Military Spouse Bloghop (aka I'm totally Ellen's copycat)

The fabulous Ellen had this on her blog and I thought it'd be fun to try too... I've been trying to blog more, and hope that this will help motivate me to post more often.

Riding the Roller Coaster is hosting a Military Spouse Bloghop. What a fun way to find other military spouse blogs!

My name is JulieAnn. Julie'uli'uli is a play on my name (from my hula sister back in Hawai'i) but also an 'uli'uli is a hula implement. I started dancing hula when we were stationed in Hawai'i and have somehow managed to find a halau (hula school) each place we've been stationed since then.

My dear husband (Captain Obvious or CO) is active duty in the Coast Guard. He has been a ship captain, but these days is found at a desk staring at spreadsheets - you can guess which one he likes better. We've been married for almost 4 years, and he's been in the CG much longer than that.

Baby girl (baby 'uli'uli? I need to find a name for her!) was born Christmas Eve, and is an absolute delight! You'll find her and I strolling around our town or playing on our carpet most days. She's into rolling over and playing with her rattle recently.

I've been trying to write more lately - I think it helps me do something for myself and serves as a good way to document life as it happens (moving so often has a way of making me forget things!).

Some of my favorite things are (in no particular order):

• ice cream
• traveling
• quilting and learning to sew
• learning to cook and sharing recipes
• life with a newborn
• photography
  
• hula and Hawai'i
  
• the Coast Guard and the military spouse life
• parentheses and ellipses (obviously...)
  

Some of my favorite parts :)

shaka!

Tonight

Baby girl and her daddy walked to the store. I guess she laughed all of the way. Probably because she lost a sock and no one noticed until they got home and Mama asked where her sock was...

Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding

I made this the other day and it was delicious! I will definitely be making this again!

Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding -from allrecipes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup white sugar (I used 2/3 cup and it was very sweet. Next time I'll try 1/2 cup.)
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups cubed French bread
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (next time I'll mix in 3/4 and then sprinkle 1/4 over the top)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. I used my casserole dish that is smaller than a 9 x 13.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in bread, bananas, and chocolate chips, and let rest 5 (to 10) minutes for bread to soak. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place loaf pan on towel inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. It took me 1-1/2 hours.

I served it warm with ice cream and it was delicious!!

The other day on a walk

~ I saw my stroller twin. She had the exact same stroller (though hers is green and mine is all black) and the conversion bar and the same car seat in the same colors. I wanted to say something, but I didn't. She didn't even notice we were stroller twins.

~ Old men in Porsches don't let women with strollers cross the street before they zoom off... to the next stop sign, 50 feet away...

Sign that you don't want to see on your walk...

Uh... thanks, National Arboretum.

A new kind of score-keeping

Today:
nails Mama cut : 9
fingers Mama cut : 0


last Friday:
nails Mama cut: 1
fingers Mama cut: 1


That whole "cut the baby's nails while they're sleeping" thing is great... until you figure out you have swaddled their hands IN the wrap so that the baby doesn't wake herself. Then you cut her finger and it bleeds all over a new (never been worn) onesie from Janie and Jack that you still probably paid too much for, even though you chose it off the clearance rack.

I think nail-cutting will remain a job for Daddy!