Pie Is the New Toast

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changesss

2011-03-08T12:51:00.001-08:00

Wow. It's been a LONG time since I've updated. It's now March 2011, and I am over a year post-op and doing well health-wise for the most part. Recovery has been good in those terms. Unfortunately, on other fronts it has not.

Long story short, my marriage has been dead for years. In vain I tried to save it, but it lead to a lot of problems that lead to my filing for divorce last July. I also have a protection order in place against my soon to be ex-husband (that's another long story). The divorce should be finalized here soon as we are heading into pre-trial and then trial if it is not resolved. It's been nothing short of ugly and I have a LOT I need to heal from and forgive myself for. With time, that will be possible.

And on another front, I was laid off from my job I had for nearly three years in January due to the economic climate. I am still looking for work and am surviving, but won't lie about my nerves over the situation. I loved my job. Unfortunately, my position was eliminated, along with 80 other positions. It was a terrible blow.

I am still in Whatcom County, raising my almost 11 year old (!!) daughter as a single parent, and am hoping to survive these nasty bumps in the road that I keep coming across.

Almost one week post-op

2009-08-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

I was able to have the Da Vinci Hysterectomy. Everything went very smoothly and my recovery was amazing...was released in 24 hours and went home. I am completely amazed at this surgery and the fact that it is so non-invasion and I was up and switching myself without assistance (at least the up part) about 2 hours post-op. I have had a c-section in the past and it is very hard to get up after that. Don't get me wrong, it hurts...but it is nothing like a c-section.

My recovery was going very well until a few days ago when I started having some burning pain in my left thigh, which also went numb from the pain. In the past I have had this and it was circulatory issues (I had a venous ultrasound done in June 2008 which showed no blood clots), so I chalked it up to that. The only difference is this is not resolving. It continues to be a problem, it's at the point where I cannot sleep well at night because when I turn, the pain is so intense it burns and I'm scared to turn. I have to sleep solely on my left side to avoid that pain. I get the same pain on the right upper thigh as well but not as intense or as prolonged. Being the medgeek I am, I looked up "upper thigh pain" and came across something called Meralgia Paresthetica. I also looked up some information and posts on a website called HysterSisters and it is actually quite common after a hysterectomy as a nerve where the surgery is done (or nearby) can end up pinched or worse. I am going to my doctor hopefully tomorrow or sometime this week to discuss this and see what we can do to stop the pain. Now I am concerned about whether this will affect my ability to go back to work...but I know I am jumping the gun so I am trying to remain calm.

Besides that my recovery has been incredibly smooth. I am dealing with pain still, but overall it's not bad at all. I had my first hot flash post-op and it was very bizarre...only on the left side of my face. Now I am on Premarin to help with that (which it does) but I am going to into natural therapies because of the problems with Hormone Replacement Therapy.

More to follow later, and hopefully some good news on the problems in my legs. I am concerned about blood clots too, so hopefully we can rule that out. Hopefully this problem will resolve on its own (and soon!).

Here I go

2009-08-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have posted about it in the past, my female reproductive system not working correctly. As a result of that I have Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and Adenomyosis (like a sister to Endometriosis). In 2006 I was told I really needed to have a hysterectomy. At that time I was on a charity type of insurance because we were low-income at that point. Then I went back to work and finally got good health insurance through my employer. After discussing this with my co-workers, including one who had just had her hysterectomy done, I finally decided I was going to bite the bullet and do it. Last March (2008) I had an endometrial biopsy done and luckily it showed nothing but proved to my physician that I do have the Adenomyosis.

I was referred down in Seattle to an oncologist gynecologist because of my weight. I am high risk just due to the weight alone. I met with him on July 21st and he did an exam and went over my history with me. He told me about the da Vinci hysterectomy, which I had already researched online. I asked if it were possible to perform that type of surgery on a person with a high weight/BMI. He had told me that he performed some before on heavyset people as well. He has excellent credentials outside of what I was told (again, research is your friend- you are your own advocate), so I feel confident in his capabilities. I am having my surgery at an incredibly wonderful hospital on Monday, August 10th. The da Vinci hysterectomy is a robotic-assisted laparascopic surgery. It's minimally invasive and very effective. There's a chance it might not work on me, so they are preparing for the fact that they might have to cut me open but I am hoping I do not have to go through that again. I have had a horizontal bikini cut in the past when I had my daughter in 2000, but that was when I was 100 lbs less (and believe it or not, still heavy!) and 9 years younger. However, I tend to recover well, so I am hopeful. I am more hopeful they can do the da Vinci procedure.

I'm not going to lie, I am very nervous about having a major surgery...but my quality of life will improve, and I will no longer be in pain. We're also hoping it will help me become more successful in my weight loss journey. For having been more active than I had in years and working out regularly and to only lose 17.2 lbs in a year's time is wrong. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have a loss than a gain...but I should have lost more. The swelling from the uterus and the hormonal issues have GOT to go. They are taking it all- uterus, cervix, ovaries, and even the tubes. I joked to my mother that I am going to hit menopause before she does. But yet I worry about the health risks. I'm just a worrier by nature.

So the next time I can get on this thing, I will be a new woman. And hopefully out of pain post-surgery. More updates to follow! (I promise.)

Hello to my readers

2009-06-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am not able to keep up with this blog much anymore, for obvious reasons, also due to a lack of interest. I will continue to keep this blog up and maybe contribute from time to time. My apologies!

Life has been very busy. I am still working full-time in a new department for my company, have been there for 7 months now and am enjoying it very much. My daughter just finished 3rd grade and is very excited that summer is finally here. We are now living in a house, which I have probably already mentioned, and are hoping that in the next year or two we will be able to finally purchase a home. We are ready to become home owners and are very hopeful that this dream will finally come true. It's been a long work in progress.

Now onto my kitchen, which is so big that I can fit a lot of people in it, I am working a very hectic schedule then I head straight to the gym after work, but on my days off (I work four 10 hour shifts, so I have a three day weekend) I am cooking and enjoying the ability to cook in a large kitchen. Needless to say it makes my family very happy when I am able to do so.

That's about it for now!

Wow it's been a while

2009-02-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am very terrible at this. Things have been incredibly busy since November and things are finally slowing down (thank god!). First off, a shout out to paguy54- I am glad the recipe worked well for you! Thank you for stopping by my blog!

So there have been many changes to our household since I last blogged. No, I am not pregnant (hahahahhaha, that would be the day!), but we found a house we liked and moved, get this, on December 27th. December was a completely terrible month and due to unforeseen circumstances we had to get out of the apartment we were renting before the new year (long story short, the landlord upped the rent incredibly high and we did not have a lease so we said forget it, we'll find a new place). On top of this we had a lot of snow which made it impossible to get to work (eventually my hubby drove me in his 4wd SUV). We had so much snow it crippled a lot of stuff for everyone in our county, even in the entire state of Washington. It made moving a challenge but luckily by December 27th we started thawing out. We found a 2 bed, 1 bath house near where we were living. The owners are very nice and are interested in possibly selling this to us in the next 2-3 years, so we're going to take that into consideration. It has 1/4 acre of land (loving it!), a carport, a huge utility room with a washer and dryer, and a huge kitchen which you know I am absolutely in love with! There are a lot of quirks with this house though- a lot of work needs to be done to it- such as replacing all windows. They are singlepane and the house stays very cold. We also need to have the drywall replaced as it seems like it needs to be. We also need to update the kitchen, because it's very 70's Brady Bunch. We're talking orange countertops, brown linenoleum, and 70's appliances. That said, I absolutely love my kitchen. I do not have a dishwasher but I am fine with that. My oven is on the wall and that is something I've always wanted. It's very exciting to have a HOUSE!

After we moved in and the weather started cooperating (warming up and melting), we ended up with some flooding in our county. It was so bad in certain spots that the river actually crested and flooded some major areas. We were not affected and no one we knew was, but it was pretty scary to see the river so high. January is a month I'll never forget.

Work is going great- I just passed my 90 day probation period in the new department I am in and am doing great. I also celebrated my first year anniversary with my company.

My daughter is doing good in school, still has her moments of can't stop talking-itis (then again she is my daughter), but is doing well. She has adapted very well to the move, and has several friends in this area she can play with and ride bikes with. It makes me feel good to see she has a lot of different friends she can play with, and the neighborhood we live in is very nice.

Other than that, we are doing good- my husband is still employed, thank god, and work has picked up. I feel incredibly lucky to have survived the anxiety and craziness of the holiday season and the move. We are very blessed.

I'm freezing

2008-11-25T15:49:00.001-08:00

It's really not that cold, but for some reason, I am freezing. It hasn't really been that cold up here in the Pacific Northwest to say the least. It's actually been quite mild, and we just turned our heaters on this week. Normally we turn them on during the last week of October. The cold I feel is settling in my bones, like arthritis. I have discussed it with my doctor who said because of the family history of arthritis, I might have the beginnings of it, so I'm doing all I can to stop the cold from setting in. My husband recommended taking a cheap pair of gloves and cutting the fingertips off, that way while I'm working on the computer at work, my knuckles are protected. So far it works, luckily.

What I am not looking forward to is ice- I am deathly afraid of it. Having grown up in California it's not something I am used to, and even though we have been here for 5 years now, I still cannot get used to the ice that we get. I just hope that it's not so bad this year. I worry about missing work due to inclement weather, and know it's inevitable, but the loss of wages is a real fear I live with (who doesn't?). My husband is still working at his job but who knows what the future has to hold with the way the economy has been lately? Luckily I'm in a pretty secure job, but at the same time, I worry about my husband, who is our main breadwinner. We'll see what happens. I've taken the steps necessary to try to prevent a huge problem down the road but again, what we need are savings. It's kind of hard to do with impending medical bills, insurance for vehicles, and everything else that goes along with providing to maintain a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs. I know we will make it though.

Speaking of work, my new position is going well, but it is very challenging, which I like, but I am mentally and even physically exhausted at the end of the day. I haven't delved into it deeper than what I have done already (still in the middle of training), but I am hopeful I will do a good job. It's a completely different field for me (same company, different department), which is why I chose it. We shall see what happens.

With that, I wish all Americans a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Random thoughts

2008-11-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

-Is there a general stereotype that all plus sized people just wish to wear goth, renaissance or muu muu-like clothing? Herein lies my gripe: I go onto eBay to look for plus sized dresses and about 85% of the search is usually in those categories. Do we really all fit in that category? What about the working plus sized woman? Or the person who happens to be looking for a dress she can wear to a holiday party that doesn't look like it came from the Dark Ages (or that she can sleep in)? Seriously?

-Halloween was interesting. I went out last night to a local event, watched a costume contest and had a good time with some friends. Funniest part about it was I saw a lot of people dressed up as Sarah Palin! That seems to be a popular theme this year...anyhow...not going into politics, that is NOT my style, I just thought I'd mention it! Unfortunately it did not pan out for the child, who is coughing as I type this. We did not go trick or treating, but we took her to a local haunted house and to a friend's house for candy (asked to bring her by, so I obliged). Needless to say, my daughter was crushed, but this cough has been lingering for about 2 weeks now and it's not getting better. Work was fun, we had a costume contest and good food which was actually catered by the local Hilltop restaurant (shout-out!). They brought us some delicious breakfast burritos, trays of fresh fruit, coffee cake and sticky buns. It was a delicious feast and was very appreciated- thank you Hilltop!

-Work is going well on my end, unfortunately, my husband found out that his company is doing lay-offs and it's possible that he might be losing his job. He's been looking for a job in the meanwhile. He's always been interested in trucking, and while I'm not too keen on the idea of being a single mom for weeks at a time, unless he gets local routes, it is more money, I guess that is better, huh? Maybe we could finally be on our way to home ownership. *Sigh*. I'm a bit nervous about the possiblity of being the sole breadwinner, but we do not have credit card debt and are typically conservative with our money. We have not been eating out as much recently (with exception to this week because it's just been crazy), don't go out to do much, and typically only carry my student loans as debt which I am paying off (looking into putting them into forbearance once again if necessary). The only thing we lack, like most Americans, are savings. It's been impossible with my medical bills that have piled up, the cost of fuel and groceries that have gone up, not to mention all the other incidentals of daily life (like every other Average Joe out there), such as vehicle repairs. Don't get me started on my husband's Towncar. Our family vehicle might need a new transmission. Another *sigh*. Luckily he has his gas guzzler to get him to and from work, and I have my truck. And luckily gas prices have been coming down, but we're still trying to conserve where we can and combine all trips.

-In conclusion, after a few panicky moments on Wednesday and Thursday, I think the motto was "Life's a shit sandwich", but even if I stress out for a moment (or in my case, an entire DAY), I'll roll with whatever life throws at me. What's next? I gotta laugh...right?

Wow, where did October go?

2008-10-27T15:06:00.001-07:00

We're already in the last week of October and I'm scratching my head. It has truly been a monumental month, needless to say. I turned 30 on the 11th, got a job in another (non-customer service) department and am transferring next week, soccer season just ended, and work has been incredibly busy lately.

With all of the craziness I decided I would start cooking again anyhow- I got into a mood to cook and pulled out this binder thing I am subscribing to (Great American Recipes or something) and made a few of their recipes. Of the few I made, Chicken Stroganoff and Spaghetti Lasagna were our favorites. The weirdest thing? I hate mushrooms. Now? I like them. It makes no sense at all, but I'm rolling with it. Miss Finicky (my daughter) even likes them, which surprised me as well. Now that it's getting colder, I'm getting in the mood to cook. It'll be no time before I pull out my good ole Crockpot Beef Stew recipe and make that again as well.

We're up in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm noticing that apples are more expensive this year (particularly my favorite- Honey Crisp) and that pumpkins are still green. It's very bizarre. We went to a local pumpkin patch a few weeks ago and we could not find a good pumpkin this year. We're probably going to pick up one at the grocery store. I read that it was just abnormally cold this year which is why the crops for pumpkins and apples are late bloomers this year. In any case, I cannot wait until Friday- and can I just reiterate how excited I am that Halloween happens to fall on a Friday night? How fun!

The frost is on the pumpkin

2008-10-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning while on my way to work, it was 34°F. Brrrrr. I had to put my winter gloves on to drive, the steering wheel was freezing. This is typically my favorite time of the year but with the funk I've been in, I haven't been enjoying it as much as I would like to. However, there is one exception to that, and it's HALLOWEEN, which falls on a Friday this year. How excited am I? How excited is my daughter? We're going to take her trick or treating (which we have never done because it usually falls on a school night or something else was going on) and probably to any other community event going on. We love Halloween. My daughter will be dressing up as Raven from Teen Titans, found a costume online, which looks like this:

I will be dressing up as a devil, well, kind of. I got the horns, pitchfork, a bowtie (which I knew wouldn't fit around my thick neck) and a tail. In the beginning of the year I had always said I wanted to dress up as Roz from Monsters Inc, since I could do a wicked impersonation of her.

It wouldn't be that hard to pull off that look. LOL. Maybe I'll be Roz next year.

We'll be going to get our pumpkins soon and do the whole horror movie thing as usual. As you probably already know, I'm a sucker for the original Halloween (don't get me started on Rob Zombie's vision, well at least the second half of it!), so of course that'll be one I watch.

Shut up and let me go

2008-10-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

(Hey!)

I have no clue what is wrong with me, but it seems like depression has begun to rule my life yet again. I'm on Clonazepam for the anxiety and panic attacks I have been suffering lately, and while I go to work and do my job, I must admit the stress of customer service has gotten to me yet again but this time it's worse. It's not just work, it's also the fact that I turn 30 in a week from today, and while the actual number is not what is getting to me, it's the fact that my body is continuing to change in a very negative way. I am always tired, my body aches, my knees are giving me trouble, I'm dealing with more problems that only us females deal with that might actually push me into a hysterectomy sooner than later. I don't understand what is going on with me. As much as I appreciate my doctors I don't think they are taking me seriously- I have cried out for help and I don't think that they understand my pain (not just physical either). I reluctantly decided to ask my PCP for Clonazepam because of the panic attacks I have been dealing with. The exhaustion is getting to me as well, which is probably part of the reason I'm having panic attacks (I've had a couple of them at work recently which is not good).

Let's get back to the exhaustion which the PCP states could be a myriad of issues, most likely my sleep apnea, which I just started the CPAP for last night. It's not pleasant, because at first I go into a full-blown panic mode where I cannot breathe, because of the level the CPAP is on, but I have this "ramp" button where I can lower the level. I slept okay last night, but woke up several times even with this on. I had a very vivid nightmare where I had driven into this forest where spiders attached these webs that would find their way into my skin and I would try to pull them out, and in very graphic detail which I will omit, reminded me of a movie I watched about a month ago called The Ruins (I won't ruin it for you, ha ha). In any case, I thought it was real and normally in my dreams I can usually tell myself I'm dreaming- not in this case, I woke up scratching and pulling at my arm. Very creepy. I had some issues with the level of moisture as well, but of course I will continue to use it. I really think that besides the sleep apnea (and the horrible bed that needs to be replaced badly, but let's put it this way- how many of you have an extra $1200 on up laying around to buy a decent foundation and mattress? It's going to be a while and right now I'm going to continue to deal with the pain I'm suffering from that bed particularly in my hips, lower back and pelvic region) my problem is the Anemia. I just had a CBC (Complete Blood Count) done but I don't know what the results are. I don't think they are good because it's mostly gone untreated as I cannot tolerate iron. I am taking Slow Fe as I have mentioned before, but it's a VERY low dose. I've tried implementing more spinach, lean red meat, etc in my diet but it still doesn't help. The doctors are puzzled as to why I am not able to keep my blood count up. I don't have the family inherited Alpha Thalessemia, that was ruled out. It's frustrating.

In any case, if you are wondering what "Shut up and let me go" means, besides being this ultra catchy song by a band called The Ting Tings, it means I wish this depression/funk I am dealing with would just SHUT UP AND LET ME GO. Seriously.

CirCaids, not for the weary

2008-09-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have Lymphedema in my lower legs. This has been an ongoing issue that started last Fall, and I have been trying to get compression stockings since June. Long story short, the DME (Durable Medical Equipment) supplier locally who could furnish me with custom made stockings (the only one in town, mind you) was unable to fill the rx because she was limited on manpower and it was incredibly hard trying to get in for a fitting. Frustrated, I called my doctor's nurse and she took it upon herself to try to find someone to accomodate my needs. Bless her heart- she called all over the place and I appreciate it so very much. I met up with a physical therapist who works with Lymphedema patients who was able to get me in touch with a lady down in Bellevue who is a supplier of medical supplies, and she told me about these things called CirCaids, which are a compression garment that is made up of velcro that you can adjust as the swelling goes down. After many missed calls and describing my situation to her, she fit me into an appointment when she made the trip up north here in Bellingham.

The lady brought me CirCaids and taught me how to use them. They are a pain in the NECK and NOT cheap. $800-$1000, seriously...and I'm hoping to god my insurance covers them. She called for benefits and they told her they do cover it, but I was told something else (that a Pre-determination needed to be done). In any case, she got the rx and the letter of medical necessity from my primary care physician and is going to submit the claim, so we'll see what happens. It's hard trying to 1, put them on in the mornings, and 2, keep them on during the day. It's a bit hard trying to adjust them while at work, and I hope this investment is going to work, but I will purchase compression stockings as well, as the physical therapist told me I would need those too.

I also spoke with my PCP and discussed aquatic therapy with him. When we were in Anacortes during our Labor Day vacation, I went swimming daily, and noticed the swelling went down tremendously and it was NOT a problem at all during that trip. It's not just that but now my knees are really starting to feel the pressure from my weight, and I think this will help the aches and pains I am dealing with. I am hoping that the aquatic therapy will work and it is something I can fit into my schedule. I'll continue with Curves, but I need to do this as well. More updates later.

For Sher

2008-09-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have not been visiting my friend's blogs lately and while going through them, I found out that someone who has always inspired me has passed away. Sher is the creator of What Did You Eat? and I am still sitting here in shock. I did not want to wait until tomorrow to blog about this wonderful person and my memories of her.

Sher passed away on July 20th, 2008, and her husband, Bob, wrote about her passing on July 23rd. Sher was an inspiration to me, not just in this great blogosphere, but as an animal lover as well- she had blogs about the animals in her life, and had humorous and touching entries about her beloved cats (and two I'll never forget- Sundance and Upsie).

We lost a beautiful, kind and sweet person, but her spirit will live on and she will never be forgotten. To Sher- thank you for always being a friend, even when I hadn't been around often, and thank you for sharing everything you did.

High Fructose Corn Syrup ad controversy

2008-09-23T15:14:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you guys, but I have caught two commercials recently that basically states "get the facts" about high fructose corn syrup and I was shocked the first time I saw the commercial. It's being advocated by the "Corn Refiners of America" or something like that. A quick Google brought up a couple of YouTube videos and several articles about the controversy of these ads.

Let's face it- High Fructose Corn Syrup has no nutritional value and has been contributing to the obesity epidemic, and I'll even go as far to say that I would not be surprised that it contributes to Type II Diabetes as well (that is strictly my opinion). I am sure that it's a just a way of trying to get those who are trying to avoid HFCS (like myself) realize that in moderation it's not bad for you. It's bad enough, in my very humble opinion, and I try to make healthy choices for my family, and HFCS is not on my list of healthy things. I can understand in moderation it will not kill you, but these ads make the people who question HFCS look stupid and uninformed. I think that is stupid and frankly, it is annoying. I take my time when I go grocery shopping to make informed and healthy decisions about what we eat, and while we cannot always avoid HFCS, I think we do a pretty good job of doing it (if only I could get my husband to drop his pop habit).

I found an interesting online article about these ads and the HFCS myths at hand. I will say that moderation is key in any diet, but look at how many food products contain HFCS these days. So many products, including bread and juices- and according to that article, even children's vitamins contain it (WTF? I will be reading my daughter's vitamin jars from now on!).

I don't know what the answer to HFCS is, but I will say that I will continue to avoid it as much as humanly possible.

School's back in session

2008-09-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

and with that is one happy momma! We had a wonderful summer but I am relieved that school is back in session, especially for my daughter's sake. This year is third grade and so begins the arduous task of getting her ready to take the WASL in the Spring (don't get me started on that!). It should be interesting, needless to say.

As usual we have been incredibly busy here with everything from work to doctor's to a mini vacation we took last weekend down in Anacortes. We visited Deception Pass and Deception State Park, which is absolutely beautiful. I loved the bridge, but going on it and trying to walk across was another story. I have a big fear of heights and I could not even get a quarter of the way across without feeling dizzy and nauseous. I'm still glad we were able to go down there to see it- it truly is a sight to behold! Here are some pictures from our trip:

The Deception Pass sign at the bridge:

I thought this was cool, it kind of reminded me of the movie The Goonies (someday I will get my butt down to Astoria, Oregon and see it for myself!), and there seems to be little caves down there!

Here is the bridge in all of her glory- truly amazing structure but scary look down!

And finally, a picture of my daughter on the beach in the Deception State Park:

This is probably our first real trip together as a family ever, which was nice. I am looking forward to going down there again next year!

Other than that, soccer season has begun and my daughter is gearing up with practices for her games. We are looking forward to see how much she has grown during this season (her third soccer season). She just finished some swimming lessons recently as well, and I plan on enrolling her in more eventually, just with soccer on her plate at the moment there's not a lot of room for anything else (or I will create burn out for her and myself!).

I am continuing my fight trying to lose this weight, so far so good, just going to keep plugging along and am trying to get assistance with a nutritionist to achieve my goals faster (hopefully). One of these days I'll actually get back to what my blog was about in the past and write about food and how retraining myself in the food department has changed me. I will say this much for now- Tillamook has great ice cream and cheese- but their yogurt? So yummy. Not exactly low-calorie but it does not contain that High Fructose Corn Syrup junk and it's low in fat. Tillamook makes some good stuff. I will also add that Ezekiel bread is DELICIOUS!

Til next time!

10 years

2008-08-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

is a long time to be with someone. My husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary on the 25th and our 6th wedding anniversary on the 24th. When we first met we were babies (okay, so 19 years old is a baby to me, looking back at it now!), and it's hard to believe it's been 10 years. 10 years of sometimes bliss, sometimes struggle (both in our relationship and financially), and moments of joy we won't forget, like when our daughter was born. It's hard to put into words how I feel about my family- it's indescribable, and yet, we have faced some tough challenges this year with my going back to full-time work. So far we have trudged through, but you just never know. Making it to 10 years is a huge milestone, and while my husband says we should wait to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary in 4 years from now, we'll have a scaled-down version of this one.

My hope? For another 10 years, even with the drama and challenges.

I will admit that sometimes I tend to take my work and put it above everything else, like my dad did as I was growing up, but that's the way I was raised. Of course my family is in the picture, but work is also important. I guess you can call that ambition, as I have heard that specific word come from at least two different people in the last three months when they were describing me. I am still trying to learn how to balance ambition with family life, and it's hard. It's easy to lose sight of what is important when you're trying to put your focus and energy into other outlets.

That said, my daughter and husband both have supported me 1,000% throughout my job changes and my lifestyle change with the diet and exercise, and that support means more than anything in the world to me.

Hip hop culture

2008-08-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

This one was almost titled "Hip hop culture and the lack of it in Whatcom County" but I thought I'd just label it otherwise. There is a major lack of hip hop culture in Whatcom County, it's more like country or rock culture, but where I grew up, it was a strong hip hop culture. People say the word hyphy and if you're from Nor Cal you know what I'm talking about. Not that Monterey is necessary Nor Cal, but we always considered it Nor Cal because it's in close proximity to San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland. When I was in high school New Jack Swing was popular, as well as Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. Tupac died in my junior year and Biggie died in my senior year. The funniest part of this all is, while I listened to the hip hop that my friends and classmates listened to, I was more into the alternative scene than anything. Not exactly Nirvana, but Elastica (remember them?), Offspring (ohhh the Offspring...they are currently in my truck and it brings back some memories!), and No Doubt were a few of my favorites.

In my junior year, I took a dance class after school (Modern Dance) and realized that I was not into the stiff and technical side of dance). We had a substitute teacher one day, and she told us to just freestyle to Michael & Janet Jackson's "Scream". I let loose. It was then that I realized that maybe hip hop dance was the way I wanted to go, and despite living in an area that had a lot of hip hop culture, we did not have a hip hop dance class! I ended up taking a Jazz dance course at the local community college the summer before my senior year (taught by that substitute teacher, mind you!). To this day, I have yet to have taken a hip hop dance class and I am hoping to get to the point where I'm strong enough (and regain some balance because my balance SUCKS) to actually take a Hip Hop Dance class for fun.

My daughter has expressed interest in Hip Hop dance, so in the spring of 2007 I enrolled her in a local Hip Hop dance class through the local Y. It taught hip hop and ballet and my daughter absolutely hated ballet. I chuckled when she told me this, because my dad made me take ballet in 6th grade and I, too, hated it. I had to laugh at the "hip hop" that was taught, it wasn't really hip hop but again, this is coming from someone who grew up with the hip hop culture...so I realize my expectations are a bit biased. Plus the teacher was ballet-trained, so it was not really her style. Yesterday I lamented to some co-workers how I really wanted to enroll her in a quality hip hop dance class. One told me that if she becomes serious about it, and I'm willing to shell out money and time, Vancouver (British Columbia) has some really good dance studios. I think I'll wait to see where it goes, but in the meanwhile I am looking for closer alternatives. This child of mine loves break dancing and b-boys, for some reason, and has tried on her own to break dance (it's cute!). We watch America's Best Dance Crew on MTV and she is always amazed (especially when it comes to the tricks the b-boys do, such as Supercrew). Personally, I'm more of a dance person, but some of the tricks do amaze me as well.

It's been five years since we moved up here and I still cannot get into country. I don't think I ever will be able to. Now, when I say "country" I mean the new stuff, or the extremely twangy stuff. Elvis and Johnny Cash I do not mind...but the rest of it, I just do not get it. I know that is how some people feel about hip hop, but I have tried to like country. Okay, so I like the Dixie Chicks but really, that's about it, and even some of their stuff I can't stomach (it's the twangy sound, no offense meant to anyone). However, I love rock- especially classic rock, and most recently we watched a Led Zeppelin concert on one of the VH1 channels. How my daughter can know the words to Immigrant Song is a mystery to me. Give me rock and hip hop any day (and I love the collaborations- like "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith and Run DMC, or the more recent Linkin Park and Jay-Z collaborations).

Finally, some good news

2008-08-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

I had my weigh in yesterday and found out that I have dropped 13.6 lbs in the past 2 months! I was overjoyed and felt like I finally found something that is working- calorie counting does work along with re-training yourself on eating (well, and exercise, of course!). The nurse told me that because I am eating 4-6 small meals per day it is helping to boost my metabolism, which helps with the metabolic syndrome (Insulin Resistance). It just pushes me to continue to do what I am doing and continue to work hard for what I want.

One step forward, two steps backwards

2008-08-05T04:03:00.001-07:00

What am I doing blogging at 4am? I am up because of work obviously, but really, just frustrated with my health lately. Right now I'm dealing with vertigo (right now, not so bad, yesterday, terrible) as a result of a double ear infection and sinus infection. So I'm on the antibiotics and nasal sprays to try to get it under control but I still feel like a bobblehead. I did not work out at all last week, and ate terribly over the weekend. Okay, so I'll move past that- I had every intention of going to work out yesterday but ended up at my doctor's office trying to figure out what was causing this vertigo. When I got home I went to bed because everything was spinning. No workout. Last week no workout because I was not feeling well either.

Thursday I have a weigh in, first time since early June and I'm freaking out! I know one shouldn't obsess about their weight so much, but the truth is, I really have worked hard and I know my body- weight loss is hard for me, inch loss not so much. So while co-workers and other people say they are seeing changes in me, I have to wonder if that scale will budge. What I fear is that it will have stayed at the same or have gone higher. If that's the case, I don't know how I'll react. I have been doing everything right (minus the last week because of illness), and it would be so frustrating to find a weight gain or have stayed the same. I'm hoping for at least 10 lbs in the past 2 months, if not, more. We'll see. Of course, I'm sure that'll be when my endocrinologist intervenes with the Byetta, which I'm leery of taking. What are my options? If it can't be controlled via diet and exercise then what? My insulin is out of control, but lucky for me, my blood sugars are great. It's just a matter of time until it turns into full fledged Type 2 Diabetes though, and that worries me. This weight HAS to come off.

I honestly try to stay optimistic because I am optimistic at heart. I believe in the good of things- I believe things get better, even if life throws you a curveball. Maybe that's why I have survived this crap for so long? I don't know.

Anyhow, off to work for me, and I hope this dizziness stops soon.

Nereus

2008-08-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

On Animal Planet they have a series called Growing Up... which is based on showing how animals are brought up by humans. I've watched many of these during my time as a stay-at-home mother, but there is only one episode that brought joy to my heart, and it was regarding the walrus, Nereus. Nereus was found on an Alaskan beach all alone. It is not clear on whether his mother died or abandoned him, but he was just a baby when rescuers found him and took him to the Alaska SeaLife Center to try to save him. He struggled to survive, but later on he was transferred to the Indianapolis Zoo and was "raised" by humans. He's still at the Indianapolis Zoo today and if there's only one reason I'd ever go to Indiana, it would be for this walrus (seriously!).

Something about him captured my heart. He has quite the personality which you must see, and if you can get a chance to watch it on Animal Planet, it's well worth it. They have it on DVD as well, as the Growing Up: Arctic DVD, which I just purchased on eBay. If you do a google of "Nereus the Walrus" and look at the image section, you can see plenty of pictures of him.

And whoda thunk I would have blogged about a walrus? Hey, all I can say is, life is stressful enough and busy enough, but when you find something that brings you joy or brings a smile to your face, you try to hold on to it, and Nereus does that for me.

It's that kind of day...a Monday, nevertheless

2008-07-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I started a new job 6 months ago (today!). It's a wonderful company to work for but I will say it again- customer service is a hard department to work for. Any naysayers who think it takes no brain and no education might want to trade spots with me for a day. When you have unhappy customers and providers to deal with, it can make for rough sailing. Today was just one of those days where I felt like I wanted to bang my head into my desk. Plus there are changes in our quality assurance and everything which are understandable, but lately it's been challenging for a lot of us to deal with, so needless to say, it's been somber and our morale has been lowered due to it. We all push on though.

That coupled with the fact that I just don't care anymore. I just don't want to go to the chiropractor, or run the bazillion errands I have to run after work. Why can't I just come home directly from work for once? Seriously- I have something going on every day of the week after work and it's annoying. I must say it's gotten to the point where I don't even have three days out of the week that I can go to work out because there just is not time. Yeah, I know what you're thinking- Make time. And to that I say- pfft. No offense, but really- I had someone tell me that once and it took every fiber in my being to not tell the person to STFU because I am so burnt out it's not even funny.

There is a bright side to this story- my husband is finally on day shift and I'm shifting some of this burden onto him, whether he likes it or not. And he can complain all he wants- but I've been doing it all on my own for years, and it's his turn to help out now.

All this, and I can honestly say I can't friggin wait for Labor Day weekend when we get away from all of this! I am taking that Friday off too which will be great!

Ode to Bob Ross

2008-07-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last summer I started watching re-runs of The Joy of Painting on our local PBS affiliate, KCTS, and became incredibly interested in it. When I went back to work I had long forgotten about Bob Ross and his happy little trees and how amazing his paintings are, until I found out you can watch him on Comcast On Demand! Now that I have found this, I try to take some time out during the week or when I'm stressed to watch this show.

My daughter loves to watch this show as well, but that does not surprise me because she is very artistic. My mom has always said I was artistic, but I don't see it. I am terrible at drawing and could not sit still long enough to enjoy painting. Now that I am older, I wish I could pick up a brush and do what Bob Ross does. I'm sure with time and patience I could, but those are two things I lack at the moment. My daughter enjoys arts and crafts, makes her own jewelry with beads, and we try to encourage her to do so by taking her to Michaels and letting her pick out stuff to make crafts with. She also enjoys music, a lot, and my mom had shipped her clarinet up to us before her visit last week so my daughter can play it in the school band around her 5th grade year. I have a good friend who is going to teach her basic stuff on the clarinet as well as note reading. This is why I work- so we can afford these little luxuries. It means the world to me to be able to indulge her in activities that can shape her as a person and help her grow and learn.

As for myself- I would love to take a painting class. Watching Bob Ross is a form of therapy for me, when I'm stressed it helps me wind down and appreciate art more. I'm always amazed at how people can take a blank canvas and turn it into a work of art. It's not just watching the technique, but looking at the finished product and envisioning yourself in that moment in that picture, whether it's on a snowy mountain, or in the woods surrounded by nature and the "happy little trees".

Some people have made parodies of Bob Ross poking fun at him, and while some of them are hilarious, I still implore people to watch his show on PBS if you get a chance. Some people will be bored by it- but for some of us, it's a form of therapy and is quite soothing. There are few people in this world I would have loved to have met before they passed away- and Bob Ross is one of them.

Guess who?

2008-07-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Contrary to belief (emails I have received), I have not fallen from the face of the earth. I have just been busy (what else is new?) with a lot of stuff between work, doctor's and now summer being in full swing. I am on my last day of a most needed vacation and my mom flew home from visiting with us today. It was great to see her again, but we must get back to real life, no?

In early June I finally saw my daughter's endocrinologist, someone who is highly recommended here, and she encouraged me to start monitoring my caloric intake to see how I do with portion size. Wow. What a difference calorie counting does. The first week was rough, and while I have fallen off the wagon since my vacation began, I am still working on it. I am eating more leafy greens and whole grains (low glycemic index), and continuing with my exercise. She wants to put me on Byetta, a diabetic drug, but after seeing the gastro side effects it had on my mother, I am going to discuss this with her the next time I see it. I am leery about any medication in the first place, especially since I am not diabetic, but my Insulin Resistance has caused most of my weight to be gained in my stomach area, which is a huge precursor to heart disease and other cardio problems. I don't know what the answer is. My endocrinologist even discussed Gastric Bypass with me, but she is leery about it because of my tummy being so sensitive (which I'll get to in a bit). We'll see, and I'm going to make it a goal to post more about this stuff on a regular basis!

About my stomach- the problems have gotten worse. I had my HIDA scan last Friday to determine whether my gall bladder was the problem and well, it is not. While that is a huge relief, it still leaves me with no answers. At this point I am going to stop with the testing and just ask him about Celiac Disease and ways I can change my diet to see if I can stop the bloating and gas/cramping. I had a bout of cramping that was so severe I almost passed out driving home about a few weeks ago, but that was due to the 650 mg of Iron my primary care physician had me on, so needless to say, I am off of iron (my anemia is still bad). I am supposed to be taking Slow Fe (time release Iron), but I have not picked it up yet. Frankly, I am tired of pills and I take almost all vitamins and herbal supplements (which my doctors approve of), with the exception of Omeprazole for my ulcers/GERD (acid Reflux disease).

This summer is only going to continue to get even more busy and I am making it a goal to get myself into gear on this blog as well. I am on Spark People doing my own personal goals with diet and exercise and it's been a tremendous help. As for my family- my daughter is keeping busy with her summer daycamp and field trips, I just added soccer for the fall (3rd season!) and finally, swimming lessons. My husband is in the process of switching to day shift so our marriage can stay intact- 10 months of only seeing each other on the weekends has really put a crimp in our marriage, but we are making it work. I just had my 6 month evaluation at my job and everything is going well so far! I am pleased and feel fortunate to have a wonderful job!

Ciao for now!

Stronger than yesterday

2008-05-23T15:48:00.001-07:00

My world is changing before my eyes. I am gaining energy. I am walking faster. I feel like my back and spine are healing and my mobility is increasing. My mood is better. I am also doing well with this getting up early for work. What good doctor care, exercise, sun (when it comes out), good food and motivation will do to a person.

Not to revel in my own accomplishments but I am proud of how hard I am working. It's one small step but a step in the right direction and I'm hoping that my health only continues to improve!

Sorry it's short but sweet, just wanted to post since I have not been keeping up, and I wanted to just post something positive for once! Hurray! :)

An addendum: I stepped down from my secretary position for the PTO. It will help tremendously. I also cut back some chiro appointments and work out sessions the past couple of weeks, but I will be upping those back up to what they were before in 2 weeks to get myself back on par. Overall though, the break did help me regain some of my sanity and hopefully I will not be as overwhelmed as I was before.

Oriento, Bellingham, WA

2008-05-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

My husband and I finally had a date night recently and went out to dinner at Oriento, a Chinese restaurant here in Bellingham. We had it once before and really enjoyed it a lot, so when we were cruising around trying to find a place to eat, he said, "Want to go to Oriento?" I wasn't really in the mood for Chinese food (imagine that!), but I said, "Why not?". We went in and had a table in a little corner and no one else was around, it was real nice and quiet for us. We decided to order the meal for two again with the following:

I think this was Egg Flour Soup? I can't remember. It was okay, last time it was better, but I enjoyed it:

Egg Rolls, and Cream cheese wontons (gross, in my opinion, but the Egg Rolls were nice). And no, the Egg Rolls did not come like this, I just made it all pretty for the picture, heh:

Pork Fried Rice- I could eat this alone with nothing else and would be a happy girl. If you don't make the fried rice the way I like it- you'll never see me at your restaurant again. Fried rice is the *ONE* thing about Chinese food that has to be right or forget it (at least with me):

Beef Broccoli, this is different than the kind I eat in California but I really like Oriento's Beef Broccoli a LOT! It's very delicious and full of those water chestnuts which I love so much:

And last, it also came with Sweet & Sour Pork, which was absolutely delicious and tangy. Not too sweet and not too sour- just right:

Yum. We had so many leftovers it served as dinner for all three of us the next night, and under $40 with tip for two (and many leftovers later).

My week

2008-05-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

last week was stressful. The first three days of work went terribly wrong, I had to deal with some problematic issues and by the end of the day I was just exhausted. I decided to ask if I could possibly take Monday off as a personal day, and I was allowed, which I really needed. So tomorrow I will go work out as normal and then go get adjusted by my chiropractor. Hopefully relax a bit too!

It's times like those that remind me that I need to take a step back. Right now I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed with everything I am doing. I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to achieve everything I want to achieve, and it leaves me with little energy by the end of the day, more so lately than ever. You would think that with my exercise routine for the past two months, the better diet and vitamins that I would have more energy, but honestly, I feel even more drained. I don't know what it is, but there's something I need to step back from. The chiropractor wants me to come in 3x/week but it's at the point where I just cannot do it anymore. I'm going to tell him regardless of my re-examination, I'm cutting it down to 2x/week. I just do not have the energy or time and I understand that I need to have my back and neck re-aligned, but at what cost? My sanity? All I want to do is go home and relax. I usually go to the chiro then go work out, by the time I get home it's almost time for my husband to leave for work, then my daughter gets home within a half hour of him leaving, and I have to peel myself off the couch to get dinner started, and help my child with her homework. I don't know what is wrong with me. I expect more energy by now. Yes, I realize that getting up at 3:30am every morning is taking a toll on me, but to avoid the cost of afterschool care and to be here for my child, I have to continue to do it. I think when our supervisors do another shift alignment I will be asking to be switched to the 6am shift instead. Getting up at 4:30am isn't nearly as bad as getting up at 3:30am. Maybe it's just my shift. I don't know.

I just don't understand why I'm so exhausted and have such little energy despite the doctor care and diet/exercise.

My decision has been made

2008-04-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am going to keep this blog up, but my focus will no longer be on food. I am going to eventually revamp this site as well, when I get around to it (ha- maybe next year? hahahha!). I won't have a focus, to tell you the truth. Sometimes it'll be about food, sometimes it won't.

I decided against deleting this blog for the mere fact that it is so easy for you to lose sight of what you love to do. In my case it's writing. Life is busy, but maybe if I can take out one night a week, like on a Friday night, and write about the week's events, maybe it will help me relax a bit. I love writing and lost my desire after my first year of college about ten years ago, but I discovered foodie blogging and started doing this. Then I started working full-time and well...did not put much effort into the blogosphere.

Food is something I am dealing with at the moment, as I recently underwent a couple of biopsies to determine whether I had any cancerous cells in my body and they came back negative (thank god). It has given me a new lease on life and right now I am doing everything I can to become more active and to work on my body and habits. I have been seeing a chiropractor and it turns out I have some subluxations in my spine, so we are working on therapy for that, I'm exercising regularly and have been for almost two months now, and am utilizing the benefits my wonderful company gives me as part of my employment package. I have set a bunch of goals in mind, besides the exercise and body care, I am working on getting myself back on the low-glycemic index kick and eating more lean proteins, whole grains and less bad starches and junk. We are doing okay but it's almost grocery shopping time again, and my list is going to reflect the changes we need to make in our lives (it's not just me- I want this for my family). I am also working on a skin care regimen but recently broke out with some terrible acne...ugh. I hate my skin. Seriously. There was only ONE upside to being on the Yaz last late summer/fall, and that was clear skin. I miss that, but it's certainly not worth the problems I am experiencing now (swelling in my legs, which has been checked by my doctor).

I guess what it boils down to is when I received my results, I realized how damn lucky I was. I feared for the worst and thought they would come back malignant, but I was lucky, and it has opened my eyes to the fact that I need to take better care of myself. Right now my main problem is lack of sleep (I work a VERY early shift that requires getting up at 3:30am every morning. No kidding), and that is something I must become more disciplined about as well. I have decided to (but have not announced it yet) step down as the PTO Secretary for my daughter's school. I just don't have the time, and am looking at taking some medical classes in the fall. We shall see.

Speaking of my job, I have officially been there for 3 months now and everything is going well. I am enjoying it and enjoying a company that treats its employees ethically and cares about its employees. It's a long shot from the previous company I worked for.

With that said, I promise I will blog at least once a week...and I know what you are thinking, yeah right, she promised that before. I promise though, I am making it my goal to blog at least once a week on Fridays or Sundays.

Thanks for the kind comments and emails I have received- you all are the reason I am working on this blog and realizing that I cannot just push my passion aside because I am too busy. We must MAKE time, right?

Til next week!

End Game

2008-04-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that no matter how hard I try, I just will not be able to keep up with the foodie blogging like I used to. I am going to be turning this blog into something else that is not focusing on food, or deleting it all together. I just do not have the time to keep up with it, and I hate to say it, but I feel like I'm out of ideas as well.

For those of you who have read my blog and check it out regularly, I appreciate it. I just wish I could commit more, but right now life is extremely busy between my goals of weight loss, doctor visits, work, and home life.

I will be making a decision by the end of the month and will post then.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

We do not celebrate Easter anymore. One of the main reasons is because we have no one but ourselves to celebrate with. The ILs are always busy with their families or work, and we don't have anyone else to get together with. The same thing applies to Christmas, but we celebrate that. I don't know why we don't celebrate Easter anymore...I think around Spring we start getting busy with activities and just forget that Easter falls on a certain day (not to mention you never know when it is because the calendar is so wonky). For example, at work on Friday, some of the providers I spoke with wished me a happy Easter, and I had totally forgotten that it fell on this weekend in March as opposed to in April, like we're used to it being in.

So I started wondering what we can do to start our own traditions for next year. Yes, three is a lonely number and we don't have anyone to celebrate with, but why not start our own tradition of going out to breakfast and getting dressed up in spring fare? I am wondering if my husband would dig it. You see, we are an Atheist/Agnostic family and our holiday traditions are more about being together as a family than anything else. We don't celebrate religion.

In any case, I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday and I hope none of you get too sick from those delicious Cadbury eggs or Peeps!

NFB: Health and medical insurance

2008-03-21T19:19:00.001-07:00

I finally got medical insurance through my new job and I have been taking full advantage of it. I just had a procedure done yesterday and will learn the results next week. I am also undergoing an Endoscopy on Monday as well. I am really nervous about it (because I will be partially sedated and I don't like sedation) and what it might find out. I have been dealing with Acid Reflux and Heartburn for 8 years now without much relief and I finally got myself to a Gastroenterologist. I just hope there is nothing seriously wrong with me and that we can figure out if it's my esophagus or if it's a gall bladder issue.

With that said, I have looked up the "GERD" diet (in short, GERD is Acid Reflux Disease) and boy oh boy, is it bland. Boring. My problem is I get so bored with bland food so quick. I know I can hardly handle anything that is acidic anymore- I typically stay away from tomatoes, oranges, pineapples, etc, and I really miss some of those foods. I'm trying to get my family back on the Low-Glycemic Index diet and that is not too hard, but following a GERD diet if I need to, will present a challenge to me. No more mint? OMG. I love mint. No more caffeine? Are you nuts! I gave up coffee almost a month ago- but to give up caffeine? Ugh! Stuff like pop, fatty meats, acidic stuff is not hard to give up because I rarely touch those things anyhow...but I will have to switch to decaf teas from now on and no more mint teas (that's gonna kill me. I love my Stash Moroccan Mint and Stash Peppermint teas!). Okay, we'll wait and see what the doctor says...

Wish me luck, please. I am a nervous wreck. And let me tell you- I am SICK of doctors, already. It's great to finally have medical insurance but the testing is getting to me, and the costs are going to present a future headache as well.

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food

2008-03-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am buying this damn book for my 8 year old daughter. I've had it up to HERE with the junk food habits. The other night, I made Sandra Lee's Pot Roast in the crockpot, and Miss Finicky whined about the carrots and potatoes. She was spoiled on Saturday night because she had her party, so we had pizza and cake, but I'm at the point of banning any and all junk food in my house, because I am so tired of hearing the whining and complaining about healthy food.

I don't think I should have to grind up cauliflower and hide it in her soup or meatloaf. I think that it needs to be out in the public so she doesn't end up hating it. Then I start second-guessing myself because my own father was pretty strict about the foods I ate when I was about her age. I don't want to perpetuate an eating disorder, but candy, chips and junk have to GO. The chips are her father's for his lunches for work, but he shares them with her. The candy is left over from her party. The idea of eating chewy chocolate chip granola bars for a snack does not compute. I will admit, I am guilty of allowing these things in my house (I don't do the bulk shopping, my husband does, and he does a great job by mostly sticking to the list, but I am responsible for allowing chewy granola bars in our house). I have healthy options in my house that she can choose from and at least she asks before eating her candy, but I swear, the holidays and birthdays are the absolute worst. I'm half tempted to go through her stash in a drawer her father designated to her and throw it all out!

That said, she is no couch potato. She loves riding her bike and running around outside. Now that the weather is getting nicer she is able to do so, and it's great to see her outside again. Now we'll work on the junk food next.

And a little bit off-topic but I just love the Berenstain Bears. They have great lessons in their books and I loved reading them as a child, and my daughter enjoys reading them now.

Few updates

2008-03-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

I am currently in the process of trying to find a new look for my site and will be updating as soon as I do. It's just kind of hard to find the time to do it at the moment. I'm looking at revamping my entire site and even possibly changing the focus as well. It's mainly due to the fact that I don't blog a lot about food anymore, and I have always kept this blog up for both food and personal, but more so would like to just make sure that my readers understand that. It's kind of a rough time at the moment with regards to lack of creativity (both in the kitchen and blogging) and lack of time, and that is why I don't make promises I know I possibly won't be able to keep.

Baking has really taken a backseat since I have been working these past 6 months, and I really miss it. Part of it has to do with the fact that I absolutely HATE my kitchen and how small it is (no counter space, etc). We were considering moving, but right now with the way the economy is, we figure it's best to stick it out where we are currently, not to mention despite some differences I may have with my daughter's school administrators (not teachers, but others), I really do love the school and don't want her to have to say goodbye to her friends.

Speaking of my daughter, she just turned 8 on Friday and we just celebrated her birthday party. Once again, I went through a local vendor, Barb's Pies & Pastries, and she made my daughter's cakes and cupcakes for her party. She does such a wonderful job and I was really impressed with the Pikachu cake she made for my daughter:

Not only was it cute and adorable, but the cake itself (which was a banana cake with cream cheese frosting) was so moist and delicious! If you are in Whatcom County and are interested in ordering a cake (she does 1/4 sheet cakes for $20, I believe. Mine was higher because it was a specialty but WELL worth it!), you can call Barb's Pies & Pastries at 360-312-8978. My daughter happened to have one cupcake left over from her party she had at school and it was delicious! We've had other cakes done by Barb in the past and I've always been a fan!

More to come soon, hopefully. I am looking at trying Bayou on the Bay in downtown Bellingham next, if I can talk my husband into trying some Gumbo. We've never had that type of food, so I am interested in trying it.

Restaurant Review- Chihuahua's Mexican Restaurant, Ferndale, WA

2008-03-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have heard so much hype about this restaurant and how awesome it is. It's so awesome it's always packed and I have never ventured in there because of that fact. We decided to go real early before the Friday night dinner rush a few weeks ago and surprisingly enough, it was not even packed. Anyhow...I had been dying to find another good Mexican restaurant in Whatcom County to try out, and for the past few years I have been trying to get to this one. I will say it was definitely worth the wait, and we'll be back, but definitely before the dinner rush!

We were seated and given our drinks (I ordered a HUGE frozen Margarita- let's just put it this way- it was loaded with Tequila or whatever it is that they put in Margaritas...so loaded I had a major buzz going home- of course I had a designated driver!), and they gave us some chips with their homemade salsa- two different variations. One was a chunky salsa with no liquid, and the other one was almost very liquidy. I really liked the chunky salsa, and knew that I would pay dearly in the end for it (which I did, but I can't help myself, it was so good. TUMS are your friend, people). We decided to order an appetizer of their super nacho plate and put our orders in. I absolutely love Carnitas (shredded pork), so I ordered the Carnitas dinner plate. Miss Finicky (aka my daughter) had the Enchilada plate, and my husband ordered a Carne Asada plate.

The nachos were absolutely delicious, tons of cheese, meat, fresh guacamole and sour cream (and the accompanying tomatos, onions, and olives). By the time our plates of food were served to us, I was almost stuffed. I ate about maybe 1/5th of my plate and ended up taking the rest home (we all actually took most of our dinners and the nachos home). It was absolutely delicious though- depending on your order, you get fresh corn or flour (your choice) tortillas. Now, I will say that only one person up to that part had won my heart with her freshly made flour tortillas, and that was one of my BFF's from high school, Lucy's mother. Lucy's mother passed away on May 10th, 2006, and I'll never forget her as long as I live. Not to get too off-topic, but her mother was like a mother to me, and to win my affection in terms of homemade tortillas, it takes a lot- and this restaurant did just that. Now, no one makes them like Lucy's mom did- but it was still so very delicious. Anyhow, back on topic- my Carnitas were DELICIOUS and they were served with a salad, pinto beans (not refried or pureed) and the tortillas. I believe my plate alone was $12.95, but it was a fair price for such a huge serving.

In the end, we were most pleased with the service, the atmosphere (very vibrant colors in the restaurant which my daughter loved), and the food, of course. After all was said and done, we spent about $70 (including tip) on our dinner. The prices are the same as you would find in any other place in Whatcom County in a Mexican restaurant, but the servings are huge, large enough for left-overs for the next night. I give Chihuahua's a 5/5!

You can find Chihuahua's at:

5694 3rd Avenue
Ferndale, WA 98248
(360) 384-5820

New reviews coming soon

2008-02-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

I promise! In the meanwhile, there is a new website I just found while on Myspace called Eat Whatcom and it gives people the chance to review their favorite websites in Whatcom County! Check it out!

For those of you in Whatcom County, Grant's Drive In in Ferndale is closing down, the last day of business will be March 15th. It's sad to see it go. And my husband seems to think that Boomer's in Bellingham is closing, but I don't think that's true- can anyone confirm that? I know quite a few restaurants have closed down in the past couple of years, and with the economy faltering and the high gas prices (seriously, $3.49/regular per gallon at the Shell on Sunset Drive? WOW), we might see more local businesses and restaurants close as well, sad to say.

Here's to better times, and at least Spring is on its way in, huh? (At least here in Washington State, no?)

Restaurant Review- Madison's, Ferndale, WA

2008-02-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

Our camera is on the fritz so I have been to a few restaurants in the past month and I have not been able to get any photos. We're looking for a new digital camera for under $400, any good suggestions? (I'm looking at higher Megapixels as well, the one we have is a Canon Powershot A75 from 2004 that has only 3.2 mp, and it is on its last legs. Long story short, I dropped the camera back in August 2005 and we sent it back to Canon for fixing, and paid for it, but it hasn't been the same since then. Now it's either not taking pictures at all or it's just on its last legs.)

Anyhow, one night we were coming home from the border (Blaine, WA) and I had heard from some people that there was this restaurant just off of Portal Way in Ferndale off exit 263 that was pretty good, called Madison's. On our way home, we decided to go look for it, and found it pretty easily. If you are coming from the border, take exit 262 (Portal Way) and after you get off the freeway, take a left and just keep going down that road. That road is Portal Way. You'll see a big yellow sign that says Madison's. They have a lounge with a bar and an eating area that is separate. If you are coming from the south (Bellingham, Seattle), you will take the same exit but you'll take a right onto Portal and just go until you find it. It will be on your right side (for both directions).

It was pretty empty as it was about 8pm, so we went in and we were the only people in the eating area. The waitress was very friendly and gave us our menus. I ended up ordering the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans, and my starter was a very hearty vegetable stew (meatless). The soup was full of chunky fresh veggies and had a lot of spice in it, it was delicious, but my mouth burned a little from the spices. Still, it was very soothing on a cold night. When my meatloaf plate came out, it reminded me of the meatloaf my mom used to make. Very comforting and very delicious. I had gravy on my mashed potatoes (which were soooo good, smooth but with a bit of potato lumps in it, I like it like that) and my meatloaf. The green beans I didn't care for very much, they were tasty (had some sort of garlic butter on them) but they were a bit soggy. It also came with garlic toast which was absolutely delicious.

For a quiet little diner out in Whatcom County, it sure hit the spot on a cold drive home. Very reasonable prices too, and they serve some hearty breakfast platters as well, and offer them to go if you desire. You can ask the waitress there for a menu.

Madison's Lounge & Restaurant is located at:

6104 Portal Way
Ferndale, WA 98248
(360) 312-8975

Shameless Self Promotion

2008-02-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

I gotta get some votes somehow!

Vote for me if you like my caption (and yes, I realize that the cards need to be a little more visible but I can't re-submit now! arghhh, pity vote?? heh!).

It will win my hubby and me a trip to Vegas! Pretty please? (I swear I am done groveling!)

More on the online Poker Cats Contest

NFB: There are never enough hours in the day

2008-02-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

I am done with training and have been on the floor all week at work, and still trying to get the hang of the health insurance system. It's so confusing, even though I have been working in it since September. And I just love how my husband thinks that because I work in the health insurance industry that surely I must know everything, right? Oy. I spent about 20 minutes on the phone today with his health insurance to find out how much medical equipment was covered and how much our copays and deductibles were. Now, I may work in a similar field but geez! I still get confused!

I started my early shift this week and let me tell you that getting up at 3:30am every morning is really getting old really quick. I fell asleep last night at 7:30pm. It's nice to get out early, but going in so early is hard. I know I will get used to it in due time, but it still is quite hard to get up so early. I look forward to the weekends.

Winter is not quite over yet and my arthritis is getting steadily worse. It's hard to type as much as I used to and in my job I must type so it's rough. My knuckles hurt even as I type this. I am looking forward to Spring and coming out of hibernation.

I am also realizing that my weight is finally catching up to me. I know I am not OLD, but 30 is creeping up on me quickly and since I hit 28, I have noticed my weight is really taking a toll on my body. Like I have said before, I have been dealing with obesity for years...and now my knees are feeling it, I am more sluggish than ever, I am not sleeping well because of aches and pains in my body (we need a new bed), I get sick more easily, and I am dealing with some bouts of depression (not really weight-related, more weather related but still enough to make me realize there are problems here!). I get a free gym membership from my new employer and I'm in the process of choosing one that will work best with me. I am considering water aerobics as it is low impact on the knees. I am also in dire need of trying to straighten out our eating habits. Valentine's Day was particularly terrible. My daughter has been eating WAY too much junk food lately, and my attempts to regulate what we eat have been met with protest and because I am so exhausted, I have just given up. I am sure part of it is anemia. There's a specific type of anemia (which one, I don't know) that runs on my mom's side of the family and I was supposed to have an anemia/iron study done by my doctor, but I ended up with no insurance so I was not able to do it. I will be getting my insurance through my employer soon, so I'll be taking advantage of it.

I'm just so tired. I can't begin to tell you exactly how I feel. I stopped caring about my hair and makeup. I still dress appropriately for work, but I could present myself a bit more nicely. This exhaustion has been tough to deal with, but I'm sure I'll get through it.

Like my title says, there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything you need to done. I even feel overwhelmed on the weekends because there is never enough time then either. I don't know what changed or what happened, because I was nowhere near as tired as I am now at my previous job, but it could have something to do with how sick I was before I left my previous job. It's been a bad year in terms of sickness. I guess my body just hasn't caught up yet. Any advice?

Two thumbs up- Hawaii BBQ & Noodle House

2008-02-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

I ran by this place on my way home on Friday, and I had heard from some co-workers that it was a good place. The prices were far better than the "Haggenese" you can buy at Haggen's grocery store here in Bellingham, and the food was a lot better. We tried: Pineapple Chicken, Sweet N Sour Pork, Mongolian Beef, and Teriyaki Chicken. I'm a bit tired of the sweet, but the Pineapple Chicken was not as overbearing with the sweetness as the Sweet N Sour Pork was...but you have to expect that. The Mongolian Beef was delicious, I couldn't really eat it because it was VERY spicy, but my husband had wanted it so I bought some for him (we shared our entrees over the course of the last two nights). The Teriyaki Chicken was my daughter's favorite.

I plan on trying their BBQ next. They have so many different dishes you can try and the prices are very affordable!

On an OT note, I am almost done with my training! We have one week left and I have been at my new job for almost a month now. I can't believe it! Everything is going well, but I am nervous about being done with training, but I am excited to begin my new journey as well!

Anyhow, you can stop by Hawaii BBQ & Noodle House at:

1212 E. Sunset Drive
Bellingham, WA
360-647-7098

Overpriced pizza

2008-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I met up with some of my former co-workers for a get together at the Round Table Pizza in Sunset Square in Bellingham. I've been to Round Table Pizza in the past in California and never really paid attention to the price of pizza there, because it was usually with my family. Anyhow, I ended up buying two x-large pizzas (King Arthur Supreme and the UltaMeat) and I spent over $55 on two x-large pizzas! WOW! They were good, but overpriced. Another gripe we had was how long it took to get our pizzas. One of my friends waited the longest, I believe it was about a half hour, and was not pleased.

I thought it would be a fun place to go to, but they lack games and other fun stuff to do there, and the space itself is somewhat small. We might get a pizza to go from there down the road, but I highly doubt it. I still can't believe I spent over $55 on two x-large pizzas to share with everyone. At least they liked it, so I'll give them THAT. I preferred the King Arthurs more over the UltaMeat, which gave me a gut ache. Too much meat and grease.

Next time I'll go for Pipeline Pizza...I hear they are pretty good and their prices (last I saw) were not too bad.

One place I am dying to try (not just for pizza) is Pastazza in Barkley Village. Maybe that will be one of my next ventures.

Constant Craving, Part II

2008-02-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

I have been immersed in my training at my new job and am absolutely enjoying it. However, maybe it's due to the weather, maybe it's all the knowledge I am feeding my brain at work, but for some odd reason, for the past three days, food has been a constant thought on my mind. We talked about food in class, and I'd get hungry. I started packing larger lunches too, which is not something I normally do. I'd get home and even though I had eaten lunch about five hours before, I was hungry. One of my supervisors joked, "maybe you are pregnant!" Not likely, considering all of my problems (as mentioned in the past).

I would love to blame it on winter and feeling ready to hibernate, but I am not sure what is going on. Maybe a fluctuation in my body of some sort? Hormonal shift/change? I don't know but I'm eating like I'm eating for two again, which is wrong. I am not pregnant. Trust me, there's no way. Well, there is but it's an extremely small chance. I don't know but I wish it would go away. Another thing that happened was I had lost a pants size and noticed about a week or so ago, and all of a sudden, I've gained the weight back in the last week! What is up with that? Ugh, it sucks being a woman sometimes.

My husband is going grocery shopping tomorrow and letting me stay home (I slipped and fell in the parking lot on Wednesday and I'm sore all over- more on that in a minute), and all I can think of is, FOOD! Glorious food! I mean, I even cooked last week for cripe's sake- something I have done on a regular basis in months (I am not kidding you- as you can tell from my lack of posting I have been busy with life and work, and I don't care to cook anymore). I cooked. Good food too. Nothing spectacular but nothing that was packaged and processed either. I'm trying here...please forgive me, fellow foodies, for I have strayed. I'm trying to get back on the cooking bandwagon, and my increased appetite gave me a boost and I cooked finally. Imagine my husband's surprise- "you cooked? Are you serious? you didn't buy this?" No, I did not. I swear. We are working on frugality and working on saving money and I am trying my hardest. But I'm so hungry, and I can't stop my appetite!

While I contemplate Slim-Fasting my way to curbing my appetite, I am faced with another dilemma- the desire to eat more healthy foods on a frugal budget. Is it possible? I haven't been necessarily eating bad (okay, except for tonight, we went out to dinner with a former co-worker of mine), but I have been eating too much and have been desiring certain foods, such as healthier foods, crunchy veggies, fruits, fish, and even unhealthy foods (for example, right now I am really craving donuts). I honestly cannot remember a time when I had such a huge appetite. I may be a big girl, but that doesn't mean I shovel the food in! I do have some restraint! (Well not lately, but I normally do.)

And yes, we had snow here on Tuesday, enough to cancel school and make it impossible for me to drive to work. So on Wednesday, I went back, and on my way down the hill by my house, I started sliding despite the fact that 1, I was only doing 5-10 mph, and 2, I have studded snow tires. I could not get my truck to stop, and I saw myself headed towards cars in front of me and cars to the left and right of me. On my left I saw a vehicle that spun out and was banged up pretty badly. Down the road were two police cars that had their lights going and another vehicle that was spun out and banged up as well. I thought I was next, and seeing as I could not stop, I screamed, and then started pumping the brakes slowly and finally I came to a halt and spun into the lane of oncoming traffic. Luckily, the people in that lane were able to avoid me and I was able to correct myself and get myself back in driving mode. I'll be honest, this was my first time driving on the snow/ice and it scared the hell out of me. I had no choice, and all I did was take my time to get to work slowly and safe. So, I finally arrived to work, and the parking lot looks deceiving. I ended up slipping and regained my footing while walking to the entrance. The next thing I saw were my feet flying up in the air and *thud*, I landed on my butt and left leg. Trying to break the fall I instinctively put my left arm down, but it did me no good. A good samaritan helped me up and helped me get to the entrance. I did have to file an accident report at work, but my ego was more bruised at the time because I had about 3-4 witnesses. It's so embarrassing. The next day I was extremely sore, and I'm still sore, but it's nothing I can't handle, luckily. My advice for noobs on the snowy and icy roads? SLOW DOWN. Don't drive like a maniac (yeah, I'm talking to the moron in the jacked up truck on the I-5 going North who was doing 70 mph while snow was falling pretty hard and the roads were iced up!). If you can, stay home and do not drive. However, if you're a working stiff like me who has to work for a living, just leave about 45 minutes earlier and plan on going very slowly. There are reasons why I prefer a stick shift (manual transmission) and the ice/snow is one of them. Now let's hope we are not hit with anymore ice for a while. I won't lie, after what I went through on Wednesday I'm scared to drive and walk on the ice.

OMG! I found a Jamba Juice-like place up here

2008-01-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

Robek's. Yum. I tried their Polar Pineapple and it made for a great breakfast replacement. Yes, even in 28°F weather in the morning. I will be trying their Chicken Pesto wrap soon.

Robek's offers healthy alternatives to the typical "fast food" you see out there. When I found this place I was beyond excited over it. It's nice to be able to go to a place that offers different choices (salads and wraps) instead of the usual greasy burgers you might find when you are on the go. I highly recommend trying it out and adding one of their many vitamin supplements to your smoothie. They also offer other types of drinks, such as wheatgrass for those who are brave enough to try it (not me!) or fresh juices.

I haven't been to Jamba Juice in a LONG time, and we are not near one, so I have not been able to find a place that offers something similar. Then I was in the Barkley area in Bellingham one day and saw a girl carrying a Robek's drink (which looked VERY familiar to the Jamba Juice one) and asked her where she got it. She told me and I went over there to see for myself. Unlike the Jamba Juices that I have been to in the Monterey, California area, they offer wraps, salads, high protein pretzels, muffins and cookies that do not have preservatives in them. That was a plus, and I'll be having lunch there soon. (And hopefully I'll remember the camera this time!)

A little bit of trivia about Jamba Juice- does anyone else remember when it started out in San Luis Obispo (and Monterey!) as The Juice Club? Ahh, I was a teenager who used to hang out on Alvarado Street in the mid to late 90's and we used to go there all the time. Memories.

Now I can enjoy Robek's smoothies AND wraps!

Robek's has two locations in Bellingham, WA, one in the Barkley Village area and one in the Sehome Village area.

Barkley Village area:

3110 Woburn Street
Bellingham, WA 98226
360-734-6363

Sehome Village area:

402 36th Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-714-0808

NFB: Update on my teeth/gums

2008-01-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

As mentioned previously, I had some work done to my teeth to try to stop my Gum Disease from progressing. I had a cleaning/perio charting done, then I had a root scaling/planing procedure done (also known as deep cleaning) and then I had the remaining 3 wisdom teeth I had taken out. I went in last Saturday to find out where the pockets of my gums were after all of these procedures and the home care I have been doing to help with it. It turns out that my gums are in far better shape this time around! The procedures and my home care have paid off.

When you have Periodontal (Gum) Disease, they typically want your "pockets" of your gums to be under 3 mm (or was it 4?). A lot of my pockets in October were in the 5-7 mm range. By the end of my appointment I found out most of my gums were in the 2-4 mm range and only ONE of my pockets had a 5 mm depth.

I can't stress enough how important it is to take care of these problems before they get worse- my father has it and has implants and has to undergo regular root canals because of how bad the disease has progressed. The less you have to worry about with your gums, the better off you are- and you can help lower your chances of heart disease as well, apparently!

So all of that pain, all of the care, and all of the money invested paid off, I am happy to report. If you haven't seen a dentist for a regular cleaning or check up on your gums, I definitely recommend it...it's worth it! Your gum health is a lot more important than you think! (Trust me, I had no clue until June of last year!)

We need to be more frugal

2008-01-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

With the economy going the way it has been, my husband and I have decided we must be more frugal. No more eating out regularly, so no more reviews for some time to come. I think maybe we'll go out somewhere new once a month, but I don't know. I am trying to sock everything I can into savings at this point to have a safety net to fall behind on. I don't know about you, but I have been watching the news closely (a bit too closely) lately. It's scary to think of what might come from a recession (and that is what we are in, whether any of the politicians want to admit it or not, we are in a recession, ask people in various industries (especially the affected ones) and they will tell you that), so we have to be prepared in the case of layoffs.

My husband, as mentioned before, is a laborer and works in manufacturing. That's taking a hit. I don't know about my industry, but my father has tried repeatedly to reassure me that my industry is a good one to be in (healthcare/insurance). Honestly, I am a dealing with a bit of anxiety and trepidation over my new job, but I work hard and know I can do it. I just hope that I am not affected by a layoff in the near future. Must . Stay . Positive. Right?

Speaking of inflation, besides fuel/oil, have you noticed the price of groceries lately? Scary, isn't it? Thank god for Costco, but I need to get us back on track with eating healthy, although I have cut down our spending money for groceries and I'm wondering how we can do that on a meager budget (try $300/month for a family of three and that includes non-food items such as toilet paper, etc). We try to buy everything in bulk so it stretches...and I am hopeful we can do it. We MUST do it, we have got to be more frugal.

What do you do to try to save money when going grocery shopping? I am terrible with clipping coupons and remembering them, which sucks for me, but I honestly am not that good with them at all. I'd love to hear your ideas on frugal grocery shopping!

A New year, a New Beginning!

2008-01-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

Also a huge apology for my absence. First off, my computer is dead (despite the upgrade my husband did to it, yeah, it needs a new power supply so I have been without my computer for over a week now, and am using my daughter's which I rarely use, so I am rarely on the computer). Secondly, I am starting a NEW JOB in the same field (healthcare) here and I am very excited about it. Having to say goodbye to the people I have gotten to know over the past 3, almost 4 months is hard, but this is a positive move, a move up for me, better pay, better benefits, and a chance to move up in any position in this company down the road. I am very excited at the prospects.

Other than that, I have been busy keeping up with my kiddo and her schooling stuff, and basically trying to rest more and not play as much. Now I just need to get to blogging again.

I will soon, and I apologize. Thanks for those of you who continue to drop by to see if I have updated- I promise to start again soon and my computer should be fixed by Thursday or Friday!

Here's to another new year- 2008

2007-12-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

Are you ready? Do you do Resolutions? I remember last year one of my resolutions was to get more healthy, and while I was doing well with my T-Tapp throughout the year, I managed to find myself a job and get completely off-track. I have managed to lose weight anyhow, mostly due to being so darn busy, and it's not a lot, but it's something. I definitely am planning on joining the local Curves or another local gym to get myself up and moving around even more in the New Year.

I know many people do not believe in Resolutions and find them pointless and I completely understand that notion. For me I look more at it as a goal than a "resolution". Goals are easy to make but can you keep them? I need more organization in my chaotic life, and I feel like maybe if I do some more goal setting I can be more productive and feel less stressed. So my GOALS for the next year are to tackle the problem areas in life: stress, finances and health. First, the stress- I need to slow down, and I am very guilty of running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I need to keep to small goals I can post for myself throughout the week so I can enjoy my weekends off and not feel rushed. Secondly, finances- we have to start saving. Right now life might be good but you must be on alert because nothing is forever. My husband is dealing with back pain and I am in the process of looking for a better job as I may need to be the breadwinner in the future and I am fine with that. We don't know what this back pain entails and we are going to get it looked at in the next month. I need to be prepared in case he needs to take time off from work, and in order for us to do that and to stay afloat, we must start saving now. Health is my last one. Health insurance is so damned expensive here it's hard to find something that will help take care of your pre-existing conditions. I am still in need of a partial hysterectomy as the Adenomyosis in my uterus is getting out of control, and I refuse to allow any GYN to ever put me on the Pill or any hormonal pill ever again. My legs now have permanent swelling going on due to taking the Yaz back in July-September. I need to take better care of that. And my dental health is something else I am focusing on. I have undergone a root planing and scaling operation (deep cleaning), have been flossing and brushing and making sure I do what I need to do, and just had my three remaining wisdom teeth pulled out a week ago (which I am still recovering from, not well, might I add! I am now on Penicillin and have to see the dentist next week to figure out why I'm still swelling, and it looks and feels like my gums have separated from the one loose molar that was in front of one of the removed wisdom teeth, and it feels as if my root may be exposed...lovely).

I wish you all a very good year and even if you don't believe in Resolutions, goals are good things to keep in mind. I found a very helpful website on SMART goal making, and hope this link helps in case you are interested!

Happy New Year's to you all- and be safe!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T17:42:00.000-08:00

Wanting to wish a very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate- I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and stay safe!

I hope to blog more soon!

With arsenic sauce

2007-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

It's so miserable being sick, but to be hit with both a stomach bug and the flu at the same time? Kill me now. I think the stomach bug is almost gone completely, but the flu is not. That said, I'm trying to get myself better as I have my wisdom teeth extraction on next Friday. I am not looking forward to eating soup and milkshakes, but you gotta do what you have to do, right?

My SIL wants us to do our Christmas thing on the day after I get my wisdom teeth removed. There's no other time for us to get together, which sucks, but I am hoping that I'll be at least coherent to help out a little bit.

I'm sure the wisdom teeth removal will not be nearly as bad as I think it will...I'm just wussing out right now.

Can I just say how much I HATE soup? I'm on a soup and crackers diet and I HATE it. I want real food!

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this...

2007-12-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

but for once in my life I agree that Starbuck's rocks. You have to try their Egg Nog Creme Frappuchino (minus the coffee). Seriously. That is the best damn Egg Nog blended drink I have ever had in my life. I have tried it from a couple of other ma & pop stands here locally, but honestly, I just was not too impressed. You can actually taste the nutmeg in Starbuck's Egg Nog Creme Frappuchino. Yummm.

Speaking of cold, today we did not get up over the mid 30's here in Washington State, and the roads were icy. It was time to put my studded snow tires to the test, and they did well. There was only one instance where I actually slid when I came to a stop, but other than that I did well on the ice. *Scary*.

So, the countdown is on to Christmas...only 15 days left til it's here. If you celebrate it, are you ready yet? What about the other holidays- who is ready? I'm kind of in the middle. Still trying to get my cards out!

What in the world happened to you?

2007-12-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

(You get bonus points if you can tell me who sang that mid 90's song, answer will be in the comments section in the next week or so if no one can pinpoint it!)

Wow, what a whirlwind the past week has been. First, we had our first snow here last Saturday, then we had a weird shift in the weather pattern and the snow melted and then we had a ton of rain. As most of you know, our neighbors to the south of us in Washington State are now dealing with clean-up from a massive flood and storm damage. Our hearts and thoughts go out to those affected.

Not much new in Foodie land, I have been very busy with work, home and PTO duties that I really have not had much of a chance to go out and do anything. I did get a chance to go out and have some fun last night at the Quarterback Pub near Western Washington University. By the way, their wings? AWESOME. And on Fridays they have special deals that tie in with their Karaoke night. So much fun. It's a fun place if you like to watch sports, with tons of big screen TV's everywhere, and many drinks to choose from and beers on tap (not that I'm into beer, blech!). I did try a "DuckFart" last night and that was very good. It's Irish Creme with chocolate syrup and Kahlua. Yummmmmm. Goes down nice and smooth. Looks pretty gnarly but it's a fun drink and sure tastes delicious (despite the disgusting name).

I have not had a chance to bake either, and I don't foresee myself going on any baking adventures anytime soon though (like the baking adventure I went on last year before Christmas- remember that?). However, now that we finally have a Trader Joe's in town (that I keep forgetting to go to! ARGH!), I am considering stopping in for some good white chocolate and maybe making some peppermint bark. If they decide to do a potluck at work, then I will definitely bake. I might end up baking anyhow...we shall see if I get in the mood!

Til next time!

Foodie Blogger Meet-Up: Cascade Pizza, Bellingham, WA, 11/23/07

2007-11-30T16:09:00.000-08:00

I was able to meet up with Ben and Suanne from Chowtimes, as I had mentioned before on Friday, November 23rd, at Cascade Pizza in Bellingham. We had a great time talking about how we came into the great big blogosphere, about our lives and more about where we were from. They both came down from Canada that day on Black Friday to do some shopping. I am hoping next time I will be able to get up north to Canada to visit them!

I have been to Cascade Pizza many times before and absolutely love this place. It was the first restaurant we ate at when we first moved to Washington State, it has always been a favorite of my husband's from when he was a kid. I ordered the Baked Rigatoni, Suanne ordered a specialty pizza, and Ben ordered the Lasagna and Ribs plate. Overall we were very pleased with our experience there and I know Ben enjoyed it a lot! I have had the Baked Rigatoni in the past, and I absolutely love that they throw a hint of nutmeg or cinnamon in there. It gives it a nice little kick.

I know there will be a blog about it on Chowtimes in the near future, so check it out! Ben & Suanne, it was great meeting you both and I hope we can get together again!

In the meantime, check out Cascade Pizza in Bellingham, WA at:

2431 Meridian St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 671-0999

Tis the Season

2007-11-29T13:30:00.001-08:00

Somehow, it's just inconceivable to me that it's nearly Christmas. My honest-to-god opinion is that this year has just literally flown by. I'm stuck about 2 months behind in September. As this year comes to a close I have to wonder where the heck this year went.

In other news, today I am enjoying an early day off from work as it was very slow (very very odd for our busy season), but I am also enjoying the clear and crisp weather. We are in the midst of expecting snow that still hasn't come (not that I'm complaining- I hate the snow). People are out and about, trying to get everything ready for the holidays, traffic is a nightmare in Bellingham at times, and I'm wondering if we'll ever be ready for the holidays and winter. My husband is just about done with his truck, and I finally have my snow tires on my truck. Next weekend I am hoping to finish my Christmas shopping and get my husband's gift. This weekend I am hoping to get some decorating started and some cleaning done. As for our plans for Christmas, we do not have any yet, but are still trying to figure out what we're going to do. I don't know if I am working or not.

I will post another post in the new few days about my meet with Ben & Suanne from Chowtimes last Friday! We had a great time meeting!

Giving thanks

2007-11-22T10:41:00.001-08:00

Lately I have been stressed out at work and with things going on there. I've been dealing with anger, resentment, and stress all in one. Then I watched the news last night and they had a report about a man they found dead in a sleeping bag off of a freeway. I don't know if he was a transient or a homeless man, but they doubted it. Anyhow, it made me realize how lucky I was. Right now the temperatures are dipping into the high 20's at night, and I cannot begin to even imagine trying to find warmth while living outside. When I'm outside in the early morning before work, I am cold. I rush to my truck to defrost and heat it up. It's easy for me- I have shelter. So many people do not, and it's so easy to take little things like that for granted. I don't think shelter is a little thing, but it's something we don't normally think about.

I've never been homeless. Even when times were at their toughest, we were able to scrape up the money we needed for rent. As a general rule, rent is our first and top priority. It's always been that way. I think it's because my husband spent some time living in his car as a teenager and he knew what it was like to be homeless. He thought he was one of the lucky ones though- at least he had a car to sleep in. But I have never experienced what it is like to be homeless, and for that, I am truly thankful.

It's so easy to be stressed and angry at circumstances at life, but sometimes we get a little wake up call that raises our awareness of how lucky we truly are.

Foodie blogger meet-up

2007-11-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

I get to meet the writers behind Chowtimes on Friday. We will be going out to dinner at a local restaurant and I'm sure we'll be sharing stories! Now let's hope that I do not forget my camera this time!

I am looking forward to the meet! More to come, later!

Restaurant review- Luis' Mexican Restaurant, Bellingham, WA

2007-11-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

I decided to take my daughter out for dinner a couple of weekends ago after we went to the Big Lots to do some Christmas shopping. We sat in the truck for about 5 minutes between her, my husband (on the phone) and myself trying to figure out which restaurant we were going to go to. I did not want Chinese food, I was in the mood for something different, so I said, "what about Mexican food?" to my daughter, who just poopooed the idea. Then she saw a restaurant by Big Lots and said, "let's go there" and we decided on Luis' Mexican Restaurant.

It's quite festive inside, but the neighborhood that it is in is one that has somewhat of a bad reputation, which is one reason why I am not around that area very often. However, the colors were fun, and we decided to have dinner and ordered take out for my husband. My daughter, Miss Picky U.S.A., decided on nachos (arghhh), and I decided on a combo plate with a chalupa and enchilada. It came with beans and rice. Honestly, it was very bland. I felt like it was missing something, but the service was good despite that. Still, I would have liked more spices. Next time we'll try the restaurant that used to be El Cazador (THAT was good food).

My husband wanted a big burrito, so I got him it, and he too thought it was a bit bland. It's good service, but the food lacked the spices I was hoping for!

You can find Luis' Mexican Restaurant at:

1538 Birchwood Ave # B
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 756-8973

Goodies from home

2007-11-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

I love my mom. She knows how much I miss California and the ease of buying the little things, such as Mochiko rice flour, without spending an arm and a leg on it (seriously- $3/box at Haggen's? Are you for real?). So in the beginning of the week last week she told me she was sending me a box of goodies for my daughter and myself, and I had a hunch it was Mochiko! It came to me and it was not only boxes of Mochiko, but Yan Yan (the little cylinder with chocolate dipping sauce and those sweet little sticks), Happy Panda (panda cookies with chocolate), Shrimp Chips (which I really don't care for, but I thought it was sweet of her!), and Jack & Jill Chocolate Covered Pretzels, the stuff you find in Asian stores. It totally brought me back home and I called my mom to thank her.

As I have mentioned before, my Nana used to take me with her to her favorite Filipino store, which no longer exists (Fajilan's), in Seaside, California, and I used to get Pocky (the strawberry covered sticks) or Botan (rice paper covered candy which was nasty but we loved it because the rice paper melted in your mouth), or some Kangkanin if they made it (it was my favorite too and I'm still dying to try to find that recipe!). Good memories. Nana will be 87 next year and she is still doing well, has a few health concerns, but she is still strong and I finally called her last week after a cute little lady I spoke with on the phone at work told me to never forget to call my grandmas! I tried my other Grandma too but I missed her! I'll try next week...

I am fortunate to have a loving family. I miss them but at least there is the phone!

NFB: Bad, bad week

2007-11-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

Did you just ever have a week that made it so unbearable you did not want to face work? That's how I felt this week. Just a sorry week is all. Right now is our busy season where I work and I can kiss my holidays goodbye. That honestly has me in a bit of a funk, but what can you do?

I am glad it is the weekend, but right now I am feeling extremely down and bummed. Between work and home, I feel like I cannot keep up. I'm just exhausted.

All of that, and I STILL need snow tires for my truck!

Thanks for reading/listening to my whine.

Restaurant review- Oriento, Bellingham, WA

2007-11-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

My husband took us out for dinner and knowing how badly I have been craving Chinese food, took us out to a restaurant we were recommended by someone I met a while back. We went to Oriento, which is down on the Guide Meridian in Bellingham, WA and is across the street from one of our favorite pizzerias in Whatcom County- Cascade Pizza.

Again, I did not take pictures. We ordered a kid's plate for my daughter, which was a big plate, it consisted of a deep fried won ton with cream cheese (yikes!), fried rice, sweet n sour pork, and french fries. I think there was something else but all of that grease did not sit too well with her later...she wasn't feeling too well later on. My husband and I decided on a dinner combo that was about $11.95/per person and it came with pork fried rice, beef broccoli, sweet n sour pork, egg rolls and I believe Egg Flour soup. My husband ordered a side of Teriyaki Beef, as well. Overall, I liked what I ate, but I was not too impressed with the Teriyaki Beef, however, the vegetables in it were very crisp and fresh. Next time I would like to try their "Singing Rice Soup" which is known as "Sizzling Rice Soup" where I'm from!

We spent a little over $50 including tip, it was not too bad for all of the food we ate, and we had leftovers for the next night's dinner.

Oriento is located at:

2500 Meridian St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 733-3322

I realize I am so far behind

2007-11-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

and I want to apologize to my readers. I am extremely busy right now with work, PTO stuff and trying to get the student directory done for our school. It's no excuse, I should at least put some time aside, but I have not.

I do realize I still need to review Oriento in Bellingham, and now I also need to add Luis' Mexican Restaurant to that as well (another Bellingham restaurant). I recently decided that every other week I will take my daughter out for a Mommy-Daughter type of day where we go to the park, museum or something and then we go to a restaurant we have not been to- specifically ethnic cuisines we have not tried. I think it will a good experience for the both of us, considering we are both very picky eaters.

I will be back though, I promise! I am so behind on baking and my crockpot meals it's not even funny. I haven't baked in well over a month and I barely got the stew meat to make my crockpot meals. I need some more energy and time! Time is my worst enemy.

Thanks for still reading me despite my sabbatical!

NFB: One more year til I hit the big 3-0

2007-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

This week we began phone training at work and it's been a hectic, stressful week. However, by Friday I felt mostly confident in my abilities to handle the customer service and the navigation of the programs we use. Thursday I turned 29 and it was not a great day for me. I was not feeling good, I was stressed and tired, I missed my husband (because I started an earlier shift, I really don't see my husband at all until the weekends now). However, it was a good birthday in the end.

Last year I started feeling changes in my body- which is why I was putting myself to the challenge of trying to change my lifestyle, because my weight is finally catching up with me. I'm afraid that my obesity will lead me to an early grave and I'm scared from what I have been dealing with, health-wise, over the past year and a half. It's getting worse, but I'm trying my hardest to be more active and we are eating healthy for the most part.

Onto this weekend, yesterday, we went to my daughter's soccer game, they took their soccer team and individual pictures again, and then they played their game. My daughter scored her FIRST GOAL EVER and I am a VERY proud Mama! Here's a picture of it, my daughter is on the green team, you can't see too well but if you look closely enough (click on the picture and it'll bring up a bigger version of it too!), you can see the yellow team's goalie missing it. WOOOHOOO! Yes, they did lose but this was the highlight of the day for me!

Later on we went and had our family portraits taken by a freelance photographer and I cannot wait to see how they turned out. We took them at an elementary school in Bellingham where there was absolutely BEAUTIFUL foiliage and it's just what I had imagined!!! Then we went to Cornwall Park so my daughter could run some of that energy out and lastly, we went to the restaurant Oriento on the Guide in Bellingham. I will review it next week, but I liked it a LOT. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, AGAIN!!! (I know I am terrible about that, aren't I?)

Today I am just getting ready to go back to work and I'm doing laundry and one of my newest friends from work is coming over to hang out with me.

Hopefully I can get back into the swing of blogging again, it's just been very hectic with work, and now I have another distraction my husband got me for my birthday, the Sims 2 Deluxe! YAY!!

It's the time...of the season

2007-10-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

for...sniffling. (What's your name? Who's your daddy?...Okay, just kidding.)

I spent my first few days at my job sick as a dog, but I sucked it up and went to work every day because our training was so intense, I really did not want to miss out on anything. Now, there are two bugs making the rounds in the office. I don't think I brought it in, because apparently they have been there longer than I was. One is a cold/cough/flu type of bug. The other one is a nasty stomach bug that took out two of my co-workers. We're talking vomiting and everything. That one I am hoping I avoid like the dickens. I hope everyone feels better on Monday! I'm not feeling sick anymore but I noticed my ears are a bit sensitive and have been aching and itchy, so I'm almost positive I have an ear infection again. It's that time of the year again!

The job is going well, and part one of our training is over with. Now we will do part two of our training starting on Monday for another two weeks and I'm excited about it. It's wonderful to be working again and to be working in an area I am not familiar with (healthcare industry). It's also been hard to adjust to the changes, but now that my schedule has been changed, I am hoping that will help my family adjust better to it. We're doing okay now, but the first week was very hard on my daughter and husband. It's a sacrifice because my husband and I only see each other on the weekends now, but he came by my work yesterday and brought me lunch and we were able to have lunch together. I work 10 miles from my home in Bellingham and he was out there so he thought he'd drop by. It's little things like those that I love. Our weekends are great too.

Meals have been dismal, at best. I have no desire to cook when I was getting home around 6:30pm. I just wanted to do something quick and go straight to bed, because I was so exhausted. Now that my shift is changing, I should be home around 5pm and may have more time to figure out what to do for dinner, at least I hope. I am going to employ the crockpot a lot more!

Speaking of Crockpot, now that it's Fall, it's definitely time for some Beef Stew again! And I promised my co-worker that I would bring some, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll get on that! I already made the Pumpkin Pound Cake recipe I tried last year from Diana's Dessert and this batch was heavenly. I brought some to work, and will bring a couple more loaves when I get a chance to buy the ingredients I need.

I love Fall, but seriously, it's cold up here in the Pacific Northwest. Colder than normal, as well, and I really believe we are going to end up with some snow this month, which has me extremely concerned as we still have not bought snow tires for my truck and now I am driving to work. I just hope I can do well on the ice with some weight in the back of my truck and snow tires. We shall see.

Next weekend we're going to be taking family portraits and hopefully going to the pumpkin patch. Pictures to come!

A new venture in life

2007-09-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

I know some of you are wondering, where has Jennifer been? I am now working full-time and am learning a new trade. This past week was full of excitement, stress and even some headaches trying to adjust to a full 40 hour week. I haven't worked in three years and I am grateful for a new opportunity in my life to make some money (MONEYYYYY) again.

I will be scarce but I will try my damndest to post at least once a week.

What's been on your menu lately?

2007-09-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't taken any pictures because I am constantly forgetting (including forgetting the camera at the soccer game, so it's not just food I am forgetting here!), but I am trying to break out of the old and put a little more variety into our dishes.

A couple of weekends ago I was in a mood for bruschetta and a light salad. My husband grilled up some pork chops and I made some bruschetta with EVOO, garlic and tomato (forgot the basil but it was good anyhow). The salad I made was iceberg lettuce (which I realize has no nutritional value but I was in a mood for an "old school" salad), cucumbers, and the rest of the bruschetta mix I had left over. It was a nice dinner and even my husband liked it.

Last week I made a Cream of Celery type of dish with chicken breasts. It was rich but it was very good.

On Monday night I made a Lime-Garlic Chicken Breast with garlic butter pasta and green beans (steamed but kept crunchy) with some lemon drizzled over them and lemon zested on them. It was absolutely delicious. The garlic butter pasta was a hit with my finicky eater.

I just get bored of the same stuff over and over again and I know my family appreciates it when I try to create new things, so there you go. Lately it's been a lot of salad and chicken and they are burnt out on that. We've been eating more fresh green beans and some broccoli (although by the time I want to cook it, I find most of it gone because my husband loves to take it to work with Ranch dressing).

Tonight? I'm going to make Pork Adobo with Thai Jasmine Rice and sugar snap peas. We haven't had adobo in a long time!

Food dreams

2007-09-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

I had a dream that I was going to an All-Filipino festival back while I was visiting my family in Seaside, California. I was going from booth to booth trying desperately to find beco, Kangkanin, or Bibingka. Why? I have no clue, but maybe I am craving some sweets. I also dreamed that I was looking for some decent adobo, but all I could find was beef tri tip.

I don't know why I have dreams like these. While I was in California we had a BBQ (Filipino family side). My uncle made some killer beef tri tip and there was all kinds of yummy BBQ stuff, but no Filipino food. Nana usually makes it but she is getting older and shouldn't have to stand in front of the stove. If I had had more time I would have loved to have made the Bibingka recipe I got from a friend a while back. Of course, I might have been the one hogging most of it! (Just kidding!) My uncle (Tri Tip Master of the Universe) and I used to fight over Nana's Kangkanin back in the day. (Fighting in good fun, of course!)

Despite my dream, tonight I am going to make what my stepmom made while I was in California- Lime-Garlic chicken. I'll probably make adobo later on in the week.

NFB: Random mumblings

2007-09-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

My daughter played her first soccer game today and was a bit sluggish, which had me wondering if her thyroid is out of whack again. I will monitor her closely and see if I need to take her back to her doctor's for another blood panel and check-up. She's been on the Levoxyl medication for Hypothyroid (25 mcg/day) for a while now and it seems to help. Her last levels were checked in mid-August and she was finally normalized, but with how sluggish she was at her game today, it's something that has me concerned.

My husband is using this time now to work on his truck as winter is just around the corner. The reason he bought the thing was so we would have something reliable to drive in the snow. You see, my truck is only 2wd, and the tires spin on ice and snow. I will be getting snow tires more than likely, especially considering I am on a job hunt and had an interview yesterday. I am hopeful I can find work soon so I can put some much needed work into my truck, pay off some debts and start saving for my 11th year reunion in Vegas next August (which I am hoping will double as a honeymoon for my husband and I since we never had one- next August makes 10 years together for us, a huge anniversary!). Anyhow, so he used today to work on his truck and my daughter and I were stuck at home bored out of our minds. We got outside and I walked around as she rode her bike, but I was so restless today, and I don't quite understand why.

Next month is my birthday and already people are asking, "What are you doing? Are you excited?", I keep thinking, how can I be excited when it puts me one year closer to 30? Wow, when did I become so negative in life? I don't think it's negativity as much as it is just a realization that I am not getting any younger and can feel it physically as well. My teenage years were slow going. My 20's flew by! I am trying to look at my 30's as a new chapter in my life- one of growth, wisdom and learning. I know that some of my viewpoints have changed over the past couple of years and I believe mostly that is due to being a parent, but still...could it be age as well? As for my birthday, I have no plans, I just don't really celebrate it. My husband will take me out to dinner and buy me a cake or something, but I don't really have parties anymore. I haven't had a "party" since I turned 25 (which was fun!). Maybe I'll have a party when I hit 30. Who knows? I wonder if that is the way my parents felt when they hit 30. I know when my mom hit 40 she would tell me that she was 37 and that's where she was staying for the rest of her life. My mom will be 50 next year as well. We're almost exactly 20 years apart. As we both get older though, our bond becomes stronger, and that's something I am grateful for.

And I remember when turning 21 was so cool. I spent it dealing with morning and all-day sickness because I was pregnant with my daughter. It was still a great time though. I'll never forget how I went to a club, 6 weeks postpartum (after a c-section, mind you) in heels, dancing. I wish I had that energy again! Hah!

Restaurant Review: Lee's Garden Restaurant, Marina, California

2007-09-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have to say, it has been 4+ years since I have had decent (and good) Chinese food. Up here the Chinese food is a lot different and so far I have not been impressed. I have been to the Kowloon Inn in Ferndale (which was a joke in itself), the Kowloon Garden in Bellingham (I do not know if they are related, but I was just not very impressed with their dishes), have had Lucky Panda in the past (which is the equivalent of Chinese Fast Food), Haggen's Chinese food (aka "Haggenese" and again, the equivalent of Chinese Fast Food, but will do if you are in a hurry). We were supposed to go to Oriento on the Guide Meridian in Bellingham this past weekend, however, my daughter ended up sick and we had to cancel date night on Saturday (I still was able to go watch Rob Zombie's Halloween (which I may or may not review later, we'll see) though, as my husband took care of her for me and we had already purchased tickets on Fandango). We're going to try to get out to Oriento next month instead.

Anyhow, while in California, I really wanted some Chinese food, and had planned a get together with some old friends and my mom and sister, but both friends were unable to make it, so after we went to the reunion picnic (we didn't eat at it, but I was glad I was able to stop by, even if it was for a little while), we went to Lee's Garden Restaurant in Marina. Marina is about 10-15 minutes north of Monterey and is the town next door to the former Fort Ord which now houses California State University of Monterey Bay (CSUMB). I haven't been to Lee's in years, and I was excited about going back.

We started off with my sister's order of Sizzling Rice Soup (something I have not noticed on the menu at the Chinese restaurants I have been to up here!):

I loved it. It was delicious and they had big shrimp in the soup. My favorite part was the water chestnuts though. I don't quite know why I love them so much, but water chestnuts are one of my favorites.

Then I ordered what I had been craving: Pork Fried Rice, Chicken Chow Mein (and Chow Mein in California you do not have differentiate between "soft" and "crispy" noodles- they are always soft!!! Unlike up here!), and Ginger Beef, which I haven't had in years. It was a delicious feast and the service was wonderful.

Pork Fried Rice:

Chicken Chow Mein:

Ginger Beef:

While I was there, I bumped into a classmate and her husband and baby boy. It turned out that there were a few of our classmates who were coming to Lee's Garden for lunch that day! As my friend Christina put it, "I gotta have a little Lee's in my life!" (Amen to that, sistah!) It was fun seeing my friend and her family (we had seen each other the night before at the reunion at Montrio's). When I go to visit home again, I will definitely stop by Lee's Garden for lunch!

Lee's Garden Restaurant is located at:

215 Reservation Road in Marina, California
(831) 384-6888

Stop by sometime and enjoy it! :)

Fall is just around the corner

2007-09-07T11:48:00.001-07:00

Ahh, my favorite time of year. Time to start my baking up (mostly pumpkin breads and hearty stews) and time to get ready for the impending winter (not my favorite season!). Recently I was looking at Brylane Home and came across the CUTEST thing ever, this:

I am going to be ordering that soon and getting my Wok set I posted about a while ago for free as well! Woohoo for great deals!

Last year I bought some of that silicone bakeware from some catalog I got in the mail and was not too thrilled with it. I think I'll stick with the regular ole tin sets they have.

Restaurant Review- Montrio's Bistro, Monterey, CA

2007-09-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of the meal because we were in the middle of our 10 year high school reunion. My friend set this entire thing up and she found Montrio Bistro, which has a wonderful reputation and serves fine cuisine. I had been there before, as one of my workplaces had our annual holiday party there back in 1998. Great food and wonderful service.

We were able to sit upstairs in a private room, use the microphone, and had bartenders at the whims of many of my fellow classmates, who wanted to have a couple of drinks. I did not drink that night as I was not feeling too well.

We started off with appetizers on every table, now that I actually did get a picture of:

Our appetizer was Crispy Calamari with Chile-Citrus-Basil Aioli and Tomato Basil Bruschetta with Roasted Garlic and Mozzarella. I did not have the Bruschetta as I was afraid it would upset my stomach even more, but the Calamari was lovely and light. There was just a subtle hint of that Chile-Citrus-Basil Aioli, which was a nice compliment to the Calamari.

After introduction speeches (one of which I had to give, and did okay on, thankfully!), we were served our salad, which was Field Greens with a Mustard Vinaigrette. I did NOT like the Vinaigrette at all, but the greens were delicious.

In between the salad and entree, we each went around and basically told the others what we had been up to in the past 10 years. We heard everything from people who have been married for years (like myself) with children to people who just got married, to people who just had babies to people who went on to receive their Master degrees, and even many who have served more than one tour in Iraq (one of our guys served a total of five tours in Iraq!). It was wonderful to catch up and get to talk with everyone.

We had our choice between a Grilled Certified Angus Prime New York Steak with Roasted Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms with a Red Wine reduction OR Grilled Wild Salmon with a Confit Potato, Artichokes and Pancetta in a Green Peppercorn Cream. I opted for the Wild Salmon has I had been craving it. It was delicious, moist and heavenly! I wasn't able to finish all of my meal, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I had no idea what a "confit potato" was, but apparently it's a twice-baked potato from what I was told. It was delicious, and I normally hate artichokes, but in the green peppercorn sauce with the pancetta, it was delicious. The pancetta was a bit too salty for my tastes, though, which is what any kind of bacon is (too salty).

Our dessert was a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Port Swirl Ice Cream and it was extremely rich. I couldn't get through but maybe 1/4 of the cake, which was small to begin with. It was like a decadent gourmet brownie. I loved the ice cream too, and the plate was garnished with a swirl of raspberry sauce, which complimented the cake very well.

The servers were wonderful and good about refilling our glasses with water. The only complaint most of us had was there was no A/C in there and it was quite warm up in there. But it truly was a wonderful experience that none of us will forget. I am looking forward to my 11th year reunion in Vegas next year! (WOOHOO!) I am REALLY looking forward to my 20th year reunion now though!

If you are ever in Monterey, California and would like to enjoy a good meal, stop in at Montrio Bistro on 414 Calle Principal in downtown Monterey.

Montrio's website
and you can call in for reservations at (831) 648-8880

I am back

2007-09-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been back since last Tuesday (August 28th). I don't know where to begin. First off, it was wonderful to see all the people I grew up with for the first time in 10 years. The reunion went wonderfully, and it's something I'll never forget. There are now plans for an 11th year reunion trip to Vegas (which I will see if my husband and I could pull off!). It also has me very excited for my 20 year reunion although it's 10 years off. I joked with a couple of my friends about it saying, "By then I will have a daughter going into her senior year of high school!" I really do NOT want to think about that right now!

It was also wonderful seeing my family and spending time with them, but the downside(s) to my trip were that one, I ended up very ill due to the Yaz pill (which my doctor had taken me off of the day I left for California, I am back on it now, it was a week break). I was weak and something weird was going on with my stomach. I was nauseous and I could not hold much food down. I also know that with the Yaz I gained back the weight I had dropped over the summer while working out, which really pissed me off because I had worked so hard at it. I am going to resume my workout starting Wednesday now that I am not feeling as weak and am up to the challenge. Another downside was the fact that I was technically there for only four full days, and I felt like I was tugged in several different directions. There just was not enough time to squeeze everyone in like I had wanted to. By the end of the trip, I felt terrible about not getting the chance to spend much time with my father or his fiancee and her daughter.

We canceled our camping trip for Labor Day because I came home extremely weak and not feeling too hot. I barely made it out of SeaTac due to my condition. I am bummed that we had to cancel the trip, but it was for the best. Not to mention, it's raining up here this weekend! Maybe it worked out for the best? Next summer we will go camping, but in July sometime.

I met his fiancee and her daughter and I love them both. I am so glad I had the chance to meet them but I am bummed I didn't get a lot of time with them. I'm hoping to get out to California next summer for a trip and to spend more time with them. Next time I go home it'll be for at least a week, if not two (depending on whether I am working or not, of course). My father showed compassion towards me for the first time because of how ill I am. It's true, I have gained weight since I saw him last summer- mostly due to my quitting smoking, but also the inactivity after quitting smoking and before starting my exercise regimen and the various hormonal problems/Yaz. He finally realized that I am not just a lazy fat slob and for once in my life, he realized that there are huge medical problems that I need to tend to. It was nice that he finally saw me for me. It also helped me to accept who I am. Yes, I look huge in some of those reunion photos- but you know what?? This is who I am. I have to accept it- I have to be okay with it, because I know that I am working on it. I have the diet part down, I had the exercise part down (which I am getting back into come Wednesday!), and hopefully I'll have this weight loss thing down. I'm not doing it for looks- I'm doing it because I want to be around for my daughter and I don't want to die from my obesity. But at the same time I can accept that for now, this is who I am. I'm hoping with diet, exercise, and going to the doctors, we can pinpoint the problems and work on them together. I am optimistic.

I have a couple of reviews to post and some pictures to share, which I will do in the next week or so! It's been a nice break, but it's also nice to be home.

I bid you all adieu

2007-08-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

for the next couple of weeks, as I will be on vacation. Trying to get those last minute vacations in!

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

Constant craving

2007-08-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

They say that if you crave dirt or clay you are mineral deficient. I have to wonder if the same could be said if you are craving fish. I have been craving salmon and tuna for a while now, so I had made a tuna salad for lunch today. Normally I am not a fish type of a person, as I have stated before, but for some reason, sushi and Nigiri rolls sound very appetizing to me lately.

My guess is that I must lack Omega 3's in my diet, and that's why I am craving salmon and tuna. I used to take Omega 3 vitamins, but could not stand the fishy burps that accompanied the brand I took. I know there are brands out there that do not cause fish burps, but I haven't picked up any in a long time.

Truth is, I have been craving salmon and tuna for quite some time now, I'd say since the beginning of this year possibly. I do not know how to cook fish and I would prefer not to cook it because I do not know what I am doing. Plus I am very gun shy about buying fish from the grocery store (I worry about contamination or fish that is rotten). The best time for me to eat fish would be when we go out to eat, but that isn't done regularly, either.

I guess I should start supplementing with Omega 3 vitamins again.

NFB: It's almost time

2007-08-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

I leave for California next week! I am really excited about getting to see my family and going to my 10 year high school reunion. I haven't seen a lot of these people in 10 years, and I am definitely looking forward to chatting it up with them again. I am a bit nervous about giving a speech (which I was asked to do), but I will get it done.

I'm also nervous about flying, for so many reasons, I just wish I could drive down there, despite it being a 20+ hour trip. I hate flying!

I can't wait to see my mom again, be around family I haven't seen in nearly two years and just hang out with old friends.

There won't be any blogging from me, as expected, when I am gone, but I promise to take a ton of pictures (especially when we go out to eat!). I am REALLY looking forward to having some Chinese food, California-style, again as well!

BBQ- what do you prefer?

2007-08-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

A dry rub or an actual BBQ sauce? When barbecuing, do you ever switch up your spices or sauce? I ask this because my husband only likes two things on the meat when he barbecues- Montreal Steak Seasoning and Garlic Salt. While I love it, I would like to try a sauce on what he grills. It's easy to buy something from the store, but I'm thinking of making a marinade to soak the meat in and drenching it while it's grilling.

I started a look up of some variations we could do and found a couple of interesting ones I would like to try, such as a Barbeque Spice Mixture on Recipegal.com, or even a Honey Barbecue Sauce recipe for chicken on About.com.

My MIL used to make a really tangy and delicious BBQ sauce from the fat drippings whenever she would broil a roast, but I can't remember how she did that. If you have a similar recipe, I would be interested!

I have to talk my husband into trying it out. I think it would be a nice variation!

To Wok or not to Wok, that is the question

2007-08-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

I got a new Brylane Home catalog in the mail today and they are offering this set of a Wok, four bowls, some chopsticks, and cooking spoons (wooden ones) for free with any purchase! I've been dying for a Wok for a long time and I'm considering putting an order in just to get this.

When I make a stir fry I use a regular frying pan, but it's hard to do if you have a lot of ingredients to put in the pan. I have used my father's Wok in the past and it worked perfectly. You don't spill things out of the pan, and the ingredients tend to just cook better together. However, trying to make fried rice in a flat frying pan just does not work. I end up with rice all over my stove. I can't stand it.

I figure maybe I could create my own Chinese food inspired meals if I had a Wok too...so maybe then I wouldn't miss it so much (which I do, because I have yet to find a good Chinese restaurant up here!). Plus with making it yourself, at least you know what is going in it.

So now I have to try to convince my husband that we can order something to get my freebie Wok. Will he buy it? We shall see!

Let's talk birth control pills and appetite issues

2007-08-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Now to all the people who don't like TMI posts- I am pretty sure that the words "Let's talk about birth control pills" should give you an idea of just how TMIish this post will get...so you've been warned!

Ugh. Last week was terrible. My appetite was insane last week, and now I feel like I've gained 10-20 lbs. I am still exercising regularly, trying to eat as healthy as possible and then I ended up with a voracious appetite, munching and snacking for a few days throughout the day on stuff that isn't so healthy for you. Chips. Granola bars with chocolate chips. Whyyyy?

When I got it back under control I realized how bloated I was feeling, how I felt like I had another 10-20 lbs on me. My moods have fluctuated as well, but I can place the blame on something else- birth control pills. As a means of fixing the various female issues I have, I was placed on Yaz birth control 4 weeks ago. I've been continuing to do what I am doing to stay healthy but my moods and my willpower are starting to wane. I'm constantly fatigued, I'm mopey, my appetite is out of control, I can't sleep, and I'm terribly bloated. Blah!

Yaz is supposedly the best one for me because of my moodiness and fatigue issues, and I have to give it 3 months to see if it does anything. This first month has been a mix of hell and "I'm okay". The first two weeks? I was fine. Now I'm dealing with restless legs, and everything I have mentioned above. Going into Yaz initially I was concerned, because of the fact that I am a large woman and blood clots are a huge issue with BCPs. For the first two weeks I was having psychosomatic leg pains. They have stopped for the most part but now I'm dealing with restless legs.

So now that I'm on this and trying to make sure I do what I'm supposed to do- how do I continue the willpower to keep exercising and watching what I eat? I've even considered buying an appetite suppressant because I am hating how hungry I am despite eating what I should. Someone told me to try eating low glycemic foods, and that's something I'm looking into. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I don't want to buy an appetite suppressant, but at this point I feel I have no choice. It's just not healthy either way.

Another thing I would like to get back under control is my insomnia. It's come back full force and it's nasty this time around.

8 things about me (MeMe)

2007-08-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Sue!

Rules

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 Facts (or whatever) About Me (Food-Related, of course!)

1. I'd love to have stainless steel cookware, but my husband is correct- it's hard as hell to clean off at times, especially if you cook eggs in a stainless steel frying pan, and I have no patience to soak and scrub!

2. I recently dug out my blender from one of the cupboards and have been using it not for smoothies, but to make my own pasta sauce since my food processor is one of those itty bitty ones.

3. Last night we had salad and chicken again, and I put more salad on my daughter's plate this time- to see if she would notice, and she did, but she finished it all.

4. I'll admit it, I'm terrible about cleaning my oven out. I hate doing it and don't do it often. I'll let the stuff burn off before I go in with Easy-Off Oven Cleaner.

5. My refridgerator needs to be replaced, it's killing our electricity bill and is far from energy efficient, but my landlord is too cheap to replace it. The side bar of the side door (you know, where you put condiments on) just broke off a week or so ago and I still haven't called him to fix it. My freezer is starting to act wonky, but he is still refusing to replace it. He'll fix the seals (which are worn out), but he won't replace it. It pisses me off and by law he's supposed to fix shit that stops working- but at this point in time we cannot afford a move. Sucks to be us!

6. My husband isn't a bad cook but he rarely ever cooks. He sure can grill though, and now that he has a 4 week vacation from his second job, I am looking forward to having some BBQ!

7. Ever since I started watching my diet, I notice if I have something that is greasy, I pay for it later on with a messed up stomach. Grease just does not sit well with me.

8. I had an auntie who died at my age (28) of stomach cancer (I never met her, she died before I was born). I am constantly freaked out that I could have it with all the stomach problems I have had, but I haven't been checked out for it. I was supposed to have an endoscopy back in 2003 for my GERD (acid reflux disease), but it never happened.

I am tagging the following people:

1. Mehgan
2. Kristin
3. Garrett
4. Cakegrrl
5. Jouette
6. Kate
7. Siuan
8. Mommabot

Alton Brown's comment about the his fat fans

2007-08-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last night I was on TWOP checking out the Iron Chef America thread. Someone had posted something that Alton Brown had said back in 2004 about his fat/obese fans on a forum he posts on. Here is what was said:

As for more serious matters, I’m passionate about this country getting off it’s fat butt and getting into shape. I see a lot of very heavy people at my demos and book signings and I don’t like that. They come up and they’re so nice and they say “gosh we love food and love your show” and I want to say “I think you might lay off both and go for a walk”. I’ve never actually said this because it would be mean but it really worries me.

I'm glad he didn't say it to his fans, but the fact that he would admit it public like that? I must admit how upsetting it was to read that, as someone who has been struggling with her weight for years. If I had a chance to meet Alton, I would like to say the following to him:

1. Do you really think all of your fat fans just sit around and stuff their faces? Do you think they are incapable of being anything but lazy because they are hefty?

2. While I understand your concern- do you not understand how hurtful that is your fat fans??

I have learned MANY things from Alton by watching Good Eats, but I'm incredibly shocked at how callous he is towards his fat fans. He may not say it, but he certainly thought it. There are plenty of fat people who are not lazy, there are plenty of fat people who do not gorge themselves. There are plenty of fat people, like myself, who do exercise regularly and eat healthy and still have to deal with the stares and jokes by strangers on a daily basis.

I did some more research on his quote but couldn't find anything else besides something from Big Fat Blog about Alton, and there were comments about him having had some sort of health scare around the same time he made that comment about fat people- so maybe that's where he is coming from. I can cut him a bit of slack about that- I can only imagine how scary it must be to face certain death because of a weight issue, but at the same time, it irks me because what it does is stereotypes and puts all fat people into the same category. There's enough fat discrimination in this world, enough already.

I like Alton and his sense of humor, I am not going to boycott him per se, but I'd like him to know that he does have a fat fan who took his quote quite personally and wanted him to know that one size does not fit all.

EDITING TO ADD ON MARCH 10, 2008: My blog has been filled with some nasty comments regarding my personal opinion. I'll say this once and once only- this is not a site for you to shit on fat people- go somewhere else if you want to do that. Any hateful and derogatory comments will be promptly rejected.

NFB: On This Day in History

2007-08-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

I was tagged by my friend Katy to do this MeMe. It's a bit challenging but GOOGLE is your friend!

On this day in History...

Today is Tuesday, August 7, 2007. This is the 219th day of the year, with 146 days remaining in 2007.

Fact of the Day: climate

Climate (the word) is from Greek term meaning "slope or inclination of the earth and sky from the equator to the poles," i.e. a zone of the earth occupying a particular elevation (a clime). The word as referring to an atmospheric/weather condition was first mentioned by Shakespeare in 1611.
Holidays

Feast day of St. Donatus of Arezzo, St. Victricius, Saints Agapitus, Sixtus II and Felicissimus, St. Dogmetius the Persian, St. Albert of Trapani, St. Claudia, and St. Cajetan or Gaetano.

Colombia: Battle of Boyaca.

Cote d'Ivoire: National Day.
Events

1782 - George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart.

1789 - The U.S. War Department was established by Congress.

1794 - The Whiskey Rebellion took place, a fight over excise taxes imposed on whiskey-making.

1807 - The first serviceable steamboat, the Clermont (called by some "Fulton's Folly," made its first journey, traveling from New York City to Albany.

1934 - In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the government can neither confiscate nor ban James Joyce's novel "Ulysses."

1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

1959 - The U.S. launched Explorer 6, which sent back a picture of the Earth.

1960 - The Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) achieved independence from France.

1964 - Congress overwhelmingly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed the President to use unlimited military force to prevent attacks on U.S. forces.

1998 - A massive truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and another truck bomb detonated outside the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people, including 12 Americans, and wounding more than 5,500. The United States accused Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, a proponent of international terrorism against America, of masterminding the bombings.

2000 - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore selected Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman to be the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket.
Births

1742 - Nathanael Greene, general American Revolutionary War.

1876 - Mata Hari (Gertrud Margarete Zelle), Dutch-born dancer, courtesan, double agent.

1903 - Louis Leakey, British archaeologist.

1942 - Garrison Keillor, American humorist, radio host.
Deaths

1957 - Oliver Hardy, American film comedian who teamed up with Stan Laurel to form the comic team of Laurel and Hardy.

Tagging: Anyone who wishes to do this!

Battle Opah, tasty looking fish

2007-08-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

And those are words that you rarely hear coming from my mouth. I am not a fish person...I normally do not care for fish, but after watching Iron Chef America: Batali vs. Liu last night, I thought the fish looked lovely and was a bit reminscent of tuna. When Martin Yan (one of the judges- EEE! Love that man!) mentioned that opah was a very mild fish, I thought, that's a fish I could probably dig.

I thought Liu could pull it off, to tell the truth...the competition was intense and it looked like Batali was going to meet his match in his former employee...but when it came time to serve up the dishes, the taste and sometimes the look just didn't cut it for the judges involved. I do have to say that I really thought the whole pressured/preserved opah jar thing was a bit impressive, as was Batali's meatball concoction- fish meatballs- whoda thunk it? In the end, Batali won, and it was definitely a memorable show.

If you are a vegetarian you may want to skip this one

2007-08-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am back! I am feeling a lot better, thanks everyone. Ice coupled with rest and elevating the elbow helped tremendously. Next time I'll watch my daughter more closely and not stand so close! Hee.

Today we set off for the place we get our meat from, and picked up some pork chops (to my daughter's dismay) and boneless, skinless chicken breast. The prices are on par with Costco but what I like about this place is they package them up for you- that means I don't have to worry about going through the meat, separating it and packaging it up (which reminds me I still have beef ribs and Italian sausage in the fridge that need to be packaged up! Crap!). I also like them because their service is wonderful and if you need to call a special order in for you they help out tremendously and even call you to let you know when your order is ready.

On completely different topic, my husband's second seasonal job is winding down as berry season is just about through (no, he does not work in the fields...he works elsewhere), and I, for one, am ecstatic about it. Turns out he didn't get a chance to save as much as he had wanted to for his truck afterall (that is what happens when you back into your co-workers brand-new car and scrape up their bumper! Mmhmm...), but I told him I'll donate to his truck pool when I get a job. He has next weekend off (the first time in the past 6 weeks too), and we're planning on heading out to his brother's so they can work on his truck and we'll have a BBQ that night. I'm just going to be glad to have him home...I missed him.

This summer is starting to wind down and in three weeks I will be home, going to my 10 year high school reunion and visiting my family. I can hardly wait. After that, we are going camping and we're just about prepared for that trip, we bought the rest of our goods off a website I found while googling for camping gear. Unfortunately, the Coleman Extreme Cooler my husband wanted to buy is no longer available at Costco, but next weekend we'll go to G.I. Joes and pick it up. Otherwise we are good to go- we have our tent, sleeping bags, incidentals (grill, mosquito repellent, flashlights, etc). We'll go grocery shopping before we leave and then we'll go straight to camp and set everything up.

Speaking of home, I will be able to meet my dad's girlfriend and her daughter for the first time. I'm a bit anxious, nervous but excited to meet them. I feel for her daughter because they start school on Monday! (She's 10 years old.) It'll be nice to meet them, and hopefully I'll get along with my father. I think if we avoid each other enough it'll be okay. Sad to say, but true.

NFB: See you all in a couple of days

2007-08-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well being the smartie I am, today I went out today and while pushing my daughter on a swing, I overextended my elbow. It hurts to type. I'll be back later.

Ahh what I'd do for some ice cream right about now

2007-07-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have this late night craving for some ice cream. We haven't bought much ice cream this summer as I am trying to watch what we eat...so I've been trying to be good there, and last summer we almost always had ice cream in our freezer. This summer, I think we've bought maybe 1 quart so far. And it was just vanilla. None of the fancy Tillamook ice cream I crave.

A good alternative is the Healthy Choice Premium Low Fat Fudge bars, with 1.5 grams of total fat per bar and 15 grams of carbohydrates, this is an excellent alternative. I will probably get those sometime- I know Costco sells them in bulk, we've gotten them before. It's a nice treat for you if you're craving ice cream and chocolate.

Other than that, you could always just go the Otter Pop route...although sometimes that just doesn't do it for me.

What other alternatives do you use when you crave ice cream and chocolate?

(And can I say, I can't believe that tomorrow is AUGUST already?? Where did July go?)

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

2007-07-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I made MommyChef's Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake and it lasted well over the weekend into today, I am proud to say. It was easy to make and a very delicious cake my family enjoyed. Thank you so much, MommyChef!

I don't have a 9x9 pan so I ended up using a 13x9 (I believe) pan and ended up not having two layers of the delicious crumbly topping. That'll be my next household purchase, for sure. The cake itself was light and not too sweet and the crumbly topping was delicious and full of brown sugar-cinnamon-pecan flavor. I think even walnuts would work fabulously on this cake, but I think pecans bring out a different type of flavor. Even while mixing the cake batter for this, it was airy and light and mixed wonderfully. I have to say this is something I'll have to make the next time my sister and mom come visit, I think they would love it!

Here's the recipe:

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Topping
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Batter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together sugar, vanilla and butter.
Add eggs & milk, beat well.
Mix flour, baking powder& salt.
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients, just until moist.
Grease a 9x9" pan and pour in half of the batter.
Top with half of the nut mixture.
Pour in remaing batter.
Top with remaining nut mixture.
Bake in 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: about yesterday's blog

2007-07-30T14:42:00.001-07:00

If it is your wish to send hateful things to me because I expressed myself about poverty, your posts will be promptly rejected. Otherwise I will allow other posts (so long as they are not spam).

If you can't handle one person's outlook on poverty, then the world must be rather small for you.

NFB: Eye-opening poverty

2007-07-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I was up late watching MTV's True Life: I'm Dead Broke which featured three young adults trying to make ends meet in terrible conditions. There was a girl named Alexa living in Missouri who basically dropped out of high school to leave home because she didn't want to burden her mother, who already worked 3 jobs as it was. There was a 22 year-old woman named Sandra living in Oakland, California who was surviving by "hustling" doing people's hair (braiding). Then there was DeMarlon, a 21 year-old young man who lived with his parents and siblings in beyond horrible conditions. The other two I felt sorry for at points, but it was DeMarlon's story that really angered and depressed me.

DeMarlon and his family live in a rural area (Pembroke, Illinois) in this house that I can't even begin to describe to you. It's got no running water (they have to pump their own water), there is raw sewage running out of the side of the house, it's a small 2 bedroom house that can barely fit his two parents and five siblings, and on top of that, there is a cockroach problem they show on the show. The rent is $280/month but DeMarlon and his father stopped paying it because apparently they were trying to put it towards the repairs needed on the house (that is what I understood, anyhow). They are behind $2,800 and only have $100, both DeMarlon and his father go around town looking for odd jobs as his father has a hard time finding steady work. They are served with an eviction notice and DeMarlon starts trying to figure out what to do to help the family avoid being on the streets. He is on probation for having broken into a car to steal stuff (I assume to help his family survive) but he spends his time trying to get ready for a literacy test for the Army, which he plans on enlisting in to help make a better life for his family, as well as attending meetings with his P.O. (Parole Officer), which is 18 miles away from his house. The cameras follow DeMarlon as he starts walking for his 11am appointment at 8am. Luckily, he was able to catch a ride about 3-5 miles into his 18-mile walk.

In the end, the family is evicted but they find another place to live in. It's a run down singlewide trailer but it has running water. DeMarlon states it's not what he would want but he's grateful they have a roof over their heads. In the end, we find out that DeMarlon cannot take the literacy test afterall, because he is on probation. He's got 2 years til he can do so. That ending was so incredibly depressing to me- to knock out someone's dream of trying to make their family's situation better for them just made no sense to me. The update on DeMarlon and his family after this episode was that his father and himself still hadn't found steady work.

So, last night, being curious, I googled DeMarlon and found this- a Hope for Hopkins fund for DeMarlon Martin. This agency is trying to help assist DeMarlon and there was an update posted on the website stating that despite the airing of the program, his situation has gotten worse. He is still in Pembroke, and became a father. He is living with his girlfriend, and both of them are trying to find steady work so they can give their daughter a better life. I was saddened to read this but also hopeful that an organization is trying to help this family out.

It's so easy to judge the situation and say- but the family said they had a satellite dish that cost them $100, the family had a cell phone, the family ate steaks. First off- does living in poverty mean a person has to suffer and not have something they can enjoy in life- be a satellite dish or steaks? Secondly- it didn't look like they even had a landline, and perhaps that cell phone was one of those "pay-as-you-go" type of phones. Third, the steaks- well how do we know the production crew of MTV didn't pay for those? We don't know. We know nothing and yes, while they allowed their lives to be put on air, it's certainly none of our business either. Are we so petty we begrudge a few things in life that can help ease a struggling family's stress levels? Seriously? I'm all for personal responsiblity too- but someone like DeMarlon didn't get negative about the situation, he accepted what was going on and just tried his best to help his family out. When you live in a rural place it's hard to find work when you're cut off from places that may offer more work, especially when you do not have a vehicle (like in DeMarlon's family's case). There was no public transportation as well, and according to a website I found, the per capita income of people in Pembroke, Illinois is $9,642/year versus the U.S.'s average of $21,587. Income for specific ethnic groups was disparaging as well- with Caucasians earning $16,242/year versus African Americans earning $9,390/year. Also, on another website (Family-to-Family), I found out that Pembroke has no police station, no public transportation (as we previously had known) and many houses without running water.

I think it's amazing that we live in this country and whenever we see third-world countries we gasp and say how lucky we are to not live in a situation like that. But it's in our own backyard- Pembroke, Illinois. I'm sure there are many other towns in America who have similar problems. The fact that people living in America don't have running water and have sewage flowing freely from their house?? That is horrific. It's illegal for anyone to live in a situation like that, but the problem is that the people who live in these situations most likely do not know that it's illegal therefore they don't do anything. All I can say is watching this really opened my eyes up. And we've lived in poverty before- we've lived in a place where our roof was leaking and falling apart (but solved by putting a tarp on top of it) in lieu of expensive rent. It had mice problems and many other problems as well, but we dealt with it. However, at least we had running water and working sewage. I just can't even imagine that.

NFB: Youtube clip of the week

2007-07-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

(at least in my opinion)...

Does anyone watch the show MXC on Spike TV? It's from a Japanese show called Takeshi's Castle (or something like that) and they dub it with their own script in English. It's pretty funny, but some of the stunts are rather painful.

So I present to you, MXC's Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations!

I'll stick with Field Greens, please

2007-07-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of pre-packaged salad. I'm so lazy like that, but I love having everything I want and need thrown in the salad, only having to toss in a couple of extra ingredients (bell peppers, cucumbers, etc). In any case, I thought "Butter Greens" was going to be an excellent salad, hence its name. I was wrong. I hated it and thought it was rather smelly (not as in foul/ripe, but there was this odor it gave off that I did not care for).

Typically we buy Field Greens when buying bagged salad, which I love, and sometimes we'll add some spinach to it (raw, of course), cucumbers, and peppers. I'm a texture freak, and if it doesn't crunch I won't touch it. I think that is why I am so picky when it comes to veggies. I prefer them raw and crunchy, uncooked. Besides, isn't it better for you that way? The minerals and vitamins stay in tact?

What is your favorite type of salad (bagged or not bagged)? What kind of salad do you enjoy during the summer? One of these days I will throw some strawberries on my Field Greens and get a Raspberry Vinigrette to compliment it.

Choices

2007-07-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

We all are given choices in life, choices on a daily basis. When it comes to food it's no different. How easy would it be to choose to buy something that is so saturated in fat and deep fried so I wouldn't have to cook that night? Then again, it wouldn't be any less easy if I bought a bagged salad and grilled up some chicken breasts to create a healthy and wholesome meal. The past me would have chosen the fast food route. The new me is more conscious about the food I put in our bodies, and even if I decide to go the fast food route as a "treat" now, I realize it's a treat and it's not something we do on a regular basis. Although we never really ate out on a regular basis, we did make worse choices in the past about what we bought at the grocery store.

Oh but it's so easy! Rice or Roni! (Read the amount of sodium, you'll keel over.) It's not that hard to make your own version of Rice or Roni at home! Or how about frozen tater tots full of preservatives and such?? Not anymore. If I want a potato I buy them- you know, the real things. And usually I buy the red potatoes because they are the best when it comes to roasting. What about the storebought coffee cakes?? So easy for breakfast, no? But you could easily make MommyChef's Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake from scratch AND know what is going in your body! (I plan on making this in the next few days!)

I don't know why my mindset has changed. Don't get me wrong, homegirl can still get down on some cake and ice cream, but I'm trying to make healthier choices overall. Cake and ice cream can be left as an every other month treat. Weekends can be saved for pizza or convenience food every so often. There should be a balance of good vs evil, no?

I think what it boils down to is, I'm a step away from Type 2 Diabetes. The excess baggage (weight) I carry I does not help. The fact that my mother has it and it runs on my mom's side does not help. I'm hoping with diet and exercise I can change my destiny and continue to avoid Type 2 Diabetes and learn to live healthy. I lack discipline and what did I say at the beginning of the year? I wanted to change that. I wanted to be healthier. I was great at first, but things happened (an injury, getting busy with life), but realizing that it's not that hard to make easy HEALTHY food and put in at least 10 minutes a day at the beginning of the day for exercise will help one's attitude as well. Sorry if I'm preachy at all, but these are the very things I continue to tell people when they asked me why things changed in my life. I want to be a better role model for my daughter and I want to live longer so I can see her grow up- that is why I do it.

No one told me to do it- no one had to say, "Jennifer, you really need to lose weight" because I already knew that. I've been forced in the past by doctors and even my father at a young age (when I wasn't big to begin with) to lose weight. It's detrimental and until you can realize for yourself that you have to do it because you want to make those changes in your life, it won't work. The worst thing anyone can do is force someone to do something they don't want to do. Yes, it may not be healthy, but you're only asking for trouble by forcing it on someone. It will only backfire in the longrun. The same can be said for quitting smoking. It's not easy to do, and I've fallen off the bandwagon in the past, but committed myself to keeping to being smoke-free for the rest of my life as well. Losing my Grandpa and understanding that he needed oxygen to survive because he used to smoke is what woke me up and made me realize that smoking was a terrible choice and I needed to stop it. I can only hope he's looking down on me and smiling, because he used to beg all of us to quit smoking (many of us have quit as well). It also helps that my husband gave it up before I did. I thought to myself, if I can quit smoking, I can discipline myself to exercise and eat healthy foods as well. And that's where I'm at.

I will happily report that I have seen some progress since I started my exercise program over a month ago- my upper body has much more strength than it used to and my arms are finally started to muscle up. I can see that my "chicken wings" are starting to sag less as well (thank gawd for that, because these exercises I do- T-Tapp exercises- are pretty darned intense!). I have more stamina and energy than before, which is the best part of it all.

Late night blogging: Let's talk Pasta Sauce & Pork

2007-07-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's almost the end of the month and my supplies are dwindling. I've been craving a good pasta with sauce lately, and watched a show where someone sauteed their veggies and then stuck them in a blender to create a sauce to hide the veggies from her kids. In the end the kids LOVED it. Now that is what I'm talking about. Except I want to roast my veggies. I'm thinking I'll use my last green bell peppers, onion (maybe just a half), and a few cloves of garlic. Unfortunately I do not have fresh tomatoes on hand (when do I ever? Haha!), so I think I'll just use one of my cans of crushed tomatoes and puree that as well. It's just a thought. And I'm thinking it may be a meatless meal as well. I'll try it without the meat.

We've been doing pretty good about conserving meat this month and not eating a lot of red meat (except for the fourth of july when we had burgers). My husband is crying for some steak, but I'm thinking maybe this is something we should continue. Eating only ground turkey, turkey meat and chicken breasts (boneless, skinless). Another thing I will limiting in our diet is pork. My daughter just watched Charlotte's Web and took a stand against pork.

"You're eating his family!" she yelled at me.

I was confused and said, "What are you talking about?"

"You buy bacon Mom! I won't eat it. I won't eat sausage, or pork chops anymore. Nothing with pork in it!" (Said defiantly, mind you!)

Trying to stifle a chuckle thinking it was cute, I composed myself and said, "You don't have to, but I don't think your father will give up his pork."

"That's okay- I just won't eat it then."

Maybe I'll join her. No, not we're not going vegan or vegetarian anytime soon so please don't get your hopes up. Merely trying to eat more healthy and lean cuts of meat. I must admit that sometimes I get icked out by pork, thinking of where it came from...but I do like it (yeah, how silly does that sound?). There's always turkey bacon. Or Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage, which is pretty good, but if I tried to buy it my husband would notice the difference and throw a tantrum. Not gonna work. Truthfully speaking though, we do not eat a lot of bacon or sausage. I usually buy bacon once every 3-6 months in bulk at Costco (comes with 4 packages) and it'll last a good 2-3 months. Sausage? Haven't bought it in about a year and a half now (at least breakfast sausage).

Recipe Review: Easy Sugar Cookies (All Recipes)

2007-07-19T11:14:00.001-07:00

This was an easy recipe to follow, I promised a friend of mine that I would bake some cookies to bring to an event I have to attend later today, and decided on this. I didn't have Cream of Tartar so I couldn't make the Snickerdoodles I wanted, so I looked online and found this recipe. I used butter-flavored shortening instead of butter because I love the texture it gives the cookies (although I do not like the idea of trans-fats...but I really didn't want to use what little butter I had left). It was simple but after mixing it, the dough was rather dry, so I had to add a little bit of water to the mix to make the dough cooperate while I was handrolling them into little balls. Instead of using just vanilla extract, I added lemon extract to it as well to give it a bit of a kick, and some Cinnamon as well.

When they came out of the oven and cooled down we tasted them. I am not pleased with how they turned out but my husband said they were fine. They taste a bit...I can't even put it into words. Like it's missing something. I did everything I was supposed to, and put in all the ingredients I was supposed to, so I wasn't missing anything. It just had this funky taste. Or maybe I'm just funky. I don't know. Hopefully the crowd likes them. We shall see. (And I apologize but I did NOT take pictures!)

Easy Sugar Cookies
by Stephanie on All-Recipes

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

NFB: Random Thoughts

2007-07-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to start out with a congratulations to my cousin Michele and her boyfriend Mike for the birth of their daughter, Marley, who was born on July 11th weighing in at 10 lbs, 9 oz! (Michele had a c-section, no doubt!) She is a gorgeous baby girl and my uterus is aching!

This seems to be the "Year of the Girl" as I put it, my SIL is due in September with a girl, my friend Greg's wife is having a girl, my friend Heather had a girl in early May (I believe?), and I also have a pregnant neighbor who is hoping for a girl (I think she may just get her wish). It's definitely a good year to have a baby! I just can't wait to meet Marley when I go home in August and I can't wait to see my neighbor and my SIL's babies!

This summer has been a bit boring to me, but part of that is due to the fact that now my husband is working a second job. He decided to take it on so he could fix his Ramcharger. He's working 7 days a week and I know he's exhausted, so I try to keep my nagging and bitching to a minimum. I haven't had luck finding a job yet and I'm starting to get a bit anxious and antsy. I love my daughter dearly but I am almost ready for school to start again. I am really anticipating our camping trip on Labor Day more than anything now (along with my trip to California). It's hard to be without him and I can see the effect it's having on my daughter- who is really bummed that he's never around. It's never easy to sacrifice. I know another reason why I am so bored is because I am now out of school and I'm not under the pressure to turn in essays and my mind isn't as stimulated as it was, but I try to keep busy by reading books, exercising, listening to music, etc. Maybe I should take on a harder book?

Speaking of summer, where did our summer go? It's been cloudy and sometimes muggy here, and they are predicting rain for the next 7 days. Well, rain is good, the last thing we need is a drought here, but you know, it's a bit of a bummer, kids can't play outside. At least it's not in the 90s!

There is a difference between baking soda and baking powder

2007-07-16T15:54:00.001-07:00

I am convinced of this after making my first dessert in a crockpot (ever). I made a "hot fudge Cake Sundae" and had everything the recipe called for - except for the nuts and the baking powder. I substituted Baking Soda and it gave the cake this weird no flavor flavor- if that makes any sense?

Behold- the new crockpot:

And the Hot Fudge Sundae Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream (which helped it a little):

I had a jar of the Calumet Baking Powder, but it had expired, so I threw it out and forgot to replace it. I do need to pick up some as I'm supposed to bake two dozen cookies for an event I'm going to help with on Thursday.

Word to the wise- always keep BOTH Baking Powder and Baking Soda on hand. *Sigh*

Now, to share my Hot Fudge Sundae Cake recipe with you:

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 T. baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups hot water

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 T cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add nuts. Spread batter evenly in slow cooker.

Mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa in small bowl. Stir in hot water until smooth. Pour evenly over batter in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high heat setting for 2 -2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Turn off slow cooker and let cake stand uncovered for 30-40 minutes to cool slightly before serving. Spoon cake into dessert dishes and spoon sauce over top. Can be served with ice cream or whipped cream also.

NFB: Surviving the hottest day in the Pac NW

2007-07-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, July 11th, we set records all over Western Washington state with high 90s all over the place. Up here in Bellingham, we broke the record and it got as hot as 94°F according to the news. Where I live in Whatcom County, it was up to 98°F from what I heard from neighbors. Watching King5 news at 11pm, it was still 91°F at 11:15pm! I did what I could to keep my daughter and myself as cool as possible, so I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from our adventures that day!

Behold- our hot weather gear. Notice the purple bucket to the left? That was filled with cold water we were tossing onto each other. Then we have the essential SPF 30 sunblock by Banana Boat, a bottle of DEET to keep the mosquitoes from biting me, a green sports bottle of water for the active girl (my daughter, not me! HAH!), and a blue cup of ice cold water for myself:

My daughter was insistent on riding her bike, so I let her and I watched while sitting on our porch in the shade. Every 5 minutes I had her drinking from her green bottle:

It was a fine day indeed, but it's not something I'd like to relive anytime soon!

I will be resuming my adventures in Crockpotting again soon

2007-07-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

A very special person sent me a gorgeous, brand-new Cuisinart crockpot, and I can barely wait to use it! Right now I do not have any roasts in my freezer, so I am looking for any chicken breast crockpot recipes that may be out there. Or maybe I should make one of those dessert recipes (yummy-ness - is that a word??) that I have been dying to try! I'm not sure, but it WILL be used.

Meanwhile, there will be no cooking in the kitchen, no cleaning of the house, no sex in the Champagne room (hee!). It's just too humid and hot. And yes, to those who deal with high heat indexes, high humidity, 90+ temperatures all summer long, I know I am a big wimp. I know I'm a wimp in the winter and the summer. Now, off to go dump water all over these kidlets again and enjoy a nice warm day outside!

Otter Pops- another low-cal, low-sugar treat

2007-07-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Our local Costco had this box of 200 Otter Pops for $7.69+tax, so I said, what a good way to treat the neighborhood kids and my daughter during the heat, and we bought it. Curious at how much sugar and calories were in each pop, I looked at the nutrition information and saw that each pop (one will suffice per child, in my opinion) was 25 calories and had only 6 grams of sugar. Even as an adult, having 2 Otter Pops isn't a lot to make a dent in your daily caloric and sugar intake (again, in my opinion). Plus it's a classic kid favorite, right?

Now, everyday I am known as the "Otter Pop Lady" around this neighborhood...and we've already gone through about one-third of the box, but it's a nice treat (especially for today and tomorrow- we're looking at 90s with humidity here. Yuck.).

Irony is funny sometimes

2007-07-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after writing my post about eating and living healthy I had to run an errand for my husband (who just recently decided to take a weekend job to help put money towards his old school Ramcharger that needs way too much work done to it- plus tires which are not even cheap for his gas guzzler!), so I went into town and took care of business. On my way out of town, I decided to go through the drive-through at Wendy's and get my daughter a Frosty (those are so good, I don't care what anyone says, they taste like an old fashioned soft-serve malt ice cream). I decided to try their Frosty Root Beer Float or whatever it's called. I would say it's ironic, but I haven't really had a treat in a while, so hey...

My thoughts on their Root Beer Float? I liked the ice cream with a little bit of the Root Beer, but overall it was far too sweet for my tastes. I don't know what it is about me lately, but as time goes by I find many things either too rich, too salty or too sweet for my tastes. I can't eat certain foods I used to because of it. Other than the sweetness factor, it was a nice treat, but I think I'll just stick to the Frosty next time. It's not too sweet.

Eating, living healthy

2007-07-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

I think my husband is convinced that ground turkey is good, if not, better than ground beef. We have made the switch over. I didn't buy any ground beef this month, just ground turkey. I like it a lot more because it's so lean you don't have a lot of problems with grease. That said, the only problem is it does tend to dry out very fast. However, I have found that adding a little bit of EVOO to it while cooking helps to moisten it a bit.

My stomach isn't aching as much anymore, and overall if we can continue to eat leaner cuts of meat in the end it will be healthy for us (with an occasional red meat thrown in). This month we bought frozen burgers which we used up on the 4th, and chicken breasts and ground turkey. I may never become a vegetarian (I don't aspire to), but I'm learning to live with leaner cuts of meat and even more and more meatless meals to make what meat we do have stretch out.

Now my next item on the agenda is to push more greens and salads on us- I still want to contact a local farming about buying shares in them or at least getting local produce delivered from them, as mentioned before in June. I know my husband will be pleased we're buying local, and it's one less trip to the grocery store for us. It may be more expensive but it sure would be nice.

We have been good for the past couple of months at not buying extra desserty type things, which is something else I had been working on. We generally don't have dessert, so that's not a problem. If we end up with a sweet tooth, we'll have fresh fruit if we have it or a granola bar or a light yogurt.

I've been exercising regularly again (6 days a week) and feeling better as well. My daughter gets enough exercise for all three of us, she's usually outside running around or riding her bike (now without training wheels, yay!) all day long!

Feeding a crowd on a small budget

2007-07-06T14:41:00.001-07:00

This fourth of July we invited our neighbors and their three kids over. We are all in the same boat (broke from paying rent), so we both worked with what we had. When we went grocery shopping last week, we picked up frozen burgers at Costco, so we used those and there was just enough for all the kids and the adults. I had a bag of potatoes so the night before I used the Best Foods recipe for potato salad and made that (minus the celery and onion though as I didn't have either). My neighbor made a chocolate cake and I made a cream cheese frosting for it.

My husband manned the grill as I poured iced tea for the adults and juice for the kids and got all the condiments and buns out. Jen (my neighbor) and I started fixing the kids plates with the first batch of burgers, then we made plates for ourselves and our husbands. I was just so relieved that it fed us all and filled our bellies- we used what we had. I still have potato salad in the refridgerator! (And sorry I did not take pictures!)

As I had posted yesterday, my daughter got really sick from heat exhaustion so I spent the most of the evening tending to her. She was able to get out and enjoy the fireworks around 10pm though (it gets dark up here so late!).

Overall, despite my daughter becoming ill, we had a great 4th of July.

PSA: Make sure you drink water in the heat

2007-07-05T14:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my little girl ended up with heat exhaustion and I spent the rest of the 4th of July evening tending to her, trying to keep her cool and get fluids into her. We were concerned as she was vomiting up everything she would drink (and what little she ate), but finally, she was able to hold down some Pedialyte and started feeling better towards the end of the night. This morning she was doing a lot better.

Why did this happen? Yesterday we had temperatures in the mid to high 80s with some humidity here, and my daughter was outside, riding her bike with her friends. I thought she was drinking water but apparently she was not, because when she came inside, she told me "I feel nauseous, can I lay down?" I told her yes and asked if she had been drinking water, she said no and asked "Is that why I don't feel good?", I told her that is why I have her drink water all the time.

While I took care of her, I ended up with a bit of heat exhaustion because I realized I wasn't drinking enough water or looking after myself, so I started drinking a large cup of water slowly. In the end, I hope she learned her lesson about the importance of drinking water and keeping hydrated, because yesterday's events were not fun, especially for her!

Despite that, we had a great 4th of July, and a wonderful BBQ on a tiny budget! I'll post about that one tomorrow!

Happy Fourth of July to my fellow American bloggers

2007-07-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hope you have a safe and fun Fourth!

All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

2007-07-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

No, it's not what you think. I'm talking about human beings being a buffet for a wide variety of pests, such as a mosquito. The one thing I dread about summer is being attacked by the swarms of mosquitoes that live around here. Of course with the scare of the West Nile Virus, that's one more thing to worry about, but I hate the itchy feeling and the uncomfortable feeling of being bitten by a mosquito.

I don't know what it is about me- perhaps my body chemistry (that is what I was told by someone else who studied why mosquitoes attack) is the culprit. Since I was a kid I have always been like a magnet for mosquitoes.

Sure, I've tried it all- Avon So Soft, OFF! with Deet, but you have to constantly reapply, and last summer I got DEET poisoning from overusing the OFF! and was sick for a couple of days. I'm thinking of buying some Citronella candles and putting them outside on my porches to keep the buggers away. Even my daughter is itching up a storm. I told her this is how it must feel when a poor puppy gets a nasty case of fleas!

Food Product Review: Annie's Macaroni and Cheese

2007-07-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I gave into my daughter and said, "Yes, we'll buy Macaroni and Cheese when we go to Costco" last week. Normally they sell Kraft Mac N Cheese, but they had Annie's, which my husband chose, and we bought that instead. Last night I made it and did not follow the directions correctly, so I ended up with chunks of the powdered cheese concoction that I had to stir and stir and stir to get it all incorporated. I made it like I make my Kraft Mac n Cheese- in the pot with the hot pasta, butter and some milk. Annie's calls for mixing the cheese powder mixture with a 1/4 cup of milk and then pouring it on top of the cooked macaroni, butter optional. Doh!

So what are the differences between Kraft and Annie's? According to the Annie's website, the ingredients for the powdered cheese mix are: cultured pasteurized cheese, salt, non-animal enzymes. According to the Kraft website, the ingredients for their powdered cheese mix are: Whey, Granular & Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes). So there are a few glaring differences, but both are good in taste.

Overall I like Annie's a bit more than Kraft. It's not quite as salty as the Kraft is.