Procession of the Species

A smallish town near where I live has a parade every year to celebrate Earth Day.  It is called Procession of the Species. 

This Saturday was a beautiful day.  Parade participants and parade observers where out in droves.

Anyone who wants to can participate.  Registration costs two cans of food for the local food bank.

A spider.  A BIG spider.

Some bees.  Playing instruments.

A butterfly.

Another butterfly.

A duck.

Dancers.

And finally.  Sea Cucumbers.  'Nuff said.

Baby Shower Diaper Cakes

I was cruising around and found this awesome post on how to make a Diaper Cake.  Coincidentally, I had a baby shower to attend this past weekend.  So, putting two and two together, I decided I need to make a Diaper Cake for the shower. 

It was fun.

It was pretty easy.

Everyone liked it.

Here it is:

 

I ended up covering the cardboard in foil, which made it look a little classier.


Next baby shower you get invited to, give it a try!

Happy Monday Morning

This is Bubba.

Bubba knows that life is good.

Bubba wants you to have a great Monday.

My favortie corn bread

Yesterday I shared my favorite chili recipe.  Today I'll give you the awesomeness that is my corn bread, which perfectly compliments the chili.

I love this recipe because it is so easy!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 - 1/3 cup applesauce

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl.

Mix wet ingredients together. Add to dry ingredients and stir.

Pour into greased pan.  I use a 9x11 glass or Corning ware pan, with a spray of Pam.

Cook at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  I cooked mine for about 5 minutes to long... but it still tasted good!

I love this cornbread because it is so sweet and moist - and has very little fat!  All it needs is a little butter - it is so sweet, you don't even need honey.  And it compliments chili perfectly!

5 minute chili

This is my favorite chili recipe.   I make it about once a week. 

Tomorrow I will share the cornbread that goes with it.

I love this because I can put it together in less than 5 minutes in the morning, turn on the crock pot, leave and come back to a house that smells AWESOME, and feed everyone a healthy, hot, fast meal.

Ingredients:

2 cans beans (I use 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans)
1 can tomato sauce
1 chopped onion ( I use 1/4 to 1/3 cups - or a handful - of dried minced onions)
1 Tablespoon chili powder - or to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 lb ground meat (I don't eat beef, so I use either chicken or turkey)

Pour all the ingredients into the crock pot.  If you are going to be gone for more than 6 hours, add 1/4 cup of water for each hour.

(I make this at 5:30 in the morning and we don't eat until about 6pm, so I pour in the black beans, with their juice, then fill the can with water and pour that in, to get all the good stuff out of the can.  I then do the same with the kidney beans.)

Stir.  Add the meat. 

(I usually have between 1/2 to 1 lbs of ground turkey or ground chicken in the freezer.  I just add the frozen meat to the chili.  When I get home it is cooked and I use a knife or big spoon to break it up into small pieces.)

Put lid on crock pot, turn on low and walk away for at least 6 hours.

To serve:  Ladle chili into bowls, sprinkle grated cheddar on top, serve with a green salad and a big piece of cornbread.  YUM!

April Budget

Here's the first half of April's budget.  It looks like we've blown the budget, but really we haven't!

Income			Payments
G.	3227.68		Garbage
Moi	80		School	650
Moi	1841.76		Credit Card	500
Moi			Gym	57.5
Total Income	5149.44		Car Insurance	502.84
			Swimming	45
			Mortgage	1429.6
			Elec/Water	288.63
			Cell	169.22
			Cable/Intenet	175.97
			Parking	25
			Groceries	568.28
			Various	1725.19
			HELOC	136.25
Running Balance:	-1124.04

As you can see, my second check is not accounted for yet.  I've also got about a thousand dollars of expenses (school, tax prep and home improvement) that are being paid out of other accounts.  But in the interest of seeing how well we can live off of just our salaries, I'm putting them in the budget.

Here's the breakdown for "various" so far this month:

I probably went over board on Kidlette's Easter basket, but I had fun, and she'll enjoy it.  I also included a couple of things for G., for his Easter as well.

How's your budget shaping up for the month?

The importance of Aunt L.

I come from a very small family.  My mother was an only child.  For all intents and purposes I don't have a dad.  I have one sibling.  I'm estranged from both my mom and my brother.  So, when it comes to my side of the family, Kidlette is kind of out of luck.

G. has two awesome brothers, who both adore Kidlette.  He also has a great mom and dad, who are very involved and caring grandparents.  There she lucked out.

What I have is a great friend.  She is like the sister I never had.  She is a great listener.  She is very caring.  She is the only person who cried when told I was pregnant with Kidlette.

We call her Aunt L.  She did a terrific job raising her daughter, and I've taken a lot of cues from her.  She is my daughter's guardian.  She is an important part of our lives.

I believe that a child can never have too many caring adults in her life.  My goal with Aunt L. is to give Kidlette someone outside of our family structure who she trusts and who will listen and who loves her.  Right now Aunt L. is someone who will let her stay up late and eat ketchup sandwiches.  At 13 Aunt L. will be someone to talk to when she can't talk to me.  At 18 Aunt L. will be someone to trust, if she can't trust me.  At 20, 23, 30... I hope and believe that Aunt L. will be as important in Kidlette's life as she has been in mine.

I didn't have anyone like Aunt L. in my life as a child, and there were times when I could have really used a sane adult.  This is my gift to my child.  And this is my gift to my friend - I love you and trust you with my child.

Do you have an Aunt L. in your life?

Final March Budget

So here is how March ended up.

Income			Payments
G	3216.49		Garbage	53.08
Phone	80		Daycare	650
Moi	1843.34		Credit Card	200
Moi	1816.99		Gym	57.5
Total Income	6956.82		Car Insurance	200
			Swimming	45
			Mortgage	1429.6
			Elec/Water	316.94
			Phone	270.08
			Cable/Internet	175.97
			Parking	25
			Groceries	1124.04
			Various	2038.39
			HELOC Interest	123.07
Running Balance:	248.15

Here is a breakdown of the "Various" category:

I think that carpooling is really paying off.  It will be interesting to track that over the year.

I'll give you an update on April after the 10th.  However, due to tax prep fees and the application fee for Kidlette's school next year, we are already over... good thing we are expecting a nice tax return soon!

How was March for you?

The thousand mile hike

On Saturday we went for a hike.

We chose Ledbetter Point State Park and the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, near Long Beach.  It was a beautiful day.  We were prepared for the forecast-ed rain, and it ended up being sunny and warm and gorgeous.  The hike we chose was three miles (or 2.9, according to some sources).  It started out in the dunes.  We saw TONS of birds.

 

This heron greeted us, as we first stepped out of the forest, and onto the dunes.  We walked along the dunes for about a mile.  We saw heron, sand pipers, geese, American wigeon, canvasbacks, scaup, buffleheads grebes, and this guy.

 

He just watched us walk by.  Maybe he was wondering if we'd make a good snack?  At the point of the trail when we could have left the dunes, I decided we needed to add another loop to the hike.  The extra loop added 1.1 miles.  I thought a four mile hike would be good for us.  Kidlette would sleep well!  Ashley would be a happy dog.  G. would get his exercise.  I was doing a good thing!

 
So we walked another 1/2 mile up the dunes, then turned into the forest, for the last 2.5 miles of the hike, that would loop around and bring us back to our car.
 
I love how you just never know what you will run into on a hike.  I wonder how long this guy had been sitting there?

So there we were.  G., Aunt L., Kidlette, Ashley and Moi.  We had less than .5 miles to go.  We were very proud of ourselves.  We were hungry and planning on where to go for lunch.  And then we ran into this.

 

That is a flooded trail.  As far as we could see in all directions.  How did we miss this?  (From the website... "Be prepared to hike in water if you plan to enjoy Leadbetter during the annual winter flood season.", and on the big sign in the parking lot, and and and...)

We were not prepared to hike in water.  So we turned around.  And walked back around the loop.  Another  three miles. All in all the hike ended up between 6 and 7 miles.  Or as Kidlette proclaimed, one thousand miles.

And we all slept really well.

Weight Update

I'm still struggling with how to get past my current plateau.  I weighed in this morning at 250.  That is down from last weeks high of 254...  but I'm still above my current low of 241. 

I was doing really well last week - sugar is down, wine consumption has halted, portion control is good... I think this week I've been over indulging in cream in my coffee.  I have to scale back to 2%. 

It seems like every time I tackle one area, another one pops up.  And I know that this is all MY behavior... and supposedly I have control!  URGH!

I had coffee with my mom on Monday.  First time I've talked to her in over a year.  I'm not angry any more.  I've mostly forgiven her.  But I don't trust her.  It is what it is...  but the good news is that I didn't go eat a bunch of junk food or drink a bottle of wine after seeing her.  Yay for me!

It's Wednesday and the weathers fine.  How's your week going?

Weekend Update 2

What a nice weekend.  We got all of our chores out of the way on Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon we went to a family dance party at the local library.  They were kicking off the annual family read aloud campaign and had an hour long event.  G. is still sick, so Kidlette and I made our way down there and had a blast!  She was REALLY shy for the first couple of minutes.  Then she noticed the bubble machine...  and by the end of the hour she was jumping around, chatting with all the librarians, and having the time of her life.  We both got a good workout and had a lot of fun.  Events like these are great reminders that we should all support our local libraries!

Sunday we (Kidlette, Ashley and moi) headed out for a nice long walk.  We walked four miles and had a great time!  Kidlette was wonderful, and Ashley was in doggy heaven.  After, we hit Red Robin for a tasty burger and then went home and had a nap.  Last night I made chicken cordon blue, steamed artichokes, asparagus, salad and garlic bread for dinner.  Yum!  I was feeling like some decadent dessert, so made this awesome chocolate cobbler from the Tasty Kitchen.  Wow...  I also made Applesauce Bread for Kidlette's class snack today.  Hope the kids enjoy it!  A day spent outdoors with my family, and indoors baking... the best of both worlds!

Timeline

Dinner:  "Mom, my tummy hurts"
7:30p: Bedtime
9:00p: Wake up, cry, back to bed
11:30p: Wake up, cry, G. -can you take her back to bed?
2:30a: Wake up, cry, I give up, come get in bed with us.
2:35a: I need my blankey.  Ok, go get it.
2:35:15a:  Puke all over the stair landing, wall, entry way and banister.
2:36a: Bath
2:45a: Tucked back in bed.
2:46 - 4:00a: Clean floor.  Clean landing.  Clean walls.  Clean banister.  Pull up carpet runner on stairs (wood floors).  Clean stairs.  Start laundry.  Steam clean everything.  Kidlette asleep.
4:00a: Give up.  Put on sweats and go do treadmill for an hour.
5:00a: Call in sick.  Get in the shower.  Feed the animals.
6:00a: G. off to work.  Sit on couch.
6:30a: Wake up with Kidlette standing in front of you.
6:30a - 4:00p:  Doze and cuddle on couch with Kidlette, who is clearly not 100%.
7:30:  Bedtime.

G. has been sick all week.  Kidlette was down for about 2 days.  She's doing much better today, and is back at school.  I am soooo glad this week is almost over.  I hate it when my family is sick.  Get better guys!

Weekend Update

I've been trying, this month, to not spend a lot of money.  Just our normal spending, was the idea... just to see where the money was going.

Then I got big, one time phone bills.

Then I got big, one time vet bills.

Then I got big, one time health care bills.

So what did I do this weekend?  Well, the good news is that I didn't make a cake, a batch of cookies, and an apple pie.  I did however spend more money.  But this is money we had been planning on, kind of.

I posted a while back about going hiking with my friend Aunt L.  I had so much fun that I've been dragging G. and Kidlette out every weekend since.

And the shock?  Kidlette LOVES it!  She's a natural!  But she had no shoes that would work.  As matter of fact, we were all hiking in our tennis shoes, and it was not a good thing.

So Saturday we went out and got myself and Kidlette a new pair of hiking boots.  G. has a pair, he just needs to bring them home from work. 

Can I just say... size 1 hiking boots are the cutest things ever!

In addition we got Kidlette and myself new day packs. G. has a good one.

And Sunday we went and broke them in.  FUN.

Boots:  (And two new pairs of much needed shoes for Kidlette): $176.83

Day packs and first aid kit and emergency whistle for Kidlette: $133.73

G., Moi, Kidlette and Ashley spending the day together in the forest?  Priceless!

Money Diet - Part 2

 I promised an update on the money diet, and how we are tracking this month's bills, so here it is.

In column one is our income.  You'll notice that Moi Income for the 25th is blank, as it only the 11th!

In column two I've broken out our Bills, Other (Various) and Groceries.  However, Groceries and Various are included in the total for Bills, so we can see total outgoing.

We switched G.'s phone from a Verizon plan to an AT&T iPhone last month, so we had to pay his last Verizon bill, as well as a hefty AT&T bill that included activation and pro-ration fees for adding his account to mine and changing mine from a single plan to a family plan.  They get you every time.  That will be about $170.00 that we won't pay next month!

We also had our annual vet visit for all three critters.  That was another $170.00 we normally wouldn't be paying.

In addition those two "special" cases, I also got all the bills for health, that we have to pay to meet deductible.  Now, for the rest of the year, we just have to pay co-pays.  So that's another $200.00.

Whew!  Over $500.00 of "not normal" costs!  No wonder I think money is flowing out of our accounts!

Our electric bill is way up... with the cold weather and snow from last month, that is not a big surprise.  We have a huge, drafty old house, which we primarily heat with wood, but we do keep the the pellet stove going in the evening and the electric heat tends to kick on if it gets too cold!  With warm(er) weather creeping up on us, hopefully we will see a nice drop in this bill as well.

You'll also notice a big restaurant bill... we had a date night at a fancy restaurant that we don't normally go to, and in addition to the dinner, we went to a movie and paid a babysitter.  A $200.00 dollar night, but we only do that two or three times a year...

We've been carpooling all month, so our gas spending is down.  And we haven't been to Costco (oh Costco, how I love you, but how you entice me to spend to save!)so the Groceries aren't too bad for almost half way through the month.

Income			Bills
G. Income	3216.49		Garbage	53.08
Moi Income - Phone	80		March Daycare/School	650
Moi Income - 10th	1843.34		Joint Credit Card	200
Moi Income- 25th			Gym	57.5
Total Income	5139.83		Car Insurance	200
			Swimming	45
Running Balance:	376.29		Mortgage	1429.6
			Elec/Water	316.94
			ATT	270.08
			Qwest	175.97
			Parking	25
			Groceries	278.73
			Various	938.57
			Home Equity Loan Interest	123.07
			Total	4763.54
			Various
			3/1/2011	40	(Cosmetic)
			3/1/2011	31.3	(Restaurant)
			3/3/2011	22.61	(Restaurant)
			3/3/2011	57.08	(Hobby)
			3/3/2011	35.52	(Gas)
			3/7/2011	146.45	(Health)
			3/7/2011	23.22	(Health)
			3/7/2011	70.66	(Phone)
			3/7/2011	36.71	(Gas)
			3/7/2011	25	(Cosmetic)
			3/5/2011	172.05	(Animals)
			3/4/2011	100	(Cash)
			3/4/2011	127.78	(Restaurant)
			3/4/2011	33	(Movie)
			3/10/2011	17.19	(Health)
			Total	938.57
			Groceries
			3/5/2011	219.48
			3/9/2011	59.25
			Total	278.73

Confessions of a PMSing Blogger

Full Disclosure:  It is Thursday, so it is all my fault.

I have PMS today.

I am grumpy.  I am emotional.  My back hurts.  I'm tired.  I'm cold.

It's 6:30am and I've already had a fight with G.

It's 6:30am and I've already had one tearful episode.

I have a huge zit on my chin that hurts.

I really, really, really want to go back to bed and ignore the day.

Instead I will go to work, try not to yell at anyone there, try not to cry if anyone looks at me funny, try not to inhale chocolate and carbs, and try to have a productive day.  I will go to the gym.  I will make dinner for my family.  I will read Kidlette a book (or three) and then I will go to bed (in approximately 15 hours) and tomorrow I will not have PMS.

Tomorrow will be better.

Damn PMS.  And I can't even blame it on anyone else.

Sugar, Sugar, everywhere...

The campaign to eradicate sugar from my life is ongoing.  I've pretty much emptied the house of any items considered "candy" and am attempting to wean myself for sugar-free items, like sugar free jello.  I've been having really horrid gas pains (sorry to be gross) and I think, from other reading I'm doing, that it is due to the sugar alcohols I'm eating in sugar-free foods.

I'm trying to eat about 1200 calories a day.  My typical day looks like this:

Breakfast   -24 oz water
                  -large coffee with splash 2% milk
                  -1/2 peach with 6oz fat free/sugar free vanilla yogurt and 1/4 cup
                    Kashi Go Lean Crunch
Lunch         -24 oz water
                  -1 piece Trader Joe's flat bread, 1/4 cup carrots and 2 tablespoons hummus
                  -2 cups salad with homemade vinaigrette
                  -1 sugar free jello
Snack         -large coffee with splash 2% milk
                  -1 sugar free pudding
Dinner        -16oz water
                  -large salad (3 cups) with homemade vinaigrette
                  -main dish (meatless spaghetti, turkey chili, eggs, chicken, etc)
                  -1 piece bread, corn bread, muffin (usually homemade)

If I could stop there, I think things would be fine.  However I don't.  After I put Kidlette to bed I start to graze.  A handful of chips.  A cookie.  A piece of toast.  A glass of milk.  This is where it seems to be falling apart for me.

One of the things I did last year when I was trying not to eat was work out at night (in a addition to my noon gym trip.)  30 minutes on the treadmill after Kidlette goes down, instead of sitting on the couch, eating chips, playing video games or watching TV.  I think I will re-instate this practice.  I need to kick start the weight loss some way!

School Daze

G. and I are engaged in a debate about what we are going to next year for school for kidlette.

Kidlette is 5, and will not be 6 until December 1.  This poses a problem for public schools, since they don't have to take her for first grade until she is 6.  Additionally, we work in a different town than where we live, and we would like her to be near us during the day.

She is currently in a private school, where she spent 1 and 1/2 years in the preschool and was moved into the kindergarten early because she was ready.  In her kindergarten class she is, according to her teacher, the leader in the class for most academic subjects.  So, while we could keep her in kindergarten for another year, I'm worried that she would be bored and that would not be good.

So here's where we are at:

1.  Kidlette is ready for first grade next year.
2. Due to age and location, public school is probably not a great option.
3. Her current school does not provide an option after kindergarten.

The town that we work in is not huge.  It's not tiny, but it's not huge.  Most people here are working class or middle class.  That being said, there are not a huge number of options for private school.  And the options that do exist are faith based. 

Now, I went to private schools - academic schools, not faith based schools.  Actually the school I graduated from is about 45 minutes away from our work.  When kidlette is a little older, that will be our first option.  But at her age we want to keep her closer to us.

So right now that leaves us with a faith based school option.  This doesn't bother me too much.  I have a faith affiliation, though I don't attend church regularly.  However G. is very firmly atheist.  And he is freaking out.

We went and visited a very nice school yesterday.  I really liked it.  I'm not thrilled about the school teaching Intelligent Design, but they do teach Evolution as well.  Then again, I also believe that my child doesn't just learn things at school, that when she comes home we talk about and read about those subjects as well, so that no matter where she goes, she is not learning in a vacuum.

G. pointed out that religious families probably feel the same way about public school, that he is feeling about this private school, which I thought was a good insight.

We have about a month to decide, but we don't really feel like we have a lot of options here.  This school has sports and music, two programs that are disappearing from public schools due to budget cuts. In addition they actually have a schedule that has the kids in school every day, all day long.  Our local school districts have schedules that include two early release days a month, plus they have teacher training days once a month.  It seems like kids are never in school.  When I was a big sister in Austin, the girl that I mentored was in a year round school.  That I liked!  Why can't we do that? 

So, we are leaning towards a school that will give our daughter a very good grounding in education, but will also teach her some things that we disagree with, so we will be very involved parents and make sure we discuss those ideas with her.  We will also allow her to learn things that she won't learn at our house, and to try on different persona's and belief systems, to help her figure out who she is.


What do you think about public education?  What do you think about private education?  What do you think about faith based education?

Mini Me

I'd like to be mini me.  Or 18 year old me.  Whatever.

Not that I want to be 18 again.  I just like to have the waist I had at 18.  I've worked too hard to become the sort-of adult with some kind of moral structure and dash of responsibility.  I really don't want to have a "do-over" when it comes to personal growth.

Different times in my life have pushed me farther into adulthood.  Graduating from college/moving into my fist apartment/3000 miles away from my parents/getting a job that barely supported me.  Ahh, step 1.  Then moving back home, helping my only-child mother manage my grandparents as they went from condo to assisted living to nursing homes to death.  Sucky step 2.  And I still miss my Grandma.  Meeting G., getting engaged, planning a wedding, buying our first house, getting ahead in my chosen career.  Fun and freeing step 3.  Having a baby, becoming a mother, nurturing a marriage, managing a career.  How adult of me step 4.  Becoming estranged from my family, due to mental illness (not mine) and the desire to protect Kidlette from the craziness of my childhood, depression, weight gain.  Oh the fun of step 5.  Therapy, getting to know myself again, making exercise a daily priority, managing my weight and mental health.  Crap I really am and adult, step 6. 

This year I will be 40.  What will the next steps be?  Where will I be in 5 years?  

It is exciting, it is scary, it is fun, it is challenging.  Every morning when I wake up, I get to decide what in my life I am going to continue with, and what I can, will, want to change.

However, I don't think I'll wake up with the waist of an 18 year old.

Money Diet

G. and I have decided we need to go on a money diet for the month of March.

We currently have very little debt - we owe on our house, and we have one credit card with a balance, and then regular bills, like electric, water, phone, etc.  We own all three of our cars, and don't spend tons of money on much else.  Plus, we make pretty decent money.  But we run through every cent we make every month.  And I feel like, since the beginning of the holidays in November, we've run through money like it's water.

So.

We are going to try something new.

For the last 10 years I've been in charge of paying all the bills.  Not for any particular reason, but just because.  G. and I are trying to redistribute chores a little bit, as well as work on communication, so we thought we'd start to work on bills, budgets and all that together.

Starting March 1, we are going to track all $$ and cents that come in and go out, while watching what we spend things on, so we can get a baseline.  At the end of the month we will be able to see what we've been doing, and then hopefully we can start to plan what we want to be doing in the future.

At several points during the month I'll share the spreadsheet with you, so you can see how we are breaking it all down.  My hope is that we will then switch to using something like Mint, that will automatically update us on our phones (we both live on our iPhones) once we have it all set up and configured.  I've been playing with Mint for a couple of months, but I've never gotten it totally set up.

So what do you think?  How do you plan your budget?  What tools do you use?

The Blame Game

Our department has codified blame.

Let me back-track and explain.

I work in the technology field, which means that I mostly work with men. 

(Parents - please, please, please encourage your daughters to take math and science classes - the technology field is sorely in need of women!)

I like working with men.  (Note - generalizations coming up... these are based on my experiences and may not be universal).  Men are focused on work, but can have a good time.  There are generally not any backstabbing/jealousy/relationship-y type things going on. Men usually have the best and most accurate gossip, because all the other women tell them things while they are flirting with them... And the teasing is fun.

So back to the blame game...

It started out accidentally about two years ago.  One of the guys in our group started saying that everything that happened on Wednesday was his fault... and we took it and ran.  We have now broken it down so that everyone knows:

Monday is Hugh's fault.
Tuesday is Jason's fault.
Wednesday is Kevin's fault.
Thursday is mine.
And Friday belongs to Jamie.
Weekends and float days (any day someone is not in on their own day) belong to Rick.  (Normally this would be broken out, but we are currently down one person.  Once we've hired our new person, S/he will be responsible for float days.)

What does this mean?  It means that anything that happens on your day is your fault.  Stock market down?  Your fault.  Oil prices up?  Your fault.  Unrest in the Middle East?  Your fault.  Celebrity scandal?  Your fault.  Political scandal?  Your fault.  Snow, earthquake, flooding...  all your fault.

Of course we like to take credit for things too - is it a beautiful, sunny day?  You're welcome.  Pay day?  You're welcome.  Favored team won the Super Bowl?  You're welcome. 

What does this do? 

One it give us a running inside joke, which helps with our team moral.  I think this is important, especially right now, since we work for the state and the state is currently cutting a lot of things, maybe including our jobs, and with an uncertain future, anything that helps with moral is a good thing.

It is also very freeing to be able to blame someone for things that are nobody's fault.  It's like a mini closure every time.  And by rotating and codifying the blame, everyone gets to both blame and take the blame.  This ensures that none of us are too stressed by the blame we take on, and we can still laugh about things outside of our control.

What do you think?  Are there slightly crazy or deranged things that your team or department do that tie you closer together and help you get through the day?

Tell me what you thing... since everything that happens today is Hugh's fault.

Mmmm.... Spaghetti

I've never been a big beef eater.  There are things that I understand are essential to life. 

Butter.  Sugar.  Cream.  Shrimp.  Mmmm....

But beef was never one for me.  Kidlette is the same way.  She'd rather eat chicken or beans than beef.  About a year ago, as part of the whole life changing kick, I decided to stop eating beef.  This was not a big deal for me, and G. seems to be taking it well.  I've been using a lot more ground turkey and ground chicken, and trying to substitute veggies for meat in dishes.  The experimentation has been fun.

Last night I made one of my all time favorite, quick, easy, everybody loves dishes.  Spaghetti.  With zucchini.

Easy peasy to make.


Ingredients:
2 Medium to large zucchini.  (You can use a summer squash as well - adds pretty color!).
1 can mushrooms or 6-8 fresh mushrooms, sliced.
1 tablespoon olive oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 jar spaghetti sauce.
Noodles (Spaghetti or any other size and/or shape that catches your fancy).
Grated cheddar and/or Parmesan.

Start water boiling for noodles.  While that is heating up, add olive oil to a large pan.  Heat on medium low heat.  Slice up zucchini and mushrooms and saute in oil, adding salt an pepper to taste.  Don't over cook - they still need to be a little firm.  Add noodles to water.  Add sauce to zucchini.  Grate cheese.  Drain noodles, dish up with zucchini sauce and sprinkle with cheese.  

Blurry picture aside, this is a huge hit in our house!  Hope you enjoy it too.
 

Wednesday Musings

I'm really struggling with my sugar intake.  I get hit with these incredible cravings, and it's like I can taste the chocolate.  Yesterday I was doing well, until I opened some chocolate a co-worker gave me a couple weeks ago.  I was only going to have one little piece, but then... and then I got home and made corn bread with sugar in it and honey on it... then after Kidlette went to bed I pulled a couple of cookies out of the freezer and cooked them for G. and I.  It's like a domino effect.

I've started using cinnamon in my coffee instead of sugar, which works ok.  I have the fridge stocked with sugar free pudding, jello and fruit bars in case I get a sweet craving.  But...  Is it just a matter of will power?  Am I weak?  It is so frustrating!

Today I will start again with fresh resolve...

Moving on, let me tell you about magic sauce.  There is a great post about it over at Angry Chicken.  Let me tell you... YUM!  I poured it over chicken and rice this weekend... about 4 times.  I even got G. to try it and he liked it!  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Please try.

Hiking

I used to hate hiking.  Growing up, our family went hiking/backpacking/camping as often as possible.  It seemed like every weekend I was dragged into the woods, hiked up and down miles of trail, and forced to sleep on the ground.  Never!  I swore to myself.  Never will I do this voluntarily, as an adult.

Flash forward 25 years.  I must admit, my preferred vacation is a week on a tropical beach, or a week seeing historical sites in Europe.  But I've also made peace with hiking.  And, as my relationship with exercise and my body has changed, so has my attitude toward outdoor activities.  And I find that I am enjoying it.  The woods.  The beauty.  The peace.

Color me shocked.

So this weekend my good friend Aunt L. and I went hiking.  It was a gorgeous day.  Cold but clear.  Sunny.  Good friends catching up.  A VERY happy dog.  Perfect.

The sun was bright.  

The day was clear.

I miss the heat of the south, but the beauty of the Pacific Northwest is breathtaking.

Like I said... A VERY happy dog!

We started out at Dosewallips Campground, on Hood Canal on the Olympic Peninsula.  Some of the best hiking in the world is in this part of the county.

Thank you Aunt L. for a perfect day!

Downsizing Part 3 - Moi

So last year I started on this downsizing kick.  I wanted to downsize our lifestyle.  I wanted to downsize our budget.  And I wanted to downsize me.

I've never been thin.  And when I'm depressed or stressed I eat.  And I love to cook - and bake, so that doesn't help.  When I got pregnant with my daughter I was 230 pounds.  Four years later I was 294 pounds.  We went on a cruise and I couldn't buckle the seat belt on the plane.  I couldn't fit into the theater seats on the cruise.  I was wearing a size 24.  My four year old told me her friends at school asked her why her mom was fat.

It was time for change.

I decided that instead of a diet, this time I'd try to change the way I eat forever.  And the way I exercise.  Forever.  It took me a long time to get started.  The cruise was in November.  I joined a gym in January.  I started eating salads (really big salads!) for lunch in February.  Every time I mastered something in my routine, I added something else.

By October I was down to 240 and a size 18.  I was working out for about 45 minutes every day.  Life was starting to feel much better.  

Did I mention I was a smoker?  Yup.  About a pack a day.

I woke up one morning in October, and I didn't want a cigarette.  Just didn't want one.  And (although I have had some cravings) I have not had one since.

My therapist thinks that I was using nicotine to manage anxiety and depression, and when I started working out regularly, I didn't need the nicotine any more.

I must admit, that after I quit smoking I did replace the behavior a bit with chocolate. 

I'm currently at 247.  I gained back seven pounds in the five months since I quit smoking, although I am still working out at least six days a week for about an hour each day.  It seems like I've been working out to support my chocolate habit recently.  So now I have to say good bye to my friend sugar.  It will be hard.  I depend on sugar when I am tired, grumpy, PMSing, happy...  you name it.  But sugar is going to have move on.

My goal for this year?  I like to get under 200.  I haven't been under 200 since before I got married.  Like maybe 1999-2000?  Wow.  So there you go. Good bye sugar, hello 199. 

I will depend on you guys to help keep me honest.

Downsizing Part 2 - Carpooling

Do you remember the freedom you felt the first time you drove in a car by yourself?  The day I got my drivers license and was allowed to take the car, fill up the tank by myself, and pick up my friends for a drive is etched in my memory.  To me it meant freedom, being a grownup, independence, emancipation.

I grew up partly on farms in the country, and partly in a middle sized town on the west coast.  While we had some buses in town,  for the most part public transportation didn't exist.  When I was a kid either you walked, rode your bike, or talked an adult into driving you.  When I turned 15 1/2 (the age you could get your permit) I was attending private school, so there was no drivers ed program.  I had to go to a private driving school on Saturdays - and believe you me, I was there and on time for every single class!  I remember learning to drive, the conversations with my parents, the frustrations and joy.

All this to say - I love driving to this day.  I love my car.  I love being in control.

However.

I now commute for two hours each day.  And I have driven this commute for the last three years.  And I am tired of driving every day.

So recently, in the spirit of downsizing our lives, of spending more family time together, and in the spirit of Mom doesn't want to drive every day, our family has started to carpool.  My husband drives.  He drops me off at work, Kidlette off at school and then takes himself off to work.  Then does it all in reverse at the end of the day.

Bonus:  We save money.

Bonus:  We've just increased our daily family time from four to six hours.

Bonus:  I don't have to drive in the dark and rain with all the semi trucks.

But part of me longs for that feeling that I had at 16 when I first held my drivers license in my hand.

Monkey Bread

I made Monkey Bread for my Monkey.

This is a pretty easy recipe with  pretty awesome results.  We used apples.  I image that you could experiment with the type of fruit to add...

 And the results don't last long, at least at our house!

 Monkey Bread (with apples - because life is just better if apples are involved!)

2 cans of biscuits
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon divided
1 - 2 chopped apple(s)
1 1/2 sticks butter plus extra to butter pan
1 cup brown sugar

Generously grease tube pan with butter. In plastic bag, put sugar and 2 t cinnamon. Using 1 can at a time, cut biscuits into pieces. Put in bag and shake to coat. (I cut each biscuit into about 8 pieces and put about 4 pieces in a time in the sugar mixture). Layer in tube pan, sprinkling apple pieces over each layer except last one.

Meanwhile...
Boil together butter, brown sugar, and 1 t cinnamon. Pour mixture over biscuits. Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before inverting.

Downsizing life

Last year things seemed to be getting away from us.  We had moved into a new house in 2007 - our dream house really.  28000 square feet.  3 acres.  Orchard.  Garden.  Multiple Shops.  Views.  Country living with double ovens. And don't get me wrong - I love my house.  I have a downstairs master with a fireplace, my daughter has the whole upstairs to herself, my husband has a custom built shop for all his toys...  But it started to seem like we were all living different lives.  And there were rooms we never used.  I spent so much time and money decorating the "formal" (it has no TV) living room, and we could go weeks with out going in there.  We spent all our time in the kitchen, the family room and our bedrooms. I started to ask myself - did we really need all of this space?  After some internal dialogue time, I started talking it out with G.  Do we really need this?  Is this what we want for the next 20 years?  Are we missing out on family time that we will never get back?  And on top of all of these questions was the fact that we were commuting about 45 minutes each way every day.  So, in the mist of the worst economic downturn our generation has seen, we put our house on the market.

We have had our house on the market now for six months.  Not one offer.  It feels like living in limbo.  And the costs associated with keeping your house show ready, especially when both parties work full time in another town?  Not cheap, either monetarily or emotionally.

I've been paying someone to come in and clean for the last five months, but she is moving away,  and the job will now revert to us.  So I'm back to figuring out how we as a family are going to keep our house in a show ready state, while being away from the house 11-12 hours a day, eating nutritious home cooked meals, not neglecting our animals or child, and still maintaining some family and couple time.

Yikes!

I know that I am not alone.  I have a wonderful partner who takes on 50 percent (or more) of the child rearing.  G takes on all outdoor chores, so unless I want to garden, I don't have to worry about anything outside at all (and with three acres there can be a lot to do!) 

Once we sell the house we'd like to move back to the town where we work.  We want to buy a duplex that needs to be remodeled, and live in one side while we work on it, then move to the other side and renovate that.  We have done lots of renovations in both houses we've owned, and G.'s dad and brother are both contractors, so we have lots of help and advice.  Our goal is to have several rentals by our late 50's, so that we can use them for retirement income.  But we can't get this plan started until we sell our house.  It's that limbo thing again.

What about you?  Do you know anyone trying to sell a house in this market?  What are their coping strategies?

Happy Valentines Day!

I made these individual Pizza's for Kidlette's Valentines Day party at school.  She is in kindergarten. They were super easy, and I thought super cute.  When I showed them to her, she said "Mmmmm, can I have one?"  I guess that's an endorsement?

Valentines Day Pizza

These are really easy to make.  Ingredients:  English muffins, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni.  Split the English Muffins, spread a dollop of pizza sauce, cut out the cheese with a heart shaped cookie cutter and place on the muffin.  For the pepperoni, I folded them in half and then cut a heart shape (just like all those paper hearts we made in school), then placed on the cheese.  In the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and we have 11 happy Monkeys!  (Kidlette's kindergarten class are the Monkeys).  Note - I saved the cheese and pepperoni scraps for the Calzones I'm making for dinner later this week.

What did you make for Valentines Day this year?

The Cast of Characters

So I thought I'd tell you about the folks who will figure most prominently in my stories...  there is Kidlette, who is 5 and a whirlwind.  There is G.  We have been married for almost 9 years and he is my rock.  There are assorted dogs and cats.  And there is moi.  I am 39, work in the Information Technology field, have lived all over the country, but currently make the Pacific Northwest my home.  I love to cook.  I love to read.  I lost 40 pounds last year.  I'd like to loose another 40-50 pounds this year.  I try to exercise about 6 days a week.  I obsess about money.  I'm currently on a downsizing kick (more about that later).  And I thought this would be a great place to talk about all the things I love and/or obsess about!

First Post

I've been an avid blog reader for a couple of years now, and I've been thinking about starting my own.  Not sure who will be reading this (if anyone) but the things I want to talk about are: money, dieting, cooking, kids, life and all that.  Money - I have some, and I'd like to retire someday, so I'd like to have some more.  Dieting - yes.  Kids - one who is both the light and frustration of my life.  Cooking - whenever I can. 

In for a penny, in for a pound.