hope you're all enjoying what's left of the weekend! 

~Spreading MORE Love~

My bloggy friend and new mommy, Ashleigh, over at A Deployment Diary, gave me this award forever ago.  Can you guys tell that I'm trying to get caught up? Again, Ashleigh is a beautiful new mommy to baby Julius and she lives in....Hawaii (insert wishful sigh here)!  She is an Army wife whose hubby is currently deployed, so we share much in common.  And I've just enjoyed getting to know her through her awesome blog.  Stop by and visit it sometime.

Anyway, for this particular blog award, you're supposed to tell everyone where you hope to be in 10 years and then pass the award on to someone special.

Let's see...

By then, I will be one year away from retiring from the Army.  My dad, who's been retired from the Army for years likes to tell me that I'll be a general someday.  I'm sure all retired Army daddies say that to their Army daughters.  I'm honestly just shooting for at least Lieutenant Colonel.  And heck, I'm almost there...my pin-on to Major is just around the corner.

Even though I'd be retiring from the Army soon, I'd definitely look at getting a job in the civilian sector--but still work for the government.  Either that, or take a break for a while and return to school to get a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration...or maybe a PhD in business.  Who knows?

And I would like to retire in Colorado.

Baby Vaiosina will be 10 years old and hopefully have a sibling (or two).  She would probably have moved about two or three times and getting the full Army brat experience.  And hopefully, she'll be a great student, playing multiple musical instruments, a wonderful singer, a gymnast maybe.  Wow...is that a lot?

Malu and I will have been married for 13 years by then...and hopefully we'll be as blissful as we are now, if not more.

I think that's all I can dream up for now!

I'd like to pass this award on to Summer at Summer's Story.  Summer holds a special place in my heart.  She has a beautiful family and I admire her strength and courage as she battles through Dermatamyositis/RA/Lupus Multiple Connective Tissue Disease. Her story as well as she is inspirational to all.

And now...I'm officially all caught up with blog awards.

Hey, if you guys are interested...I just posted a recipe for a Pina Colada Freeze dessert on my cooking blog.  Yum-o! 

Ten on Tuesday

Better late than never! It sucks because during the week I always have to wait until I get out of work to come home and get on my blog. Only when I have quick breaks at work do I actually get on blogger, but when I do, I'm checking out everyone else's blogs and leaving comments! It's one of my secret work indulgences. Well, it used to be secret. I hope none of my co-workers are reading this! Anyway, by the time I get home and get settled down, it's just about this late--around 9:45. But I'm trying to do this on a daily basis! So here goes.

1. I just got back from Jennifer's house. After I got off from work, I went to her house to work on the centerpieces for the baby shower. Remember that lady bug pot I made at Michaels a few weekends ago? Well, we painted and dotted about 20 flower pots tonight. What a great help Jennifer is. And I pay for her labor in food. We had chinese take out for dinner. I had beef with broccoli and shrimp fried rice. Yum-o! Thanks Jenn for always being great company and a great help!

2. I can't believe the baby shower is this weekend. I pretty much told my shop at work that I'm in weekend mode and my great mood cannot be spoiled this week! I'm so excited for this baby shower, but I'm also trying not to get so stressed out about it. My family back home is doing most of the leg work, but I wanted to do all the decorations and even that is tiring me out. I wanted to do so much more originally, but really, it's just me and I really don't want to kill myself trying to do that much. So I've narrowed the decorations down to a few things. I'll definitely take pictures for you guys.

3. Also on the baby shower...there will still be tons of people attending. My mom has chosen to break tradition and invite whole families (guys, gals and kids) to this shin dig. Whatever. Sometimes I just have to let my mom go and do her thing. It makes her happy. But really? Should baby showers have a dee-jay and music? Oh, mine sure will. Filipinos. Gotta love 'em. Speaking of DJ's, some hot stud used to do it for the Filipino American community when we were stationed in Colorado. My mom pretty much made him do it. But he loved it and he got paid! It didn't take much coercion on mom's part.

4. It was soooooo hot today. Must have been in the high 70s, low 80s. I'm usually out and about around our work area, but today, I stayed in most of the time and when I did venture out, I broke out in a sweat every time. Gross. Heck, even Chester refused to go outside today even for a short walk and stayed sprawled out on the Colonel's office floor. Smart doggie.

5. I tried a cool recipe that Malu's Auntie Jewel sent me months ago for a Minute Chocolate Mug Cake. Now you can have chocolate cake at your disposal within minutes and with just a few items that you most likely have in your pantry/fridge already. It's so easy and ready in a jiffy. It was delicious. Especially when topped with vanilla ice cream. Oh yeah!

I got the idea of collecting the Starbucks City Mugs from a close family friend and I've really gotten some cool ones like this one from Beijing. My sister in law, Lulu, got it for me when she went to the Beijing Olympics last year. And when I say she was at the Olympics, I mean she actually competed. In Judo. Yeah, I'll have to save that for another post too. But here is the recipe:

4 Tbsp Flour

4 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa

1 egg

3 Tbsp milk

3 Tbsp oil

3 Tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Small splash of vanilla

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix again. Put the mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT!

With the cravings I've been having lately, this recipe will prove to be DANGEROUS!!!

6. Although I'm excited about going home this weekend, I am NOT looking forward to the drive. Auntie Daisy will be doing most of the driving but 9 hours is a long time!

7. Who knew that picking a baby name would prove to be so difficult? It turns out that Malu and I have decided to change our lil' bug's name. I'm still kind of butt hurt about it, but we have been offered a reasonable alternative, and I have to wait until Malu talks to his mom about it. I'll be posting about that story soon too.

8. I just found out today that Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, has written another book that is somewhat of a complement to the Eclipse book. I think it's going to be out in June. I'm definitely getting it.

9. On my way to work this morning, I'd heard on the radio that over 60% of married men and women share this. The answer? Hobbies. At first, I thought, hmmm...I don't think Malu and I have any hobbies in common. But after a few minutes I was like, oh yeah! We both like to sing, sing well, and sing well together. Especially when we sing to him playing the guitar. Malu also taught me how to fish (one of his hobbies) and I absolutely love it. We've had so many great times on fishing trips. This is a picture of my first catch. It was taken at Fort Rucker, AL in 2007. Malu was stationed there at the time. I wasn't too successful learning one of Malu's other hobbies--golfing. Yeah, let's not go there.

What hobbies do you share with your spouse or significant other?

10. I was able to talk to Malu yesterday so that was two days in a row. He tried calling me today, but I'd missed the call and instead got a voicemail. It really has been a good week so far!

And there you have it! I liked doing this one. It allowed me to stroll down memory lane for a little while. Good night all!