It's my birthday, too!
Whoot! Another year gone. They say everyone has one birthday that's harder than the rest, then it's smooth sailing. Mine is long gone, so I like to look ahead rather than behind.
Rather than New Year's resolutions, I'd like to offer up some Things to do While I'm 36:
1. Continue to lose weight. As of today, I'm down 22 pounds since December 1st. I've really gotten into the South Beach Style of eating. One of my new favorite websites is Mark's Daily Apple. Also, I weigh myself most every day on the Wii fit. I love the way it keeps track for me, and graphs it all out. Looking at it like that makes it easy for me to see how much progress I've made.
2. Continue working toward a 1/2 marathon. Right now I'm slated to run the Oklahoma City 1/2 Marathon on April 25th. Joining me will be my friend Tree and my sister. Two and a half years ago Tree, Anne and I did the Denver half marathon. We said we'd do something every year, but... well... life intervened. My sister? She's just caught the running bug, but you can find her at "The Sissy Jogger Companion." Clever, that girl is...
3. Go on a family vacation. I say this every year, but this year I mean it.
4. Read more. I have gotten back into reading now that we don't have cable. The library is my BFF. They do an excellent job routing books from one branch to the other and emailing when they're waiting. Any suggestions? I'm not looking for anything heavy, just fluff right now.
Finally... Here's the birthday cake I'm making myself:
Low Carb Almond Cake
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 cup sugar substitute (Splenda)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 large eggs
8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Whisk together the almond flour, sugar substitute, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, add eggs one at a time beating between each addition then whisk in the almond and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into a well greased (cooking spray) bundt pan.
Bake until slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the center, about 65-70 minutes. Let cake cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing from pan.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 0:15
Cook Time 1:10
Carbs: 7g
I pilfered this from another site and messed with it enough to make it my own. Let you know if it's any good tomorrow!
Until then - have a great day!
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The last of the packages are in the mail...
Sweet sleeping bags for American Girl Dolls...
They are so much fun to make. No two are exactly alike - I am not that good with sizing.
The dresses I posted the other day have found good homes. Thank you so much for taking them off my hands.
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Today I was planning to make more cookies. Right now I have gingersnaps and chocolate (that need to be frosted) shortbread. I also made fudge and Anise candy. The kids are in near heaven, but I have had no more that 1/4 of a cookie.
I'm still sticking to South Beach. So far, I've surpassed my expectation. Usually I get a few pounds down, decide it's 'good enough,' and go back on the food binge. Not so this time.
It's a funny thing. Usually this time of year I'm putting just about any food in my mouth multiple times. Not so. Not that it doesn't sound good, but I'm just trying to make it though one day at a time. So far I've been successful.
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The gingersnap cookies are my maternal great grandmother's. Dare I say they made my husband nearly moan? The fudge is my paternal great grandmother's. I can barely keep my oldest out of it. It's what she wants to give her teacher for Christmas. The anise candy is my paternal grandmother's. The chocolate shortbread? Nigella. Right now we are in a 'don't ask don't tell' on how much butter I'm using.
A big part of the holidays to me is not only keeping tradition, but creating new ones.
What are some of your favorite traditions - food or otherwise?
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So I didn't make it to the book signing for Ree, The Pioneer Woman. I did however make it to Nigella Lawson's...
If you haven't read/heard/seen her on TV - she is very much a "in moderation, even moderation" type cook. All of the recipes I've tried of hers from How to Be a Domestic Goddess was wonderful.
I am so excited to dig into her new cookbook: Nigella Christmas.
Before we get into the boo-hoo portion of the post, I wanted to share two projects I recently completed.
What American Girl doll doesn't need her own sleeping bag?
All rolled up. These were made for a girl's birthday party.
And two quilted pillow cases from outgrown pajamas.
Nice and snuggly.
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Today I managed to put together a quilt. All that's left is sewing the binding on the back. I like to save that for when the kids are in bed. It's relaxes me.
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And now to the boo hoo part. I know there have been a lot lately, but please bear with me.
I can't believe it's been a year. Most days she's a quick thought, a "she would have liked that" with a smile. Other days it is as raw as if it happened yesterday. Friday's passing dredged up a bunch of emotion too. Though not knowing exactly what my husband's feeling, I can't help but empathize with the position he's in.
Which brings me to eating the emotion away. Today, as a sort of celebration of her life, I pulled out the cookbook and made her homemade donut holes for dinner.
Drop Doughnuts
4 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 c melted shortening
3/4 c milk
4 c sifted flour
6 t baking powder
Combine and deep fry in oil - 375 F. Drop by 1/2 teaspoon. When brown on one side, turn to brown other side. Drain in basket; roll in white sugar. Refrigerate dough (several days) if desired.
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In case you didn't know, tonight is National Night Out.
Our neighborhood is gathering in the cul-de-sac for brats and beer. Because we're small-time-USA, a fire truck and police car will be stopping by. And no, not because the neighbors called either.
It should be a great time. As part of the preparations, I pre-boiled 15 pounds of brats this morning. That is a lot.
Best way to pre-boil brats:
Butter
Onion
Beer
Brats
Saute some onions in butter, being careful not to brown them. Don't be stingy. Add the beer and bring it to a boil. Simmer brats in beer for 10-15 minutes before grilling. If not grilling right away, put them in the fridge. Grill 10-15 minutes or until the skin is nice and crispy.
Also, I put together some brownies:
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
1 box "family size" brownie mix (13x9 pan)
1 bag mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups.
Mix brownie mix according to package directions. Unwrap (duh!) and quarter nearly the whole bag of RPBC. I say nearly all because my kids help and I know they eat several as they go. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan and bake according to brownie directions. If you're up for it, after they cool drizzle a little melted peanut butter over the brownies.
Finally, because I'm a complete overachiever, I made some deviled eggs:
1 dozen hard boiled eggs*
mayo
vinegar
salt
pepper (white if you have it, otherwise black will do)
dash of hot sauce if you're feeling spicy.
paprika
Combine yolks with a little mayo, splash of vinegar, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Unfortunately, I don't have exact measurements - maybe 1/4 c mayo, 2 Tablespoons vinegar? If necessary, start small and add a little at a time. To refill the whites, I put the yolk mixture in a zip top bag and snip the corner. Makes a quick, easy, and disposable piping bag. Top with a dash of paprika.
*to hard boil eggs, put in a pan with enough cool water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once water starts to boil, turn off heat and let set for 15 minutes. Then cool in an ice bath.
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Not much else. Managed to get four loads of laundry done yesterday and two today. Thursday my husband will be dropping the kids off at my parents for a week. Yes, a whole week they'll be gone. My plan is to finish Tree's quilt and clean out the kids' rooms. Not very exciting, unless you're me. Heh.
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First, and most importantly, thanks for all you kind words for Monday's post. My weight is something I've struggled with my adult life, and for the most part, I can accept it. I can not accept it if I'm going to be running 26.2 miles in October. Weighing this morning my scale showed a 5 pound weight loss. I'm doing WW in the comfort of my own home - as I've done it before and am pretty confident with it. And I'm cheap.
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Last Friday, the Big Girl got her new cast:
Sparkly and orange, this one is also waterproof. Waterproof like take a shower and go swimming. The only thing is she needs to be sure to rinse it in clear water as the pool chemicals and soap can be skin irritants if left on too long. So far, she is thriving with it.
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Yesterday we took advantage of the 'end of the season' sale and picked up a small pool.
For the record, I do have a rather high powered device that would have blown that pool up in less than a minute.
I needed them to be busy for more than a minute.
They managed to persevere. 
What is it about being a kid that the cold water doesn't bother you? I mean really.
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Monday I managed to make some jam out of the strawberries the neighbor left me.
The tedious part - hulling the ice cream bucket of strawberries.
Adding the strawberries to the rhubarb - not terribly exciting, and how disgusting does the rhubarb look...
But well worth the effort. As you can see, this is freezer jam, and I ran out of containers. Because this is freezer jam (versus canned) I didn't worry too much about the ratios. I should have, because it's a little runny. I guess that means we just have really good ice cream topping.
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Joansy and Tree, the check's in the mail... Um... Your Monthly Drawing prizes. I didn't get a picture of Joansy's because I'm still digging out my dining room. When that's done, I'll be able to find the stuff I made you. Tree, here's yours...
And one other precious...
I know she reads this drivel, but I couldn't wait to share it. Mitzi, congrats on #2!
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Yesterday was a pretty great day.
I got to meet Loralee.
And yes, she's even more amazing in person.
I made her look at all my projects, and my craft room.
And we talked, and talked, and talked. And drank a lot of diet coke. A lot.
You know what? I think she likes me. Heh.
She's coming back Friday and I'm going to teach her how to make rolls.
Yes. Rolls. It will be a very good day.
It's Wednesday, right?
Ever have one of those days, around, well, now, you realize that it's nearly time for dinner. Maybe you have a commute home, or maybe you've been home and the day's just disappeared... Either way, you still have to feed the troops.
My solution for that is usually Breakfast for Dinner. Pancakes are a favorite around here, or it's snooty cousin The Waffle. Either way, you really can't go wrong. Maybe there's a loaf of bread that's "use or lose" - French Toast perhaps? Or scrambled eggs and toast, or "Egg in the Basket?" Breakfast burrito, anyone? Otherwise, my all time favorite is biscuits and gravy.
The possibilities here are endless. Let loose! Have fun!
But if you're really looking for a recipe...
Yesterday, ok - last night, I had a very big craving for Brownies. Not just any brownies, but thick, fudgy ones.
I dug out my ancient copy of the Better Homes New Cookbook. Mine isn't so new, though, it was my Mom's, and is copyrighted 1981 - nearly an antique. I did find the perfect recipe:
Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup butter
2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Grease an 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat; stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat lightly until just combined (don't over beat or the brownies will rise too high, then fall). Stir in flour and nuts. Spread batter in pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool. Cut into bars. Makes 16.
Looks good, right? I liked it because it doesn't make a lot.
The only problem? It called for two squares unsweetened chocolate. I only had semi-sweet.
The solution: I started by melting the butter and chocolate, then when nearly melted whisking in 3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder. Double chocolate whammy.
I baked them in a pie pan and we had wedges of brownie, rather than squares.
Delish!
And Paula Deen.
Bourbon Pecan Pie: aka Douglas' Dark Rum Pecan Pie
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Only problem - I don't have dark corn syrup, just light. Once again, the information can be found on the internet:
Substitutions
For 1 cup dark syrup substitute 1 cup light corn syrup OR1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar + 3 to 4 tbsp water
Also, no "Good Quality" Burbon. I'm sure I can find something in the cabinet to substitute. Southern Comfort?
Review: The Daring Book for Girls
Honestly, I haven't read much of this book.
Generally I find the sequels are just a shadow of the original. On first glance, I absolutely fell in love with "The Dangerous Book for Boys." When this came, I didn't quite know what to think of the light blue cover and sparkly lettering. I flipped through it... Not bad. Set it on the counter and went about my day.
As soon as my seven year old daughter arrived home from school, she spied the book. "Is that for me?" It sure is. She snatched it up and headed for her room. About every other day, she'd bring the book to show me or tell me something, then head back to read some more. I found the book this morning on her nightstand, where it's been every night since we've received it.
Occasionally while she's at school, I'd take a peek:
Hopscotch, Tetherball and Jump Rope,
Sleep Outs,
How to Paddle a Canoe (Grandma and Grandpa offered to help with this one),
Rules of Darts,
Words to Impress,
First Aid,
Knots and Stitches,
How to Tie a Sari (something I've always wanted to know)
Princesses of Today.
So why haven't I read more of this book? My daughter hates it when I read over her shoulder. She's given me plenty of things we need to try or learn more about. So overall, I think this sequel has lived up to the expectation.
Adventure is worthwhile in itself.
Read more about it at Parent Bloggers.
Not quite Rachael Ray... But close.
The other night I made noodles to go with the chicken. Start to finish, 35 minutes - including rolling out the noodles. Had the kids not helped, it would have been a "30 Minute Meal."
A quick rundown:
Mix noodles, let rest. Spray pot with a little cooking spray, and put on medium heat. Chop carrot, celery, and onion. Add to pan. Cook three or four minutes until they start to soften. Scrape fat from broth, add broth to pot. Add water and chicken base*. Bring to a boil. As that's coming to a boil, roll out the noodles. Add chicken to pot, and noodles slowly to boiling water. Cook noodles about 4 - 5 minutes. Serve.
I wanted to get a picture of the kids helping roll out the noodles... But something about three kids, flour, and a roller they could pinch fingers in wasn't condusive to photography.
There are all sorts of fancy-pants wooden racks out there. This works for me.
*Chicken base can be found with the bouillon. I find it to have better flavor, and be less salty.
I'm tired.
Yesterday Ashley Tisdale "performed" at the Mall of America. Not wanting to be left out, the kids and I headed out there in search of wristbands. Managed to acquire the Green ones - versus the Orange ones - slightly better standing area. Got there around 5, and she didn't perform until 7:15. Oy.
For waiting as long as they did, the kids were wonderful.
Seeing as the stage was maybe a foot of the ground,it was difficult, nay impossible, for the kids to see. When she finally came to the stage, I took turns holding two kids at a time. Fortunately, she only sang three songs. Three. Two hours of waiting for fifteen minutes. What the kids did see, they really enjoyed.
The kids did have a good time, and after it was over we snuck in a few rides before heading home for bed. Driving home, I noticed the neighbors were having a bonfire. I promptly tucked the kids in and handed them off to Dad while I grabbed a margarita and headed out.
I should say that my husband did come out, but didn't manage to get a wristband. He stood a ways back - and was fine with that. By the third song, I got his attention and handed off the Boy to him.
The other night, I made pizza. After eating Master Chef Kyle's at The House of MGM in Denver, and then reading about Joe's, I had a hankering.
Barbeque chicken pizza.
Dough is good. Mmm. Mmm. Good.
Flour
Yeast
Little sugar - for the yeast
Warm water
Splash of olive oil
Salt
Yes. That is it. At least for me
If you don't use it all, it will keep in the fridge overnight. Roll it out, cover with a little applesauce and oatmeal-flour-butter-cinnamon-brown sugar mix and serve it for breakfast with a side of scrambled eggs. I'm getting ahead of myself here
Leftover cooked chicken. Barbeque sauce. Red onion. Banana peppers. Corn (frozen is fine) if you choose. Cheese. Corn meal will keep it from sticking on the paddle. Bake at 450 on a baking stone for a few minutes. I never really time it. Just check once in awhile - starting around five minutes. Maybe eight. Garnish with cilantro
What could be bad when you have a helper that looks like this?
On the last one, my stone cracked. Need a new one before tonight. Meatball pizza.
Otherwise, not much is going on.
Finished a couple projects...
Aimee's - for making my site look much, much better.
MGM's - for the new little bean coming. I just love Clifford.
And still have one nagging me.
Ok two. Mitzi - I totally haven't forgotten about your curtains.
For now... I need to go start my pizza dough.
I love cookbooks.
Given the opportunity, I'll read them like regular people would read a book or magazine. One year for Christmas, my parents scoured antique stores and gave me a box of old, old, old cookbooks. So I was excited to review Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious. Yes, Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld wrote a cookbook.
Upon receiving the cookbook, I was struck by the durable, easy to clean cover. It's spiral bound and the pagers are nice and thick. Publishers take note: there is nothing better than being able to lay a cookbook flat and have it stay open. The pictures are beautiful and I love the pencil drawings of each of the family members.
Jessica created this cookbook to end the mealtime struggle of "eat your veggies." By making and adding purees to recipes, she's happy in providing a "respectable portion of veggies" (1) to her kids meal without the fuss. I guess I'm lucky in that my kids are very good eaters - veggies included - but I was willing to try something new.
The book contains an excellent resource from Joy Bauer on kids and nutrition as well as a breakdown of nutritional guidelines for children.
I tried several of the recipes with varying degrees of sucess. Two of them in particular were resounding successes: Chicken Nuggets (broccoli) and Italian Meatloaf (carrot). When I cooked the Chicken Nuggets I baked them rather than cooking them on the stovetop in a small amount of oil. For the Italian Meatloaf, next time I'll cut the celery even smaller, as my 7 year old balked a little bit at the sight of green in meatloaf. Of the recipes I tried, these two came out the best.
Several of the recipes were moderate successes: "Buttered" Noodles (squash), Mozzarella Sticks (cauliflower), Pancakes (sweet potatoes), and Sloppy Joes (sweet potato and butternut squash). In each of these, at least one of my kids asked me accusingly "What's in this?" Thought they did generally eat it.
And two recipes didn't tempt the palate: Scrambled Eggs (cauliflower) and Tofu Nuggets (broccoli). I knew the Tofu would be a long shot - dipped in egg and spinach or broccoli puree then rolled in a mixture of breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan cheese, and paprika. All three kids ate one small bite of one small nugget. Which leaves us with the Scrambled Eggs. Normally my kids devour scrambled eggs. Not these. The texture was a bit off, as was the taste.
The one thing I didn't like is I don't think they made enough mention of still serving vegetables with dinner. There is one reference on page 32, but that's all I found. Also, my husband and I found some of the recipes a little bland, but that can easily be fixed.
Thought it can be a bit overwhelming to look at having to make a bunch of purees, after making homemade baby food for three kids it really wasn't that big of a deal. I took about an hour and a half to have enough purees for probably three weeks. They're stashed safely in the freezer, just waiting for my next cooking flurry.
Overall, I think this book has a lot of great ideas for incorporating more nutrition in everyday meals. It's a fun cookbook that got me excited about trying new recipes, and I haven't even gotten to the desserts yet!
I had something to say, but I can't quite remember what it is...
Here are some quilted bags I've put together over the last couple of days:
Wondering if it would be worth my time to try and sell them. Maybe put them on www.etsy.com?
Eh. Don't know. I'd like to find a way to make a little money off it, not much - just enough to feed my craft habit.
The running's been going great. Last night I did a 5K in 35 minutes. Only one minute off my personal best. And this was a training run. I had this deep thought last night while running - like most anything - you get out of it what you put into it.
Picked up my crate of peaches from the church yesterday afternoon - fresh from Colorado. Last night the kids helped me make a peach-blueberry crisp. Very good. For the topping I used 2 packets of apple-cinnamon oatmeal, 1/4 c flour, 1/4 c. brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon. I peeled (the kids helped) and sliced 5 peaches into a pie tin, and added about 1/2 c blueberries and 2 Tbsp sugar. Crumbled the topping over and baked 40 minutes at 350. Yum!
Of course it is.
Great weekend.
Fired the grill up...
The kids played.
The boy caught a butterfly. He let it go shortly.
I grilled.
Joe's recipe.
It was very good. Very.
Took the veggies out and skewered them with some fresh pineapple.
Lord almightly.
The pictures don't do it justice. The steak was, simply put, beautiful. I had recently purchased some new steak knives, and this was the perfect opportunity to break them in. The pineapple turned out carmelly golden brown and the veggies grilled to crisp perfection. The foil packet? Itty bitty red potatoes with garlic I'd found at the farmer's market that morning.
Living off the land, I tell you.
My parents came yesterday for a few days. They'll hang out with the kids; I'll get a couple projects done - really fun ones like cleaning out the kids' closets. Dad and I will go for a couple runs.
And I'm sure we'll find time to have some fun.
Today I will spend my last 'free' morning from the kids shopping. Not the fun shopping either, the grocery, dollar, and Target type stuff... and a trip to the liquor store, so maybe a little fun.
This summer, I'm working on buying my produce from the farmers' market. So far, it's worked out pretty well. There's one downtown on Wednesday and another in the neighboring 'burb on Saturday, so I just try to buy what I need for the next few days.
Not That Martha's Zucchini Bread
3 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2/3 c. veg. oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
Raisins ( optional )
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. In large bowl with fork, mix flour, sugar, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In medium bowl with fork, beat eggs slightly; stir in oil, zucchini, and lemon peel. Combine liquid and flour mixtures, just until flour is moistened. Spread evenly into pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans and serve warm or cold.
I omitted the nuts and the optional raisins. The kids loved it. Tuesday night, our backyard neighbors came for dinner. Both the Dad-types were out of town, so we pooled our resources for an easy cookout. Burgers, corn on the cob and watermelon. I made the zucchini bread. The kids (there were six total) went crazy over the bread. Crazy. I cooked it in a 9x13 pan (rather than two loaf pans - so the cooking time is decreased to 30 - 40 minutes or so) and the kids ate over half of the pan!
Five stars!
Chicken and Zucchini
2 chicken breasts - cubed
2 zucchini (smallish) - sliced
salt and pepper
Italian Seasoning
Pasta Sauce
Rice or noodles
Saute chicken breasts in a little olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little (1/4 tsp or so) Italian seasoning. When the chicken is almost done (3-4 minutes) add the zucchini and cook a few minutes more. Add a little more (1/4 tsp) Italian seasoning. Cook maybe 5 or so minutes - until the zucchini starts to soften. Add the pasta sauce and heat through. Serve over noodles or rice.
I made this the other day around 4 pm and put it in the crockpot on low. The kids and I ate around 5:30, my husband around 8:30. It kept really well in the crockpot. We had it over rice. It was a nice change of pace from the summer grilling.
Corn on the grill.
Corn on the cob
Butter
Salt
Garlic powder
Aluminum foil - heavy duty works best.
Husk corn and remove silk. Place corn on a piece of foil with a small pat of butter (about a teaspoon or so), salt ,and a little garlic powder. Seal up foil. Place over medium coals, turning every 5 minutes for a total of about 20 minutes.
I could eat this every day.
The Appointment
Took The Boy to his doctor's appointment. In the car, I notified him that they may need to stick his finger and take a little blood. Based on his reaction, I didn't tell him about the shots. He would have gotten all worked up over it. Overall, he's a healthy boy. He's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight, and he could tell that by looking at his ankles, he's a 'busy' young man.
How can he tell by looking at his ankles? They're a little beat up, meaning he's out and about running into things.
They did the vision (20/16) and the hearing check (more on that later).
It was then time for the 'vaccinations' - that's what they were calling them. I told him it would be three little pricks and we'd be done. The nurse had everything ready and quickly laid the stuff out; she was terribly cheery while doing it. She explained every step (rolling up his sleeves, wiping his arm, drying it off) as she went. When it came time for the actual shot, The Boy looked, watched, and turned red.
He was laughing. The nurse and I cheered for him as we went. "You're doing a great job! Almost done!" Yee ha!
She did all three without a single tear. I think that by downplaying it, there was no expectation. He didn't have time to get himself all worked up. She said she wished every time went like that.
We did receive an ENT referral. Today I need to check with our insurance and make sure they are on our plan. He still has the tube in, and the doctor thinks it needs to come out. Also, The Boy failed the hearing test that ear. I asked if I needed to worry. "Worry?" the doctor said. Yes, do I need to worry about hearing aids and such? "No, no, not at all. It's most likely fluid left over from the ear infection we just treated." Ok. As much as I try not to worry until I have something to worry about, a little part of me can't help it.
Recipe
It's been awhile since I've done a recipe.
Today's a dreary, cold day. Here's what's in the crock pot:
Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
1 lb dry black beans, soaked overnight
1 can chopped green chiles (or use 1 T diced jalapeno peppers for more heat)
6 c chicken broth
1/2 t garlic powder
1 T chili powder
1 t each ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
1/2 t hot pepper sauce
Drain beans and rinse. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours (or cook on high 4 hours, turn to low and continue cooking 2 more hours)
Housewifery
For quite awhile, I'd split the housework up doing one load of laundry and cleaning one room every day. Though it didn't seem like I did alot each day, it felt like I was doing it all the time - if that even makes any sense. The last couple weeks, I've reserved Friday as "Cleaning, Laundry, and Grocery Day." Seems a bit excessive, but it's nice to have everything clean at once, and for the weekend to boot. Better get started...
Enough with the ED...
Sunday I noticed that the Boy's ear was bleeding a little. I figured he had a overzealous digging expedition, and let it go. Still bleeding Monday I called the doctor. Now when I say 'bleeding' - it wasn't like a bloody nose, more like traces of dried blood. Got him in for an appointment and off we went. The doctor said there was so much puss he couldn't see the eardrum and it had most likely burst. Nice. Way to go mom. In my defense, had he complained it hurt, we would have gone earlier. Prescribed an antibiotic and eardrops, we headed to the pharmacist.
After dropping off the prescriptions, she noticed that our coverage had been denied. No biggie, I handed her the most recent card. That was the card that had been denied. Apparently, earlier last week, my husband handed me the new-new card and I promply placed it by, but not in, my purse. The tech was very helpful and offered to call our insurance carrier to figure it all out. I told her not to worry about it, that I would just submit a claim.
Got home, with two receipts (for $47 - 10 days of chewable antibiotics and antibiotic ear drops!), and got online. After 15 minutes of creating a account, clicking around, and trying not to lose it, I finally find what I'm looking for "prescription claim form." I'm figuring an adobe form will pop up, I'll print it off and get it in the mail. Oh no. They are going to mail me a form. In 7 to 10 days. By that time, I'll have lost the receipts.
I know I'm fortunate in that I don't have to decide between medication and food. That $47 won't break the bank. That there are parents out there dealing with children that have serious medical issues that require serious money. But I have to wonder how much they're spending on those sunset ads for erectile disfunction. "Either now, or later... It's up to you..."
6 + 2 = 8
Got a late start to the gym today. It's one thing to start training for a marathon, its another to understand the time committment. I didn't truly understand in until a few weeks ago. Saturday alone I spent a little over three hours so I could get 15 miles in - and that's only because I started from home and my mom watched the kids. I can't just "go to the gym." That would be too easy.
I had previously thought that once my mid-week run was over 6 miles, I could split it up - get up and go in the early morning before my husband left, and finish at the gym in the morning. Unfortunately, the last three weeks my husband has been out of town, or going there, every Wednesday. That and 5:15 am is so unappealing. So that leaves me going to the gym.
Without going into too much painful detail, let's just say it's pretty much a circus for me to get to the gym: getting #1 off to school, feeding the other two breakfast, getting dressed, convincing them that we have to go to the gym today, etc. I have to figure for every 4 miles I run, I need an hour: drive to the gym, have the kids go to the bathroom, get my shoes on, me go to the bathroom, etc. Today was 8, so I planned for 2 hours. We left too late and I knew it. But what I didn't plan on was half way through my run, my four year old would need to use the bathroom. For 10 minutes. At that point, I got back on the treadmill completely devoid of focus. I forced myself to complete 6 miles.
So tonight, before swimming lessons, we're heading back to the gym so I can run my other two miles.
Divine
Last night I made brownies - the box kind with the chocolate chunks. I like box mixes and my kids like to help. After mixing and spreading them in the pan, I took out the jar of peanut butter. I microwaved about 1/3-ish of a cup and poured it into a baggie. After snipping the tiniest corner, I drizzled melted peanut butter over the batter. Baked according to directions, there is only one word to describe them - divine.
It's been a hard couple of weeks around here. Usually is this time of year. Except this year it's been seven years. Seven years and now I'm reminded daily that the kids are growing up.
Two weeks ago I was at Target with my mom. The kids like to measure their feet. It was then I noticed that they all needed new shoes. Big Girl is in a 3, the Boy is in a 12 1/2, and the Baby is in a 10. A freaking 10. She's two. The Big Girl also needed a complete wardrobe overhaul when her 7 slims started to look like highwaters and the sleeves of her shirts no longer grazed her wrist.
Last night at swimming lessons, I saw my seven year old take off. Diving for rings, flipping from front to back, while swimming, on command. I saw my four year old take off with out "floaties" or "water wings." He also started going after rings. I couldn't believe it. The baby's there the whole time on my lap telling me it's "Not Fair" that she doesn't get to go swimming. "Not fair, Mama, Me swim too."
Tuesday night, my oldest gave the Toddler a bath. Washed her hair, scrubbed her good. Then she got her out of the tub, dried her off, and helped her with her jammies. The boy got himself in and out of the tub with only a modicum of help. The Big Girl? Moved on to taking a shower.
The Baby. She's potty trained. I've mentioned it before, but to have something stop so suddenly... I mean it's been seven years I've been changing diapers. Seven. To have that come to an unceremonious end smarts a little. Trust me, it's something I've been looking forward to. For the last couple days, about the time I go to ask her if she needs to use the facilities, she's already there. Doesn't need my reminder - usually.
More and more I feel like I'm standing on the sidelines.
I do feel like I'm turning a corner. Life is too short, too precious, to worry and wonder about what's coming next.
This morning, I had a request to play with play-do. All that we have is from last year, and it smells funny. Rather than put them off, I made some.
Play Dough
1 c flour
1/2 c salt
2 t Cream of Tartar
1 c water
1 T oil
Combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Add water and oil; mix well. Cook until ball forms. Add coloring as desired.
They're currently keeping busy with the red, yellow, and blue. I'm sure by now there are varying degrees of orange, purple, and green. My next stop in internet land is eddiebauer.com. Going to see what to buy with my birthday money from my mother in law. Probably shoes. You can never have too many shoes.
My parents will be here tomorrow, so my husband and I can go out to celebrate.
Today is my birthday.
