Angelina's Yummy Curious George Cupcakes

Angelina saw a recipe video yesterday on Nick JR . com.   She was so excited to make these and kept watching the 30sec video.  I told her I would watch the video and I would see if we can do it.  Well all it showed ya was how to decorate a cupcake with a Dora face on it.  It was a very cute idea, but a lot more involved then they put on.  LOL

Instead of Dora I decided to try to decorate it so it looked like Curious George.  To do the chocolate part, you melts chocolate chips in a glass bowl, then transfer the chocolate to a Ziploc bag, snip the corner and you have the perfect tool to write/draw with.  Unless you can draw your character free hand with just the chocolate, you first need to draw what you want on a piece of paper, then put wax paper on top, and draw right on the wax paper.  Then after your done, put it in the freezer to harden, once hard it will peel off and you can put it on the iced cupcake.  All that was what they show you on the video she found.  And it does actually work.  :-)

We didn't add eyes or a smiley face, and Angelina was perfect fine without it.  I will add that Angelina did all the work in making the actual cupcakes.  She is quite the baker!!!

Hope you enjoyed our little adventure for today!

Something I Learned

Yesterday I made a recipe for Oatmeal Pumpkin Waffles, it was my first time making a recipe from scratch by myself.  I'll start off saying that they were delicious, too sweet, and too many calories for just one waffle.  So back to the drawing board I go, but that's the fun part, experimenting!

To figure out the calories for one waffle, I took each ingredient, looked it up on CalorieKing, and added up all the calories.  I was mainly concerned with the Calories and Carb count...as those are the two biggies for me.  I also glance at sodium because my mom has to be careful with added salt.

I figured that my recipe didn't have much salt in it cause 1.) I didn't add salt itself and 2.) Nothing I added in had salt (so I thought).  The canned pumpkin I used had 5mg for 1/2 cup and I didn't use near that much.  Well while I was looking at the calorie and carb, I happen to catch the sodium on Baking Soda.  To my shock it had 629mg in the 1/2teaspoon I used.  And this recipe only allowed for 2 waffles, so thats 314mg for one stinkin' waffle.  (Which isn't entirely true cause the waffle smelled divine, Pumpkin and Cinnamon, delicious!!!)

After realizing this I took out of Baking Soda and it says under the warning section "Ask a doctor before use if you have a sodium restricted diet."
This has opened my eyes quite a bit.  Through my moms change in her diet I have figured out that "cutting out salt" from your diet doesn't mean just not sprinkling that white stuff in that cute container on your food anymore, its alot more than that!  Many of your processed foods have added salt in them, soups, broths, and totally forget about microwave dinners.  Cottage cheese is another biggie.  And now through my discovery yesterday even homemade baked goods/meals you have to be careful about.  Even if your not adding the undisguised Salt itself.

This brings up a question, that I am still trying to research, if I can't use baking soda, (or baking powder for that matter) what can I use?  I have done a little bit of "googling" and for my waffle/pancake recipes it looks like I can use yeast, it will just take a bit more preparation or rather time planning, but in the end will be worth it!

Not sure if any of you will think this is helpful but I guess the bottom line is really look at what your eating and if it truly fits into your eating plan!

My First Cooking Video

Good Morning
I worked hard yesterday on trying to make a cooking video.  As I mentioned yesterday they are alot harder then I thought, but for me I enjoy watching others cook, so I hope you do the same!

I'm sure over time I will get better.  This will be the first video that I share on my Blog.  This is my Youtube Channel where I share alot about my weight loss journey.  I have been on Youtube for a year and 5months now and really enjoy the support there!  Hope you enjoy the cooking video and please feel free to watch other videos I have posted as well!

My Mini Quiches Video

Harder Than I Thought

I wanted to make a Cooking Video this morning.  I had the perfect recipe I wanted to show.  Using a recipe from The Gracious Pantry plus something of Family Recipe that worked well together.  But the only problem was when I made the Family portion, I usually end up  just tossing things together and hoping it turns out.  I quickly realized that I need to be a bit more organize before I try to make a video out of it.  I did manage to film some and will put up a video soon, but it wasn't part of my original plan. 

I am hoping in the future that I can come up with more of my own recipes and share them.  I just had no idea it would be so hard!  This coming from someone that never measures, its hard to say "Just toss some of this, add a bit of that, ect."  You guys deserve something better than that!  :-)

On a side note, but one worth mentioning...is I have been blogging for a Month already!  I started on August 27th and here it is Sept 27th.  I have enjoyed sharing tid bits every day and will continue to do so!  I just want to say thanks to all of those that read, I hope you find it Fun, Enjoyable, and maybe even Learn something!  Thanks Again!!!

I will add the link to the cooking video as soon as its uploaded!

I Took The Pledge

Who's with me???

October: Unprocessed Month

The Effect Food Has on Me

Lets just say that its not even 8:00pm and I am ready for bed.  My eyes can hardly stay open as I type this. 

I did wake up early this morning to work my morning shift at work.  I did work 5hrs when I'm used to working 4.  And I did go to a gorgeous wedding right after work for a dear family friend...but all that doesn't add up to why I am so dang tired.

The only other thing I can think of is what I ate is having this effect on me.  I have been very good with eating only clean foods for the past few weeks, but today was thrown out the window.  And the foods that I did enjoy were not even close to being worth feeling like this hours later.  A big eye opener for sure! 

Even tonight after a delicious dinner my husband made, I was still left empty, wanting something more.  I walked (which was the only good thing in this story) to a grocery store and got a mini apple pie, which alone has 420cals.  Blah, I feel yucky.

Sorry to be such a downer tonight, no good recipe to share, no cute or funny stories to tell, just a jumbled mess.  But these days happen, am I right?

I can't wait until Morning so I can treat my body they way it should be treated, CLEAN!!!!

Signing Off, Night Night!

A Story Too Funny Not to Share

I took Angelina to the toys at the mall today.  You know the ones that sit in the middle of the mall, swarmed with kiddos, but too hard to pass up?  Those are the ones.  And today's toys were quite cute, first time I had been to these.  Angelina had a blast and I had just about the same amount of fun people watching, while keeping a close eye on Angelina as well.

They have a steam boat in the middle of the toy area.  You can climb up on it, and or walk through it.  On the top is the smoke stack, and its too little for a child to fall through but big enough for them to put their faces through and see the other kiddos walking through the boat.  (I hope your getting a good picture of this)

Well a little girl who was about 2 1/2, decides that the smoke stack isn't just that... its also a perfect TOILET!  Down goes her pants and she sits down on the whole.  And actually you have to give her credit, it was a perfect fit for her.  Her dad who was sitting close by, jumps up and says "No no no!!"  And does manage to get her before her business started, but about 6 other ladies that were sitting near by me included, were all just cracking up!!!!  He joined in too!

Hope you enjoyed this cute little story, like the subject said, it was too funny not to share!
Night Night!

Lasagna Spirals

The other morning I was watching The Early Show on channel 7, and they had a segment on dinners that freeze well for easy meals during a busy week.  They had a recipe for Lasagna Spirals, here.

It looked so delicious and super easy I just knew I had to try it.  Survivor Wednesday was coming up, and that would be a perfect time to make it for more then just Me and Mike and Angelina.  And it worked out so well, everyone loved it, even Angelina (who is very picky)

I'm going to run through the recipe quickly, since I left the link to the real one.  :-)  I did add my own spin to the end.

Ingredients:

10 Lasagna Noodles (basically a whole box, I can get about 14 of them rolled, so make the whole box)
1 pound Ricotta (16oz)
10oz bag of spinach  (I used a whole bag of frozen spinach which is 12oz and it was fine)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
6 Basil leaves chopped (First time I made this I left these out, 2nd time I added them in and couldn't tell the difference)
1 egg beaten
1 Garlic Clove
Salt and Pepper
Tomato Sauce (1 jar, or whatever else you want to use)
Optional: Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, or Chicken

Boil water with about a teaspoon of olive oil in a pot big enough for the long noodles.  Works best to boil them for about 7ish mins, I did it longer the first time and they get slimy and rip when you take them out of the pot.
I prepare a baking dish (9x12) by spreading a bit of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, this prevents the noodles from sticking.
As that is boiling I mix everything else together.  Then I take out the noodles and lay them out on a paper towel.  Once they are cool enough to handle, I take a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture and spread it on the noodle covering most of it, then roll it up, and place on a pan cut side down. 
Then take the rest of your sauce and pour that on top.  Bake for 35mins at 350.  Near the end take some cheese and sprinkle it on top if you'd like. 

That's pretty much it, very easy, and very tasty. 

My Spin:  My Dad is a meat eater, so I cooked up some ground beef and added that to the tomato sauce.  I made this recipe again tonight and I added bits of chicken into the ricotta mixture, and made Alfredo sauce for the top, that was very delicious.  So basically you can do pretty much whatever you'd like with this recipe, just have fun with it!!!

Here's some pictures to go by as well!  Let me know what you think, and if you are going to try it!

Ricotta Mixture

Little bit of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking

Rolling up the noodles

Place cut side down on the pan

In the pan with ground beef and tomato sauce mixture

Done cooking with some cheese melted on top (Add near the end)

Deliciousness!!!

9:00pm BedTime ...Oops!

Well here it is 9:15pm and I am missing my 9:00pm bedtime!  LOL Yeah right, what mother/wife gets to be in bed by 9??

We just got back from my parents house for Survivor Wednesday.  Was another fun day!  Tried yet another new recipe, and even tried to make dessert.  Lets just say they both tasted amazing, but I broke their blender in the process.  At least me mixing up the bananas for dessert was the straw that broke the camels blender.  :-)

Thats really all I have for you guys tonight.  I'm going to be making Lasagna Rollups tomorrow for dinner, and I'm going to document the process to share with you in the next couple of days, be excited, VERY excited!!

Night To All!

A Quote from Angelina

My mom shared this with me today, and it was too cute not to share!!! 

The setup:  My mom was hanging up clothes outside, and Angelina wanted to follow.  Angelina asked if she needed shoes and socks, and my mom said...

"No your ok, you have barefeet"  Then Lina laughed and said,

"No I don't, I have People Feet!" 

I am cracking up again as I share this!!!  I love it!!!

My Aching Back

I should just end the post where is started, with the Title! 

I did the Shred-It this morning 9 hrs ago, and my back is killing me.  I'm not sure yet if I did something wrong, or if its just muscles that aren't used much...we'll see in the morning.  But I have had the Tylenol close, with the ice pack even closer today.  That combination has helped, but just sitting here in the computer chair is aching again, hopefully I'll be able to sleep ok tonight.

Having complained, I must say that it was quite the workout, and despite the back, I feel great.  I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but it will be that good feeling sore.  I know tomorrow I will not be doing the Shred-It, but I do plan on doing "something!"

I think tomorrow I'm going to start something new, and write the blog mid morning or close to that.  You guys deserve more then a tiny tid bit right before bed.  Until tomorrow, Hugs!

You Know its Going to be a Great Day When...

Your Underwear Fits Better!

That was my thought anyways this morning after getting out of the shower and putting on a pair of undies that have always been too tight, and THEY FIT!!!

Ok maybe thats a bit TMI for you guys, but I'm just being honest.  I put my scale up a couple of weeks ago cause I hated what it told me every stinkin' morning!  So to have this measurable "success" with the underwear was just what I needed. 

For weeks know you all know that I have been trying to eat better, hardly any processed foods except for a few meals that needed to be convenient.  Feeling great, and can even see a difference when looking in the mirror.  (I still refuse to step on that scale)

Since I have the food portion under control (for now) I decided it was time to push the exercising.  I still try to get a least a little fresh air walk daily, but its time to get a bit more in.  I bought Jillian Michael's Shred-It with Weights this weekend...watched it this evening (like it was a movie or something) and am ready to actually do the workout tomorrow morning!  I will be sure to let you guys know how it goes, that is if I still have enough strength to type afterwards.  I'm a bit nervous but excited at the same time.

Yeah for Exercise!

Too Pooped to Poop

Catchy title??

Well that about covers it.  Busy Saturday Family Day.  We traveled to the Fair again today, weather was beautiful again.  We thought we were going to run into some rain, but nothing but Sunshine!  Walked over 2 hrs there, came home...cleaned house, worked on cutting more quilt squares, a little bit of knitting, and made two wallets today.  (I'm working on crafting some Duct Tape Wallets to hopefully sell in the near future!)   Now I'm off to bed a bit early tonight because I work early in the morning.  Then its off to my nephews Birthday Get Together, Happy 6th Birthday Mitchell!!!

I love busy family weekends, but they get me tired!  Night Night!

The Quilt Saga Continues

So tonight I started to cut the squares for my quilt.  5x5, and I started with the brown since that was the smallest amount of material to work with.  I decided to cut it all, just to have the squares cut in case I make another quilt.  Well 78 squares later, I'm done. 

I will not be cutting ALL the other material, I repeat I will NOT be cutting all the other material.  I'm only going to cut what I need and a couple more for mistakes.  :-) 

Based on my calculations (which I shouldn't trust) I should have had 3 times what I needed.  Considering my mistake explained in yesterdays post.  So that means 21 right?  I need 7sqs. and 7 times 3 is 21.  Well how in the H E double hockey sticks did I get 78 (I should have had 80 cause I messed up with one cut) ? 

I have No Idea, and my brain is tired of trying to figure it out!

I do know that when I was mapping it all out, I forgot to figure in double due to the material being folded in 1/2.  So even IF I told the fabric lady the correct yard-age...I would have had double!!!  Geesh this is going to be one expensive quilt, money...and mentally! 

A Mistake to Laugh About

All day I was figuring I would talk about our dinner we had last night for The Survivor Premiere, I tried out a new recipe and the words "restaurant style" were used by my husband when asked how it was.  Trust me I will share the Lasagna Roll Up recipe but just not tonight.  Something far better came up...or shall I saw Blog'worthy!!!

I was inspired by Stacie (Her Blog Here) to make myself a little throw quilt.  She shared her journey on Facebook, and just finished her beautiful quilt the other day, it even passed the "washer test!"  When it comes to sewing I have a hard time just jumpin' in.  (Now cooking is a different story)  With much thought, planning, and 3 trips to the fabric store I was ready to map out my quilt pattern on graph paper.  Yes I'm that specific.  I won't tell you that I mapped out 3 different designs before settling on one.  :-)

I knew how big and how many squares I wanted of each color/pattern of the yet to be bought material, and with butterflies in stomach I left to head to the fabric store.  Angelina came with for moral support, lol!  Didn't take long to pick out the material, I mean I had been there and looked several times, so then off to the cutting counter I went.  I was feeling pretty proud and confident at this point, I had my list of measurements right there in front of me. 

First up was the solid brown, I knew I needed 1 1/2ft.  I needed 7 squares that were going to be 5x5 and this was going to give me 5 extra squares, so perfect!  Well now we get to the point where I wasn't thinking straight, and maybe the butterflies were doing the talking.  Because the lady asked how much I needed and I said 1 1/2ft, and she said ft?  You mean yards right?  And I said, oh yeah right yards.  And this went on for the other 4 fabrics I had, in varying lengths.

It wasn't until I get home that I figured out my mistake.  I was showing my Hubby the brown telling him that this was going to be used for the 7 squares in the middle, and noticed I had more then 7 squares worth of material, even more then the 12 I accounted for.  Then it hit me....

I have 3 TIMES as much material as I need!

1 1/2ft does NOT equal 1 1/2yards, I and knew this, but apparently the butterflies didn't!

I was so embarrassed all I could do was laugh!  And I have been laughing since!  (Going on 2hrs lol)

So yes my title, A Mistake to Laugh About :-)

Without further a do, here is the material I picked out!



Solid Pink, Pink Girl Monkeys, Pink Brown Beige Stripes, Pink with Brown and Beige Dots, and a Solid Brown



Here is the close up of the Monkeys!

Survivor Wednesdays

Wednesdays are going to be busy busy starting today.  My family and I like to get together and watch the reality show Survivor together...Dinner, Dessert, and a Show!

Angelina and I go over early and help my mom get dinner started, which is what we are going to be doing today.  Mom will be here very soon, then we will go to her house and plan out our meal.  Tonight we are making Lasagna Rolls Up or Spirals, I have seen them called both.  We aren't sure what dessert is going to be quite yet, but something simple since dinner will take a bit of prep work. 

Survivor Premiere tonight, and Big Brother Finale all in one night!  We won't be home until later tonight, so thats why the blog is up early.  I will be sure to take some photos to add to tomorrows blog!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Egg Rolls Rolled in Cabbage Leaves

I made these for dinner last night, linked a picture on Facebook and a handful of you guys wanted the recipe.  I feel sorta strange cause I didn't follow a recipe, and when I make dinner I just throw stuff in and cross my fingers!  This did turn out, and I will try to remember the steps I took.

Ingredients Needed

1 Cabbage Head
1/2 Onion (I used a white one)
2 Green Onion sticks (lol)
1 Carrot
1 Celery Stick
Garlic (I have minced in the fridge already to go)
Soy Sauce
Pepper
5 Spice (Chinese Style is what mine says)
Olive Oil

I started out peeling the leaves off of the cabbage.  You want them to be as whole as possible.  Hubby helped with this part as I was getting frustrated.  No real hints other then to go slow and squeeze the cabbage once in a while to loosen up the leaves.  We got 8 good leaves before they got too tightly wound around.  Save the rest of the cabbage for later.

I then filled a big pot about 1/2 full of water, brought it up to a boil, then added the separated cabbage leaves to the water.  Boiled them for maybe 5mins, just long enough to make them pliable, or so they don't crack when you roll them up.

As that was boiling, I chopped up both Onions, and about 1/2 of the left over cabbage (finely) and Celery, and I zested (Not sure if thats the right word, but I used my zester tool) the carrot.  So you get very fine pieces of carrots.  I don't like carrots so I tend to hide them, lol.  I then got a frying pan ready with some olive oil in the pan, and sauteed the veggies.

I had cooked ground turkey earlier in the day, so I added that to the veggie mix as well.  I then tossed in some soy sauce, pepper, and the 5 spice.  No measurements just sprinkled.  :-)  I let that heat up, while I took the cabbage leaves out of the water and laid them out on the counter.

I then took one leaf, put in about 2 Tablespoons (give or take) of the "inside mixture" and rolled up the leaf like an eggroll, tucking the sides in and placing them in a dish/pan.  I did this with the 8 good leaves.
I preheated the oven at 350, and made a topping sauce of olive oil, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  (Probably about 1/2 teaspoon each) and brushed that on top of the eggrolls while they are in the pan.  I then placed them in the oven for 15mins to warm them up again.  Then I broiled them for about 3-5mins or so to get them toasty on top!

And there you have it.  My horribly typed recipe.  Hopefully I didn't confuse anyone, its a super easy throw together recipe...and I probably made it sound hard.  LOL  Any questions just ask away!

Be sure to let me know if you make them yourselves!!!

As Promised

Here is the recipe for the Unbeetable Chocolate Cake I made yesterday...if anyone of you make it let me know how you like it!

http://www.rightathome.com/Food/Recipes/Pages/UnbeetableChocolateCake.aspx


I'll start off by saying, its a very long prep process, but its the best cake I have ever tasted.  And no you can not taste the beets in it at all, but the beets are what makes the cake so so so moist!  Did I tell you its delicious?  :-)

I'll let you read and follow the recipe but I thought I would chime in on a few things.  You could prep the beets earlier in the day or even the day before, that would have been better.  You have to boil the beets until they are soft when pierced with a fork, much like potatoes when making mash potatoes.  Then you have to peel the skin off, which works great using a paper towel...but make sure you have plenty cause I used 1-2 per beet.  And your fingers will turn a beautiful beet color, but does wash off, trust me. 

Be prepared to bake the cake for a while.  It takes all of the 45mins they say it will.  They do offer a glaze for the cake, which I did not do since Mike doesn't like icing, but it sounds tasty.  It says that the glaze will get firm...dreamy chocolate!  Maybe next time.  But I did sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, mainly for looks.  Just a FYI, probably not a good idea to do on a Birthday Cake with Candles that need to be blown out!  LOL  Yeah powdered sugar all over the table....but hey it was a good laugh! 

So there you have it.  A cake that no one will guess the ingredients, as long as you tell them the cake name after they ate it!  :-)

Sorry I have no pictures, I was at my parents house making the cake and forgot the camera!  I'll be sure to bake this one again, and will photograph the process!

Hugs!

Short and Sweet

Tonights post is going to be just that.  Today was my Hubby's Birthday, and boy what a day it was.  I hope he had just as much fun as I did celebrating it together.  It start off for me with a walk to the store to get the fixings for his Pancake Breakfast.  (A tradition that I grew up with, Pancakes when you wake up on your Birthday!)  What pancake isn't complete without Whipping Cream?!  I bought him a donut to hold him over while I made the pancakes from scratch.  Me and Angelina sang Happy Birthday and let him blow out 3 candles that were on the donut.  It so much fun to see Angelina get so excited.

After a relaxing morning at home, we then went to my parents house to watch the Seahawk game.  They had bought Pizza for lunch, which was delicious!  Me and Mom made a cake called Un'beet'able Chocolate Cake, which you guessed it, was made out of Beets.  My oh my was it amazing!  Took 2hrs to prep, and 45mins to bake, but totally worth it in the end!  I plan on blogging about it soon, but I am beat (no pun intended, ok well maybe a little bit) and am ready for bed!

After cake, we enjoyed a nice evening at home.  A nice and simple day, but a special Birthday Day none-the-less!  Happy Birthday Honey!!!!

Food For Thought

As a warning...this isn't going to be a holly jolly post tonight.  This blog is about me, my family, and about life in general.  And some days are just not up to par, I'm sure you'll understand.  :-)

In the last couple of weeks, I have been stressing the point that we need to start eating better, and for the most part I am proud of the direction we are going.  There were weeks where we were spot on, meaning home cooked meals all from scratch...and those weeks were some of my best weeks!  Both physically and emotionally.  I found myself laying in bed after 10:30pm replaying the day, and thinking usually I would be dog tired, or how I like to say it, "Too pooped to poop!"  And there I was, tired, but not exhausted.  And I contribute that to the foods I WAS eating and to the foods that I WASN'T.  Feel great, what how I would explain it.

Well, we sort of slipped back on our day trip to the Ocean, and haven't gotten back to where I want to be yet.  Yesterday at the Fair, we had our share of Fair Food.  Not everything, but more then I should, lets leave it at that.  Then we get to today...well lets back track a few hours.  Before leaving work last night, I bought three packages of Pretzel M&M's.  (For anyone that can eat them, they are delicious, I highly recommend them...Me?  I shouldn't be eating them)  But since I was feeling less then awesome, I thought the M&M's would pick me up.  Knowing full well that wouldn't be the case, but my head didn't listen to that part, and I bought them anyways.  Ok so this morning started off with a bag of M&M's ><  Food has a hold over me, both bad foods and healthy foods.  I'm sure 1/2 of what I'm feeling is guilt but the other 1/2 is just because of the crap that I'm putting back into my body.  And its an endless cycle, I feel good for a bit (sugar high) then I crash and want something to get me going again, and that happens over and over and over again.  I have read numerous books on this, and eating processed foods, makes you crave more processed foods...I am now realizing that this is true for me. 

I ended up getting Chinese Food for a late lunch early dinner, big mistake.  I get all crabby, tired, and selfishly took a nap.  Which then makes me feel guilty both eating Chinese and taking a nap.  Then I had to work this evening and blah blah blah.  Enough said I guess.

An already long story short...I challenge you to really look at your emotional state after you eat certain foods.  Its a real eye opener.  But one that will because a learning tool for me!  I'm determined to take one day at a time, one meal at a time, and I can't wait to feel like I did a couple of weeks ago!  That I have to hold on to!

Thanks for reading, and again I'm sorry this is a bummer of a post.  But maybe I helped someone out by sharing!  Hugs!
Night!

Summer is Truly Over

Growing up, school always started just after Labor Day.  I believe it was my last two years in High school we started at the end of August, some grand idea someone had.  lol  Even though Labor Day Weekend was the last official weekend of Summer, for me Summer wasn't truly over until we went to the Puyallup Fair.  Which starts the Friday after Labor Day and continues for 3 weeks.  We would go at the very least one time, if not two or three, the good ol' days when things were cheaper!  (I still don't know how my parents managed to raise 4 children, a family of 6.  Having a family of my own, I am amazed at all the things we got to do as kids!  Kudos Mom and Dad!) 

I remember thinking on the car ride home every year, ok this is it Summer is Officially over.  I am guessing maybe it was because that was always the last major "thing" we did for the summer. 

Now as an adult I view the Fair a bit different, but it still holds a special spot in my heart.  Maybe because I want Angelina to remember these times as much as I did as a child.  Today was Opening Day of the Fair, and thankfully Mike took the day off work so we could go early in the morning.  Today from 10am-12pm if you brought a donation of food with you, you were able to enter free of charge.  (That was a savings of $21 for me and Mike, and was a lesson to Angelina about donating food for people that need it.)  An hour of traffic after getting off the freeway, and paying for parking ($10 for all day) we were off to the front gates.  It was a perfect day, warm enough but chilly enough for a hoodie...I do love my hoodie.  :-)

This was Angelina's first year of being able to enjoy a Fair Ride or two.  The years past we just didn't bother with the kiddy rides, other then the Old Fashion Carousel.  Boy was she excited, buying her tickets and choosing her rides.  The first ride was a child sized roller coaster, that was big enough for Daddy to enjoy with her.  But after waiting in line and seeing/hearing what it did, she had decided it wasn't for her.  Daddy was a bit bummed, lol.  She then settled for the kiddy swings, which she rode by herself, and my was she proud!  (Momma could have cried)  She then picked the Giant Slide, and that was with Daddy, and the last ride was of course the Carousel.


After the rides we spent some time walking around, people watching, looking at farm animals, and of course sharing some fair food.  3.5hrs of walking and I was tired, especially knowing I would be working in a few hrs after getting home.  Money was spent, feet were tired, but it is all worth it to see our child Smile!!!

I thought I would share a few pictures from our day of fun!  Enjoy!


Ok so I can only get two pictures to show up correctly, I will work on adding the others tomorrow!  Night!

A Clean Living Room Makes...

This Mommy Very Happy!

Many of your mothers can relate to this I'm sure.  And actually anyone living with a significant other, or roommate, I'm sure the scenario is the same!

I spend most of my day cleaning and re cleaning and probably cleaning again.  Whether it be the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms ect.  I also work part time in the evenings some nights, and my wish when I leave is to keep the house the way I left it.  Lol.  But I understand how hard that is, so I don't hold my breath. 

Well the other night when I came home around 10:20pm, the living room was all picked up, and the kitchen was spotless with the dishes hiding in the dishwasher.  I loved it!!  I was so happy!!!  And to make my night even better my husband and my daughter left me this note on the message board!

It says, Thank you and have a fun day off tomorrow!  Love Daddy and Angelina.
Then Angelina wrote, The Living room is All Clean!  And those two people are Me and Her!

*Hearts Melts*  I just knew I had to take a picture and Share it!

Your Body's Natural Sigh

Many of you that know me, already know that I talk about this Natural Sigh alot.  Everyone has this amazing mechanism that their own body's do.  Its a warning sign that we are full, its our body telling us to stop eating...who knew!  Our very own diet couch in each of us!  If we just let our bodies do what they are supposed to, AND listen we'd all have perfect bodies.  Ok well maybe I'm exaggerated a tad, but our bodies are truly amazing!

So what happens is, nearing the end of a meal, our bodies let out a sigh.  You have to be listening for it, and paying attention, but the idea is that when you sigh, you stop eating.  Even if your plate isn't empty.  Hard facts to swallow for some I'm sure, many of us don't like to waste food.  But don't let that be an excuse, ever heard of left overs?  :-)

I have tried to listen to this sigh for many years now, and I usually hear it at least one meal a day, mainly being dinner.  Now that I can hear it and notice it, I need to work on actually doing the other half of the equation, STOPPING!  Most times my food just tastes too good, I guess I'm just too good of a cook.  (I'm sure my hubby would second this)  This is doing nothing for my weight loss though, so I truly need to work on this.

I'm going to pat myself on the back tonight in this post.  I fixed one of my favorite meals for dinner, French Dip.  I think I have a slight addiction to these warm sandwiches.  I fixed 2 each, and a side salad for me, that I ate first.  With my salad down, I was about a bite away from finishing up my 1st sandwich, and there it was The Sigh.  I secretly tried to hold my breath to make it disappear, but as many of us know bodily functions just don't disappear.  Lol 

I thought long and hard about finishing at least another sandwich, they are so good, and what's One More?  But I choose to listen to my body, and stop, cause I was full and satisfied.  I was very proud of myself, I got up... wrapped the whole sandwich (plus the 1/2 that was left from Angelina) and put them in the fridge, for Tomorrow!

I know this might not seem like a very big defeat for some, but this is huge for me.  Its time that I listen to my own best couch!!!  MYSELF!


Have any of you listened to your natural sigh?
Do you listen?
If not give it a try and let me know how it goes for you!

Whats the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread?

Whats the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread?

Homemade freshly baked Bread, that you get to slice yourself!  This is my answer!

We were given a bread making machine for our wedding 5 years ago.  Thanks Rhonda!  About a year ago we needed to buy a new one.  Now a Thanks to my parents they gave us a new one for Christmas last year.  I have probably made more loaves of bread in the last month, then I have the whole year as of yet.  There is something magically about adding in ingredients, waiting 4hrs and the smell in that last 45mins is truly amazing!  (I have 20mins left on today's loaf as I'm typing, Yummy)

I love how there is only 7 ingredients, much less then store bought bread.  I also love knowing all those ingredients, and to know there isn't anything else added that shouldn't be.  French Toast, Sandwiches, Garlic Bread, all taste so much better on bread you make yourself.

I know some of you are saying "But she has a machine she didn't really make it herself."  On one hand I can agree, true I didn't knead the bread, wait for it to rise, knead again, ect.  But you also have to admit that my machine baked bread is alot closer to Handmade then any store bought bagged loaf....Right?  :-)

Angelina helps nearly every time I bake, and making bread is her favorite.  I used to just let her pour in the ingredients after I measured, she was satisfied.  It didn't take long before she wanted to help more.  I then let her scoop the ingredients, then I would scrap with the knife to make everything perfect, then she would pour.  This last time I decided to let her use the knife and scrap to measure perfectly, and she just lite up and felt so proud that I would let her help in that way.  She even shared with Daddy what she "got to do" when he got home.  My heart sure felt warm, just allowing her to do something so simple, sure meant the world to her.

I hope she keeps these memories with her as she grows up, and the smell of freshly baked bread brings her back to her childhood!


I thought I would share the recipe as well, in case any of you are looking for a super simple, easy, and tasty Bread Machine recipe.

This is for a Large Loaf, no mixing necessary and I add the ingredients in this order to the machines pan.

3 1/2 Cups of Flour 

(I use Bread Machine Flour, from mom...so thats all I know about it, lol)

1 tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Dry Milk

2 Tbsp. Butter

3 Tbsp. Sugar

1 1/2 Cups (12oz) of Water (room temp)

1 1/4 tsp. Dry Yeast 

I set my machine to a Large Loaf and Med Crust, push start and relax for 4hrs.  :-)

I always like looking at pictures, so in turn I like to share them!

Ingredients all ready, almost closing up the lid

Love opening the lid and seeing a perfect loaf

Out of the pan, cooling down before we slice

101 Things I Want to Accomplish

http://www.dayzeroproject.com/

A friend had shared that link a couple of months ago, she had made her own list.  Since then I have wanted to make MY list, but have not taken the time to do so.  I have thought of a few items, but no where near 101.
The idea is to make a list of 101 "things" you want to do in 1001 days.  Thats one mighty long list!  But I think I am finally ready to write my list, and actually start doing them!

I usually have so much going on in my head, from Wife and Mother duties, the grocery list, the bill list, my work schedule not to mention things I want to get accomplished, and or try someday.  Its time to get some of this out of my head, onto a piece of paper, to clear my head for other grand ideas. 

Now don't get all excited, as I don't have my list ready to share, bummer I know.  But in the up and coming days I'll have it for you.  I won't leave you hanging as I will post a few of my ideas at the end of the post. 

Is anyone else willing to try this?  I am trying to get my husband on board, but he's a bit leery.  Maybe after he reads this post he'll be game.  *Hint Hint*  I'm excited about this, there is something powerful about actually putting an idea to work, and sharing it with others.  Thanks for allowing me to do just that!
Hugs

-To buy a pair of Red High Heels and actually wear them
-To sew a whole outfit for Angelina (Dress, or skirt/pants and a shirt)
-To find an old item of clothing of mine and make it into something new
-Lose 50pounds
-To read a book with the Authors Last Name beginning with each letter of the alphabet (I'm on letter D)
-To make something thats worth selling
-To run a 5k Race

Thats what I have so far.  I want this list to be full by Saturday the 11th.  Wish me Luck!!!

Me and My Health

Me at the Beach

I have blogged for 9 days straight, and I thought it was time to dive into another aspect of this blog.  My Journey of Weight Loss and Getting Healthy.  I'm not going to share my whole 29 years of life with you, that would be boring to read, even for me.  But I am going to start with the latest 2 years.  Its short, trust me!

May of 2008 I went to the dr with sever stomach pains, those pains had been effecting me for months at that point.  I'm very stubborn when it comes to drs for myself.  Aren't all mothers?  :-)  Well at that dr appointment I learned that I was diabetic.  I tried to tell myself that I was only "PRE" Diabetic...but I wasn't being truthful.  I read, researched, and even went to an educational class, all said that I could live a healthy life, but I just had to gain control.  I was very hopeful!  (The stomach pains were stressed related, I later found out)

For those of you who don't know, the basics about Diabetes is your blood sugar (BS) count.  Or Glucose Blood Sugar Number.  In real simple terms, people with Diabetes 2, they can't use the glucose taken in via food as efficient as someone without Diabetes.  There are different specifics about diabetes, but I'm going to keep it at the general level for this post.  So in the end, I have more sugar in my blood that can't efficiently leave, so there is a raise in my BS.  I do have a way to check this multiple times a day, so I know what sort of effect different types of foods have on my BS. 

That brings us up to last year May.  At this point I had lost almost 50 pounds.  I never saw it as that big of a deal though.  (I am now in a different mindset, which is very important to me, and I see that 50 pounds as a whole lot!!!)  My BS had come down, but no where near what a normal person is. 

I have currently gained back 15 of those pounds in the course of this past year.  They say weight gain sneaks up on ya, and thats 100% true, I just wish the opposite was true instead.  I have gone to a Diabetes Specialist twice in the last 4 months, and hes keeping a close eye on me.  I am proud to say that I have lost 8 pounds and my BS is slowly creeping down.  All good things, but there is much more work to be done.

Me and My family have taken steps towards being more healthy.  My Post Pantry Full of Crap shared with you one of those major steps.   I will admit that our day trip to the ocean set me back a bit, Starbucks, Mc D's, Snackies, and Chinese food.  But I chose to enjoy the day to the fullest :-) 

I was reading a book tonight that explained a bit about Diabetes.  I always knew exercise was important, 30mins a day.  But especially for ME!  They explained it by having all this extra glucose in your blood, not able to convert over to energy.  The best way to get "rid of it" is to MAKE your body use it up, ie. EXERCISE!!!  Sometimes being told something in the simplest form, just makes sense.  A light bulb went off in my head tonight, a visual of seeing all that sugar just floating around.  Its time to put it to work.  I want my body to be a powerful EFFICIENT Machine!  I deserve that, we ALL deserve it!!!

Pictures Galore

Our day trip to the beach couldn't have been any better then what it was.  The weather was a perfect 67degrees, sun shinning, not a cloud in the sky.  Here at home it barely reached 60, with rain....I just had to laugh!
Angelina was so thrilled with the beach and ocean water.  I don't think I remember her ever being so giddy before!  I loved every minute of it! 
I apologize that this post today is going to be short, we are all very tired, and bed time is nearing very quickly here.  Every time I walk down the hallway this evening, I dreamt of the time of night where I can lay down on the crisp chilled sheets and pillows, cover up and close my eyes!  But I promised some pictures, and pictures you get!
Enjoy!!!

Ocean Shores in Washington State

Angelina Flying Her Kite High

Angelina and Daddy Made a Sandcastle Fit for a Princess

My Lovely Daughter

Angelina Loved to Jump Over the Waves

So Very Fortunate That A Passerby Took this For Us!

We Are "B-B" Beach Bound

In approximately 14hrs we are packing up our vehicle and heading to the beach!  We were supposed to go camping last night and tonight, but due to work related issues, we were not able to continue with those plans.  Instead of being bummed, we decided to make a FULL day of it, and enjoy the ocean scene on Saturday instead.
Our plans are to leave "When Starbucks Opens" and drive the 3hrs to Ocean Shores.  Angelina has yet to see the ocean beaches so we are all very excited.  This morning I had the following conversation...

Me: Guess what we get to do tomorrow Angelina?

Angelina:  I don't know  (Her go-to answer for just about anything)  (I'm sure in years to come this is going to be accompanied by an eye roll) 

Me:  We get to go see the Ocean!!!!  (Yes I was really this enthusiastic)

Angelina:  Boring!  (My bubble just burst, rain on my parade... you get my drift)

Me:  You don't want to go play on the beach?

Angelina:  Yeah!!!!  The BEACH!!!  Can I bring my bucket and shovel?

I just laughed...Apparently she didn't know that seeing the ocean meant being on the beach.  Silly me!  So after that conversation we spent a little time talking about the ocean, beach, waves, ect.  Now we are all on the same page, and just as excited about out trip tomorrow!

Its going to be a full day of driving, eating, exploring, sand castle making, kite flying, and memory making!  I can't wait!!!

Enjoy your Friday evening and Saturday Everyone!  Pictures of our day will be up tomorrow evening!

A Cute Angelina Story

This happened a few weeks ago, but its too cute not to share.  And all you mommies out there will get a crack out of it, hopefully, well at least maybe a chuckle, or a smile.  :-)

We have a small dirt path right outside of our deck, it goes the whole stretch of the back porch and window area.  Angelina LOVES to dig out there, I'm not sure our apartment management team feels the same way, but they have yet to say anything.  So we encourage it by buying buckets rakes and shovels, lol!

Well one evening, Angelina had asked to go out digging, it just so happened to be after a bath, but being the nicest parents we are, we said Go For It!  Actually I'm sure Big Brother was on, and I told her yes just so I could get back to my show. 

About 5mins later it hit me, I just told her to go play in the dirt after a bath.  I was hoping at the least she had shoes on.  I then yelled through the window (during a commercial)

"What do you have on your feel Angelina?"  In that motherly tone I have. 

 Praying she says, Tennis Shoes, Flip Flops, or even Dancing shoes. 

Well she yells back the most obvious answer from a 4 1/2 year old....

"Dirt!"

Yep you guessed it, my sweet Angelina outside playing AFTER a bath with nothing on her feet except for DIRT!

Mae's Smashin' Cauliflower

Here is a good recipe for anyone that wants to add more veggies in their own diet or in their family's diet.  Maybe without them knowing :-)

This I'm going to call,

Mae's Smashin' Cauliflower

I am always looking for a way to "hide" veggies, and these resemble Mash Potatoes.  The following are the ingredients you will need

1 Whole Cauliflower

Water

Green Onions

Garlic

Pepper

Butter

Milk

First Step: Cut the greens off of the cauliflower.  Cut the remaining parts into big chunks.  Put it into a sauce pan with enough water to be able to boil the cauliflower.  (Like my measurements?)

Second Step: Boil until the cauliflower is soft.  In the mean time you can cut the green onions, and garlic.

Third Step: Drain the cauliflower, and smash it much like you would when making mash potatoes. 

Forth Step:  Add in about 1 tablespoon of butter, and enough milk to your desired consistency. *

*Helpful Hint, don't add too much milk (like I did) it became soupy and cooled the cauliflower down too much.  I put them back on the burner which was no problem, but made dinner a bit later then I wanted. 

Fifth Step:  Add in the green onions, garlic, and sprinkle pepper. 

Final Step:  Enjoy!

As I was writing this I had some extra ideas.  Using a bit of sour cream, also adding in some bacon bits.  Pretty much use the motto "The Skies the Limit!"

Let me know if you try this recipe.  It had a "Make it Again" review in my home!