Stargirl Adventures

Teaser Tuesday: The unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2011-10-18T15:17:00.002-06:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"I ignored that, knowing I'd make zero headway on this particular subject. "So what are you saying? I was invisible, but now I'm a target?"" "Oh, you were ever invisible."

p.176, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Leave a comment with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here.

WMM- on business

2011-10-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

"Whatcha Makin Monday" is a way for me to record menus and keep track of what's been tasty. I keep track of what the family is having for dinner, where we plan to eat at home five nights a week.

This week is also a bit special. I am continuing to play the Game On Diet with some friends at work, but this week I am also out of town on business. I am in Orlando for a conference. While the conference does have some meals that are catered, I don't have any faith that I will be able to eat anything that is Gluten Free. The hubby and the kid are on their own for a few days, and I don't think they will be cooking. As much as I would like to know what I will be eating this week, I don't think I will.

So here is the menu for the week.

Sunday: Unknown... traveling
Monday: Unknown...hotel food
Tuesday: Unknown... hotel food
Wednesday: Unknown... traveling
Thursday: Pizza Night
Friday: Dinner out
Saturday: Chicken Breasts and Corn
Sunday: Dinner out

This will be an unusual week. What are you making?

This Moment

2011-10-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.


Becca Fitzpatrick, Michelle Hodkin, Elana Johnson, and Moira Young- Provo Library

Review: Wings

2011-10-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I got this book as a free Nook book download. I had heard of the author being from Utah and being recommended by Stephanie Meyer of Twilight fame, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Laurel starts a new school, gets a new guy friend, and then wakes up one morning with a giant flower growing out of her back. Talk about a weird day. She eventually tells her new boyfriend and he doesn't actually mind. Along the way, she finds out what the deal is with her flower and her body. She solves a mystery and saves the day, so all's well that ends well, right?

I honestly didn't read a single review before I read it. I don't know why, but it took me about two chapters of being completely annoyed with the story to look up the intended audience. Once I realized that it's a YA novel, I felt much more comfortable with the lack of character development and the simpleness of the narrative. Although I was comfortable with it, I didn't really love it. I don't think it was terribly captivating, but I do have to give the author props for the world she created and the faeries involved.

I am not a huge Twilight fan but I feel they translate well to an older audience. I can't say the same for this one, which is probably why it bothered me so much. The book is a quick, easy read, though, that does not require much thought. This makes it a perfect "night" book that you can read easily before bed or when you don't have to think that hard. Although I didn't really love the book, I will probably purchase the next two in the series, since they are easy reads.

Teaser Tuesday: The Predicteds

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"I drop the subject, and as we drive away I twist around to look back at the abandoned railroad car. I have to blink when I see him- he's standing at the edge of the field. A flash of light from the neon sign lands on him, and I see his face clearly. He looks up at the sky and then straight at me."

p.131, The Predicteds by Christine Seifert

Leave a comment with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here.

Whatcha Makin Monday

2011-10-09T21:53:00.000-06:00

"Whatcha Makin Monday" is a way for me to record menus and keep track of what's been tasty. I keep track of what the family is having for dinner, where we plan to eat at home five nights a week.

This week is a bit special, since I am playing Game On Diet with some friends at work. The meals all have to be combined a certain way, so they are typically a bit more varied than I would normally eat. That's not a bad thing, just different than I normally do things.

So here is the menu for the week.

Monday: Turkey Burgers, corn on the cob, salad, lemon/lime vinegrette
Tuesday: Grilled Salmon, garlic potatoes, salad, lemon/lime vinegrette
Wednesday: GF Pizza with Chicken and Mushrooms
Thursday: Veggie stuffed chicken breast, greek spinach, and rice
Friday: Dinner out
Saturday: Vegetable Casserole
Sunday: Dinner out

It's getting to be a little too cold to grill (although the husband would disagree), so I am trying to get some grilling in while I can.

I am excited for dinner this week. What are you making?

Friday Review: Run Like a Mother

2011-10-07T22:17:00.002-06:00

Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea

Synopsis from GoodReads:

In Run Like a Mother, authors Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea offer both inspirational advice and practical strategies to help multitasking women make running part of their busy lives.
McDowell and Shea understand the various external and internal forces in everyday life that can unintentionally keep a wife--mother--working woman from lacing up her shoes and going for a run. Because the authors are multihyphenates themselves, Run Like a Mother is driven by their own running expertise and real-world experience in ensuring that running is part of their lives.
More than a book, Run Like a Mother is essentially a down-to-earth, encouraging conversation with the reader on all things running, with the overall goal of strengthening a woman's inner athlete.
Of course, real achievement is a healthy mix of inspiration and perspiration, which is why the authors have grounded Run Like a Mother in a host of practical tips on shoes, training, racing, nutrition, and injuries, all designed to help women balance running with their professional and personal lives.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book (the nook version) because I needed some inspiration after not being able to complete my half marathon.

For some reason, I was expecting a bit more out of this book than it delivered. I don't know why I thought it would be an instructional manual on how the two mommy/worker authors actually make running work in their lives, but I did. In short, the answer was "because it works". It didn't really answer very many running questions for me, and seemed to be geared more towards women who run, rather than women who want to run- which I think is a very important distinction. I really didn't think it was that great of an instruction-manual-type book

If I look at it from a purely narrative point of view, it was a much better book. I really enjoyed the quotes from other mothers and found the stories from the authors to be entertaining with a ring of truth that can only come from being a mother. I enjoyed the way the chapters were broken apart (in 26.2), because I felt it lent a playful air and because each chapter was just about right for a break at work.

Although it was not what I expected, it did help me motivate myself to get back to my training for my next marathon. I would recommend it to a friend, but would include the caveat to just enjoy the book as a story.

The one thing I absolutely hated was the nook book formatting. For some reason, it did not translate well. Because the book has a section of quotes and asides in each chapter, it was hard to follow if you didn't have the luxury of turning a physical page. No fault of the authors, and it didn't influence my rating, but it was highly annoying.

The Kid- Labor and Delivery

2010-08-30T21:58:00.000-06:00

So I am really late with this posting, but here goes:

So we decided to stay after the nurse gave me the ambien. They wanted to give me two, but my hubby intervened and so they only gave me one. I had to have an IV of fluids because I was so dehydrated. The nurse wanted to monitor me with an EFM, but agreed to monitor me intermittently.

So once I had the ambien, I was out. Not all the way out, but I don't remember the rest of the night either. The hubs said I slept, woke up, had conversations with my mom, and listened to music, but I don't remember anything from about 4am to about 3 pm.

Apparently, there was some miscommunication between the midwife on call, and my midwife. So my midwife thought I had gone home and she didn't come in early. When she finally did come in, my labor had actually stalled and I wasn't progressing much.

The midwife broke my water, and I felt like I had wet the bed. There was lots of meconium in the fluid so there was some concern for the kid. My contractions got stronger, finally, but I was still not progressing. I kept leaking fluid and because there was so much meconium, the midwife asked if she could give me pitocin to see if she could get my labor back on track. I agreed because I knew the kid needed to make an appearance, but I still did not want an Epidural. The midwife gave me the pitocin through my iv on the lowest drip she could.

I don't remember a lot about the part of the labor. I remember moving about with the IV and talking to the hubby about the possibility of an epidural. I remember going pee ALOT. Probably because I was given so much fluid through my IV. I remember sitting on the bed for about an hour listening to Clubbed to Death on my Zune and being in a meditative type zone. I remember seeing my mom, but I don't remember talking to her for the half hour that I talked to her. I remember seeing my MIL and telling her NOT to take my picture. I remember the midwife turning up the pitocin a couple notches over the course of the day. I remember hitting the wall and still not progressing. I remember not being able to take the pain. I remember finally asking for the Epidural because I couldn't progress and I needed to.

The anesthesiologist came in. He told me to curl up tight into a ball, which sounds totally ridiculous when you have a yoga ball where your stomach is. I couldn't curl tight enough, so the hubs had to help me curl. The anesthesiologist told me to hold veeeeery still, and I remember the poke and a sickening pop. I remember the hubby's face going pale white when he heard the pop. I remember telling everyone I was going to take a nap.

The midwife came in again to check me. I could still feel contractions, but only in half my body. I felt when the midwife checked me and she told me to keep pushing the button for my epidural. I did, but I could still feel my right side. They poked my left foot and I couldn't feel it, so they poked my right foot and I about kicked the midwife.

She decided to call the anesthesiologist back up. It took him a while, but when he finally checked the catheter in my back he found that he had pushed it in a little too far. So the block was only hitting half the nerves it needed to, which was why I could still feel all the pain in my right side. Once, he fixed the catheter, and I was finally blocked on both sides, I took another nap.

The midwife came back and checked me again. She said it was getting close to time to push, but I would probably be pushing for a while, since it was my first kid. I followed the midwife's instructions and started to crown fairly quickly. They prepped the room and me, and I pushed for about 45 minutes. I don't remember feeling a whole lot, other than some stretching.

The midwife said that his head was sideways and he wasn't fully posterior, which was probably why I didn't progress as fast. I was pushing out a lot of meconium, so they called the pediatric nurses to have them on standby.

The kid came out in another couple pushes The midwife said that his head was not the biggest part of him, it was his shoulders. She said she looked at the hubby when the kid got stuck and realized she should have expected the kid to be wide in the chest too.

Once the kid was finally out, the nurses checked him and found he was in good health. His apgar score was high. He didn't have any meconium in his lungs, which was one of the concerns. He weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs ad 12 oz and a very long 20 inches. The nurses determined he was 40 weeks and 6 days, which was why there was so much meconium. Although he was healthy, it was a good time for him to be delivered.

I delivered the placenta, but I had a whole lot of bleeding after. Turned out that it had split in half, so I still had a piece in me. I had to be scraped out and given some blood clot medication. I got cleaned up, and they wheeled me into the post delivery room. The hospital plays a lullaby every time a baby is born, so I heard the kid's as I was being wheeled to my new room.

I got into bed and we settled down for the night. I ate, and stared at the baby a while. I thought he looked like an alien, but at least he didn't have any weird bumps or a funny shaped head. I have to admit I was glad to have him out, but he was totally worth the 26 hours of labor.

The Kid- Week 41 and the beginning of Labor

2010-07-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

So this week was VERRRRRRRY uncomfortable. I was past my adjusted due date and coming up to my original due date.

I had to work the whole week although I admit I probably didn't do as much as I should have because I was so uncomfortable. I was also more than a little frustrated with the inane questions that people at work were asking. "Are you ready for the baby to come?", "I bet you are uncomfortable, huh?", "so how much weight have you gained?", "are you tired?". Every time someone asked me these questions I just wanted to turn around and say "what the hell do you think?, DUH!!!". But I was nice, and I didn't snap. I thought that was good.

I didn't sleep very well the whole week, but I especially didn't sleep well on Wednesday night. I had to be up at 3 am on Thursday morning because I had to leave work early for my antepartum testing and my midwife appointment. Thursday was my original due date. I had still been having contractions, but didn't think that they were getting any stronger. At the antepartum testing, the tech said that everything looked okay, but I was getting a little low on amniotic fluid. She said that since I was past my due date, I would need to schedule another appointment for Monday because they would want to see me soon. The hubby and I grabbed a snack in the hospital cafeteria then went across the street to see my midwife. She examined me and said that I was still dilated to a three and that I was about 90% effaced. She said that she was not on call until the next day, but that I would probably have my baby that weekend. I just laughed. I was feeling the contractions a lot harder after the exam and I was bleeding. My midwife had warned me about that so I wasn't to worried. We went to dinner and came home...

...Then the contractions hit. My midwife had told me that I would KNOW when labor contractions finally came and she was totally right. Right around 6 PM I had the really strong contractions hit. These made all the other contractions feel like tickles... They hurt. A LOT. I tried to relax because I knew it would be a long night, but I couldn't really sleep. I took a shower, I laid in bed, I sat on my exercise ball, and I sat on the toilet. nothing was really comfortable. The hubby was a total champ. He rubbed my back, and held my hand, and watched tv with me. He did nap a little, but I did not.

At 3 am I decided to call the midwife. We had been timing contractions and they were about four minutes apart for about two hours. The midwife on call told me that I could come in to the hospital and she would check me or I could stay home until my midwife came in at 8 am. We waited a bit, but went to the hospital at about 330 am.

The nurse on the maternity floor checked me in and got me into a gown. I gave the nurse my birth plan and she was totally down with it. She checked me and I was still at a 3. She told me I could walk the halls and see if I could dilate. If I did, they would keep me. If not, they would send me home. We called our roommate who was just getting off of work to see if he would watch the dogs and pets. He came to the hospital and hung out with us for a while. I wrote my boss an email to let her know I would not be in on Friday because I was in labor. I was checked again and I had progressed to a 3.5. I was really tired by this point because I hadn't slept since Wednesday night. So the nurse called the midwife on call (still not my midwife), who offered me some Ambien... and that's when the fun really began...

Next up: the Labor

The Kid- Week 39 and 40

2010-05-20T08:54:00.003-06:00

So... I know these updates are really late, but it was tough catching up on everything. And once the kid actually made his appearance, it became even tougher... So I am doing what I can because I really don't want to forget!

Week 39- I was still getting ready to leave work at this time. Trying to get all my projects done and at least some stuff ready for handoff. Stuff kept moving around and I did not make as much progress as I would like. Especially because I was not sure when my large project would be launching. It kept getting moved and at this time was scheduled to launch right around my due date.

I was still dilated to a 2 but was starting to thin out a bit so my midwife was pleased. I continued to have pretty strong and regular contractions but wasn't making anymore progress. I was told the kid was posterior and so I was given exercises to try to get him to flip from "sunny side up" to "butt side up". I was still spilling trace amounts of sugar but was told it was no longer a huge concern. I had massive cravings for sweets and especially ice cream. These were like "get outta my way, I'm going to run you over in my car because you are in my way" kind of cravings. It was sort of scary to be honest. My feet also swelled up overnight this week. I was wearing my shoes fine one day and couldn't get them on the next. I could barely get my flip flops on because the straps were too tight. And I got sausage toes- Bad.

I also gained 6 pounds this week. My midwife said it was probably a lot of water retention, but she was also expecting me to have a big weight gain sometime because I had not gained a lot of weight so far. I was also told that I needed to have an Antipartum test scheduled in case I did not deliver by my due date. I became convinced that the Kid was NEVER coming out and that I would be pregnant for-ev-er. My midwife and loving husband tried to convince me this wasn't true, but I stopped listening to them. Ha.

The day before my due date we went to Ikea and finished buying stuff for the kid. It was fun to waddle around the store and I realized that I probably would not be back without a kid ever again. It was a weird realization to think that your life is about to irrevocably change. It was an especially weird revelation to have in the middle of Ikea...

Week 40- My adjusted due date was April 17. A day which came and went without a peep from the Kid. My original due date was April 22. A day which did come with peeps from the Kid and which fell during week 41.

This week was a bit easier because I was just finishing up stuff at work and I was less stressed about having everything ready for the Kid's arrival. My mommy ran her first 5k on the weekend and I was totally proud of her. I have plans to join her next year for the half marathon or the bike tour. It will be cool.

I didn't have as many contractions this week as I had in weeks past. I was still dilated to a 2 and was still thinning, but not making a whole lot of progress. The Kid was still posterior and I continued to try to flip him over. I did have some bleeding this week, but nothing terribly concerning. I also missed work one day because I was soooo tired. I got a more stuff washed for the kidlet and packed my bag for the hospital. I was totally excited and nervous, but was really just impatient for him to show up...

Next time: Week 41 and the Delivery. Plus everything I never knew about the postpartum phase...

The Kid- Week 35-38

2010-04-17T16:12:00.006-06:00

So this post is going to cover the last few weeks. It's only a tiny bit late since I delivered a month ago... wow.

Week 35- As always, there was a lot of work going on this week too. I have a couple of large projects at work so I have been trying to get everything wrapped up, or at least packaged together, before I leave to have the kid. I was hoping that one of my projects would be completed, but the time line kept getting moved by other people. When a time line was finally established, it came right in the middle of my 40th week. This started stressing me out, and my contractions were really strong this week. I finally calmed down a bit, but I was STILL stressed out about it. Ah well.

We also went to our friend's neighborhood birthday party. There are several peeps in their neighborhood that have birthdays in March, so they all generally celebrate together. Scott and Joi, our friends, have been married for 20 years and have three kids. They are the sweetest people and often invite us to their neighborhood shindigs. Scott was my hubby's Big Brother through Big Brother Big Sisters and has kept in touch all these years. When the hubs and I started dating he introduced them to me and Joi and I hit it off right away. She has many of the same granola tendencies that I do, so she is my natural living guru and has been a huge help with information about natural birth and breastfeeding.

We also FINALLY got the kid's room mostly cleaned out and I finally got all the clothes and stuff put away. Now we just have to finish running everything through the wash to get it ready.

Week 36- This week had a lot more work stuff going on, but was also a lot more frustrating. I can't really jot it down, but I was feeling pretty frustrated with a couple of my co-workers. The contractions were stronger this week and it seriously felt like the kid was separating my ribs. He was head down, but posterior. He really liked to put his knees or feet under my top ribs and push them apart. It really hurt, but there isn't a whole lot I could do about it. It's really funny to me that he will stop kicking whenever the hubby puts his hand on my tummy. He calms right down if D tries to feel him kick. I told the hubs I just need him to follow me around and keep his hand on my tummy all day!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution started this week. It is one of my favorite things. I am pretty passionate about food, and would love it if the hubby cared more about what we consume. He hates most of my food, so we eat out. A LOT. Like, every day... This show got us thinking about eating at home more.

My midwife also questioned what I was eating this week because I was spilling sugar in my urine. (eeew, right?). I don't actually eat a lot of sweets because many of them contain wheat. But I do consume a lot of fruit, so my midwife told me to lay off it a bit. I was also eating marshmallow cream, and so she told me to knock that off as well. I know, I know, but it was reaaaaaaaaallly really good. :)

Week 37- This was one of those weeks where I spent more time in meetings, than I did actually working on my projects. But that's the way it goes when you have to prepare other people to take over all of your stuff when you are gone. Silly, but true.

I had another midwife appointment and was finally starting to dilate. I was dilated to a one, and was still having crazy strong contractions. I was also still spilling sugar and I got lectured on my diet again. At least my midwife understands that I eat some things deliberately (like Trix cereal) because I can't eat other things (like doughnuts). My mom was convinced that I was going to have the kid this week because of the change in barometric pressure. I just told her she was crazy, just like the HUGE spring storm we got.

I finally stripped all the cloth diapers we got from the baby shower and washed a lot of the little baby clothes. Felt like I was getting closer and closer to having the kidlet, but still no appearances.

Week 38- I woke up one night during this week with crazy pain in my side. I knew it was not contractions, but it felt like something was terribly wrong with my guts. I was doubled over and crying in the bathroom and the hubs and I decided to go to the Emergency Room. Now, here is a tip for you if you are pregnant and visit the emergency room. They will think you are in labor. No matter what else you say, the hospital staff will think you are having contractions and will think you are in labor. I walked into the ER and told them my side hurt. They asked how far along I was and then took me up to Labor and Delivery. When I got there I told them my side hurt. They asked how far apart my contractions were. I told them I was not having contractions, but my side hurt. They hooked me up to the Electronic Fetal Monitor and the nurse came in and said "we don't show you are having really strong contractions, so we don't think you are ready to have this baby." I said "I know I am not having contractions. MY SIDE HURTS!!!". They finally got it that I knew I was not in labor, I was in PAIN. They called my midwife who guessed that it was gallstones. She sent me on my merry way with some Percocet. About three hours later I called my boss and left a 'drunken' message on her answering machine to tell her I would not be into work. She got a kick out of that, and I don't really remember much of the rest of that day.

On other notes, I was dilated to a 2 this week and continued to have contractions (except for the night of the ER visit). I cut out a lot of the sweet stuff I was consuming and only spilled a trace amount of sugar. My midwife told me that we wouldn't worry about it anyway because I was so close to my due date that they wouldn't do anything but watch my food intake. I was very excited that I was getting closer, but totally wanted to deliver early because I was so uncomfortable.

Next time: Week 39, 40, WEEK 41, and Delivery!!!

The Kid- Week 31-34

2010-04-09T08:36:00.000-06:00

So this update is a little bit late, but not nearly as late as my last updates were. Considering that I am currently in week 39 right now, I feel I am making awesome progress. I might even get my updates done by the time the kid arrives (HA!). I really do want to have some record of what's going on with me, but it seems like I am on the computer all day at work, and so I don't want to be on the computer all night too. I hope to be better about it, and actually get things posted, but I guess I will have to wait and see.

So Week 31 was a really, really busy work week. I know I say that a lot, but I really did have to pour a lot of my energy into this work week. My mom also threw a baby shower for my cousin. She is about a month ahead of me and was also due with a boy. It's her third baby, but my mom wanted to throw her a small "social" shower. It was pretty fun. I was recruited to help with food, decorations, and all that. I also crocheted her a blanket that I mentioned here. It was really cute and I learned a new stitch. YAY ME!

I also had a three hour glucose tolerance test because my sugar levels were a tiny bit concerning to my midwife. You would think that the medical profession would be kind enough to figure out another way to test a pregnant woman's blood sugar than by starving her for four hours. My wonderful MIL sat with me through the test and kept me company. I was in normal range for the first two blood draws, high for the third, and normal for the fourth. I was told to watch my sugar, but I should be fine. I must say that blood draws are horrible for me. I have only one good vein and a VERY specific way to get to it, but most of the lab techs don't listen to me. So when they were at 4 tries for the first draw, I was ready to go home. I finally got someone to listen to me for the last draws though.

Week 32 was all about more work. I started having contractions this week too. They were not that strong or long lasting, but I wasn't quite sure how to handle them. I ended up working on my breathing a lot but I was a bit freaked out. My midwife said that they were braxton-hicks contractions and totally normal. She was thinking I would deliver early for a bit, but then decided that I would probably go all the way to my due date. I needed to start putting the kids room together, but I was still really tired. I was hoping to get the room done before the baby shower, so that I would have space to put everything, but that did not end up happening. Alas.

Week 33 was still all about the contractions. They weren't regular and they were not terribly painful, but they were annoying. I figured out that they were much stronger if I was exhausted or had tried to do too much in a day. This week was also my nephew's birthday. I will have to explain about my nephew and his circumstance one day, but I will just say that he is my little brother's kid and was born when my brother was 15. 'Nuff said, right? Anyway, my mom doesn't get to see her grandbaby as much as she would like, but she was pretty excited about the birthday party. My mom gets the place for the party, the decorations, the cake, the party favors, pretty much everything but the food. The hubs and I helped my mom get ready for the party but Jessica (my nephew's mom) didn't show up until 20 minutes before the party was supposed to start. The entire party was just a mess. The hubs and I were both furious, but held our tongues. We are both in agreement that at least we won't be raising our kid the way that she is raising hers... Sad, but true.

I still had grand plans to finish the kid's room this week, but scrapped them because I had no energy. The hubs kept telling me to take it easy and rest, but of course I don't listen and end up kicking myself later. Waaaaa.

Week 34 was a really busy week, too. Work wasn't terribly busy or taxing, but I was working on preparing for the baby shower. I had pretty wicked contractions this week, so I ended up resting a lot. I finally started gaining weight, but I was tired. My mom organized my shower, and my aunt was nice enough to host, so I was really looking forward to hanging out with some friends. My mom let me pick the menu for the shower so I had safe, gluten free, healthy food. Chicken salad lettuce wraps (and sammies for the gluten eaters), veggies, fruit, and punch. We also only played ONE baby shower game. It was a memory game and was a huge hit. Everyone said they liked it much better than the "poo in a diaper" game or the "baby food" game. I opened presents and and I actually loved everything I received. I got a whole lot of the gerber prefold cloth diapers and no disposables. I know they aren't the best cloth diaper, but I am confident they will work until I can build up a good cloth diaper stash. I was surprised that so many people showed up and that I got so much stuff. I felt loved and realized that the kid will probably be quite spoiled!

In upcoming editions: Weeks 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and beyond??? My thoughts on Jamie Oliver, more work, more contractions, my separated ribs (JK), my hospital visit where NO ONE LISTENED and more midwife visits and sugar drama...

The Kid-Week 25-30

2010-03-12T07:24:00.002-07:00

So... I would hate to forget all the great stuff that happened in the weeks leading up to the birth. Although my pregnant brain isn't quite what it used to be, I wanted to try to remember some of the details about the pregnancy.

Week 25 was the first week in January, and I was totally busy at work. Honestly, that's about all I can remember about that week.

Week 26 was still busy at work. I was also sick that week and ended up at home in bed one day. It wasn't terrible, but I was totally ill.

Week 27 was the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We get that day off from work, so I had a nice lazy day and didn't do anything. The rest of that week, however, was spent doing major work stuff including our team's year planning session. We have goals that we have to set and so that can be totally time consuming and mentally exhausting. Because we had team members in from all parts of the world, we also did a lot of extra team building activities. I bailed on a few of them because I was so tired, but I did make it to a few of them. We did a party at color me mine one night and I totally made a kick butt alien for the kid's room :)

Week 28 was another huge week at work. This was the week of a huge training summit. Because I write curriculum for my company, we had a meeting with many of the users of the curriculum to determine how we could update the material. We had people in from all over the world and we spent a lot of time entertaining them after the meetings to try and build some rapport. It was fun, but totally exhausting. I had some pain that week and was kinda freaking out, but then I realized that it was probably just because I was trying to do WAY too much.

Week 29 was the first week of February and the week of my (actual) birthday. I spent a lot of time relaxing that week because I was so exhausted from the two weeks before. I ended up taking my birthday off and my grandma took me to IKEA to get a changing table. I wasn't going to put one in the kid's room, but she insisted. I really like the clean lines and the fact that it matches the crib. She also got me an AWESOME pea coat that I can wear next winter. My mommy sent me balloons and some other stuff and I got my favorite zooanthids for the fish tank from the hubby.

I do have to say that I normally celebrate my birthday for most of the month of February. But this year, I was really tired. I slept a lot of the month away because I was sleepy. HA.

Week 30 continued my birthday month. I ended up going to dinner with my mom for my birthday, and I did not watch the superbowl. I did, however, watch quite a bit of the olympics online. It was nice because I didn't have to watch too many commercials and I could watch highlights of the events rather than the whole thing. I spent more time sleeping in week 30, too.

Next up will be the recordings and thoughts from week 31 to week 35. Hopefully, I can remember to write all this stuff down. I want to look back someday and remember this time, because I have a feeling I will forget it all in the post newborn days of exhaustion...

I have been trying...

2010-03-03T08:15:00.002-07:00

Over the past two months I have been trying to refashion or make a lot more for my Wardrobe Refashion pledge. Unfortunately, I haven't really been getting anywhere :( Work, home, and the whole pregnancy thing has been draining my energy reserves. Who knew that baby baking was such hard work?

On the plus side, I haven't purchased anything new, so I do feel somewhat accomplished. I did manage to finish a baby blanket for my cousin's baby shower, but I forgot to take a picture. It was a basic shell stitch in Banana Berry Yarn from Red Heart. It self striped into a lovely rainbow of green, blue, and yellow. You should just take my word for it, but it was super cute!

On the baby front, I have been super exhausted. I had a couple of HUGE things I was involved in at work, and they contributed to my huge loss of time at the end of January. February was my birthday month, but I was too tired to celebrate the whole month like I normally do. I am not really sleeping well right now, because I can't get comfortable. I try to take little cat naps whenever I can, but it's not really enough. Everyone just keeps telling me that my body is preparing for the lack of sleep over the next eighteen years... Yeah.... Because THAT makes me feel better :) I have been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions, and boy are they a pain- literally. I know it's preparation, but I wish it would hold off for a bit!

I also recently discovered that I can't drive anymore. Because I am so short, I generally have to sit fairly close to the steering wheel. If you add a ginormous belly into the mix, then I am right up against the steering wheel. I can't adjust the steering wheel because then I can't see over it, and I can't move back because then I can't reach the clutch or the brakes- both bad. So the lovely, wonderful, super-fantastic hubby has been driving me everywhere I need to go. This has included multiple stores, a baby shower, a birthday party, IKEA, work, and all my midwife appointments. He is great.

The baby's room has been painted. My stepdad stripped all the wallpaper, textured the walls, and painted them. It's great to have a painter in the family. Now we just need to finish the room and, you know, make it habitable for the kid. The baby shower is this weekend, so I am hoping we can get it all set up by next weekend. That one totally depends on the hubby.

I really need to recap the last couple of weeks in more detail, but my pregnancy brain isn't really going to work with that. Ha. I guess I will try to get back to this later....

2010... What a year it will be!

2010-01-15T19:38:00.006-07:00

Inspired by all the recent postings about New Year's Resolutions, I decided to document some goals myself. I don't particularly like New Year's resolutions, they rarely stick. On the other hand, I can see why people always make New Years Resolutions, it's a fresh start.

I want my goals to be obtainable. I also want my goals to enrich the quality of my life. Losing 50 pounds might help me feel better, but will it really help me make my life better? I decided to take a look at a few topics to see what I wanted to do this year:

Health
Finances
Community/ Activity
Relationships/ Home

We are going to have a new baby in the house this year, so I didn't want to get completely crazy with my goals. I can, however, think about the things I know I want to do.

Health
I have a baby due in April and I want to be able to keep up with him! I want to begin preparation for a marathon, I want to run a 5 k, I want to do a sprint triathlon. I set my goal here as mileage because I think this will help me keep better track. This year I will:

Run 75 miles
Bike 150 miles
Swim 75 miles

Finances
The hubby and I don't currently own the house we rent, but we would like to. So this year I will:

Work with the hubby to save for a down payment on the house

Community/ Activities
I want to be more involved in my community this year. I want to invest my time in things I want to do. This year I will:

Head the fourth quarter charity event at work for Children's Miracle Network
Start a (casual) yoga practice

Relationships/ Home
This is probably one of the most important areas for me. I really would like to have more people to interact with. I want to be a better wife. I definitely want to be a good mother. This year I will:

Be a better wifey to my hubby
Be a good mom and not scar the kid for life
Take better care of the chores in my home
Be more than a Face book friend

I don't want to stop looking at my goals for the year. I also don't want to be sad or annoyed if I find myself slipping away from these goals. I want to be happy that I have goals and that I have the opportunity to improve my life. Not everyone gets the chance to set goals or work towards them.

I also must remember that I have to make the choice each day to follow my goals. I need to decide if I want to walk towards the life I want, or if I want to stay where I am. Today, I choose to take my first step towards that life.

Wardrobe Refashion: A few things finished

2010-01-09T22:23:00.004-07:00

I had a few WIPs that I finished up this week. I was so excited to have something to post, even if all of the items were totally easy!

I crocheted this baby blanket out of stash yarn my MIL had. I didn't know that we were having a baby boy when I started, but I love the stripes for either sex anyway. The green yarn is a 'shimmer' type of yarn that has the tiniest bit of sparkle, and the white is really more of an off white color. I still have enough yarn left over to knit a baby cap on my handy knitting loom and enough to try my hand at some baby booties.

I made the blanket by doing a simple double crochet. 72 stitches wide and 5 rows per stripe. So simple, I heart double crochet. Simple to do, but looks totally hard.

I also finished two pouch-style baby slings from some fabulous fabric I got at Jo Anns. The fabric is a sweatshirt type material and is fleece lined. I used this page to get some general direction. More specifically, I used the video on that page as a guideline. Easy Peasy.

Because I couldn't decide on a single sling type that I really liked, I decided to make a few different styles, so there will be a few more slings posted in the future :)

I also made something NOT for the baby :)

This scarf was made for my brother's girlfriend. Again, a double crochet and super easy. It's made from some leftover Homestyle yarn from Lion Brand. The yarn was in my grandma's stash and she didn't know what to do with it, so she gave it to me. It was kind of hard to work with, but it turned out cute.

And a close up detail of the stitches...

That's all I have for now. I hope to get a few more things done this week so I have another post. Viva Refashion!!!

The Kid- Introducing....

2010-01-09T09:21:00.002-07:00

Ethan Jefferson B.

Our Bouncing Baby Boy!

I am sure I am up for "Worst Mother of the Year" for posting my baby's boy bits on the internet, but I wanted to share how I felt when we first saw this pic. (As a side note: Anyone know the rules about pics like this? Hoping this doesn't count as kiddie porn!)

As part of the big ultrasound we had, we did ask to find out the sex of the kid. I was convinced it was a girl, but we are having a baby boy! I am thrilled and much more comfortable with trucks and blue than I am with dolls and pink. I would have been happy either way, I am just excited that I finally get to be a mom! YAY!

As I mentioned in my last post, the ultrasound tech and the two docs were not able to see two parts of the kid. They were not able to get a clear picture of the heart, nor were they able to see the lip. They recommended that I come in a few weeks later for an additional ultrasound. Because I was the last appointment of the day, they were not able to schedule me then so I was asked to call back the next day. On the way home, the hubby and I discussed the reasons behind the ultrasound. I did some research on why those two areas were important to see and then decided to talk to my midwife. The hubby agreed that the second ultrasound didn't seem particularly necessary. The midwife confirmed that the ultrasound was just a reassurance, but was not required. Since everything else looked okay, she was okay with us skipping the follow up appointment.

Week 20-24 covered the week after Thanksgiving until the new year. The holidays were quite busy and I learned an important lesson about resting while pregnant. I was still quite tired when trying to accomplish too many tasks. I was also still having morning sickness. Everything else has been great aside from one thing.

I was at a weight of 180 pounds before I got pregnant. I was working on losing some of my weight, but not making much progress. I also started eating Gluten Free right before I got pregnant as well. The problem is that from the beginning of my pregnancy until week 24 I have only gained 2 pounds- TOTAL. My midwife took measurements and the ultrasound showed that I am right on track as far as growth, but we are not sure why I have not gained weight. Right now, it seems the kid is living off the stores I already had and is absorbing most of what I eat. I am consuming about 4000 calories a day, but have yet to gain any weight. My next appointment will include a glucose test to see if there are any problems there, but my midwife feels that I am pretty healthy and I must be doing okay because the kid is still growing. It has still been a puzzle, but if the kid is happy then I am happy! :)

I am settling into this pregnancy now with a bit more confidence and faith. I am not so scared anymore about it, especially since I started feeling movement. I am looking forward to meeting our little boy and can't wait until he gets here!

The Kid- 19 Weeks

2010-01-06T09:18:00.001-07:00

So... At 19 weeks (the week of Thanksgiving) we went for the "Big" ultrasound, the one that tells you the sex of the baby and verifies if everything is 'normal'. I was undecided about whether to have the ultrasound or not, because I don't really see the need to make sure the kid is 'normal'. A lot of what I read said that many people get these ultrasounds and if something seems wrong, they terminate. The hubs and I discussed this and both agreed that termination was not an option, even if something was wrong. However, we were both insanely curious to see the sex of the baby, so we decided to go through with the ultrasound. One of the first pictures we got was the "Thumbs Up". It was the cutest thing to see the kid giving us the okay. I felt a huge relief when I could see the kid moving around, and I must say s/he does not really like the ultrasound. S/he was dodging everywhere!

The next pic that we got was the arm. There was also lots of other pictures in between and measurements and cool things that you could see. The ultrasound tech was very patient and explained what she was taking pictures of the whole time. Even when the kid was dodging her, she just kept moving around.

The next pic that the ultrasound tech gave us was a picture of the feet. So cute and tiny. I was glad to get that picture.

Although the tech spent quite a bit of time with us, she was not able to get a clear picture of all four chambers of the heart, nor was she able to see the lip. Once she had all the pictures she wanted, she gave us a few and then went to discuss with the doctor. We had two docs that came back (I think one was in residency) and they tried to get the last two pictures that they wanted. They were not able to either, the kid was totally being stubborn and would NOT turn over for them! They asked to schedule us for another appointment and we determined we would talk to the midwife about it. We couldn't decide if there was a real need to have a second ultrasound to see those two things.

We also received one more picture that showed the sex, but we decided that we wouldn't tell anyone else until Christmas. It was fun to keep the secret from everyone! All in all, the ultrasound was very interesting and fun to see and we were both glad that we decided to have the ultrasound done.

Next time: the sex of the baby, the decision about a follow up ultrasound, and weeks 20-24!

I am a Refashionista!

2010-01-02T22:53:00.004-07:00

So I finally took the plunge!

I have been following Wardrobe Refashion for at least a year now. I am always in awe of the people who can take an object of clothing and completely change it into something new.

Now I know how to crochet and sew at a beginner level. My great-grandmother and my aunt taught me how to crochet when I was young but both of them are lefties. This makes following patterns a bit difficult because I am right-handed, and I crochet a bit backwards. My grandma bought me a sewing machine about ten years ago, but I am just barely becoming proficient at stitching straight seams :) My lovely Mother-In-Law has the biggest stash of fabric on the planet, and she totally feeds my crafty inclinations. Not to mention it is really nice when I can visit her stash to 'shop' for fabric I need for a project.

After a (very) long time of lurking and following WR, I finally sucked it up and decided to pledge for two months. I HATE shopping because I am very short (4'11") and usually pretty round (about a size 12). The difficulty in finding clothes to fit pregnant me has only become worse. I also have a hard time buying things for the little one and my pregnant self when I know that baby clothing and maternity clothing has such a short shelf life. Although I LOVE some of the things I see in the shops, I can't justify spending money on items that will only be worn a short amount of time. I hate buying stuff that is shoddily made, so my goal will be to make some of my own stuff. This might be made more difficult by the fact that I can't follow a pattern to save my life, I hate pinning, and I don't particularly care to sew anything more complicated than straight seams. Although I have high hopes for my sewing ability, I am also a realist. So we will see how this whole pledge thing goes. :)

And in order to make it OFFICIAL...

I, Crystal, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed Crystal!

The Kid- Twelve Weeks

2009-12-24T09:16:00.005-07:00

So this is the Kid at twelve weeks. This was the first appointment that the Hubby was able to go to, so our midwife did another ultrasound to check everything out and show us the baby. I have to admit, though, that I had a hard time seeing the baby shape at first. The hubs thought I was crazy because I couldn't see it, but I still maintain that the ultrasound pictures look alien to me! (BTW, the white area you see in front of the kid is not a boy part, it's a leg. Many people were confused about that...)

So at this point, I was feeling pretty lousy. I had all day sickness for a good part of my pregnancy. Mostly it would come at night, right as I was trying to sleep. I also had the dreaded N1H1 virus (AKA Swine Flu) around this time. TWICE. I don't know if it just never went away, or if it came back a second time, but I missed almost three weeks of work. I don't do vaccines, so I never got a flu shot for the standard flu or the swine flu, but it wasn't really that bad for me. I mainly wanted to sleep a lot and eat McDonald's french fries. The nausea was really what was killing me. I couldn't keep much down, but we still don't know if it was the flu or the morning sickness. My midwife prescribed some anit-nausea medication and then I felt great (except for the fact that the meds knocked me out).

Everything else seemed to go swimmingly for these months. I had a lot of paranoia that something bad would happen with the kid, but the more we move through the pregnancy, the easier it is to handle. Now we are both to the point that we are excited more than nervous!

The Kid- Early Days

2009-12-24T09:04:00.006-07:00

I realize the ridiculousness of posting a picture when the kid looks like nothing more than a tadpole, but here it is. (I also can't figure out how to rotate the image, yet, so just pick up your monitor and turn it :) )

The kid was about 8 weeks gestation when this was taken, so s/he was just a wee one. Although we knew at this point that we were pregnant, I was not comfortable sharing the information in case we lost the baby. My midwife was very considerate of that and my gush of tears when she showed me the heart beating on the ultrasound. I was so happy about it, except when I realized that the blood draw would be next. Ha.

The hubby wasn't with me at this appointment, but I sent him the picture. He said it looked lke a tadpole, and I have to admit that I agree. Funny, funny stuff.

At this point in the pregnancy I was feeling ill with the morning sickness and starting to catch a cold. I was also incredibly tired and worn out. It was hard to get up the motivation to go to work each day, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I think that I will remember the insecurity about the pregnancy at this phase. I was just so nervous that something would happen to the baby. I still have that nervousness, but it is slowly fading away. As we get closer, I just want to meet the little girl/guy...

Next: Twelve Weeks

Long Time

2009-12-17T19:37:00.003-07:00

I have been a long time gone. Sigh. Alas, the world has spun around- yet again- and I find myself in a different place. I never really wanted to quit posting, I just had life get in the way. A few weeks off here, a day off there, added up to not touching this thing until today. Of course, I do have some excuse...

I am preggo! Not new news, but still news. I conceived around July 15. Five days after my great grandmother's funeral and about seven days after a good friend's wedding. Hmmm. Maybe all the excitement of other things distracted me from my thoughts?

I refused to take a pregnancy test, but felt off. I eventually caved and took one. I got a very faint positive so I didn't believe it. I took another one the next week and it showed a stronger (but still faint) positive. I took a third test the next week and it showed an even stronger positive. The hubby said I could either go to the doctor or we were going to Costco to buy the industrial pack of preggo tests. LOL. The pregnancy was confirmed at about week three by my midwife.

Anyway, for the remainder of July and August I was terrified that I was going to lose the pregnancy. Couldn't sleep, sheer panic, terror, and nightmares. Spent all this time being sad because I thought for sure I would end up with another miscarriage.

I finally settled into having more faith when I got hit with terrible morning, noon, and night sickness. This lasted all of September and October. I also got the swine flu in October- twice. Yeah. I don't know how I did that either, but I did. It wasn't that bad, I just couldn't be at work. So I spent 22 days watching Law and Order: SVU. It was great fun.

November was spent still fighting the morning, noon, and night sickness. It has finally calmed down a little in December. So right now I am at 22 weeks. I am due mid-april.

Both the hubby and I know what we are having, but we have been very selective about who we tell otherwise. We have discussed names, but nothing concrete yet. We know what the bedroom will look like, and it will NOT have any pastels ;)

I am also still wheat free. Bloodwork showed that I do not actually have Celiac, but the panel was incomplete so it is not confirmed. I declined the endoscopy and colonoscopy because I could not work up the courage to have them done. I avoid wheat because, through trial and error, I have found that the digestive pyrotechnics are fewer and farther between when I do. So, wheat free and preggo. Now that has been interesting.

I feel like chicken tonight...

2009-06-16T19:44:00.004-06:00

...like chicken tonight, chicken tonight!
Does anyone but me remember that old jingle? Maybe I am just crazy. Anyway...

I am still in a veggie mood because I am afraid to eat anything else. I don't know all the places gluten can hide yet, so I am weary of eating anything packaged. The great thing is that I have lots of veggies on hand. The not-so-great thing is that the hubs is getting a little sick of potatoes. Ah, well. One more night of dinner and then we fly out to Colorado for a family reunion. That should be a blast, even if it is full of food mines and explosions.

So here is tonight's dinner. Roasted chicken and veg.

This is really easy too. Grab a large 13x9 baking dish. (Side note: I heart Pyrex) Cut your potatoes, carrots, and onions into chunks that are roughly the same size, dump them in your baking dish. Drizzle Olive Oil over the top, then sprinkle on salt and pepper. Toss to coat (in the pan, trying to avoid dishes- ya dig?). On a separate plate, drizzle your chicken with olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and seasoning on both sides. Put on top of the veggies in the baking dish, then cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees F for about an hour or until the veggies are tender and the chicken reads at an internal temperature of 180 degrees F.

Yum!

I'm all about the easy...

2009-06-15T18:15:00.003-06:00

So this was our dinner. Hash is lovely.

Olive oil in a large skillet. Add cubed potatoes and diced onions. Add ground beef (mmm, bessie...) Cook until everything is done, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of sugar.

Yum, and totally gluten free.

In other GF news, I will have the tests run next week. Since I feel a lot better already, I think this may be the path that I am heading down...

Stir Fry, My style

2009-06-14T17:53:00.005-06:00

So, this is what I made for dinner last night. It was mighty tasty. I had forgotten that I like to cook. Well, mostly.

I am really trying this whole gluten free thing. Even if I don't end up needing to eat gluten free, I think that I would still try it. If for no other reason than it might get me cooking at home more, and eating out less. That would probably also help me lose the extra fifty to sixty pounds that I have gained.

So this post is to remind myself that home cooking is a good thing. (Picture Martha saying it).

My Stirred Fry

Wok Oil (just a bit)
Chicken
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Snap Peas
Carrots
Broccoli Shoots
Onions
Hoisin Sauce
Rice Wine Vinegar
Sesame Oil

All amounts are at your discretion. Choose what you like, and how much you like. Chop and size according to your tastes.

Heat your wok over high heat. Glug the wok oil in the wok (I used about two turns). When the oil is hot, toss the chicken in. Brown for a few minutes until the chicken is mostly done. Push chicken to the sides of the wok and add a veg. Cook until the veg is just barely warm. Push that veg to the sides of the wok and add another veg, continue until all the veggies have been added. (Cook whatever will take the longest first, then add from there). Hopefully, by the end, all the veggies will be added and crisp-tender.

Add a bit of hoisin sauce. Stir. Cook until eveything is done to your liking. Turn off the heat. Add a bit of rice wine vinegar. Stir. Take wok off the heat, then add a few drops of sesame oil. Stir.

Serve over rice.

Makes about as much as you want to consume. It really depends on how many veggies you added. If your wok is too small, the cook each item separately until almost done to your liking. Take the item our of the wok just before it is cooked through and set aside. When everything is cooked, then you can add it all back in, add your sauces, and voila! Stir Fry.

OMG

2009-06-14T12:29:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it... I mean, I did it, and I can't believe it...

I rejoined facebook...

Here I am...

Yeah...

The Farmer's Market

2009-06-13T21:34:00.005-06:00

I went to the Farmer's market today with my hubby and a good friend. It was the first market of the season. We arrived shortly after the opening and the park was packed. It was beautiful.

The vegetables, the (small amounts) of fruit, the craft vendors, the homemade food, and the people were all great. The market was filled with wonderful smells. I began to realize something. Even if I have to live without wheat or gluten, I don't have to feel deprived. Many of the foods that I adore contain no gluten.

Carrots don't have gluten. Neither does onions, bell peppers, lettuce, or milk. The first cherries of the season- that I paid an arm for- don't contain gluten. They were surrounded by much anticipation, but they don't contain gluten!

The hubs and I decided to join a milk delivery service from Winder. We ordered milk (in glass bottles), half and half, and even groceries. With the grocery delivery, the farmer's market, and all the stuff I hope grows in my garden, I should be perfectly fine without wheat.

My booty from the market? Brilliant!

Cherries (Even if they did cost the earth, it was worth it to have my first cherries of the season).
Onions from my favorite root guys
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Leaf Lettuce
And the Winder Dairy stuff, which will be delivered next Monday.

What's in my fridge?

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Iceberg Lettuce
Eggs
and lots of condiments

Not sure how I feel about this...

2009-06-12T21:36:00.002-06:00

I may have celiac. I heart pastry, pie, and cake- and I might have celiac.

In my last post, I mentioned that I had all these tests done to figure out what the heck was wrong with my stomach, and why it hurt all the time. I was talking to my Doc, chatting with a friend, and reading Gluten Free Girl's book. My doc said she wanted to test me for celiac. My friend said my symptoms sounded just like hers before she went gluten free. The snippets in the book reminded me of how I feel all the time. So, I scheduled an appointment with my Doc.

In the mean time, I have been gluten free for the entire day, and I feel a whole lot better than I have in the past month. I know, I know, I have not been tested yet. I know it could be worse. I could have other major health concerns. As far as being gluten free goes, this is a fairly easy thing to deal with. But...

I am already allergic to things. No avocado. No mint. Can't have hydrogenated peanut oil. No white chocolate, coconut, or pecans. NO BEE STINGS! Allergic to chlorine bleach, fragrance, something in household cleaners, and I have asthma.

Can't I catch a break? Oh well. I think that I can deal. Even if I am Celiac. Which I may not be. Because I have not had the biopsy done yet.
****

In other news, the Salt Lake City Downtown Farmer's Market opens tomorrow! YAY!

Hopefully, I can grab lots of bounty and make stuff. Gluten Free Stuff. Maybe... Mostly...

What was I thinking?!?

2009-06-03T06:54:00.003-06:00

So...I realized that I was being a bit ambitious when I decided that I was going to post once a week. Seeing how my life has been completely up in the air and crazy, I am not sure what I was expecting.

I started a new position at my job in February. For the first little while, it was completely smooth sailing. Then I actually started to get busy at work. Like tear out your hear- cry in the shower- can't sleep for thinking- doubting everything- busy. It was bad. Couple this with an insane amount of catching up in my personal life, and I was done. March was not a happy month. So, I took a step back from everything and decided that I could some things but, if I didn't want to go down in flames again, I couldn't do everything. In April, I started to slooooowly reintroduce myself to things that I like and started saying no to things that I don't like. Working on creating that work-life-project balance.

The updates on the things that have been going on for the month of May?

The job has calmed down a bit and I am starting to find my groove.
I decided (in my infinite wisdom) that I would start to train for a half triathlon- even though I have no fitness level at all. Maybe I will write about that one....later.
I also decided that I would train for next years half marathon. I am still in too much shock to talk about that one yet.
I am really not making any progress on my training for these two things, but I am trying.
I gained 10 pounds, bringing my over total to 50 :( . Do you see the correlation to the craziness of the marathon/ triathlon?
We purchased another new kidlet for our zoo. A Sunday Conure who we named...wait for it... Sunny!
I was at the Dr.'s office many times in March and they still don't know what is wrong. I had asthma issues, and I totally bruised my wrist. Although I have to admit that one was funny. Totally epic fall on my face in the living room of my house- bird went flying, dogs went crazy, and I went screaming (thought the wrist was broken). Oh, and the hubby has been sick.
I started twittering. It's fun and completely pointless.
We started to redo a basement wall after having to tear it down due to water damage.
I've been trying (for two months) to get my seedlings in the ground. But if they are not in this weekend they are not going in...

Although all of that has been quite overwhelming in the last little while, I am finally starting to get a handle on things and feel like I can post regularly. So, here is wishing myself good luck.

Ciao.

Exactly how I feel about my computer today

2009-03-04T19:09:00.002-07:00

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way
computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer
expo(COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with
the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like
the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got
1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release
stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be
driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to
buy a new car.

3.. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You
would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows,
shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could
continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause
your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would
have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable,
five times as fast and twice as easy to drive -- but would run on only
five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would all be
replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation"
warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out
and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door
handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn
how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate
in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off!

It would be sooooo cool if Microsoft would just team up with the auto industry.... Oh, wait. I forgot about the Microsoft Sync technology in the new line of Fords. Hmmm, I don't think Mr. Gates ever really felt this way.

You know....

2009-03-02T06:05:00.001-07:00

I really, really, REALLY dislike asthma.

Because I really, really, REALLY don't like not being able to breathe.

The home fitness challenge

2009-01-30T07:28:00.006-07:00

So every book I have been reading lately is about fitness or is a cookbook. I am determined to at least beat my mom for our Biggest Loser prize. I don't mind reading about fitness as a whole, but I always seem to get overwhelmed when they say I should spend 20 minutes on cardio, 20 minutes on weight training, and 20 minutes on flexibility training. This would be awesome- in a perfect world. I don't even have kids and I can't find the time to get to the gym. I always love when the books say "it's a matter of priority" or "you have to make the time". Right. I am up at four in the morning to get ready for work. I am home at four in the afternoon. I make dinner, clean up dinner, do a quick craft to supplement income, and then I am in bed. Most of the time I don't get to go to sleep until about ten. Where can I fit in this fitness time?

This was my excuse. The only time that I really take time away from my life is when I sit down for two hours on Tuesday and watch my favorite show. So I decided to work out at home during the show. Since my gym is about 15 miles away from my house and sometimes (about half the time) I just can't get there, I decided to look at setting up a simple home gym. The problem was I had to research really expensive options because I am brokety-broke-broke. :)

I scoured books and found that the top five inexpensive pieces of equipment were:

1) A jump rope. I was surprised to see this one at the top of the list. I mean, I have not used a jump rope since elementary school! I found that this single piece of equipment kicks my butt more than any other. I do about ten minutes of jump rope before my show comes on for a nice warm up. I have found that a nicer jump rope set me back about $10 but it swings a lot better than the cheapies. (BTW, I love that I have a big enough basement that I can jump rope in :) It is cold outside right now!) - cost $10

2) stability ball. I expected to see this one one the list because there are so many things this is good for. I was introduced to these by a Physical Therapist a few years back and I have had one ever since. My problem was that the ball was too big for me. I found a "kids size" one and- presto- I am good! So important tip here? Check the size of the ball compared to your body (there will generally be a height range printed on the package). The main thing I do with the ball is sit on it instead of the couch during my show. This strengthens "the core". On commercial, I try a few of the fitness moves that were included on a sheet in the box- sit ups, push ups, and wall squats. - cost $10

3) resistance bands. These are really very useful. I was not expecting that when I bought them. They can be used for strength training or just stretching. There was an instructional DVD included when I bought my set, and my favorite move is "rows". This totally rocks and makes me think of sunny oceans (because of the rowing motion...see? No? Maybe I am a bit nutso...). I row during commercial breaks and I also use it for stretches during the show. - cost $13

4) free weights. I got two 2lb dumbells and two 5lb ones. These were recommended by all of the books, so I figured I would give them a shot. A weight bench was also recommended, but I simply use a straight-backed chair. I do easy exercises like kickbacks, bicep curls, or shoulder presses during the middle of the show. -cost $15

5) exercise mat. I had a yoga mat years ago and loved it, because it made getting on the floor a little less disgusting. But my dog ate my yoga mat years ago too. I had to finally get a new one and I didn't realize how much I missed it. This is a great piece of equipment to help me be more comfortable while working on the floor. I also do a quick 15 minute yoga routine after the show to help me quiet my mind and get ready for bed. - cost $15

Total cost for my home gym: $65

Total cost for exercise videos to help me work out: free (some came with the equipment and the rest came from the library)

Total cost for a sign to keep the husband and the dogs out of the room while I am working out: nada (cardboard and sharpie)

Total cost for not having to go out in the cold, drive to the gym, and shower in the locker room: totally and completely and utterly priceless.

On being positive

2009-01-29T06:43:00.004-07:00

I am officially in the positive state of mind. Let me explain.

I am generally a positive person in my home life, but about six months ago it was getting really hard to be positive at work. Now, don't get me wrong- I like my job. I think it is rewarding, fun, and nurtures my creativity. However, I was really struggling with the daily grind of it all. Our center director calls it 'the whirlwind' because he attended this class and learned about The Four Disciplines of Execution. We had a Management Summit and learned all about the whirlwind and how we can't let it rule our daily lives, because then we will never succeed. Well the whirlwind was kicking my a$$ and I was not feeling like I could keep up. The tediousness of having to track things, and email, and taking time away from my agents to handle the little things. All I wanted to do was tell my agents about goals, current issues, and praise them- because I do think their job is hard. So I did what any slacker would do. I just stopped caring. I did not put in the work that I know I am capable of, I stopped doing what I knew was required of me, and I drowned myself in negativity. The funny thing is that I don't think anyone really noticed except my husband, a single co-worker, and myself. I didn't let my job slip that much. I still got really good reviews from my class and my boss and I was totally being a negative nelly. I complained (quietly) about EVERYTHING.

One day I realized that I couldn't think about anything good. Every thought I had that day led to something negative. Things like "I have a husband who loves me" led to "I can't stand how my walls are not painted". "I like my job" led to "It really sucks and I am going to get fired". Sometimes it wasn't even so simple. A thought like "This cream puff is really good" could lead to "If you eat it then you will be fat and then the husband who loves you so much will think you are ugly and then he will not love you anymore and then he will decide one day that he wants a divorce and then you won't ever get to see your dogs anymore because you will have to live in a cheap apartment that won't let you have pets and the husband will want custody of the dogs anyway so you better just pick a fight with him now so that you can get the whole thing over with now". This would be why the husband says that I have an inner dialogue and why he also says that I was being completely nuts-o.

So later that night I got to thinking about why I was being so nuts. It all led back to negativity. It is a slippery slope. One single negative thought led to all negative thought. So I decided to try this experiment. I think it really helped. I catch myself thinking good things now, instead of negative things. I finally made it to 21 days and I am so very.... content, relaxed, and happy at this moment. Positive thought is all the rage you know ;). I think that I will continue to wear my bracelet, though. Because I now have a new habit, but I also know how easy it is to slip back into the old habits. Anyway, cheers to the good life! Hooray!

Power boosters- Office edition

2009-01-22T14:59:00.002-07:00

So I am reading articles about stress today, and how stress size is directly correlated to waist size. I don't think I have much stress, but I do know that my waist has increased since I have been at my current job. Being a corporate trainer is tough sometimes, but I think it is even harder when I am not in class. I have projects and things, but I don't have my agents to focus on, which can make life VERY boring. So a few of the things that I read were talking about power boosters- things that can make the mid day slump seem a bit better.

I'm at a call center, so I see people every day run the breakroom in the afternoon so they can grab the 40 oz Monster. I look at the ingredients and I just shudder, because these people are putting so many unhealthy things in their body EVERY DAY. Often, multiple times in a day. I just can't handle it. I remember the first time I drank a red bull. I thought my heart was going to explode! I could not imagine having to drink 3 of them to get through my day. So I was very excited to see these tips to help me get through the day.

* do five minutes of mental or physical activity for every hour you spend at the computer.
*Massage your own head and shoulders. Find trigger points of tension in the shoulders, jaw, and base of the skull. Hold pressure for 6-10 seconds.
*Go for a short walk around the office or outside around the block
*Lastly, use a stress ball. Squeezing a stress ball relieves stress while strengthening the forearms and wrists for typing.
*Stand perfectly still for two minutes. Just Regroup. Do some deep breathing exercises or quiet meditation.

I think this post was a great idea, a reminder to keep it fresh at work. After all, isn't freshness at work related to productivity? Hmmm....

Obama, Obama

2009-01-20T18:52:00.003-07:00

He's our man. If he can't do it.... Well, hopefully he can do it.

Nie is back :)

2009-01-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our biggest loser

2009-01-15T22:19:00.003-07:00

I am officially the an email queen for our biggest loser competition. Included in the first email was a fitness tip and recipe (see below). Since starting our competition, it has been really hard to take out the sweets. My down fall is, and always has been, bakery items. I love the danish, I love my favorite cake, and I really, really, really love banana cream pie. (Warning: The links click to pictures of these forbidden items- click at your own risk!). So imagine the horror when I walk into my break room at work to see a whole spread of pastries, mini tarts, and coffee cakes. All of it was on sale for our first quarter fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah.

Luckily, I was prepared. I packed the best lunch today and although I was tempted, I stayed strong. I also chewed a half stick of Extra Sweet Watermelon Gum. At five calories per stick, it is a great deal. It cuts my cravings so fast and lasts a while. I totally passed the danish test at work today because of it! Go Me!

Anyway, I hope that I can actually get to the gym tomorrow, otherwise I might go a bit crazy. I miss the warm weather only because I miss my bike. But really, a few more months of winter isn't bad either.

Big Tip of the Week:Shop the Perimeter

Recipe of the Day: Tuna Salad Twist

Plain old tuna salad seems like a great, low-cal, healthy item. But when using a full fat mayo it can be pretty bad for you. This is a lighter version with a few new flavors. This is also great because you can eat it open-faced, in a whole wheat pita, in a whole grain tortilla for a 'snack wrap', or my favorite: as a topping on a big bed of lettuce. If using as a main course this has 2 servings. If using as a snack item this has 4 servings.

8 oz (1 standard can) of white tuna in water- please buy from a reputable company that does not harm dolphins or whales :)
2 Tablespoons low-fat mayo
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 squeeze of lemon juice, fresh is best
2 Tablespoons of chopped celery
2 Tablespoons of chopped green onion, optional
2 Tablespoons chopped dill pickle, optional

Drain tuna and place in a bowl. Mix in remainder of ingredients and blend well. Chill for at least one hour and serve.

As a main item (2 servings) the Per serving nutrition information: calories 170; fat 3 grams; carbs; 4 grams; protein 30 grams; fiber 2 grams

Haters

2009-01-13T06:35:00.003-07:00

So I am reading a post today on Cjane and she is talking about the enemies. It got me thinking about blogs and how generally pointless they are in our lives. I mean, why write a blog? Why put your random musings and silly thoughts out there in the world for other people to make fun of? It's like leaving your diary in the middle of the hallway at a high school on purpose... What were you thinking????

My opinion is that there may be a few people that you can't physically connect with. It might be because you want to record your thoughts on a specific topic. It may be because you post somewhere else and you want your own personal blog, or it could be flat out narcissism. The point for me is that I don't really care. I mean, yes, blogs are good for all of those things, but really they are like reading letters to the editor in the NY times, or your local paper. You don't have to feel that way. Heck, you don't even have to read it! You can choose to spend your time reading other things that come from people who think, look, speak, and dream just like you. So this is a reminder for myself to think about the comments I make on blogs. I have never written anything hurtful or negative- that's just not my style- but I also want to send out my positive floaties into space. So the theme for my new month- positivity :)

The Beauty of Frozen Food

2009-01-12T05:57:00.003-07:00

I try to be healthy. I also have a lot of work. I also get really tired at the end of the day, and therefore don't want to do anything. This includes cooking. Nope, don't want to do it on those nights that I get home late.

I work 4 11 hour days and the problem with working 11 hour days is that I don't always get to eat like I want to. This would be why the early AM crew and the Late afternoon crew at our local McD's know us. Sad, but true :( In an effort to be healthier, my family chose to hold our own biggest loser competition. We each paid 25$ and we get 12 weeks to see who lost the biggest percentage of weight, and at the end? Winner takes all, just like biggest loser.

So I weighed in on Saturday night and promptly wanted to cry. OUCH! I knew it was high, but really? Ouch. I am now determined to make that a more manageable number. The easiest way to do this is going to be saying goodbye to my local Mickey Dee's crew and saying hello to home cooking. This does not excite me. In fact, this makes me break out into a cold sweat.

Enter: Frozen Food... (cue angelic chorus). I checked out a wonderful book on freezer cooking. Make things on the 3 days that I have off, freeze them, and then pull them out of the freezer later. Now I wonder why it took me so long to figure that out. Anyway, I made my healthy tofu lasagna last night. In fact, I made two. One was cooked and eaten and the other one is in the freezer for the next time I just can't face making dinner. Hopefully this works for us, if not, I fear it will be back to the fast food sadness. Here's wishing myself luck, willpower, and more time.

Alright, Alright. I am sorry 2008

2009-01-07T06:33:00.002-07:00

So. More than a whole year, and not a single post? Wow. I am lame.

I must admit that it was not a lack of topics, but rather a lack of time. I mean there was so much going on this past year, that I just did not have time for the old blog. Not to mention that I couldn't remember my password.

So. I have decided that I will try to be better for myself. I am going to add to this blog as a reminder of where I am in my life right now. I may not add daily, but I at least hope to add weekly, just as a reminder to be more 'me'.

To 2008: You were a year of change. For the first part of the year I tried really really hard to do things that just weren't me. In the last half of the year, I basically chucked it and decided to go with the gut. So everything that happened in you, 2008, pretty much happened in the latter part of 2008 (talking September to December here). So I changed my look, I decided that my friends were in a place that I no longer wanted to be in, I decided that I don't really like some people and were just trying to impress them. I decided to do things that I like. I started crafting again. I started writing again. I let God into my life (which probably deserves it's own post completely). I got pregnant. I lost my pregnancy. I went to the hospital a lot, but I was okay with it. I decided to ENJOY my job, because it really only sucks when I complain about it. I decided to ENJOY all the blessings in my life. I VOTED! I watched as the country voted, and cried when they announced the new hope (BTW, Do you think he is going to be like Luke Skywalker? Saving us from the evil Darth Congress? Or is he going to chicken out? Hmmm...). I also got scared, and laughed, and cried, and loved. Oh, and I let my silly husband talk me into playing World of Warcraft. 2008, you were a good year, but I am ready to let you go. You were a little bit bitter for me, which was my fault, but I am ready to move on to the sweet taste of 2009. It could end up with a bitter taste also, but the hope if that it will be sweet.

So to 2009: I hope that you realize the hope that is pinned on you. 2008 was a rough year. Fraught with the economic downturn, terror, a divided nation, and just plain freaky stuff. I have hope for you, 2009, that you will turn into one of the best years on record. That you will be stronger, and full of hope and change. I think that I share that hope with a lot of people, so good luck!

On the blog I hope to record all the plain and the extraordinary, the baby thing and the housewife scene, my hopes and my crushed dreams, my loves and my lacks, my God and the hacks, and most of all: the beautiful. So if anyone reads this... expect randomness.

Luck to me and happy reading!

Attack of the killer tomatoes!

2007-08-31T07:11:00.000-06:00

So more notes on the scariness of offering to help with someone's garden. Beware! If they have more than one tomato plant, they are going to pawn lots of them off on you.

In speaking to the grandma and the mom, I casually mentioned that I needed to make some salsa. Grandma tells me that she is going out of town and wants to know if I could possibly, please, do her a solid and pick her plants clean so she does not have to worry about all those tomatoes going to waste. Remember kids, grandma's don't like to waste food. So I stop by the day before she is slated to leave and I am nudged toward the garden. I was prepared with my lovely plastic bags. I filled four. There were Romas and beefsteak, and lovely little cherry tomatoes that I ate off the vine. Talk about variety. I pawned some off on friends and neighbors and took the rest home.

Next day, Mommy drops off a lovely bag of peppers. Anaheim, Yellow wax and lots of Jalepenos. I only needed a few, I say. She says, oh well. You have all those tomatoes, you have to do something with them.

I did the only thing I could think of. I made salsa. Lots of salsa. Luckily I know people who like my salsa.

My Mommy's Salsa

A note about this salsa. This is a salsa fresca, meaning it is chunky and bright. If you want a smooth, dark salsa this is not the one for you. Also, it is a bit watery when I make it. This can be solved by straining the tomatoes after chopping. All the ingredients here are suggestions. I add more or less peppers depending on who I made it for. I add more or less garlic depending on who is eating it. Modify it to your taste. If you make it too hot, add more tomatoes.

A note about chopping: I do all my chopping by hand with my wonderful santoku knife. You can whir the tomatoes in the food processor and throw everything else in, but it tends to make the tomatoes really watery and foamy. Whir at your own risk.

6-8 large roma tomatoes, chopped
2 anaheim peppers, seeds removed and minced
1 yellow wax pepper, seeds removed and minced
1-2 jalepeno pepper (enough to satisfy your hotness), seeds removed (unless you like it really hot) and minced
1 medium size onion, chopped to your size preference
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon salt

Mix together and enjoy. Can be refridgerated for up to a week or frozen for about a month before the flavor starts to be sub-par.

The dangers of helping...

2007-08-21T16:53:00.001-06:00

I have decided that it is a slightly dangerous thing to offer to help someone with their garden.

I totally agree with the urge to want to protect something that you have worked hard to create. Hell, I once made a chocolate cake and would not let the husband eat it because I wanted to oogle it for a while more (I had to cave eventually and let him eat the damn thing). So I can understand the "Garden of You" is a sacred place, but please don't yell in my ear that the bugs are vital to the environment and your garden. He was crawling on me, and I don't like bugs. What did you think was going to happen?

The next, and possibly the biggest, problem is this: if you offer to help someone by taking some of thier excess bounty off thier hands- you might just get what you wished for.

Example One: The great pruning of the apricot tree...
Grandma is clearing the apricot tree. It just so happens that you have been dying to make the Apricot Torte from the illustrious Molly of Orangette, but have not had time to go buy some apricots. Truth be told, you were wanting to find a tree with free ones so you wouldn't have to. Grandma seems overjoyed to provide you with the requested apricots because she hasn't been able to give them away and she just hates to waste food (you know, the whole Depression Era). But she just somehow doesn't understand that you don't need TWO WHOLE BUCKETS FULL. So, a question for the ages, how do you say no to sweet grandma that was just providing you what you had requested? You don't. (Not to mention you don't like to waste food either). So what do you do with all these apricots? You bake said Torte and borrow a food dehydrator. I made 4 Tortes and a gallon Ziploc full of Apricot Chips. Luckily, I know people who like cake.

Example Two: It's the Great Zuchinni, Charlie Brown...
You mention casually to your grandma and your mom that you need a zuchinni to make bread. BEWARE! You mention you want zuchinni to someone that has more than one plant and you will recieve a bounty of zuchinni. I recieved 9 of them. These were not sweet, wimpy zuchinni's either. These were meaty, two feet long, and about 8 inches around. They were HUGE! I offered some to everyone I knew. I got rid of two. So what to do with 7 huge zuchinnis? Make bread like you planned. You don't like to waste food, remember? So instead of the 3 loaves that you were planning to make, you make 18. Luckily, you know people who like zuchinni bread.

So here is the recipie that is saving me from being buried in zuchinni, because they are still showing up on my porch...

Zuchinni Bread- Makes 3 standard size loafs
A few notes about this bread.

When the recipie says grease and flour the pan, do it. Trust me, I tried butter, not flouring, oil, cooking spray and I always ended up losing bread in the bottom of the pan. The only thing that I know works is crisco. I tried silicone pans and you still need to flour it. Be warned, the loaf edge tends to be a bit darker in a silicone pan. Non stick pans work, but if you don't grease and flour, you lose bread in them too. Just grease and flour every pan, you will be happier.

Second, I shred my zuchinni and then strain it for about 2 hours. You can just squeeze out the extra liquid by hand too. If you don't squeeze it, your bread ends up mushy and wet. If you do strain it, it ends up thick but light. It's worth the bit of effort and fun too!

Last, I make my bread in my lovely Kitchenaid. You can mix it by hand, just do the dry and wet separate. But if you are going to make 18 loaves, you might want to invest in a Kitchenaid. Think of it as a savior for your arms.

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup oil
2 cups shredded zuchinni
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Grease and flour 3 standard loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees farenheight.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Use a whisk to fluff and mix evenly.

In the bowl of your mixer mix 3 eggs and both sugars until combined. Add 1 cup oil and mix again. Keep your mixer going and slowly add dry ingredients in, pausing every few seconds to let the dry stuff be incorperated. Once all the flour mixture is in, add one cup of zuchinni. Wait a minute for your mixer to catch up, then add the second cup. Add your vanilla then add your walnuts. Stop your mixer and scrape the bottom to make sure nothing is stuck down there. Start mixing again for about a minute. Stop your mixer then pour your batter into the prepared loaf pans. Make sure that all your loafs are about the same height. Bake in your oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

Coming up.... Tomatoes, Tomatoes everywhere and not a chip to dip...

Being a new foodie

2007-08-10T11:15:00.000-06:00

I have always loved to bake. I have always thought of it as a science experiment in the kitchen rather than an art. In fact, that is one of my favorite quotes. "Cooking is an art form, while baking is pure science". I have no idea who said it, but it is plastered in my new kitchen for the world to see.

In spite of my love for baking, I have never really been concerned about baking. You see, for many years of my life, I battled an eating disorder. I did not eat, or if I did it would come up later. I hated my body and felt that food made it that way. I was blind until about 4 years ago. I still remember the turning point. I had just eaten an amazing creme brulee, and my head was saying get it out. My body, however, was telling my head to shut up, because this was a full sensory experience that it did not want to give up. It was fighting to keep the wonderful taste alive for as long as it could. In the end the body won. And although I have had setbacks on the road of food, I am now officially concerned about food.

I am amazed by all things food now. I troll the food blogs like the younger set trolls myspace. I love the way people are so in love with their food. I am amazed by how much work goes into a blog. I don't even have enough time to post as much as I would like to, and some blogs have new posts everyday. Stories, trivia, and recipes all combined for the world to see, feel, and enjoy. I can't thank people enough for their blogs. I have found so many recipes that I now feel as if I can't live without. Food bloggers are like my celebrities. Who cares what Britney, Paris, or Nicole did last week? I care what the bloggers said. I care what recipes they have created. I want to get in my kitchen and bake, bake, bake.

I am now officially concerned. I still like to bake, but now I am also concerned about cooking. This is a new experience for me. I have never thought of myself as a cook. I was scared to cook anything on the stove top that did not involve chocolate. I am now trying to perfect my art of cooking. I am also inspired constantly, by the food blog world. Where else can you go and learn not only how to make something, but the pleasure that someone had sharing it with you. I humbly thank all the food bloggers out there for letting me into their recipe box and into their lives.

So if anyone stumbles across my small boring blog, Welcome. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer and maybe be inspired in your kitchen too.

Panna Cotta

2007-07-29T23:50:00.000-06:00

So I recently had a craving for panna cotta. Since I do not have a restaurant nearby that serves it nearby at a reasonable price, I thought that I would make my own. Funny how things don't turn out as planned.

We moved. Into a spacious, lovely, wonderful house. We also got a dog. A cute miniature schnauzer named Jack. So needless to say, we have been very busy. No time for Panna Cotta, no time for anything really but work, cleaning, and wanting to bake. I actually have not made anything from scratch for over two weeks. Alas, no Panna cotta for me.

Since I do not have the time to make the dessert, I am hoping that someone out in the blog world will have time to make it. Enjoy and let me know how it turns out.

Panna Cotta (from The Lady Had Seconds)

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 2/3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup raspberries, blueberries or halved strawberries
Honey- Balsamic Drizzle
Mint Sprigs

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small saucepan and let stand 3 to 4 minutes; stir in sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar and gelatin are dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk whipping cream and sour cream until smooth in small bowl; whisk in gelatin mixture. Pour mixture into stemmed glasses or small bowl. Refrigerate until set, 3 to 4 hours. Spoon berries on top of Panna Cotta and drizzle with Honey-Balsamic Drizzle. Garnish with mint.

Honey-Balsamic Drizzle

3 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Heat honey and vinegar to boiling in small saucepan, reduce heat and simmer until thickened to a syrupy consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Busy Bees

2007-07-03T18:08:00.000-06:00

So here I am, finally able to jot down a note for the first time in a week. I have been a very busy bee. It was my aunt's 50th birthday this past Sunday, and my mom wanted to throw a bash for her. So of course, being that I am a good daughter and quite handy with cake, I was drafted to serve in this party as well. Now, I should not have been surprised that all the time went poof, but I was. I was so completely shocked when my mom called and said it's two days before the party, is everything done? No! Everything was not done, which is why I was late to bed and early to rise and completely exhausted by the time Monday morning rolled around.

So, suffice to say, I have not been in the kitchen for a few days. The hubby and I have been living off of salads, watermelon, and the occassional Happy Meal (oh, my stomach is sooo mad at me). I am making spaghetti tonight, so rest assured, that I will be back and better than ever on Thursday. (I am taking one more day off to celebrate the holiday).

Enjoy and fire up the grill! It's BBQ time!

cold sandwiches and warm days

2007-06-25T23:15:00.000-06:00

Somedays, it is really too hot. Now, I don't get this feeling often. I am the one who wears a sweater in the spring, I wear hoodies into summer, and I always (always) wear jeans. So I was surprised yesterday when I found it too hot, It was only 99 degrees. I LOVE the heat. The hubby says that I must have been a lizard in my past life because I like it so hot. Of course, maybe the heat had something to do with the oven being on all day. :)

See, Sunday is the best day for experimenting in the kitchen. I have a birthday party coming up, and I am making the cake. So I devoted the entirety of my day to chocolate (talk about the best day ever). I made a chocolate sheet cake and did various experiments to ensure that it was the appropriate cake for a day in the sun. It was yummy.

By the time the cake was done, it was time to start dinner. I made the roast chicken again with some sweet yellow corn. It was fabulous. I decided this afternoon, though, that I was not going to cook. So, we had cold sandwiches. Cold Lemon chicken sandwiches. Mmmm! Far be it from me to tell you how to make the best sammich ever...

The best chicken sammy

leftover roast chicken (either homemade or from the grocer)- cold
a half loaf of crusty french bread- sliced down the middle
some good lettuce (endive, romaine, or even iceberg)
a wonderful tomato- sliced
some lemon juice
some wasabi mustard (optional)
some good cheddar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Smear the mustard on the bread, be advised that a little goes a long way. Add the chicken and the cheese and throw in the oven till the cheese melts and the bread is toasty. Add your lettuce and tomato. Sqeeze a bit of lemon juice on and squish the sammy together. Enjoy the melty, gooey, tangy goodness.

Brilliance and cherries

2007-06-23T23:59:00.000-06:00

I was inspired today to stop and review, to thank the powers that be for everything. To say thank you for everything in my life, in my work, in my world, everything. And yet to say this seems so insignificant. It seems like such a small gesture to send to the cosmos. However, I can't help but feel that I have done my part to send the positives rays onward and upward. I can only hope that my positives have helped someone's negatives. So cheers to you!

In addition to that, I can be doubly thankful. I have cherries! Deep, red, sweet, tangy, juicy, delicious cherries. In my mind, cherries are sunshine. So no recipe today, no deep thoughts on food and enjoyment. Just enjoy a bowl of cherries, after all... isn't that life?

Sausages...

2007-06-21T19:44:00.000-06:00

I remember when I first learned where sausage came from. It was the same time I learned about hot dogs and pepperoni. It was not a pleasant experience for me. I remember thinking, 'why do people eat this stuff, if it is so gross?'. I thought 'Why do they continue to make it? Don't they know what's in it?'... Of course, I was about ten and my world view was wide, but narrow. I clearly assumed that if everyone knew about where sausage came from, no one would eat it and so they (meaning the bad sausage man, I can only assume) would stop making it. Hmmm. I guess that means I also assumed that those eating the sausage would care how it was made. Not always a valid assumption.

I recently began to think about my scope of food. In realizing that although I love food with a passion that scares most, I am not truly in love with the food I eat. You can only eat at McD's so often before you become sick. So, I am on a mission this summer: Eat at home. I started planning out my meals each week. I pack my lunch or work everyday. I make extra of whatever I am cooking, This gives us snacks, lunches, and dinner. I experiement more in the kitchen. I eat lots of fruit and veggies. I am now thinking about my food and eating slowly in order to enjoy it. I am loving the food that I eat and all because I thought about sausages.

So in tribute I was inspired today to try sausages. Not actual sausages, mind you, but turkey sausages.
Italian turkey sausage. Yummers. This one came about by thinking about what flavors would be good together and throwing them in a pan. Enjoy....

Italian Turkey sausage Heros

1 lb Italian Turkey sausage or kielbasas
1 green bell pepper
1 small vidalia onion
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
1 loaf of crusty bread

Brown the sausage in a skillet till cooked through, stirring occassionally. Slice the bell pepper and onion thinly and add to the sausage. Brown a bit more, until the onions are translucent. Mince the garlic and add to the skillet. When everything is done, add the vinegar and turn off the skillet. Toss everything together once to coat. Cut the loaf in half and fill with the sausage mixture. Cut the loaf into sandwiches and enjoy.

New flavors and loves

2007-06-15T20:33:00.000-06:00

Yoga and apple cider vinegar. My two new favorite things.

I always thought that yoga was a foofy sort of activity. Who has time to sit around and contort themself into wierd pretzel shapes when there is sooo much going on in the world? Not me, I always thought. I like to be busy. I like to have activities. How much of an activity can it be to pose in wierd shapes? So I never tried yoga. Recently, I have not been able to sleep well. I have had trouble clearing my mind to actually fall asleep. I always keep a pad of paper next to the bed, so I can jot down the important thoughts that run through my mind right before I fall asleep. I thought this was helpful to me, but it turns out that this pad of paper started creating more thoughts. Then more thoughts would join the party and I would be miles away from sleep before long. It was rough. So I talked to my doctor because I was having trouble. How do I go to sleep? Maybe there is some prescription that will help me fall asleep faster? Maybe there is something I should be eating or drinking so I can fall asleep? She thought for about two seconds then suggested yoga. Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnn. So I have been trying it at home. I am following the funny video that I got at the local library and actually started to feel myself slow down. It was wierd.

On to my other new favorite thing.... Apple cider vinegar. I made some good chicken today. I was excited. Not much else to say except here it is. Slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and oh so good.

Honey cider fried chicken.

1/4 cup of honey
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
6 chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon of oil

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Whisk together honey, vinegar, chili powder, and curry powder. Dredge chicken and let sit about 10 minutes. While the chicken is resting, oil a deep dish pan. Take the chicken out of the honey mixture and roll in breadcrumbs until coated. Place the chicken in the pan and put the pan in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the chicken. If there is any honey mixture left, you can pour it onto the chicken now. Bake about 15 minutes more or until the chicken registers 180 degrees internally.

Serve with some home fries. And eat on up.

Lovely Chicken

2007-06-14T19:30:00.000-06:00

I am being adventurous. In all aspects of my life, I am trying to take risks, try new things, and not be so afraid. I found this recipie a year ago in a local newspaper. While I thought is sounded good, I was scared to try it. I don't normally eat pork, so there was that concern. Also, I had never used thyme, or really any spices, so I was afraid of that as well. When I got married, I asked for a really cute spinning spice rack. I recieved it, but I never opened the spices until now. I always wondered why every kitchen has a spice rack. It always made me laugh that most of the bottles were full, and only a select few would ever be used. But I digress...

So back to my goal. I decided that I would try one new spice a week. I didn't want to do too much too soon, so I figured that one new spice a week would do it. I wanted them to be spices that were already in my spice rack. And I wanted to make sure they were things that wouldn't freak the hubby out too much.

The spice I used today was Thyme. I had never really smelled thyme. It is gorgeous. I can only describe it as full bodied and almost minty. I think that thyme will be my new favorite thing. Now, if I only had enought time to go with it....

Lemon Thyme Pork Chops

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pork chops
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
juice of 1 lemon
a little bit of lemon zest

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan. Cook the pork chops a few minutes on both sides. Season with the salt and pepper. Put the chicken broth in a cup and slowly add the cornstarch, mixing all the while. Add the mixture to the skillet. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Simmer over heat until sauce is thickened and the chops are cooked through. Enjoy with some lovely whipped red potatoes. Yum Yum Yum.

Comfort Food

2007-06-12T20:16:00.000-06:00

I was cold the other day. Not that it was cold outside, but I was cold in my heart. See, one of my friends is mad at me, and for something that I did not feel was my information to share. Suffice to say, that I was very sad, and needed some cheering. I needed something to warm me from the inside. So I made chili.

I remember eating chili when I was young. Always the gross congealed mess from a can, served warmed in the microwave over icky hot dogs on buns. My grandpa used to eat his chili with vienna sausages. I could never bring myself to eat that or any other potted meat product. There was something about saying 'potted meat' that was a little bit too much for me to handle. When I decided to make chili today (for the first attempt ever in my life), I decided I wanted it to be fresh. I wanted it to be light and I wanted it to be GOOD.

This is the recipie that I made.

The recipie calls for beef, but I don't eat beef. I used ground turkey instead and I think I like it better that way. Beef has a tendancy to weigh us down, but this chili was filling and light at the same time. It was like a Chili revolution!

COMFORT CHILI

1 28 oz can of dices mexican tomatoes
1 15 oz can of light red kidney beans
1/4 cup chilis (I used jalepenos, but the pepper can be changed to suit your spice)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
pinch of oregano
1 small sweet onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)
2 Tablespoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Start the tomatoes, beans, chilis, and tomato paste on medium in a large pot. In a saute pan, saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Once done add the onion and garlic to the tomato and toss in the pinch of oregano. In the saute pan, cook the beef until cooked through and browned. Add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and stir to coat. Once done, add the beef to the tomato mixture. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for a few hours or until you just can't stand it anymore and have to eat.

This is best served over some homemade crusty bread.

Rice and Pineapple Sauce

2007-06-06T16:36:00.000-06:00

So I used to be afraid of rice. I was not a fan of Chinese food, I did not like Sushi, I was afraid with a capital A. So one night, on a date many moons ago, I had a date that decided he would dare me $50 bucks that I could not learn how to use chopsticks by the end of the night. Well being how I am, and loving challenges, I accepted and won the $50. Funny thing was, I was so preocupied with proving him wrong, I forgot to bitch about the food laid in front of me. So I ate Chinese food for the first time, and actually liked it. It was not until I started dating the hubby that I started to appreciate Chinese food. The subtle differences in flavor, the brilliant presentations and plating, and the wonderful things that could be done with plain white rice (rice sculptures, anyone?). I remember the first time I tried Sushi. I was out with some friends, and they built me up to the experience and described the flavors so vividly that I had to try them. This was the beginning of my appreciation of food. This was the beginning of descriminating tastes. We sat at the bar of a local sushi restaurant, and we ordered. It was refreshing to have someone tell me that allergies were not a problem. They told me since the sushi is made fresh to order, they could just leave something out. Imagine my surprise when the sushi chef came over and made suggestions of substitutions since I could not enjoy the original rolls. Imagine my surprise when trying Mussel shooters with quail eggs for the first time! All in all it was a beautiful experience (although, I don't think the mussel shooters will happen again soon).

This all leads into my forays of cooking with Rice. To make it really easy, and because the hubby is not great with my tempermental stove, we bought a rice cooker. It was about fifteen dollars at the local store and makes enough rice for the two of us, with just enough left over for lunch the next day. So we tried Jasmine Rice, Basmati, Plain Aborrio, Brown, and Quinoa in the rice cooker. Each gave slightly different flavors and textures. Last night I found my new favorite thing.

White Rice and Pineapple sauce. MMMMMM!

enough rice for you and some to share
1 can diced pineapple
spices that you like

Wash and rinse your rice. Add half the water called for to cook the rice. For the remaining water needed, add pineapple juice from the can of pineapple. Cook the rice

In a pan, combine the remaining liquid in the pineapple can and the spices that you like (I used a jerk spice blend, some cayenne pepper, a bit of sea salt, and some lovely garlic). Add half the pineapple chunks. Warm over low heat, and slowly cook down the pineapple, mashing as you go. Once it cooks down a bit, you can add a bit of sugar to taste. It may be thin, but it is still tasty.

When the rice is done, scoop into portions and add some pineapple chunks on top. Add a bit of the sauce and enjoy!

I really enjoyed this rice, and it just reminded me to not ever rule any food out. Even rice can be adventurous.

A yummy chicken and sweeeeeet potatoes

2007-06-05T13:53:00.000-06:00

I remember the first time I ever had roasted chicken. It was at a fancy french restaurant and they brought the whole chicken out to us... with the head and everything. Unfortunately, I was not able to try the chicken because of my own personal issues. I have a weird issue with eating meat that looks like what it once was. So I have issues with chicken that looks like a piece of chicken, ot fish that has the head on, or even snail with the shell on. I don't mind seeing it that way before it's cooked, but after? No Way! So I have always been afraid to try roasted chicken, because of course, it comes out of the oven looking like a chicken (minus the head this time). But everytime I see a roasted chicken (even without the head), I think back to the grand culinary adventure I had during my foray into French cuisine.

That all changed this past week. I decided in my quest for new tastes and things to try, I was going to visit my local library. My library has a very good system and internal book transfer process, so I can basically request any book and if it is checked in at any branch I will have it the next day. So last week I requested all the cookbooks by Jamie Oliver, Heidi Swanson, and random authors that I had read about on other people's blogs. The next day I had a stack of about ten books (all the books were not checked in yet). So I am purusing 'The Naked Chef' and enjoying it quite immensly when the hubby enters and mentions the Roast Chicken looks amazing. Seeing as we had a whole young chicken in the freezer, I thought I would attempt it. After all, when something fails we have an amazing selection of restaurants nearby.

So this past Sunday I made my first ever roasted chicken. Yay me! The chicken was so good. It had a fairly strong lemon flavor, which the hubby was not sure of, but which I loved. We also had a fabulous Sweeeet potatoes and I was sooo proud.

The directions from dear Jamie were really simple, but not really directions at all, more like guidance open to interpretation. So here is what I did:

Wash young chicken. Take out the gizzards. Lift up the skin covering the breasts (careful not to tear) and add favorite spices underneath. Flip the chicken over, and lift up skin covering the thighs. Add favorite spices here too. Stuff the middle of the chicken with a half lemon, or stuffing. Place chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan with a glug of olive oil. Roast at 375 degrees for 40 minutes per pound, until the breast meat and thigh meat register 180 on the meat thermometer.

The spices I used? Let me share:
A palm of salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, basil and Mrs. dash. I also placed a lemon in the pockets that were created when the skin was lifted. If you want it less lemony, dont put the lemon in the skin pockets (that sounds gross, doesn't it?).

What did I serve it with? Sweeet potatoes! The hubby calls them sweeeet potatoes because they use a sweet potato and are slightly sweet in flavor. You have to imagine the hubby saying this in a surfer kind of voice, like a flashback to 90210 days.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large baking russet potato, peeled and cubed
4 small red potatoes, cubed (peel if desired)
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
a pinch of sugar

Boil potatoes until mostly soft (not quite mashable). Drain and let sit for 5 minutes. Saute onion until translucent then toss it in with the potatoes. Add the sugar and the garlic. Toss these in a roasting pan and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft (definitely mashable). Take some of the drippings from the chicken and add to the potatoes, tossing to coat. You can also just add the potatoes to the roasting pan with the chicken and skip this step. Then enjoy with your chicken.

Ah, lovely. The best things often come from something we were afraid to try.

Sometimes life just sweeps you away

2007-05-30T21:25:00.000-06:00

So I remembered this blog today. After all of the other things that I had been writing, and all the other things that I have been trying, I remembered this blog. I don't write this for anyone other than myself. It is my hope that I can look back and remember what my life was like at this particular moment. It is my hope that one day I will be able to think back and be inspired. So, continuing my journey through my brain requires a bit of thought and a bit of dillegence so I don't forget what I wanted to gain from it to begin with. So in keeping with this theme, I am back. Remind me if I forget to visit often.

I went camping. To anyone who knows me, this is a shocker. I am not your typical girl, all concerned and fashionable. I can't even wear makeup due to the allergy issues. With this being said, I am a city mouse through and through. I am so not a fan of the great outdoors (the real thing... I love the movie). I am also not a fan of the not showering for days, and the sleeping on an air mattress rather than my comfy bed. I know it could be worse, i did have an air mattress after all, but I am grateful it was only three days.

Having said that, the hubby made a great breakfast each morning that was almost enough to make me forget about the great outdoors... Almost.

OUTDOOR POTATOES AND EGGS

The hubby made this recipie as breakfast two mornings in a row. The amazing thing was that it tasted different both times. It was made in a large dutch oven over the campfire, but I am sure that you could make it on the stove in your favorite skillet.

8 large red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
4 large russet potatoes

1 carton egg beaters
2 tofurkey dogs or brats

Cube the potatoes (Peel first if you are not a fan of the skin). Dump potatoes in the dutch oven, cook until lovely and almost done. Cube tofurkey dogs and dump in the dutch oven as well. Cook some more until the dogs are good and toasted and the potatoes are finished. Add the eggbeater and mix around. Cook a bit until everything is done or until all your fellow campers wake up.

It fed four of us each morning, but we were very hungry campers :)

St. Patties Day

2007-03-17T12:08:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to do a quick post about one of my favorite holidays of the year. St. Patrick's Day! Yeah!!!! Green beer and pinching people for fun always sounded like good times to me :) I sometimes wonder why the green beer started...hmmm, maybe time for more research. So I do what I always do when I am curious about something.... I googled it. A wealth of information available right at my fingertips. I think the history of St. Patties Day is very interesting, but I still could not find an answer to why the green beer started. A curious thing indeed.

Anyway, I thought that I would share a recipe today. This bread is crusty on the outside and has a great heaviness to it. This bread is rib-stickin' bread and you don't need to eat a lot... Trust me, I overindulged last year :)

THIS RECIPE IS NOT ALLERGY SAFE- so If you have allergies, try substitution.

IRISH SODA BREAD
Adapted from a recipe by MP Welty on allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

And so it begins...

2007-03-15T17:17:00.000-06:00

I am beginning this blog to bring myself closer to the world. I recently discovered that I feel as if I float above the world, too unusual to maintain contact with the majority population. I feel a little bit lost as I navigate my way through life, and I think I was driving my husband crazy with all the discussions I have with him. Of course, the discussions generally are me talking and he nodding his head and saying um-hm every once in a while. I wanted to connect with people and live.

I want to share. I am a corporate zombie by profession, a baker by passion, and a loon by astrology. I wanted to share my thoughts, my recipes, my passions, and even my kookiness once in a while.

I wanted to help. I have allergies and I can't eat certain foods. I have developed a network of friends that have the same circumstances I do. As a baker, watching what I make is skill. As a friend, watching what I bake for others is lifesaving. I wanted to share ideas about living nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, fat-free, or even egg free.

I wanted to be. Anything and everything I want.

So there we go with the first glimpse into my mind. Hopefully the journey is an adventure.