Mrs. Top Gun's Momma's Pistachio cake

My Momma's famous pistachio cake

Growing up, there were two recipes that intimidated the crap out of me... My momma's enchiladas and her pistachio cake. Sounds silly, but this cake was always a 'mystery' to me! I never understood how she managed to make is so darn moist, light, airy, and delicious! So, without further hesitation, here's my Momma's recipe.

-White cake mix

 -1 c. water,

-1/2 c. oil

-1/2 c. milk

- 2 pkgs JELLO pistachio pudding

- 5 Eggs

Mix on low five min.  Pour into greased bundt pan. The trick to this delicious cake?  Putting air in it!! Bake

at 350, and  watch it like a HAWK.  You do not want it to be hard, as this cake tends
to harden up. Don't be afraid to pull it out at a soft touch!!

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

This cake is already sweet, so no need for over powering full on frosting!

-2 cups of Powdered sugar

-2 tbsp of water

-1 tbsp of butter or margarine

-1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Let cool for a few minutes, then add to the powdered sugar. Mix, adding the water and vanilla extract. You can add more vanilla or less, depending upon how you like the taste. ALLOW THE CAKE TO COOL COMPLETELY. DO NOT pour the glaze over while the cake is the least bit hot. The glaze will melt, and run down the side of the cake, pooling in the middle. 

Enjoy!!

Typhoon time... again!

Yep. We had another one... It hit us REALLY HARD  on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon, with 80 mph wind gusts, and as a category 4 typhoon! I found out about this surprise visit a few days before, when I was looking at the weather and noticed an eerily suspicious looking tropical storm winding its way in our direction... So, praying and hoping that it wouldn't turn our way commenced. Did it help? NOPE. In fact, I think all the fretting and freaking out I did made it turn even more toward us! UGh. Mr. flew away per usual, and left me and the dog to ride it out. 

I was so exhausted from the night before it hit, preparing his bag for him to leave in the wee hours, that the morning of the storm, I was passed out and oblivious to the 70mph gusts outside my window.... That is, until a friend called and asked me if I was alive! Oops! Anyways, I stayed with a friend of mine and we rode this damn storm out together. It's much nicer when you have someone to talk to and keep your mind off the howling wind and crashing waves outside. It hit us, and hit us hard. Then, it left. FAST. Like super fast and nobody expected it to hit and leave that early. I was glad though, and was able to walk back home with the dog the next morning. A few minor wet towels from a bit of water getting into the windows, and some trash and debris to pick up from outside. Other than that, the day after the storm was sunny and windy, and Mr. came home!  

Baby Top Gun Update!

There is def. a baby in there now!

Yikes! That's a belly!

He was being difficult, so my 30 minute ultrasound turned into two hours! I had to walk around the hospital and get him to move over... Did he? Not exactly. The last photo the Radiologist needed to take was the profile picture, so they could rule out a cleft palate. Baby TG wasn't having it, and decided he was pretty comfortable lying right where he was. Eventually, after a lot A LOT! of poking my belly, he turned- just enough! He also didn't want to show his boy parts, but then all of a sudden... BOy Parts! 

He is growing so fast! I was so amazed to see him rolling around, kicking and yawning. What a little miracle I have inside me :) Oh, and the best part? Mr. Top Gun made it home for this!!

Somewhere in the clouds...

Somewhere, Out there...

Mr. Is flying around, doing what he does best! I miss his handsome face so much, but the good news? It's almost over! A few more days, hopefully and he'll be in my arms! I know this doesn't make for the most exciting Saturday post, but hey- I'm tired, hot, and pregnant, and I miss him. Besides, this picture pretty much rocks! He's in there somewhere ;)

Sucktastic September

These last few weeks have been incredibly, well, CRAPPY! With the last week in August having been devoted to typhoon preparations, and Mr. flying away twice within five days, I was truly looking forward to enjoying the long Labor Day weekend with him. Did that happen? Hells NO, it didn't! The damn weather delayed him returning with his plane, thus running into the long weekend. Let's just say that our Squadron had a bunch of grumpy, nasty, and upset flyboys returning. The only nice thing and honestly, I am still waiting for the sky to fall and pigs to fly on this one, about them leaving? The Colonel gave them an extra two days off since they were away 'protecting' the planes. Whatever. 


I knew that enjoying those few days with him were not going to last, and alas, they didn't. September is 'suck' month for us here, because Mr. always goes away for a long time to play war with his plane. Where? I freakin' don't know, and when does he come back? Whenever he walks through my door! Ugh. I don't adjust well to having him gone for the first week or so, and this time it uberly blows! I think the pregnancy hormones aren't helping, and the fact that I can feel baby Top Gun kicking just adds to the somber mood around Casa Top Gun. I seriously wouldn't want to hang out with me right now, that is how blah I feel. Here's some other things that happened in September:


1. Our a-hole neighbors MOVED OUT!! Why? Don't know. Don't care!
2. All of Baby Top Gun's tests (my blood work, etc) came out negative. Yay :)
3. I felt his movements for the first time. OMG. Amazing! It hurts a little bit, and he has decided to take up residence on my bladder. YAY. This led me to frantic 2AM phone calls to my momma and Nana, asking whether or not I needed to go to the ER for a UTI. Nope, I did go to the ER and was told "You're pregnant. This is normal." I felt like an ass. 
4. I discovered a wonderful new friendship or two on island! Love those ladies!
5. Keely has decided to mope when Mr. is gone. This means, that for the month of September, she does the following: Sleeps on his side of the bed (on her dog bed.) Refuses to go to the bathroom for me when I walk her, thus leading to an hour long walk, often in the pouring rain. Turns her nose up at her breakfast and dinner. She often doesn't eat until midnight. Paces the house, looking for him and waits by the stairs to hear his flight boots. 
6. I mini typhooned the outside of the house... again. Pulled the patio furniture in, pulled the plants in. Base Commander freaked out per usual, and placed us in TCCOR-3. 60mph winds could happen within 48 hrs. Did they? NOPE. It got windy, and I was glad I pulled the furniture in, because with our house being so high up and four stories, the plants fall and the chairs fly. 
7. I cursed the Air Force for making Mr. miss our Anniversary, again.
8. I got over it- quickly, and was asked to make dinner for a friend who is undergoing a  medical procedure. Something to keep my mind off the day :)
9. I discovered that I became a HUGE fan of eating. Eating all the time. Baby Top Gun is always hungry :)
10. I still HATE September, but I am embracing the suck. Meh. 


Hopefully Mr. comes home soon! 

Round two of 'Typhoon Tyranny,' the part where I gripe...

This is the post where I complain and gripe about the ludicrousness of Mr. Top Gun's Squadron. FYI: If you don't want to listen to me, stop reading now. 


The last typhoon that rolled through here was on Tuesday. It was a semi dud. Mr. had to evacuate his plane and leave, and I stayed with a friend. He was able to make it back later the next day, and I was happy! I was looking forward to a four day weekend before he leaves again for a LONG time (boo!) until Thursday morning, that is... It seems that another damn Typhoon decided to form, and I knew he was going to leave again. What makes me so pissed about the current situation is this: It never made it into a typhoon! It's not even a tropical storm, We have some rain, we have 30mph winds. He was supposed to come home today, like a few hours from now, today. NOPE not happening.


His idiotic Commander decided that it's too risky to fly back in rain??? Needless to say, the guys are all super pissed. They are going to miss the entire holiday weekend because some idiot higher up can't make correct command decisions. I am one unhappy wife right now, and Mr. and his entire crew are grouchy. Someone is missing a child's birthday. Another has a paper to write. An Anniversary is being missed. And all because we have some rain...


Ok, I'm done. I am going to spend his money and go shopping with a friend. Oh, and Japan and Mr's squadron... YOU CAN BOTH BITE ME.

Meeting Typhoon Kompasu

Holy Crap. I am staring down the barrel of a rather vicious and nasty Typhoon, and per usual, Mr. Top Gun isn't around. 

This little surprise was well, just that! A damn surprise! Nobody saw this coming, and we figured it would pass well away from us. Not so, not so. I was woken up Sunday morning by Mr. informing me that he would be leaving with his plane sometime soon. Again, not a surprise about him leaving, but I am pissed that I have to ride another damn typhoon out ALONE. This one is a nasty one, apparently. We are expected to have the outer bands of rain and winds moving in around this evening, with the worst of the storm passing over us to the east of the island (Thank GOD I am on the other side!) I am not looking forward to 60-80 mph winds, but it looks like it will be in the late morning from around 8am to 2pm.


I am hunkered down in our house, protected by concrete and steel. The house still shakes and it creaks, but these homes here were built to typhoon standards. In fact, off base housing cannot be approved by the Japanese government unless it meets those high standards. I have extra towels stuffed in the windows, and in between the sliding glass door. Last is to place towels around the door downstairs (which is a beast of a storm door!!) I doubt anything is gonna get in, but just to be safe :) Hopefully I can walk Keely this evening before the rain and bad winds start, because if not?? She is using the tile floor! 


I am going to try to get some video from inside the house of the winds- but I'm not promising anything. I think I will just live in the laundry room for the half of the day tomorrow... Ugh. Pray for me!