I am a very proud Air Force wife and my life centers around my family. I have six wonderful children whom I love dearly and the best husband any woman could ask for! I spent six years in the Air Force myself, but when our family started to quickly expand, I realized that being home with them and watching them grow was important to me. I haven't regretted a minute of that choice and have held every day close to my heart. I absolutely love being in the kitchen. My idea of a relaxing afternoon is having the house to myself where I can blare the radio and cook and bake to my heart's content! My husband loves to cook as well and one of our favorite things to do together is to make and jar salsa each year with the vegetables from our garden. My goal is to have my kiddos feel comfortable in the kitchen and someday wow their spouses with a favorite dish they have taken from their childhood. I have many blessings in my life and for all of them I am truely thankful! I love to make soups and stews in the winter. There is nothing better than coming in after a day of sledding and having a pot of warm soup waiting on the stove! Both my hubby and I love to grill as well and we fire it up all year long. From ribs and chicken to a good old cheeseburger, there is nothing better than sitting in the yard and smelling the delicious aroma coming from the grill! During the holidays we make hundreds of cookies. We pass out plates to all our friends and neighbors along with cookies for the troops that are sent over to the Middle East and other locations in care packages. For St. Patrick's Day we make everything green!! We use green food coloring to make the eggs green for the kids at breakfast time and end the day with a green lime jello cake. They love it! Being in the military, we are rarely close to home for the holidays, but when we are lucky enough to be in driving distance we spend every holiday with our extended family. Easter and Christmas Eve are spent at my Aunt Cherri's house where she will prepare her delicious beef burgandy and flan cake. Thanksgiving and Christmas Day are reserved for my Parent's house where we will fill up on my Mom's award winning stuffing and my Uncle Tas's Maple Walnut cheesecake! As simple as it sounds, I was so pleased the first time I made a braided loaf of bread!! I love to bake, but only in the last 10 years or so have I added bread baking to the list. I was so proud when my family gave me two thumbs up! I wanted to make a grasshopper fudge cake for the kids one time and I used too much mint extract. The cake certainly looked pretty, but after one bite, the kids honestly said it tasted like toothpaste!!