One Year Down

This weekend was full of excitement!!  Saturday marked one year since J was deployed.  One whole year!  And Sunday I received the news I waited one year and one day to hear: J is back in the United States!  He is safe and this deployment is almost over!  

It's incredible really.  I remember that feeling before J was deployed, and throughout the deployment, that a year deployment was an eternity.  It seemed like an insurmountable amount of time that could never end.  

But a year has passed!  A year and two days in fact!!!  How did we ever make it this far?  It seems impossible!  

I'm pretty sure that text from J, telling me he is in the USA, was the happiest news I've ever heard.  That pure happiness just keeps on going!  I couldn't stop smiling all day.  I can't stop smiling now!  All I can think is, "J is almost home!!"  Since J is in the National Guard, he does post-deployment at a military base in the United States before coming home.  This means he isn't quite home yet, but he's close!  SO CLOSE!

Even though he's not quite home yet, life is already so amazing again!  Today at lunch I called J, not because I had anything to say, BUT BECAUSE I COULD!!!  Yes, phones now work two ways!  He can call me AND I can call him!  And you know what?  If I miss a call, I can just go ahead and call him right back!!  It is AMAZING!  And text messaging!!  I love it!  It's like we can talk all day long!

It's amazing how happy I am just having J in the same country as me.  I'm sure I will start dreaming of J's homecoming soon, but for today, I'm just happy to know he's safe and just a phone call away!

Life's Not Fair

I recently read that one of the tricks to happiness is not to compare your life to others.  That's some pretty good advice because life is simply not fair.  

When I go about comparing, my problem is perspective.  Why do I always compare my life to people who I view as having "more" than me, but ignore all the people who have "less" than me?  What's even worse is that I seem to pick bits and pieces out of others' lives.  I don't even compare my entire life to someone else's entire life, I dwell on one thing I'm upset about in my life, and think about someone's life where that one thing is better.

"OH THE INJUSTICE," I think.

This deployment has been a key example of this comparison problem.  

I find myself looking at my friends with wonderful, non-deployed significant others and thinking that this deployment IS NOT FAIR!  In my comparison, I of course don't consider any other aspect of their lives, and I ignore all people not in happy relationships.  

Today has been particularly bad for my comparison mentality.  I can't give many details, but the general issue is that J is coming home after the rest of his unit.  This means that my friends get to see their significant others much sooner than I will see J.  I am so happy for them, but I can't help thinking it's not fair!  

I've tried looking for some silver lining, but I'm coming up dry.  The problem though isn't a failed search for silver lining, it's my perspective.  Why am I focusing on this one thing that seems (and is) unfair, but ignoring everything else?  Yes, between this small group of girls, I got a bad deal on this one particular issue, but that doesn't even mean I got the "worst" deal on the deployment as a whole.  Why do I compare this one bad thing and somehow think I picked the short straw in this deployment and life?

For just a moment, I am going to take a step back and change my perspective.  I'm going to stop comparing and just count my blessings:

I am so blessed to have J in my life.  I don't think I'll ever be able to describe how amazing J is or how much I love him!  It's incredible knowing someone worth going through this deployment for.  

I am blessed to have people in my life who have been so supportive this year.  It's unbelievable how much of a blessing they have all been.  Friends and family have called, sent texts, emailed, etc., constantly giving me support.  Whenever I'm having a bad day, someone's always there to make it better.  In fact, I came home tonight to two boxes my mom sent to cheer me up!  

I have also met great girls who went through this deployment with me.  I am so fortunate to have had friends in the same boat with whom I could go through this deployment.

My sister is about to have a baby and I am SO EXCITED TO BE AN AUNT!

I have a great job.  Despite this economy, I have found a job in my field, doing something I enjoy, and working with wonderful people.

I have a craft room!

I have an incredible cookie cutter collection!

Ok, this could go on for some time...

When I start thinking about "how unfair this deployment is", the biggest thing I need to keep in mind is that every day of this deployment has been my choice.  Every day I have woken up and thought about how much I love J and how this is all worth it.  Obviously, deep down I know I didn't draw the short straw.  

So the bottom line, as it relates to this deployment and my entire life, is this:

 LIFE IS NOT FAIR.  I have been unfairly blessed.

My Happiness Project

I'm tired of being sad.  This deployment has gone on long enough and I am ready to be happy!  So, although the deployment carries on, I am just going to be happy anyway!  SO THERE!

Here's my plan:  

I need to start focusing on everything I have to be thankful for.  The list really is long.  I think when my focus shifts away from the deployment and onto the blessing in my life, I will be happier.  To do this, I am going to write one thing down each night that I am thankful for.  It can be anything, something that happened that day or something more general in my life.  It will be a chance to reflect on my blessings.  

The second thing I will do is write a goal for each day.  I need to have an active plan to be more positive and happy.  My goals can be: "find one thing I enjoy in each activity I do that day" or "take a moment each hour to smile " or "call a friend to chat", etc.  I always think goals should be something I do rather than something I don't do.  Active goals feel more positive and are harder to break.  For example, if my goal is, "Don't say anything negative all day," I could fail by lunch, throw the goal out the window, and feel worse for my efforts.  I prefer a goal like, "For every negative comment I make, I will make one positive comment."  That way I can't fail.  If I accidentally say something negative, I just need to think of a positive comment to also say.  

The final thing I will do is give thanks for each day when I wake up.  This deployment has been all about counting down the days, but I'm ready to start appreciating and enjoying them.  Life is precious and I want to give thanks for each day I have.

Wish me luck on my HAPPY endeavors!  

Paleo Pumpkin Muffin Bake-Off

My most recent deployment project has been my quest to find the perfect paleo pumpkin muffin recipe. To find the perfect recipe, I found four different recipes and decided to have my own little bake-off.

Background: I have recently heard a lot about the paleo diet so I became curious.  After doing a little online research, I learned that it is a dairy-free, gluten-free diet.  This is perfect for me because I'm allergic to dairy and my mom is allergic to gluten.  I am excited that I can now find recipes that fit both our allergies.  The reason for doing pumpkin muffins is probably obvious: I love pumpkin!!!!!  

Preparation:  I looked up recipes online and found four that seemed good.  I wanted to try a variety of recipes so I could really compare.  The main difference in the recipes I chose seemed to be in the type of flour used.  Two recipes used just almond flour, one used a mix of almond flour and coconut flour, and one used just coconut flour.  Once I chose my recipes, I began collecting ingredients.  Most of the ingredients were easy to find.  The one ingredient that proved difficult to find was raw honey. I randomly found some raw honey one day when I was out of town and had no idea what a great find it was!  Once I ran out, I struggled to find more.  Luckily, my mom and sister saved the day and found a store that sold it so I have stocked up!  Here are all the ingredients ready to go:

The Ingredients

Baking: I made two recipes one night and two recipes a second night to spread out the fun.  The recipes themselves were easy.  With a small exception in Recipe #1, each recipe calls for preheating the oven, mixing all the ingredients, scooping the mixture into 12 muffin tins, and baking for the required time.  Once you have the ingredients, making the muffins is easy!  Here are the four recipes:

Recipe #1: Just Almond Flour, Raw Honey, Almonds on Top

Recipe #1 Prior to Baking

Recipe # 1 After Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt 
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 2 tsp almond butter
• (sliced almonds to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients except sliced almonds
• Scoop into 12 muffins tins
• Sprinkle Sliced Almonds on top
• Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees

Notes:

• I made a couple modifications to the original recipe.  I tried the recipe three times with different amounts of pumpkin pie spice and preferred the 1/2 tsp.  I also sprinkled the almonds on top prior to cooking, rather than after.
• Please find the original recipe at: http://paleopumpkinmuffins.com/

Recipe #2: Just Coconut Flour

                                                                                    Ingredients:

Recipe #2 Prior to Baking

•  1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbs honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking power 

Recipe #2 After Baking

Directions:

• Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees

Notes:

• Please find the original recipe at: http://www.cindystable.com/paleo-pumpkin-muffins-using-coconut-flour/

Recipe #3: Almond Flour, Walnuts, Most Almond Butter

Recipe #3 Prior to Baking

Recipe #3 After Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp baking power
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Bake for 32-35 minutes at 350 degrees

Notes:

• Please find the original recipe at: http://carrotsncake.com/2012/03/paleo-pumpkin-walnut-muffins.html

Recipe #4: Almond Flour and Coconut Flour

• Recipe #4 was not a hit with my tasters so I have decided to not include the recipe here.  I think the problem for me and my tasters was that the mix of almond flour and coconut flour in this recipe created a strange texture.  

Recipe #4 Prior to Baking

Recipe #4 After Baking

The results: 

I would say that Recipe #1 won hands down.  I was absolutely amazed that it really tasted like a muffin.  I would never have guessed that it was gluten-free and low-carb.  I have been very addicted to this recipe since I found it.  I actually just made another batch tonight and have eaten three muffins while writing this post!

Recipe #2 is unique in a good way.  It has the consistency of the inside of a pumpkin pie.  For this reason, it would be a mistake to make this recipe expecting an ordinary muffin.  This recipe is also best cold.  I hated it when it first came out of the oven, but I really liked it when I ate it cold the next day.  The reviews on this muffin have been mixed, but strong.  People seem to either really like it or really dislike it.

Recipe #3 is good.  I loved the walnuts in it.  It has a lot of almond butter, which gives it a moist consistency.

As I mentioned previously, I did not care for Recipe #4.  It wasn't horrible, but it isn't a recipe I'd make again.

So the winner is Recipe #1, with Recipes #2 and #3 tied for second place!

Sampling
Top Row: #3, #2
Bottom Row: #4, #1