Small Business.

Happy Aloha Monday everyone!

I finally feel like I am in a good position to share with you all, a little project that I've been working on.

Upon moving to Hawaii with my husband, I had to leave my full-time job at the College of Charleston, and with that, I left behind a lot of my financial independence that came along with that.

I knew that if I left my job, that I would want to try and do something from home that would give me the flexibility of making my own schedule and working for myself. From this, came the idea for Southerly Monogram Shop.

I've got myself an embroidery machine and have been whipping up some super cute toddler t-shirts and baby onesies for the kiddos! Many of the orders that I have been getting are for military homecomings, but I also have some adorable monogrammed goodies in my Etsy shop, as well.

I would love for you all to check it out! And also, please feel free to share :)

Here is just a sample of some of the designs that I offer.

Please "Like" me on Facebook for updates on new items coming every week!

Thanks, y'all!!

Dinner for One.

If you have a husband that is in the military or works a lot, you probably know what it's like to have to cook for one. 

Most nights, I have to dig deep to even find the motivation to cook at all because it's never fun eating alone and even less fun trying to find healthy options to cook for one person.

I've decided to start blogging about my meal plan for the week, once again, to try and hold myself accountable for my choices.

Weekly food shopping for just myself has also posed a problem lately with actually getting a chance to use the fresh foods that I purchase before they go bad. Here in Hawaii, anything perishable has to be refrigerated; otherwise, you can expect it to go bad within a couple days. Because of this, I have resorted to going to the commissary or grocery store every few days or on an as-needed basis. 

I have also found, that with an active lifestyle, where I am not always home for lunch and/or dinner, it's better to plan for just a few meals at home in the event that I do not make it home in time to cook. This has also been helping to save money and avoid buying food that goes bad before I have a chance to eat it.

Here is my [dinner] meal plan for the week.

Grilled Mahi Soft Tacos w/ Spiced Mayo & Avocado Salsa

(The original recipe actually calls for grilled chicken, but I'm doing it with Mahi.)

Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli

Shrimp Burgers

Do any of y'all have advice for cooking for one?

Weekend Re-cap ~

Happy Aloha Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Mine flew by and was jam-packed. Saturday, I attended the Joint Spouse Conference at MCBH (Marine Corps Base Hawaii.) 

The JSC was an opportunity for 300 military spouses to get together and participate in different workshops. The four that I chose were Elegant Appetizers (a cooking demo), Wine & Food Pairing, Stand-up Paddleboarding, and Mai Tais & Monet (a painting class.) They also provided breakfast, lunch, and a cocktail hour. It was a blast :)

Sunday, I got to attend the Wings over the Pacific Air Show at Hickam AF Base. It was amazing to finally get to see the Blue Angels fly.

This weekend really had me thinking a lot about living in Hawaii as a military spouse. I was telling one of my girlfriends last night that living here is unlike anywhere else I have ever lived in so many ways and I don't think it will ever compare to anywhere else that we live in the future.

That might sound like an obvious observation, but what I'm referring to is probably different from what your first thought might be. 

Living in Hawaii as a military spouse, in my opinion, is a completely difference experience than living here as a civilian. I'm sure other spouses who have lived here would agree that there is a very large military presence on the island. If you were to visit Oahu on vacation, you may not notice is as much, but since we arrived five months ago, I have noticed it tremendously. There are some days when I feel like the whole island is just all military.

All branches of the military have a presence here on Oahu. There is the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay, Schofield Barracks (Army), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Navy and Air Force), and even the Coast Guard has a small installation at Barber's Point.

Even though we don't live on base, I feel like I spend a lot of my time on a base, somewhere. Whether it's renting stand-up paddleboards at the Marina on Kaneohe Bay, having dinner with friends at Sam Choy's on Hickam Harbor, or shopping at the commissary on Schofield. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it. In fact, it's a good feeling and a it's safe feeling.

I think living in Hawaii is a very unique opportunity as a military spouse in that I have the opportunity to connect with spouses with all different kinds of military backgrounds. I also feel completely immersed in the culture, more-so than I probably ever will be again; and that, is what I mean about it being a completely different experience.

What has been your experience living in or near a military installation? Have you ever lived in Hawaii?