I am a mama, wife, veteran, and student. My husband is in the Army, so he's gone more than I would like him to be. I have a little boy, who I think is brilliant and hilarious, but we are starting to hit the terrible twos so I may change my mind. I'm slowly working on getting my degree in Library Science so that I can be a Children's Librarian when I "grow up". My husband is a pretty picky eater, so in addition to introducing a variety of foods to our toddler, I'm introducing them to hubby as well. Cakes, cookies, and pies from scratch. I love to make my dad's Five Bean Chili. My mom's Corn Casserole rocks so much that I asked the caterer to serve it at our wedding reception. I love cooking anything that I can put my own spin on, I never stick exactly to a recipe unless I'm baking. My Mom always made us a special Teddy Bear cake for our birthdays when we were little and I can't wait to continue with that tradition for my kids. I love being in the kitchen with my Dad's 4 sisters when they cook. That's when they tell all the best stories. The first time I made a pie, Mom always got the premade ones (much as she liked making cakes, she hated any other form of cooking) so I had no guidance other than the recipe. My first solo Thanksgiving was also a huge triumph. We invited a bunch of soldiers from hubby's unit who weren't able to go home, and I managed to pull it all off. Except for the rolls. I like to call them learning experiences rather than tragedies ;) I've caused some minor fires and now my husband is terrified that eventually I'm going to set the entire kitchen on fire. The infamous bisquik cake that my brothers and I made when I was 12 still gets laughs.