Life with a 3rd Shifter

(I told ya I promised to write more blogs!)

This blog has been on my mind and heart for a while. My husband picked up a third shift job about a year ago. This was a the same time I converted to working from home. It literally turned our schedules upside down. We were two people working 9AM-5PM Monday-Friday for many, many years. We had a routine. We had a schedule. At first, it was an incredibly hard adjustment, but after a lot of trial an error, we finally found something that works for us.

I am incredibly thankful for a husband who works full time to provide for his family. He endures crappy hours for the greater good. Beyond work, he stays determined to stick to his prior commitments outside of his family life. Even more so, I am thankful he has a job he enjoys, and an employer who treats him so well!! They are caring, genuinely interested in their workers, and flexible. You can't find all those qualities in more employers. But don't let me fool you... third shift can still be tough.

The world still goes on. I have a husband who works a 12 hour shift and gets home at 6AM. Need to run errands? Doctor visits? Pay bills? Guess what? He sacrifices sleep to get everyday tasks done. Most places are only open 9-5, so he's forced to meet their schedules. We try to schedule on his days off, but it's not always feasible.

No more family meals on work days. I usually do not get off work until 5PM or later, and with my husband leaving around 5:45PM- there's not much room for dinner together in between. (I mean- unless it's cereal). We used to eat dinner together every day. Now, it's whatever he can grab, and he's out the door.

Adapting to cooking smaller portions. When I try to cook for myself, I have to make smaller portions. I usually still cook for two, so one of us can eat leftovers. I miss cooking full meals, but I just find it silly to cook a big meal for myself.

My husband never knows what day it is. Poor Joe can't remember if it's Thursday or Friday. When you work multiple nights in a row, I would say it's hard to keep track of the days. When it's after midnight, does he say it's still today or tomorrow?!

The misery when someone calls him repeatedly at 11AM, and he's trying to sleep. Would you like someone to call you at 3AM to chat?

Even on his day off, we still operate on different schedules. I still wake up when he's headed to bed.

I believe the hardest thing of all is the amount of time we actually have to see each other throughout the week. Like I said, before we were both home around 6PMish and had the entire night to spend with one another. Now... his two days off seem almost nonexistent. In the blink of an eye, they are over, so we try to take advantage of them the best we can.

14 Questions about my Other Half

 I saw a fellow facebooker post these questions in a status and versus flooding people's feed with my answers, I thought I would post a blog. Plus, Valentine's Day is around the corner, so it's perfect timing.

As the title suggestions- 14 questions about my other half. Not still questions either. Plus, some throwback pictures?!

1. Where did you meet your other half?
 We met through mutual friends who were dating at the time. I lived with my friend, and her boyfriend lived in the same complex.

2. How long have you been with your significant other?
Just shy of 8 years. Holy smoke- it's hard to believe that!
 
3. If you're married, when did you say " I do"?
September 26, 2009. Originally, we wanted our anniversary to be 09/09/2009, but it was on a week day, and no one goes to a wedding on a week day.

4. What song did you walk down the aisle to?
Face palm.  Okay... it was the chorus to a song. I HAD to be different. No, I didn't want the typical bridal march.

5. Do you have any children yet?
Well, no. Five years of heartache and sadness. We do have fur-children though!

6. What's your favorite thing about your other half?
His ability to make me laugh. (Cheesy answer, right?) No matter how upset, angry, or disappointed Joe can ALWAYS make me laugh. I'm convinced he has an arsenal of memes and pictures saved on his phone to send for every occasion.


7. Were you and your other half high school sweethearts?
Nope. We didn't even know each other existed then.

8. Where was your first date?
This question is debatable. I can tell you about my "assumed" first date. Joe calls one day and says,"I have two tickets to the Dark Knight premiere. Would you like to go?" Sure! He picks me up in his car, and we head towards the movie. Well, he passes the turn to go towards the interstate. I was confused. "Oh yeah. We have to pick up Calep." Okay, whatever. This will be fine.We get to the movies where Joe meets up with at least 5 of his other guy friends. I was even more confused. Talk about awkward.

I dug out some oldddd pictures just for you. This was a selfie from our "first date"

9. How long were you dating before you said "I love you"?
I honestly don't remember. Do you know in the movies where people just say it without realizing it, and then ask each other if that just happened? Well, that's how our's worked out.

10. How long were you dating your other half before he/she proposed?
First off- NO JUDGING. Another typical movie plot- we just KNEW we were THE ONEs to complete each other. We were together roughly 6 months before he proposed.


11. Where is your favorite place you have traveled with your other half?
Disclaimer- Joe and I have NEVER been on vacation together. Not a real vacation. We plan to change that this year with discussions of visiting DC and NY.



12. How do you and your other half usually spend Valentine's Day?
We are both homebodies. We are entirely content with binging on Netflix, playing games, and eating a home cooked meal. 

13. What does your favorite 'date night' consist of?
Usually a movie and possible dinner.

14. What is the best gift you have received from your other?
The gift of unconditional love and respect. I will spare you the mushy, gushy details.

Take a minute and answer these questions about your other half! I promise it will make you smile!

Strawberry and Blueberry Trifle Recipe

Invited to a cook-out? Offered to bring a dessert? Stressing because you can't think of anything that is quick and easy? 

 

 

That is me every holiday, event, or get-together. However, I have found my go-to recipe that, so far, everyone has enjoyed! All the ingredients are things you would have in your pantry at any given time. I have discovered that late spring to late summer is the best time to make this dish, as it is prime time season for beautiful strawberries and blueberries.

 

One year, I took this dish to Thanksgiving because my cousin begged and pleaded for it. He ate, no joking, half of the trifle dish he enjoyed it so much. Then thanked me endlessly because he said it is one of his favorite desserts. I am glad I went through the struggle of finding acceptable fruits and spending the time to layer it to perfection. My dear cousin who loves the Strawberry and Blueberry Trifle passed that following Christmas. This dish is near and dear to my heart. I remember the first time I made it after he passed, I cried and cried while preparing the ingredients. No lie, that time it was made with love and tears.

 

 

Strawberry and Blueberry Trifle

 

This picture does not do it justice, but it was A Ha! blog post!

 

 

Ingredients:

2 Blocks of Cream Cheese: Softened

1 Tub of Whipped Topping (*I have learned through trial and error, the Great Value brand works 10x better than name brand.)

1 Cup of Sugar

1-2 Carton(s) of Blueberries (depending how blueberry-y you want it)

1-2 Carton(s) of Strawberries: Sliced (depending how strawberry-y you want it)

1 Bag or Tub of Strawberry Glaze (Sugar Free works well too)

1 Angel Food Cake (I buy pre-made to save on time)

 

Tools:

1 Large Mixing Bowl

1 Medium Mixing Bowl

Hand Mixer

Clear Deep Bowl or Trifle Dish (recommended)

 

 

Step 1: Prepare the topping.

In the large bowl, using the hand mixer, mix together cream cheese, whipped topping, and cup of sugar until fluffy and light. This step does take some time to ensure the ingredients are mixed well together and the mixture is not grainy from the sugar. Unfortunately, a hand mixer is a must! It is soooo hard to get the ingredients mixed properly without one!

 



 

Step 2: Prepare the fruit glaze/mixture.

In the medium bowl, mix together sliced strawberries, blueberries, and strawberry glaze. Make sure all fruit is coated with the glaze. *Leave some strawberry slices and blueberries to garnish*

 

Step 3: Prepare the Angel Food Cake

Tear the angel food cake into bite size pieces.

 

Step 4: Get to Layering!

In your trifle dish, place a layer of angel food cake pieces to cover the bottom of the bowl. Layer with some of the fruit mixture. And... layer with the whipped topping. Continue with this pattern until all the ingredients are gone. *Be sure that your top layer is the whipped topping!!!*

 

Cake, Fruit, Whipped Topping, Cake, Fruit, Whipped Topping..... shew! Usually this recipe will let you layer the trifle dish two complete times.

 

Step 5: Garnish and ENJOY!

Once the dish is layered, garnish with any leftover strawberries or blueberries. Eat and Enjoy!

 

This dish does need to stay refrigerated as long as possibly. This allows the glaze and whipped topping set and not be so runny while eating. This yields 8-10 medium servings and 12-14 small servings.

 

Enjoy this quick, easy recipe with your family this holiday.

 

Sending sweet love to my cousin above and lots of love until next time!