just about fwee

This rough and tumble, chubby-cheeked, wild-haired, full-of-bounce, irresistibly adorable (I'm allowed)

silly little boy

will soon be three.

Tell me, please, how can that be?

I just want to eat those freckles with a spoon. So thankful to be this kid's mama!

some cooks and some carolina cider

We are back from a more-eventful-than-we-cared-for trip. 

In a nutshell, we learned the housing process for military families is lengthy, completely out of our control, and the options are very few. So. There was that.

And then on our way home my transmission decided it was done. We broke down in Selma, NC, on the side of a long forgotten road with 4 anxious kids and shoddy cell service on a Sunday morning when 99% of the South is closed.

So, then that.

We ended up getting a hotel room, renting a mini van the following day, and leaving our Expedition at the Ford dealership in Smithfield, NC and made our way home. We debated waiting for the car to be finished but didn't want the kids missing any more school....or baseball ;) As I type this my husband is making the drive back to Smithfield, a 14-hour round trip haul, to turn in the mini van and retrieve my Expedition. He's a trooper, my husband is!

But the trip was not all frustration and break downs.

I got to see a friend I have really missed for the past few years and her 2 wonderful kids. Her husband is in Iraq right now, so our dominos game was definitely down a dude, and at one point, I know Kacie felt the weight of his absence. Having been the 'single Navy wife' just recently, my heart sunk for her. This military wife bit is not easy, y'all. But once we get up there, Aaron will be home and we will get our foursome domino fest back on track....assuming MY husband won't be deployed at the time, of course :)

I also fell a little in love with our soon-to-be new area. It is equal parts farm country, industrious big city, and laid back beach town, with a healthy kick of Sailors, Airmen, and Marines to patriot things up a bit. My kind of place.

The kids cannot wait to move. Okay, so this isn't their best "OHMYGOSHWECANNOTWAITTOMOVEUPHERE!!!" face. But it was late and they were really into Soul Surfer.

We were missing 2 boys here. Jack gave me the stern 'no flash photography' face, and Kyle, Kacie's oldest, was at work. Do you see Hanah loving on my baby girl? That is definitely going to come in handy once we get up there :)

And just to make sure we didn't end the trip on a sour note, we stopped for a little Carolina sweetness. Every time we cross into South Carolina, we stop at the Carolina Cider Company.

You guys? It is THE best! The BEST!!!! Aside from the quaint southern charm and gentility the place just oozes, the pies are delicious (and AWARD winning!!), the cider is out of this world, as are the preserves, sauces, dips, salsas, candy and all other local confections they offer.








I have forced (nicely, of course) my husband to drive an hour out of our way just to hit this little place up! And if you are not the pie/cider/preserve/chutney/salsa/pecan type, you can always just stop in and get a cold bottle of Sun Drop to drink while rocking on the porch. Let a little southern breeze wash over you and listen to the twang of the banjo strumming from the speakers.
But when you're done with your Sun Drop, you should probably type "Emergency Room" into your GPS so you can determine what is wrong with you that pies, pecans, and preserves don't lure you in.



I am not a pie girl (my husband likes to remind me of this while we are driving 50 miles in the "wrong" direction), but their apple pie....it'll make you moan with delight.


As you can tell, I am sweet on this little store.

But not nearly as sweet as I am on these treats.....



Tyler couldn't be bothered with a smile....he was too busy deciding which flavors of honey he was going to choose. I get it, son. I really do.

*This is not a sponsored post, I just really love the Carolina Cider Company and wanted y'all to know about it!


**I used Raechel's tutorial on how to blog bigger pictures. You can see it HERE!

we made it!

600 miles traveled,

10+ hours in the car,

4 restless (understandably) children,

1 wife who promised to stay up with her husband but ended up snoozing by mile 5,

3 different stops for gas, bathroom break, and food,

2 showings of Rio on the car dvd player,

11 chapters read on the ipad...

but....

WE MADE IT TO UH-GIN-YA!!! (that's how Jack says Virginia)

I'm beat and a little deflated as the search for a place to live is not going at all like we had hoped, so I'm just going to share the thoughts that are bouncing around this head of mine. You can thank me later.

....the Norfolk area is a a crazy big military spot. And the bases are so odd and not what I am used to. Instead of one big base with 4 or 5 entrances, there are 824 smaller bases, each with multiple points of entry. Even with a map and a husband who speaks to me verrrrrrry sloooooooowly using hand gestures, I am so lost.

....the military housing process could use some serious streamlining. We have been told 15 different things by 5 different people, each conflicting with the information we heard before, all employed at the same place. We finally found a person that knows her stuff AND gave me her direct line (AWESOME!!!), but got some bad news as far as when we can expect a home. Soooooo, if any of you have a house to rent in the greater Norfolk area that's within the BAH for an E6 with dependents, HOLLA!

....I want to be a cotton farmer. (so long as the farming does not happen until 8am) Or anything farmer that lets me have loads of unspoiled land so my kids can explore for days and days and all I can see is green growth and blue sky. 

....I owe my kids a really great fun day after all this. They were good in the car, they have been good as we've driven around to check out schools and homes in the area, and they've been good as we sat to fill out paper work, make necessary phone calls, and stopped at offices to take care of business. After running around all day, we are now signing our name on stacks of paper taller than me, and they are contently sitting on the couch in the hotel watching a movie. (I stopped to get their sweet faces)

....Norfolk is expecting Fall to arrive on Friday, which means the boots and sweaters I brought get to come out of the suitcase! Get excited!!

.....we are keeping our minds open to different possibilities this winter- about where we will live, what we need to get by, the things we want in our lives and what we can live without, how our children are educated, and whether we want to pursue other goals. 2012 might well be a foundation-shaking year for the Nelsons.

.....Bridesmaids is available for rent in iTunes!?!?! Woot!!! So that means tonight is gonna be paperwork, Panera, the indoor hotel pool, and now a movie. If I can talk my husband into a back rub, tonight will get 5 big sparkly stars!

.....my husband looks really cute when he is concentrating.

.....I love military families. Really. Today when we were searching for a home we found some that we really really like, and there is a park right next to them. We took the kids out of the car to play and burn some energy and I met a sweet woman who lived in the housing we want to get. I asked her a couple questions and she invited me in to show me around and gave me a tour of her home. Within 2 minutes of talking to her. Love that. (now we are saying some prayers that we get to be her neighbor. the odds are definitely not in our favor, but we are still hoping!)

.....someone remind me to take pictures. I brought my camera but we've been sop occupied with the house hunt that the only pictures I have taken have been in our hotel room. lame.

My children are looking awfully worn and rugged right now so I need to get them all dinner ready. Time to round 'em up! That's one of the benefits of a hotel room.....less places to look for them.

Ham & Gruyere Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sammies!

I spent the past 4 or so hours cramming stuff into suitcases, putting together outfits, making lists, and charging everything with a power source. I should be finishing the last of the packing for our big trip to Virginia tomorrow, but I needed a break.

And I also remembered that I have been meaning to share a little bit of delicious with you. A few days ago my husband called me at about 11am to say that he should be home by 1. That NEVER happens! So I told him not to eat anything so I could make him lunch and we could have a special little (late) lunch date....with our two littlest, of course.

I found the recipe in my Taste of Home magazine and knew it would be a hit. My family loves ham and rolls. I am not a fan of ham AT ALL, but I really like these little sandwiches!

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Mini Sammies

1 Pack of Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (12 rolls in a pack)

1 lb of Black Forest Ham from the Deli

12 slices of Gruyere (Swiss would be yummy too)

1 Tub of Chive & Onion Cream Cheese

1/2 cup of melted butter, plus more for greasing dish

1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 Tbsp of Dried Minced Onion

1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease your 9x13 baking dish with butter. The recipe doesn't say to grease your pan with butter, but if I've learned anything from PW, it's that you GOTTA HAVE BUTTA! Cut your sweet rolls in half and line the bottom half of your dish with the bottom halves. Set the tops to the side.

In a bowl, mix melted butter, Worcestershire Sauce, minced onion and parmesan. Set aside.

Put a good-sized layer of ham on top of the bottom halves of the rolls. Then lay a slice of gruyere on top of the ham.

 Spread the tops of the rolls with the chive & green onion cream cheese. I wouldn't go to heavy here because you don't want to only taste cheese-- that would mask the hammyness and that would be just wrong. And remember, ham and I aren't great buddies, so that means something. Once the cream cheese is spread on top, place the tops on the cheese layer, completing your little stacks.

Now that your sandwiches are all layered, you just need to give them a fun little kick. Enter the bowl mixins. Drizzle the bowl of butter, sauce, onions and parmesan on top of your sandwiches, using your fork to coax the onions out (otherwise the onions are stubborn and will plop out on the last sandwich). Each sandwich should have some of that on top.

Cover your dish with foil and pop those suckers in the oven. The online recipe says to let 'em cook for 20 minutes, but I'd set your timer for 18 or so and check on them because I did a full 20 minutes without looking at them and the tops were a little crispier than I care for.....as in charred. The last time I made them I kept checking on them so they were fine. Which is why there is no after. But, it's not like it stopped us. 

Let me know if you make them! They are good good good! Enjoy friends!