Two weeks to go.

Why do people feel the need to insert their random pregnancy comments into any situation when there is a pregnant woman involved? I spent three days in a briefing about Transition Assistance, which basically was a workshop for interviewing skills, resume writing, and some random knowledge that would have been helpful if I were getting out as a disabled veteran. The interview and resume stuff will actually be helpful some day down the line when I need to go back to work.

Also...individual leading class referred to a stay at home mom as a "Domestic Engineer". Totally going to try that one on my next resume.

Anyways, my being pregnant came up randomly way more than it should have. On day one, it was used by my mini-group as an example of what NOT to get out of the class -- Child Birth. It was even written on the board. Ugh. I don't know why these people thought I was going to go into labor righthatsecond. But they did.

Throughout the three day period, one extremely moronic man...you know the type I'm talking about -- the one that feels the need to insert a comment all the time and must think he is the most hilarious person on Earth. Yeah...that guy felt the need to tell me every single day not to go into labor. Why? Because he didn't want to get his catcher's mitt and help deliver a baby. Let me tell you something, sir...you are in no way getting close to anything related to the birth of my child. Delusional idiot. On the last day, with two whole hours to go, he tells me that I just have to keep the kid in until the end, and after that "I don't care if you go into labor." Nice dude. Real stinkin' nice. I don't care if you fall and slip on the ice when you leave the building.

People are dumb. D-U-M.

So, crabby pregnant lady rant over. I will be 38 weeks tomorrow. I have no signs that the baby will be coming any earlier than his due date, despite what people say and I am definitely ok with that and prefer that he stay in until then. However, I am getting to that extremely uncomfortable point where this little boy would be doing be a HUGE comfort-related favor by exiting my uterus. 

Lately I had been having cravings for cinnamon-sugar doughnuts. Which is awesome, because this whole pregnancy I have been plagued with the feeling of having a craving but never being able to figure out what the craving was actually for.  Which is REALLY annoying! 

So, not one to deny an actual make-able craving....I made some doughnuts. (And yes, I can convince myself they were better for me because I baked them.) 

Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites

Never in my life have I purchased shortening. I sort of felt myself getting fatter as I added it to my cart.

The three stage process:

 1. Roll into ball. 

2. Dip ball in butter. 

3. Roll buttered ball in cinnamon sugar goodness.

Right before baking. Size was not an issue here. The freakishly large 

one in the corner I attempted to fill with blackberry jelly per my husband's request. 

End result...ummm.....not really sure what happened? 

Totally not shaped like the doughnut hole/bite it was supposed to be. 

Actually more scone-ish than doughnut-ish. 

They were still very tasty and are no longer in existence. 

I kind of want to make some more right now. As a note, the recipe did call for 1 cup of crushed crisp rice cereal. I was not about to buy a whole box of rice crispies for one cup. So this part got left out, which could be why they were so droopy. That's my rationalization. It's not because I'm not that good of a baker. 

SrA Haswell has left the building!

Today was my last day of work. What a strange and exciting...and downright terrifying feeling. Going to my final-out appointment on the 20th will probably give me a stroke. But I promise you...

I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.

So stop asking me, "Are you sure you want to get out?" If you had any part in the payment of our family's bills or in the raising of our son, then perhaps I would take your unwelcome advice and questioning into consideration...but you do not. Therefore: butt out! 

What am I talking about, you ask? When you are pregnant, the Air Force is kind enough to give the mother the option of separating early. I still have 3 more years in my contract as of December 9th, but now that I am pregnant I have chosen to take the option of separating. Done. Clean split. Bye bye, Security Forces! Now, don't get me wrong. I did not take this decision lightly. In fact, it took pretty much up until the first week of December to finally make the decision. I talked with two Air National Guard recruiters, and would have talked to the Reserve recruiter had she bothered to email me or call me back. In the end, it was a simple question: What is the best decision for our family? Faced with two AD Security Forces members, one with the worst schedule on the planet (that would be my husband's) and my schedule of 4 days in the field, it made it an easy choice. I refuse to let a babysitter raise our child -- and basically go to work JUST to pay for child care. 

While this decision may not be best for everyone, it certainly is for me. Things will be tight for awhile just living on one paycheck, but knowing that either my husband or I will be home every single night with our child makes that decision simple to live with. 

Now begins the out-processing! 

When I got home I celebrated by taking a nap. And it was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Then I made dinner:

The Pioneer Woman's replica of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I love this lady. Not only can she make a fantastic recipe, but is very entertaining. Here are some photos of my creation:

Yeah, this looks pretty gross, I know. It's my fault for not reading the directions when I was meal planning. I did not have whole milk--or any milk for that matter. What I had was leftover BUTTERMILK from yesterday's magical cake adventure. So I used a cup of that instead. 

 A bowl full of Kale. Never in my life have I purchased kale before this recipe. To me, it was known as the garnish used when I worked at Texas Road House..."each plate is finished with a golf-ball sized piece of kale". 

 The finished product! I turned the heat up too high, so it sort of coagulated the buttermilk/half & half. Oh well. I'm on my second bowl. It is delicious. So I assume that made correctly, like The Pioneer Woman intended, it would be heavenly. Take that Olive Garden!