Variety Is The Spice Of Life

To say I like variety in my reading choices is a complete understatement..................

Celebrating Girl Scout Week

This week is Girl Scout Week and we're celebrating!

We started off with Girl Scout Sunday at our chapel's Protestant Service....



Then we had a fabulous fellowship reception with the Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes combined. Look at that yummy cake!!



These young ladies are such a blessing to so many!!

Monday afternoon/evening was a Bowling Fun Fest.......and I was so busy getting everyone situated and making sure I was keep tabs on all 14 girls I had there, that I never got any pictures of the actual bowling. But apparently the pizza was dee-lish..... ;)





There are no activities for our RB girls today, but tomorrow we go geocaching here on post. Should be fun!!

Catch-Up & Some Linky Love

Whew-wee...life is feeling very {full} and {crazy busy} these days....and we're tired, y'all!

We're all FINALLY over the killer sickness of 2011. Oh, PTL!! Walking pneumonia is no fun at all!

Hey Arkansas, what's up with your weird weather and your earthquakes? :(

I've started a lil tutoring of some kiddos on the side and have been approached about possibly teaching some beginner piano lessons to some younguns. Wow!

I've spent more time in Neeley's school this past week than I think I ever have. I've been helping her teacher as I can and volunteering with bake sales and after school programs and trying to stay involved. Maybe too involved? :)

Neeley's last basketball game is tomorrow morning and it's going to be a bit of a bittersweet moment for us. We really miss the seasons once they are over. Well....sort of.

The above means we have about a month long break before the soccer season begins. Yay! ♥LOVE♥ that Neeley is so willing to try new things. And so glad she is back to soccer now, and thankfully this is a spring season. The first time she tried soccer it was a fall season and we were miserable by the end of the season, what with playing in the freezing rain and the mud and all.

Thinking I may make some of THESE tomorrow. Don't those look yummy?

I've finished my class and have 2 more classes beginning on the 12th. Once those are over, I will be only 4 classes away from finishing my MBA. Another PTL moment!!

And speaking of classes, Neeley is THRIVING in school but that girls has a ton of projects!! Oh my word...do any of your kiddos have so many? That girl and her work keeps my head spinning!

We are working on planning many, many, many upcoming Girl Scout events and those are keeping us busy as well. Not sure how I will feel by the end of June once our scout and school year are over. Relieved, perhaps? :)

Next weekend we travel to Ramstein for Neeley to compete in the European Spelling Bee (YIKES!!! and a big ol' gulp.......), and then we head over to Oberhausen for the Taylor Swift concert we tried to surprise her with. I'm not sure who's more excited...me or the girlies going. :)

Neeley's theater group is working on their upcoming production. It is a version of Happy Feet, rewritten by the teacher who sponsors the group. Should be cute!! Now we have to make penguin costumes for all the kiddos. Yikes!!

I have several "heart smart" posts out there this month with our focus on being heart healthy for the month of March. Check this one out about Heart Smart Foods HERE!!

We got to experience a new restaurant last night when we went for an event with Ronnie's unit. The China Palast Restaurant was not our most favorite place to eat but it wasn't terrible either. The food was okay and the prices weren't bad. Neeley's meal tasted like chicken and noodles in Ragu spaghetti sauce which is disappointing since she is such a good eater but, all in all, it was a good time.

More news to come from the homefront soon. We're looking at a possible move in just a few months and that has our stomachs tied in knots. We are looking at one area ever so closely and kind of sort of keeping fingers crossed while at the same time trying not to have a panic attack. More info on that as we find out more. No need to panic our peeps!! :)

Our weekend is full of play practice, basketball games, sleepovers, family fun, kicking off Girl Scout Week, buying groceries, getting caught up on laundry, cleaning house, and trying to bring some semblance of order back to our house. I have felt so disconnected for about 3 or 4 weeks now, thanks to the sickies we all 3 had for so long and then being so stinkin' busy since then with everything. I know the busy part probably never stops, but it seems like we can never get off the crazy bus at times. :)

Wanna know what I do when the going gets tough? Well...the tough get going...but I just add to my schedule... on top of the Girl Scout events, and my classes, and the tutoring and teaching piano lessons, we are looking very closely at starting a Fit Club up here on RB. Call me crazy? Yep....I think so too! ;)

Have you checked out the OpenSky Boutique lately? I've added a few new things but I am going to really be revamping it here very soon, as soon as I can find a blank spot in my calendar. Hhmmm...so far it's looking like N-E-V-E-R!! I always try not to let my business opportunities and other involvements spill over in to our family time, but here lately everything is monopolizing all 3 of us and it's making me consume ludicrous amounts of coffee and Diet Coke. Can't wait for the day when I can say "that's enough, y'all!!"

Ok, time to sign off so I can vaccuum, wash mountains of clothes, make our master weekend shopping list, revise my to-do list, and I'm finishing up the editing of my Administrative Services price list. Yep...adding that to my portfolio too. Need a document proofread or edited? Let me know!

Tonight we're headed over to another post to the high school for some family fun. A lil B-I-N-G-O and chili and all the fixin's and lots of other games and we'll see what other trouble we can get in to. I need a good laugh!! And while we're at it, can we add in maybe a movie, a good book, and a glass of wine? Why, thank you!!

We'll be back at ya soon with another update, some good reading material, a new recipe or two, and pics from our family fun. Have a good weekend!!

{DISCLAIMER: We're still down and out with whatever yucky sickies have taken our family hostage. So here's a post brought over from my health & fitness blog which can be found HERE. Enjoy!


Have you ever succeeded in completing the Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse? Let me tell you...if you make it through alive, you will feel 100% better after the 3 days. I ♥ LOVE ♥ it and highly recommend it to others. Here are a few tips for you. In order to safely survive the cleanse, I think these are important to consider...

~ Drink lots of water
~ Don't be counting calories during the Cleanse
~ Stick to it! Don't veer from the plan unless your body is giving you negative feedback ~ Do not do a strenuous workout during the Cleanse. You are only taking in between 800-1100 calories if you do the Cleanse properly for the entire 3 days, so please do not go out there and try to run a marathon or begin a new workout program
~ ENJOY that green tea or whatever detox tea you choose to consume
~ Really take the time during the Cleanse to focus on YOU, to reflect on YOU, to consider YOU, to relax and unwind and take the opportunity to better YOU
~ Get your family and friends involved!!
~ Share your experience with others!

For those of you getting ready to try the Cleanse for the first time, I can't wait to hear your results! I dropped 4 lbs during my last one. And I plan to do it again next quarter. Interested in more info on the Cleanse? Click on over HERE! Good Luck!!

Under The Weather.......

We're all 3 feeling like death these days, no thanks to some yucky sinusy-make-your-stomach-queasy-flulike-pneumonia-mono business we've got going on.

Thank you for your patience and prayers!

Lurvin' The Ipad...

Let me see a show of hands.....

How many of you have an Ipad?

Ya know, I never really thought I needed one. I really thought the thing was useless, especially over here with the resources we have. And I thought it would still be useless when we get back to the states because I'm sure by then we will have fallen in to the pit of agony called the iphone and who knows what else.

But...................I truly ♥LOVE♥ mine. I can do so much with it, and it is already proving to be a lifesaver for me. There are so many apps that I already love and can't imagine going a day without it.

Do you love to read like we do? I'm really enjoying the iBooks program and I've already read my way through 6 very good books over the past few days. It's super handy to be able to take the Ipad with me wherever I go and still have my books, my pen and paper, my news, internet, and just about anything else I need.

And...........the good part........most of these things are free or inexpensive. I enjoy paying only 9 or 10 dollars for a book with it, versus the usual 25-50 I would pay elsewhere. And that's for new books, y'all!!

What are your favorite apps for either the ipad or the iphone or any other fun electronic gadget? I'm looking for more...

And...while we're at it....please give me your book recommendations.

Appreciating The Finer Things...

It is difficult to travel with new furniture when your moves are made through the military. Yikes! And double yikes if those moves are made overseas.

Nevertheless, Uncle Sam was good to us this year and we decided to upgrade our bedroom furniture....FINALLY! Y'all....we needed it. I mean we.really.NEEDED.it!!!

{And I'm so proud.....}

We tend to favor Ashley brand furniture...of course! ;)





I don't know why these pictures make the pieces look tiny. Because, y'all, this furniture is HUGE and makes our room look like a closet. But I'm still in love...

{DISCLAIMER}...I promise our bed gets made every once in a while...but we have spent the better part of the past 3 days laying up in it reading books and watching movies so no I really don't care that it looks a mess. :)

Crazy? Who's Crazy?............

..............................ME! That's who!

Do any of you ever feel like this time of year is just absolutely nuts? Yes, Yes, and Yes are the answers you would get from this house.

Right now, we spend our days studying those difficult spelling words to get ready for our upcoming European Spelling Bee. Oh my! Did I mention they are listed by LANGUAGE OF ORIGIN for this bee. What in the world?

And we just finished our season of selling Girl Scout cookies. Whew! Glad that one's over too!

I am steadily working on my {hopefully} finishing my masters soon. Only 6 classes to go!

Neeley is LOVING school, and I mean LOVING it! Why didn't any of you tell me 4th grade math was horrid? Oh, and the extra 5th grade math she's doing? Yeah... no comment! Never said that was ever my subject...

We are so very thankful to have Ronnie back with us. I can't possibly say that enough. I am so grateful to have us all under one roof and to be able to spend our days together.

We have some new plans to make in the very near future and these are causing just a wee bit of stress for us, so please lift up an extra prayer or two for us. Keyword: MOVE! Yikes!!

GOOD NEWS! We're out of the frigid temps here and finally feeling like we're thawing out. I've even had our windows open a few days. I'm sorry that those of you in the States have traded weather with us. I promise I didn't wish that! :)

And those are pretty much our days...school, Girl Scouts, sports (our basketball season is coming to a close and soccer starts very soon), huge decisions to make (locations, and schools, and jobs, oh my..............), trying to enjoy our days of European living, paying the bills, and trying to maintain a normal household. LOL. That's pretty much life summed up, right?

Now we're off to enjoy our Sunday. We have celebrated an early Valentine's Day as a family. I am really enjoying playing with my new iPad and now have the most gorgeous diamond necklace. Will have to post a pic soon. I have the sweetest hubby ever! And we're enjoying the new Kinect for the Xbox 360 too but we aren't loving how small our living room is-it hinders our family fun y'all! ;)

Go enjoy your Sunday and be ready for another installment in the lives of The Bowden Brigade to come soon.....

And, just because she's cute.............

10 Steps To Physical Fitness....Just Because I Need This Reminder

10 Steps To Physical Fitness

Step 1: Determine your WHY?
What this means is ask yourself why you want to do this?

Step 2: Set your goals and figure out what you want to get out of exercising/losing weight/feeling better?

Step 3: Set your fitness and nutrition goals.
What workout are you going to do?

Step 4: Know your support team.
Find a workout buddy/partner. Plan healthy meals and include your family and your motivating friends. Surround yourself with those who encourage you and support you.

Step 5: Participate in workouts/events/trainings/classes.
Take a look around your local gym for classes. Sit in on any classes you may be interested in before participating to make sure you are comfortable. Take advantage of local walking/bike trails, etc. Look for information on marathons, health & fitness fairs, and any other health related events.

Step 6: Get connected online.
You would be surprised to see how many people are on their own personal fitness journey just like you. Get connected on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and other social media sites. You may want to use search features to find other who have similar interests and goals as you.

Step 7: Create your lists……
Sit down and make a list of things you like to do. These don’t have to be serious cardio workouts or anything, it can even be something as simple as a stroll on a sunny evening. But list them. Also, make a list of foods you like to eat. And make a list of those things you feel are keeping you from reaching your goals for now.
v Step 8: Follow a system.
Find a system that works best for you and follow it. You may need a diet plan, a workout plan, or both, or an even more complex plan. Once you have a plan mapped out, follow it!

Step 9: Then start working. v Work toward your goals by following your plan.

Step 10: Go share your story with everyone you know!

Can You Spell............?

You may or may not know that Neeley inherited my spelling genes. :) Our lil miss won her school spelling bee in January.

She was so nervous!


But her fan section made her feel more at ease........


She really had to think about some of the words.......


But, in the end, she won.


The school wide bee was made up of the 2 top winners of each grade, 4th through 8th. Wow!

Part of her winnings included a 1-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online and a 1-year language course through an online program. Neeley chose French!


1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.......


Can you tell Neeley is the youngest one in this picture? No?? Well...why not?? LOL


She is sooooooooooo proud of that trophy to add to her collection. And now we are preparing for the European Spelling Bee in March. It will be held in Ramstein, here in Germany. I read in her materials that 32 or 33 kids will be participating. Yikes! We better get on the ball. We've been told she has a really good chance at this one, too, so please be praying for us to get through these words and to keep a clear mind that day to not panic. LOL

If she wins there in Ramstein, we then hop a plane to compete for the national title in Washington, D.C. Who's meeting us there?? :)

Have I told you we also have a Taylor Swift concert to also attend this day?? Yeah....we're gonna make it happen somehow. Any ideas??