Today is the last day! Come join us (click the graphic for details)! It isn’t too late!

Day 5: You Might Be a Military Spouse at Christmas If . . .

…..your Christmas card list includes 12 states and 4 countries.

…..you go to set up your Christmas tree only to discover somehow, half your tree was left at the last base (true story:).

…..your tree has ornaments from around the world “literally”.

…..you have a yellow ribbon instead of an angel up top.

…..your tree stays up for 5 months until you can celebrate with your spouse.

…..you wear shorts one year and snowsuits the next.

…..you make enough cookies to feed a small army…and do.

…..you have strangers at your table and never bat an eye.

…..you have the computer out and Skype open on Christmas morning, so your spouse/family/friends can participate in the opening of presents.

…..your tree skirt is camo.

…..you know what is truly important. It is not the gifts, but love, family, friends and faith.

It’s that time of year again! Come join us (click the graphic for details)!

Day 4: The Best Non-Material Christmas Gift Ever

This is a toss up. I could take the easy way out and say my daughter, since she was born a month before Christmas. We prayed for her for what seemed like forever, “tried” for her, battled infertility, took meds and cried many tears, so when she finally arrived healthy and perfect, it was a huge blessing.

I’ll dig deeper though.

There is a certain family that was such a huge blessing to me in the UK and even more so, the Christmas of 2003. Bryan was deployed and this family was there for Jacey and I every step of the way. They took us in like we were “real” family and shared their hearts and home with us. Never once did they treat us like we were an inconvenience or an obligation. They’ll probably never know what it meant to me, because I am not good with words, but I hope that someday they do.

It’s that time of year again! Come join us (click the graphic for details)!

Day 3: Your Favorite Childhood Christmas Memory

Hmm….this is a tough one. Christmas as a child was rough for me, try as my Mom might to make it wonderful. I was a child of divorce and my biological father and his family tended to be quite difficult.

I think one of my favorite memories was going to see our church’s pageant every year. It was just a fun and touching reminder of what Christmas truly was about. Not all the gifts, food, hectic-ness, craziness. Just true love and sacrifice. I still to this day cannot go through a Christmas season without seeing something related to the true reason for the season. Last year it was a play at a local church and a live nativity, This year, so far the live nativity is on the calendar again and we are looking for more.

It’s that time of year again! Come join us (click the graphic for details)!

Day 2: Your Favorite Delicious Christmas Dessert–With Recipe!

Every year for Christmas, we make an assortment of cookies, fudges, candy, etc. It is a tradition that we do as a family, everyone gets involved and usually ends up covered in flour :). We keep some, some goes to work with Bryan and we take a basket of goodies to the SF’s (Air Force police) working the gate after Christmas Eve service. Normally  my fav would be the white chocolate cranberry fudge, but last year I tried a new recipe…butter toffee with sea salt topping. Oh my gracious….absolutely divine! The perfect mix of rich, sweet, salty, crunchy…yum.

I originally found the recipe on Pioneer Woman’s blog here.

Recipe: Lia’s Butter Toffee

Prep Time: 10 Minutes |  Cook Time: 30 Minutes |  Difficulty: Intermediate |  Servings: 18

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Butter, Melted
• 16 ounces, weight Granulated Sugar
• 3 ounces, fluid Water
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 16 ounces, weight Chopped Topping: Toasted Nuts, Candy Canes, Sea Salt, Etc.
• 24 ounces, weight Tempered Dark Chocolate For Coating, Melted

Preparation Instructions

It’s that time of year again! Come join us (click the graphic for details)!

Day 1:  Your Favorite Christmas Movie

My ALL time favorite is….drumroll please….

This just brings back memories of my childhood. There has never been a year go by that I can’t remember watching this show. I still watch it to this with my own daughter.

Feel free to come join in over here!

1. The first thing I think of when I get up in the morning is man, I wish this new alarm had a snooze button!

2. Lately, I’ve been craving real home cooked meals because life is so nuts I haven’t made it to the grocery store in weeks and we keep eating out.

3. Whenever anyone says the word farm, it reminds me of my childhood because I used to spend weeks with my Grandparents during the summer on their “farm”.

4. The happiest word I know is  hope, but it is easy to lose.

5. My spouse may hate it, but I absolutely love Food Network and HGTV.

This is not a fun topic, but one that may help someone out there.

At the end of this year, we will lose our AIP (assignment incentive pay). I sat down today, to redo our budget spreadsheet and remove the AIP from our “fun money”. After sitting there for a sec, I realized I had no clue whether it was taxed or not. I know base pay and flight pay are taxed and BAH and BAS are not but AIP was throwing me. I did a little research and found this gem.

“A helpful rule of thumb is that if the entitlement contains the word “pay” in the title, i.e. Basic Pay, it is considered taxable income unless the service member is serving in a designated tax-free combat zone. If the entitlement contains the word “allowance” in the title, i.e. Basic Allowance for Housing, it usually is non-taxable.”

Of course this is not a 100% rule, but close enough. I’ve been a military spouse for 12 years and never thought about it in those terms. Of course, up until the last 18 months or so, we never had anything in our regular non-TDY/deployment paychecks other than base pay, BAS and BAH.

This applies to every branch (Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard) and active duty, National Guard and Reserves.

So, for example (this list is not complete as I do not know of every miltary pay out there)….

Taxable (unless in a tax free combat zone, where every entitlement is tax free)

• Base Pay
• Flight Pay (Aviation Career Incentive Pay for Officers or Career Enlisted Flyer Incentive Pay)
• AIP (assignment incentive pay)
• Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay
• Dive Pay
• Sea Pay
• Submarine Pay
• Drill Pay
• Foreign Language Proficiency Pay
• Special Pay for Medical and Dental Officers
• Special Duty Assignment Pay
• Hardship Duty Pay
• Hostile Fire and Imminent Danger Pay (this one is in the gray area, since it is usually only for locations that are already tax free combat zones anyway)
• Stop-Loss Pay
• Enlistment and Reenlistment Bonuses (this is an exception to the “pay” rule of thumb)

Non-Taxable

• FSA (family separation allowance)
• BAH (basic allowance for housing)
• BAS (basic allowance for subsistence)
• DLA (dislocation allowance)
• Clothing Allowance
• COLA (cost of living allowance)
• OHA (overseas housing allowance)
• Per Diem (this is an exception to the “allowance” rule of thumb)

If you are looking at an LES and say “I know we get special pay but I don’t know what kind”, take heart. The military has a knack for lumping them all together under a label of  “Save Pay” which is taxable. If you want the breakdown of what they are, I’ll pray for you while you take a trip to finance or brave the DFAS phone lines :)!

Join in over here.

1. The best thing my parents taught me to do when I was a child was _________________.

My sperm donor taught me what not to do as a parent (abandon your child), does that count? My Mom taught me to always have faith and that through Christ you can do all things.

2. However, one thing I wish they did differently was _________________.

To better control their anger. It is an engrained habit for me that I am trying very hard to change.

3. One thing I’ve always wanted to try but haven’t is _________________.

Skydiving! Just have to get Jacey to 18 first!

4. One thing I never thought I’d try but I have is _________________.

Sushi…yuck, yuck, yuck.

5. If I could give my 16-year-old self one piece of advice I’d tell myself _________________.

Enjoy life more and be less serious. Life will throw you MANY curve balls, roll with the punches and smile anyway.

*I’ve seen this floating around the internet lately, so I have no clue where it originated to credit it properly. I thought it was a cute way to get OPSEC (operations security) across though. I changed a few words to make it more applicable to the Air Force.*

I am Sam.

Sam I am.

Do you like OPSEC and ham?

I do not get it, Sam I am.

I do not get OPSEC and ham.

We must use it here and there.

We must use it everywhere.

You CAN share it in a car.

But you CANNOT in a bar.

You CANNOT share it in a text.

You CANNOT share it at the BX.

You CAN say it in your house.

But should NOT tell a random spouse.

You CAN say it in the shower.

But do NOT go sharing at happy hour.

DON’T make the Key Spouse sweat.

DON’T post it on the internet.

You CANNOT share it in a tweet.

That would not be very sweet.

Beware of Facebook and Google+ too.

It’s tempting to let your feelings through.

You Cannot tell it to a friend.

NOT even at the very end.

It is a privilege to know a date.

DON’T tell ANYONE or they may be late!

Oh, I get it, Sam I am

Now I get OPSEC and ham!

I will not tell anyone. I will keep hushed until they’re done!

I will not tell him or her. I will not tell my dog with fur.

I will not tell my child’s teacher. I will not tell any creature.

Thank you, THANK YOU, Sam I am.

Thank you for clearing up OPSEC and Ham!

Join in over here at Wife of a Sailor.

1. Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook hands down. I like Twitter but I just feel overwhelmed when I log on there. Facebook is my closest friends/family mostly, so I love seeing what is up with them specifically.

2. Hard Tacos or Soft Tacos?

Soft tacos. After growing up in South Texas, I have a huge bias towards homemade tortillas. I am also not big on “crunchy” things either, such as chips, nuts, etc.

3. Gardening or crafting?

Crafting. I love working with my hands, but in the last few years, all my fingers have turned back, not just my thumb.

4. Fruit or vegetables?

Hmm, that is a tough choice. I love them both but if I HAD to pick, fruit.

5. Motorcycle or bicycle?

Bicycle. I was burned on a motorcycle as a child and have had no desire to get on one since. Now 4-wheelers, that is a different story.