Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

military romance author

Happy Valentines Day! Eat Cake!

By 6 Comments

 

This is the mini chocolate cake I made for my Mom’s 94th birthday. I took a picture of today’s, but WordPress won’t let me upload it. Gah! Suffice it to say, it looks like this, but on a red heart plate. I use Betty Crocker Super Moist Devil’s Food cake mix and also Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy milk chocolate frosting. In case you need the secret recipe. For emergencies.

Happy New Year! Happy Valentines Day! I lost a month. More like two. Actually three, to be exact. Long story short, my mom had medical challenges and three months later here we are, coming out the other side. Tonight we get to celebrate her 95th birthday at her new Assisted Living home.

Since she is also a Valentines Day baby, it is especially sweet she is doing much better and we know she has a fabulous group of minions helping her out. Besides my sister and myself. We’re good, but very human. We wear down.

So now that mom has more staff, we are trying to get back on track with our to do lists, right after we finish clearing out her apartment this next week. And sell the car. And sort paper files.

Can we chat about stuff? I had too much of my own mess before this move. Still haven’t cleaned out all the stuff from Mom’s prior move two years ago.

If you’re thinking about downsizing or moving, start cleaning out yesterday. But not my new craft supplies I purchased when I had five or ten minutes to kill between running errands, buying groceries, and helping mom. I call it craft therapy for when you don’t have time to get to an actual therapist.          

On this holiday I am grateful for family, friends, hugs and well wishes. Good thoughts helped too. Especially appreciated my friend Kathy helping me wrangle two bookcases, one LaZBoy, and a very stout round kitchen table into my house. My dad built the kitchen table in my youth and it could withstand a nuclear blast.

It also didn’t fit inside the hatchback. I volunteered to be ballast and we drove with the tabletop on the bumper and me holding on for dear life to the bottom pedestal. It was a long block, but we made it. Now Spec Ops Cat thinks he has a new cat enrichment gym. And I need to rearrange my house and get rid of more overstuffed chairs. Still stuff.

While we celebrate this day of giving thanks for love, I want to acknowledge all the good in this world. Especially by the people who give a small part of themselves when they don’t realize how much it can mean to a brain dead, exhausted caregiver unable to even do simple math. Bless you all.

Like texts from friends just checking in, when they know all you’ve got time for is to maybe send an emoji. And they still care.

Grocery checkers who smile at you and make you laugh, when you really need a lift to your spirits.

Medical professionals who can’t give you a definite answer, but try to help.

Your dentist gets you in pronto to fix a tooth you just broke in half eating a Wheat Thin.

Your brother-in-law figures out why the new GFCI plug isn’t working so you don’t have to keep manually hurking your garage door up and tripping over the extension cord running from the house to the freezer in the garage.

Les Schwab mechanic angels figure out your flashing low tire pressure light isn’t right, but it needs to be replaced. And they do it.

The two sets of craft stamps you really want and thought you missed, miraculously show up on a flying trip in and out of Tuesday Morning.

Chocolate chip cookies, Goobers, cinnamon toast, a Big Mac and fries. And I only started gaining weight this week. It’s back to chicken, broccoli and rice!

For all the caregivers out there, hugs and best wishes. There are no calories for you today. Really. Take a deep breath. Now another. You’ve earned it.

Yes, you can make a cake just for yourself. Or buy cupcakes, cookies, or anything else you need to cope. And there are free meditation lessons on YouTube.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day everybody!

Truly Thankful

By 4 Comments

Getting ready to start my pumpkin pie baking and I wanted to send a quick thank you out to all our military service members, foreign service officers, and all their families serving around the world and across the USA. Of the many things I learned in the military, the big takeaway was we are one big crazy family in this nation of ours.

Everybody has nutty relatives, I think I am that person in my family, truth be told. We can’t agree on the best sports teams, beer, or how to hang the roll of toilet paper or raise the dog. We do like food of many different types with various hazardous spice levels. I think we can be called a “snack nation” for our love of sweets and junk food. Have you seen the holiday drinks at Starbucks this year?

Whether it’s pumpkin or pecan pie, light, dark or no meat, one thing is for sure; I am thankful to live in a country that is still a teenager in our young two-hundred plus years of development. And we all know how challenging trying to corral a teenager can be. Like dressing a cat. Who knows he’s going to the veterinarian. Requires metal chain mail.

I propose a toast of sparkling apple cider to our troops around the world, who keep us safe while we stuff ourselves with turkey, ravioli, or pizza as we watch football games or parades.

To our military service members, active, Guard and reserve – stay safe and know you are in our hearts today and always.

And whenever I think I’m having a bad day, I watch what some of our Marines were doing on Nov. 22 in Norway.

The Polar Plunge. Ice breaking training.

Bless Them All.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Happy Veterans Day To All Who Have Served

By 4 Comments

George W. Tuthill, Army, Union, 1861-1865. My great-great-grandfather.

I come from a long line of warriors. On this Veteran’s Day, I would like to thank all who have

John Tuthill, Army, World War I. My Grandfather.

served in the United States military. Past and present.

All who have served in the National Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and all working military animals. I also salute those in the Merchant Marine who have endured hardship and sacrifice to support us on the seas.

With the United States population estimated at 329,064,917 million, there are approximately 23,234,000 living veterans, of those 16,962,000 being war veterans.

That works out to roughly seven percent of the entire United States population, of which five percent are war veterans. Numbers change daily with worldwide conflicts and deployments.

On this Veteran’s Day, I’ve decided to share photos of my family citizen soldiers who have taken the oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

When you raise your right hand and take that oath, it is a solemn occasion. Three times I’ve felt the weight and responsibility of that oath settle on my shoulders.

To those serving on active duty and in the reserves today, I salute you, thank you, and look forward to welcoming you into the veteran family when your duties have come to an end.

For those of us who are veterans, we celebrate this day given to us by the service of those who have gone before us.

Betty Cook, Marines, World War II. My Mom.
James Cook, Army-Air Corps, World War II. My Dad.

Men and women of each generation step up to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Hats off to all who have dug deep and sacrificed to protect our freedoms.

I am here because of their legacies.

Happy Veterans Day!

Rod Tuthill, Marines, served during Korean War. My Uncle.

 

Gordon Hubbard, Army, served during the Vietnam War in Berlin. My brother-in-law.