Family Dinner on a Packed Day??

Dan and I eat dinner together, as a family every night, except the occasional girls/guys night out, but we are still eating at the same time, and we share with each other what we ate.  I didn’t realize this until last night.  Apparently it’s an unwritten rule of mine, and even I didn’t know about.  So, what happens when you have 2 healthy eaters, with packed schedules, only leaving time to eat together at 10:30pm??



Roasted chicken on the Grill

You eat a home cooked meal of roasted chicken breasts and mixed vegetables at 10:30pm, as a family, at the dinner table.  Sure, stopping by a McDonald’s or a Subway would’ve been easier, and I would’ve been in a better mood.  But, we have goals.  We have plans.  And by golly, we will meet those goals, or we will at least know we did our best.  (We aren’t a bit stubborn.  J)



Dan throwing a head kick at Jason Chambers

So, to my wonderful husband:  Thank you for putting up with me being in a bad mood.  I’m willing to sacrifice being a little moody for you to do your best Saturday.  I can not wait to watch you compete.  And, you look sexy in your new Jeep.

Morning Routine

I am not a morning person.  The worst part of my day is getting out of bed.  I would spend all day in bed if I could.  Oddly, I wish to be a morning person.  I would love it if I could jump out of bed, go for a run, watch the sun rise, make a fantastic breakfast, all before work.  I feel like I wouldn’t mind work so much.  I probably would still not want to leave the house, but at least I’d be in a good mood before work, rather than walking in right as my caffeine is finally waking me up.

That said, here is what my work mornings look like:

6:15 – Dan’s alarm goes off.  He jumps out of bed and heads down stairs to take care of the dogs and make coffee before surfing the web looking for his workout of the day.  I let out a groan and roll over, vaguely aware of my bed getting cold.

7:20 – My 1^st alarm goes off.  I quickly turn it off and cuddle up next to which ever cat has decided to sleep on my stomach that day.  Back to dream land.

7:30 – My 2^nd alarm goes off.  See above.

7:35 – I remember that I’m supposed to be awake and look at the clock and try to remember if I took a shower the night before or not.

7:40 – Finally force myself out of bed and start getting ready.

8:00 – Head down stairs, or start rushing if I’m running late.

8:01 – Say hi to the husband, both dogs, and the coffee machine.

8:02 – Start making my breakfast and putting my lunch together in hopes I have an extra 10 minutes to sit with the husband.

8:10 – Let the dogs out, check their food and water situation.

8:20 – Sit on the couch to rest.  I’m exhausted.

8:25 – Shoes on and out the door after saying goodbye to the pups and hubs.

8:45 – Coffee has finally started to hit, and I try to recall what my day is supposed to be like.

9:00 – Walking in the door to work, hoping for a little peace to sit at my desk.  Again, I’m exhausted.

9:20 – Finally ready to work.  At this point, I’m all smiles and hopeful of successful projects.

I’m not sure why I hate mornings so much.  I have a strict bedtime of 11pm.  Sometimes I stay up late until 11:15.  I don’t get up at night.  I sleep very comfortably and soundly most nights.  I’ve tried putting the alarm across the room, with signage not to go back to bed.  This was a fail, and Dan almost killed my alarm clock until he realized it was my phone.  I’ve tried bribes of chocolate or a special lunch if I get up.  Fail.  This doesn’t even get a second thought.

I just love sleep.

Relay for Dogs

I went for a run today using my Nike sensor again.  As I was getting ready to go, Daisy got really excited.  I asked her if she wanted to go running and she about tackled me.  I felt guilty because my last run, Penny went.  So I kenneled Penny (who whined as we left) and headed out with Daisy.

I set my iPod for 3k hoping to slowly get back into running 3 miles to avoid any knee injury, but after 2k, Daisy quit.  She just laid down and would not move.  Ugg.  I tried coaching, pulling, yelling, and finally gave up and headed back to the house.  This is after 2 poop and 2 pee stops.  I hate running with Daisy.

I was feeling really good and frustrated with Daisy, so I let Penny out of her kennel and put Daisy in and off we went again.  I finished just over 4k and Penny was itching for more.  I love running with Penny.  She looks so excited and really pulls me just gently to get me to speed up when I start to slow.  She also doesn't have to stop to go to the bathroom.

Not bad for a dog exchange and 4 potty breaks

Once we got home, I ended my workout with 4 sets of alternative push ups: 30-20-15-20.  I'm hoping once Dan gets longer chains and a smaller tube for the make shift pull up bar, I can start working on my pull ups as well.  I'm not real excited by my pace time, but next time I'll stick with just Penny and hopefully I'll have a better time.  At least I figured out the voice over feature and have a nice women telling me how far I've gone, counting down the distance.

Mary Mary..How does your Garden Grow??

I have the worse luck with indoor plants.  Many of ivys, potted flowers, and aloe plants have died in my apartments.  Until now!

These are plants given to Dan during his hospital stay.  Part of me felt like if I could just keep these plants alive, Dan will be fine.  Here we are 9 months later, and they are doing fantastic!  And true to my gut, Dan is doing great as well.  I haven't gotten the Peace Lilly to re-bloom, but it's not dead!

I started some plants from seed (I know, hold the applause), and they have all officially sprouted!  I'm so excited to move them outside.  I'm thinking of making a tiered terra cotta planter for the front stoop.


I wish I could tell you the one thing I'm doing that has changed my luck.  I do check these plants almost every day because I'm excited by their success, and am afraid of jinxing things.  So, they are being talked to, soil checked, and my lilly gets dusted.  I also have more windows in my house, so the plants are getting sun.  All of my apartments were like little dungeons, so I'm sure the sun helps a lot.  The only other thing that I've changed, is I'm keeping the plants away from my computer.  Before, my plants were kept on computer desks, because this is where I spent my time.  Now, they are in bigger rooms, away from heat sources.

As far as my outside garden:

My crocuses came up and lasted a good 2 weeks before the winds blew the petals away.  Last year, we had rabbits who ate them after one day.  My daffodils aren't blooming yet, but I see buds on them as well as my tulips and hyacinths.  I'm starting to see new iris growth as well.  I love when my front bulbs bloom because Dan and my MIL planted them for me.  Dan doesn't buy me flowers very often.  Instead, he planted me flowers that will bloom every year just for me.

Long Weekend

I was in much need of a weekend after last week.  I have been dealing with some back/hip pain with the re-alignment of my hips with the heel lift, which means, I didn't sleep well.  Plus, with the drastic change in the weather, I had a couple of days I didn't think I'd be able to walk.  But! After a couple of days of friends, family, sleep, and a ton of laughter, I feel recharged, and ready to take on this week.   That is, starting tomorrow of course.

Friday night, Dan got off work early for a department outing at the Pacers vs. Kings game.  The game was one of the worse games I've seen the Pacers play, but we got to sit in the AIT suite.  Free food, plus meeting Dan's co-workers, means a nice way to relax for the weekend.

Saturday, we had a bunch of friends over to celebrate March Birthdays.  We had 7 friends with birthdays this month!  So, to celebrate, we had a cookout.  Dan grilled some burgers, we ate cupcakes which turned into a cupcake fight, and at the end of the night, we had people sleeping in Daisy's room and on the couch.  Besides the friend's with kids having to leave early, we all had a great time.

And Sunday, after a lazy morning, I headed down to my parent's house.  My Grandpa moved from California where he's lived most his life.  He's now living with my parent's.  It was good to see him, and even though he tired out a little early, we are all excited to have him close by.

Nutrition

I don’t track what I eat.  I don’t count calories, carbs, fat, ect.  I don’t diet.  I have no weight loss goals.  But, I do not eat like most people.  I forget this, and I struggle with helping people on diets.  I forget how hard it is to give up something that makes you happy.  If I had to give up coffee or my glass of wine, I’d become a scary monster that no one would want to be around.  So, as I was sitting in a lunch meeting, I noticed how my meals differed from others, and decided to, for a day, track what I want to eat, and what I really eat.  I mean, who really wants to pay attention to tracking nephritis progression in a mouse model?

Breakfast:

Wanted:  Iced Carmel Mocha with bagel and cream cheese.

Ate: Protein smoothie with strawberries, Super food, and spinach.  And coffee with Splenda and organic whole milk

10am snack:

Wanted:  Bagel from meeting and Orange Juice

Ate: Dark chocolate almonds and water

Lunch:

Wanted:  Egg salad sandwich with BBQ chips and a chocolate cookie, with a rootbeer

Ate: LO Salmon with peas and carrots, and a nectarine with water.

2pm Snack:

Wanted: Twix and Dr. Pepper

Ate: Peanuts and water.

Dinner:

Wanted: Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob

Ate: Roasted Chicken breast with Strawberry Salad and mixed vegetables, with ice tea sweetened with Splenda.

Dessert:

Wanted: Brownie with vanilla ice-cream

Ate: Sugar Free Chocolate PB Pudding Pie and Apple Cinnamon Hot Tea

Now the fun part.  Nutritional Summary for what I wanted to eat (assuming I ate one bagel, not the 2 I listed):

Total Calories: 3,760

Total Carbs: 431

Total Fat: 186

Total Protein: 123

For what I actually ate:

Total Calories: 2,468

Total Carbs:124

Total Fat: 93

Total Protein:177

So, you can see, that I ate less total calories, less carbs, more protein, and less fat.  Now, I have to admit, it was really difficult to even think about what I would want to eat.  I found myself saying, "Oh this sounds good, but ug, I'd feel bad afterwards."  Now, I find myself wanting salmon, and it being a treat when I get to eat it.  But, when it comes to the weekend, and we have birthdays, and dinners out with friends, I can eat a piece of cake and feel no guilt, or planning my next run.

Little Lady

My Miss Penny Layne is no longer a puppy.  I am very sad about this.  No more puppy breath, no more unbridled excitement over little things, no more needing help with anything.  Now, once she is done with being in heat, she will get fixed, and forever be less energetic.  I can already tell a difference.  She’s sleeping in a little more, she will lay down in bed in the morning while I’m getting ready instead of jumping all over the place, and she is even starting to take naps in the evening.

But, I’m looking forward to having a more predictable dog, not having any more teething, and being able to have quiet time with my dog, instead of always being tackled.  She’s still a big sweetie, and still loves to run and chase the cats.  As always, she loves her big sis and wants to do everything she’s doing.

Personal Best

Dan is the best, and let me get an iPod Nano 6th ed. and a Nike+iPod.  Last night he helped me put together a workout mix and this morning he synced my iPod so I'd be all set this evening.

I didn't think much about it all day, but I promised Dan I would "run the crap" out of my new toys, and so as soon as I got home, I got ready for my run.  Once I had the dogs situated, and figured how to start the Nike+iPod sensor, the sky was looking pretty dark.  So, I started around my neighborhood, hoping to get one lap in before it rained, and hoping to get an accurate distance for this lap.

So, I stop after one lap due to the looming thunderstorm, and barely get inside before getting soaked.  A little ticked I couldn't continue, I checked my Nike+iPod.

A  personal best!  I've never ran a mile this fast before!  If I can maintain this pace, I'll get a 3k in under 29 minutes!  Motivated, I did 3 sets of 20 alternative push ups with 45sec rest before calling it quits.  I'm very proud of myself, and very excited to know that last year, I ran 3+ miles at once.  I can't wait to go out again, and see what my 5k time will be. I need to play with the Nike sensor so it will tell me when I've reached a mile.  But, it was so nice to have music while I ran.  I was able to stay motivated and apparently ran a little faster than I thought I could.

Why Do I Blog?

I can tell you that I don’t blog because I think my life is interesting or exciting.  Yes, Dan and I are very active, and we both have a lot of interests and hobbies, but I don’t blog thinking people are excited to hear about my day.  I think I’m a very boring person.  Dan is the interesting one.

I blog to keep my friends and family updated.  I hate talking on the phone, and it’s really hard to have a conversation when I’m home with Penny craving for attention.  I can’t talk and drive, because I stop paying attention and run red lights.  (I only did this once, but there was a police man there, and I’m lucky I didn’t get pulled over.)

I blog so I don’t quit my job.  I have a hard time not being a work-a-holic.  I take my work very personally, and when things aren’t going well, I find it leaking into my personal life.  I hate this.  I want to not do this anymore.  But, as someone who has struggled with self confidence issues my whole life, Science was my escape.  I was always good at it.  I always lead in my classes, and I felt good doing it.  Now, I find myself at the bottom of the company (ok, not really, but some days it feels that way), trying to work my way up.  I get frustrated, stressed, and very angry with myself.  So, I blog to remind myself that work is a means to be able to do all of the fun things I do outside of work.  This is also why I don’t write about work.  Yes, a lot of what I do is confidential, but I find I only complain about work, which I am working on.

I blog to stay in shape.  I hate going to the gym.  I hate exercising, except for when I’m actually doing an activity that is fun (hashing, chasing the dogs, hiking down in brown county, ect).  I have yet to find something that I like to do on my own that is fun.  I need interaction during my workouts, and with living sooo far away from everyone, I blog about it.  It keeps me accountable, and allows me to track my progress.

I blog to deal with Dan’s cancer.  Being able to get my story out there, and record how I’m feeling, makes me feel human.  I get frustrated, scared, and hopeful, but no matter how I was feeling, I often felt I wasn’t reacting properly.  Reading back now, I don’t know how we got through it, but we did, and I know we always will.  It’s also so much fun to see how far Dan has come.  It’s scary to see now, all the warning signs we missed, but mostly because he’s Superman, so when he became human, we made excuses.

I blog for strength.  When something difficult comes up, I can read back and see what we have been through, what we have, and where we are going.  I also like feeling connected with my fellow bloggers, and learning from their experiences.  I feel very grateful to be able to see into someone else’s life for a brief moment, and learn from it.  I have so many things that I’m looking forward to experiencing in my life, and reading as someone else travels down that road, helps me prepare.

I blog to show off my dogs.  Our dogs are our children.  Every day, my dogs make me smile.  Every day, my dogs show me love, and every day, my dogs make me laugh.   We spoil them rotten, and yes, they are the best dogs for us.

Stampin’ Up Party

Saturday morning, I got up early to head out to my friend Megan B’s house for a Stampin Up Party.  Megan use to be a demonstrator, but since having her little girl, she has stopped.  But, we had a great party that she hosted, making 3 very different cards that are super cute.  I learned a couple new techniques, and I got to play with a Big Shot die cutter.  I quickly feel in love.  I asked Dan if I could have one for paying off my car, and he said yes!

So, I am the soon to be owner of a Sizzix Big Shot.  I bought one butterfly die cut/embosser, a polka dot embossing die, and a flower die cut.  I can’t wait for these to come in to play with them.  This will side-step the need to buy all different sizes of punches, speed up my card making/scrapbooking, and give everything a more professional look.  Not to mention, the list of materials that you can use in the Big Shot is almost endless.  Not only can you use cardstock, but you can use fabric, vellum, foil, corkboard, foam board, stickers, ect.  Not to mention, cuttlebug dies will fit in the Big Shot.  These are always on sale at like 40% off.

And, because its Sale-a-bration, I got 3 stamp sets for free.  If you’re ever interested in coming to a party, or a craft day, just let me know!

Girl's Night - Cooking Class

Saturday, my mom came up to teach us a few things about grilling, and share some of her favorite grilling recipes.  We had a great time, and we all learned new things and had great food, good wine, and enjoyed some girl time.

Mom teaching us how to make pizza dough for the Pesto Grilled Pizzas.  Yum.

Marinating Chicken

Learning how to cut asparagus

Finished pork tenderloin

Grilled Mango Mexican Chicken with Mango Salsa.

Grilled Fruit with yogurt dip

Grilled Blackberry turnover

Happy Weekend!

I don't know about you, but this past week has been really hard on me.  I've found myself very frustrated and annoyed several times, letting work interfere with my personal life.  The straw that broke me?  Having to work this weekend, yet again.  I hate working weekends, because the next week, I am in a bad mood.  All weekend I have to think about when is the best time for me to go into work.  How can I fit it in my schedule.  Which usually means I have to get up and out of the house before noon.  This does not make for a good weekend for me.

So, to counter act this negative mood I've been in, here are some good things that happened this week:
I finally paid off my car 7 months early!  I haven't decided on how to celebrate this yet.

Speaking of cars, Dan has decided that he wants a "new" car.  He's looking for a used Jeep Wrangler.  His car is now worth more than he owes, so he wants to trade it in, or sell it, and take out a loan with a lower payment, and pay the same amount each month to pay it off early.  The goal is by next year to pay off my credit card and his car.  Our reward?  Europe Trip!!

Thursday was St. Patty's Day and our 5 year anniversary from when Dan and I officially became a couple.  It's so fun to get excited for St. Patty's Day and have everyone else around you excited for you too.  I know it's for a different reason, but it's still fun to think everyone is excited for us.

Thursday was also the start of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament.  Dan and I are having a bracket challenge. I'm looking forward to Duke winning it all...again.  :)

My Pap smear came back clear.  I'm sure you all want to know this, but with my mom's history of uterine cancer and my Aunt's history of cervical cancer, we always get a little nervous.  I've had to have biopsies twice, and they have sucked, so I'm glad I don't have to have another one.

The best news??  It is the weekend.  Enjoy!

Success!!

For the first time EVER I was able to reach my toes in the sit and reach test!!!  Because of my back, I've never been able to reach my toes.  I can stand and touch the ground, but I had to work up to that too.  I am soo excited!  I never felt flexible because of this one stupid test.  And, finally, I can touch my toes.  I'm looking forward to being able to grab my feet now.

In other fitness news, I did go for a run today after work and it was beautiful!  I only went 2 miles before a neighbors dog got loose and tried to attack Penny, so we went home, both of us unscathed.  But, it was sunny and 60 degrees, so it was a wonderful day for it.  I feel soo much better and am looking forward to my salt bubble bath to help prevent the soreness that is sure to follow.

My last fitness related news is, yesterday I did an exhaustion push ups test doing alternative (or girl) push ups and I did 60 good technique push ups.  If you remember, I started doing the 100 push ups challenge, but it got really difficult and I had a hard time keeping my form after 40 push ups.  So, I quit.  I can make excuses, but I stopped working on them.  But, with signing up for the Indiana Warrior Dash, I have to get back on it.  So, I'm going to work on my alternative push ups, and then work on my traditional push ups as well as my pull ups.

My first blooming flowers!  Spring has begun.

STRESS!!

I feel so stressed out today.  Do you ever get like this?  I’m ready to pull my hair out and it’s not even 11am.

It all started when I left home this morning.  I left 7 minutes early, which is saying a lot for me.  I hate mornings.  I even had an extra cup of coffee in hand to deal with this 7 min rush.  They are doing construction on the main road that goes by our neighborhood, and you can only turn left to get off of that road to avoid this traffic.  Well, this morning, that left turn was blocked due to an accident, so my leaving 7 minutes early was wasted because I sat in traffic for 30min to go 2 miles!  Construction workers need a class on how to be a traffic flagger. 

Source

So I am officially late for work, which isn’t a big deal because no one tracks when I come in or leave, as long as my work is done, but it still stresses me out.  I hate being late.  Unfortunately, I spent all of yesterday afternoon trying to finish up a project, waiting for information from other people, and had to finish it first thing this morning.  So, here I am, running late, rushing to try and finish this project, and people have already started piling work on my desk.  Then they come to my desk to try and talk science about a different project.  Thankfully, this time, it wasn’t my supervisor, because I might have lost it.

At this point, my mind actually shut off.  I have no idea what was said in that conversation, but I can guarantee you, it means more work for me, and at least one more meeting, if I’m lucky.

But, I have now become the messenger to tell the powers that be, what went on in that conversation this morning.  Blah.  So, after struggling through the science of a project I know little about, and have very little experience with, I am completely exhausted and stressed out.

Thankfully, the rest of my day is pretty easy going, and hopefully the skies continue to clear, and the weather warms up just a tad, so I can go for a run tonight and forget all about it.  And then, I am going to take a nice hot bubble bath, and hope the husband doesn’t mind having Naan pizzas for dinner, because that’s about all the effort I will have tonight.

Weekend of Olivias

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Ours was tiring, but a lot of fun.

Friday night Dan and I went out to O'Charlie's for dinner.  It was really nice to go out on a date and sit and eat with no distractions.  We actually ordered the same thing (their grilled salmon).  I hate doing that because it makes me think I should have cooked.  But, we ordered a couple of drinks, ate some yummie rolls, and had no dishes!

Saturday morning, I spent the day working on a partially assembled scrapbook for my friend Megan.  She had her baby on the 4th, so I wanted to get something special for all of the new pictures she'd have.  Dan tried to go to open gym at his jiu-jitsu place, but no one showed up.  So, we ended up taking the dogs back down to Brown County.  It was 60 degrees and sunny with a cool breeze, and the ground was still soft from all of the rain.  It was a perfect day for a run.  We ran trail 8 again, but this time we headed to the left to avoid going up the stairs, and we ended up losing the trail and only taking the short way around.  I'd say we went 1.5 miles, but until I get my Forerunner, I won't know for sure.  What I do know, is that my left hip was KILLING me by the time we got home.  I mean, I was limping a bit.  But, after some rest, it started to feel better.

That afternoon, we pulled some freezers out and headed up to meet Baby Olivia.  She is sooo precious.  She just had her newborn shoot and MLP was able to photograph her delivery.  She's already a star.  She slept the whole time we were there, but it's always good to get some baby cuddles.  By the time we got home, and I had made dinner, my hip was hurting so bad I was limping, so Dan and I stayed in and rested. 

Sunday morning, Dan took a look at my back and hips, and I am severely out of alignment.  I put my heel lift back in and immediately my hip pain was gone.  I'm hoping the heel lift will straighten things out after a couple of weeks so I don't have to try and find a chiropractor.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Greenfield for another one of our friend's daughter, Olivia.  She turned 1!  It was really neat to compare a week old and a one year old who both share a beautiful name.  I cannot believe how much changes in such a short time.  Olivia is running, with only an occasional fall, and loves to play and love.  Such a sweetie, and I'm glad she had such a good party.

It wasn't a super busy weekend for us, but we both were exhausted Sunday night, and enjoyed just lounging around together.  I'm actually looking forward to Dan being home any minute to enjoy some more laying around.  I'm still sore from Saturday.

Needy

I don't know why, but I have gotten into a spending frenzy.  Last week I got my new lounge clothes, which I really love.  I also ordered some spring/summer dresses when should be delivered today.  I'm looking forward to the warm weather so I can start wearing them.  Plus I splurged and got a ton of new items for my craft room (fantastic dollar sales!).  Now, I've decided that since Dan is working and I've lost my running partner/trainer/entertainment during running, I need to get some new toys.  Here is what I'm saving for:

New Shoes.  Mine are 2 years old and I'm about to run out of the top of them.  I'm trying to decide if I want to buy running shoes, or trail running shoes.  So, any input would be appreciated.  I have high arches and underpronate, so I have to really try them on to make sure they will be good for my feet.  Cost: $80-$150

iPod Nano 6th generation.  I like the idea of a touch screen because I loved it on my BB Storm.  Plus, the clip will be really handy without the arm band.  I just really need something to take my mind off every step and every mile.  Cost: $140

Forerunner 305 Sports Watch.  Has a GPS reciever and a heart rate moniter.  I can see how far I've ran without having to run the same stupid course every day, and I can moniter my heart rate to stay on track.  It tracks your pace so you can see where you need to improve.  Plus, I can change modes for when we go for a bike ride.  The added feature is the map sharing online, so I can find other routes to take.  Cost: $150.

So, I'll be slowly saving up for each of these fun things.  If I stay disaplined and don't splurge on too many shopping trips or lunches out, I should be able to gather these up quickly.  Now I understand what Dan talks about when he comes to me with the new and best thing he just HAS to have for training.  Some things, you just do need.

Recipe Roundup

Here are my recipes for all the yummy food I’ve been talking about:
Sugar Free Coconut Macaroons
I followed the recipe from the link, but added a handful of Organic Raw Cacao Nibs and a handful of almond slices so they would taste more like a Mounds Bar. I also used Organic Coconut Flour instead of the raw coconut.  I need to play with this recipe because the macaroons were really soft, and stuck to my wax paper really badly. They never browned on top. I’m going to try adding melted coconut oil instead of the water, to see if this will help. They were fantastic though. Clint even said that he doesn’t like coconut, but he liked these.

Summer Squash and Zucchini

This is my favorite vegetable side. Every time I go to the store, I have to pick one of each up. The best part of this recipe is that it only takes 5 min to cook.

In a small skillet, add about 2T of your fav. EVOO infused butter (you can use EVOO if you prefer). Melt the butter on med heat to coat the skillet.

Slice the squash and zucchini. You want the slices to be about 1/4” wide to avoid them turning into mush.

Before adding to the skillet, season the zucchini and squash with salt and pepper. This is key. Salt them. It really brings out the flavor.
Add the zucchini to the skillet, then the squash and squirt in about 1teaspoon of lemon juice and cover. Cook over med-lo heat for about 5 min stirring occasionally. If they squash starts to turn translucent, then they are starting to turn mushy. Remove from heat and serve (hopefully before they start to become mushy).


Fried Chicken

Fried chicken has become a staple food in our house.  We have it once a week usually.  I stick to drumsticks and wings, but I did a few breasts have on a salad with lunch.  So tasty and I had people envious at my lunch.

Thaw chicken over night in the fridge.  Some people soak their chicken in a brine or cold water, but I don't.  With 4 pets, the chicken would be plucked right out of the cold water.

In a large skillet, heat on med-hi enough coconut oil to cover bottom 1/2 inch of pan.  I usually use 1 1/2 cup solid coconut oil and 1/2 cup EVOO.  I have a BIG pan.
Combine 2 cups flour with 1Tbsp paprika, 1tsp pepper and 1tsp salt.
Dredge chicken in the spiced flour.
Place chicken in oil and cover.
Turn chicken after 10 min to cook the other side and cover.
Cook chicken to 160F.  A cooking thermometer is your friend.
Immediately remove from heat and place on a paper towel to remove the extra oil.  Let the chicken rest for at least 5 min.

Hints:  Your dark meat will take longer, so cook your legs before your wings.
Your flour coating will be a dark crispy brown when chicken is done.  If you cook your chicken too long, it will turn to jerky.

Love Letter

Late last year, my grandma passed away. She grew up in England and always remained a proper English lady. I loved that about her. She had an accent and told great stories of this far away place she once lived. Before she passed, she asked my Dad to e-mail us love letters that my grandpa had sent her when she moved from England to California after they were married, with my Uncle Terry. My grandpa is not outwardly affectionate, and today I wanted to share his letter.

10 March 45
My Darling Joyce,
It’s just eight P.M. here and noon where you are. I often compare the time and wonder what you are doing now. It seems so darn funny to have eaten supper and then stop and think that you haven’t even had lunch yet. Gee honey but I’m lonesome for you. I’ve been down to Mrs. A’s this afternoon but didn’t stay long. Cpl Butcher [Cpl Jess J. Butcher from Los Angeles, California] and his wife and baby are there now and I just sit back and take in the whole room. Here is what I saw, Butcher was sitting in my chair, his wife in yours, and the baby was in Mrs. A’s chair screeming her head off. Mrs. A was out in the kitchen getting tea and I was sitting on the settee by the window. Darling I got so darn nervous thinking that we used to be there together and that are in El Cajon, and I’m here alone. Does it make sense to you?
Anyway honey I just couldn’t stand the thoughts that were going through my mind. I guess I’m jelous of them. Gosh honey but it seems like years since I was with you in that same house.
I did so look forward to getting your first letter today and then when it didn’t arrive I felt all goffey like. I always feel the best in the morning because I say to myself that this is the day I’ll get that letter, then no letter ------------. I do hope you are getting on alright with my family, please tell me if you aren’t. I received Louise’s mail written on Feb 26th. Well my darling I’ll close here and go to bed thinking about you and about getting your letter tomorrow. Kiss Terry for me. Have some pictures taken of him.
All my love,
Steve
PS. If only I were with you now!

I'm not sure if I would've had the strength to go through what they did, but I am glad that this kind of love runs in my family.

For Daisy

A Doggie PB Birthday Cake

Pre-heat over to 350F.
Combine the following:
1cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup PB
1 egg
1/4 EVOO
1tsp vanilla.
Pour into cake pan and bake for about 30 min.

PB Cream Cheese frosting:

Combine 1 package of cream cheese
1/4 cup PB
1/4 cup milk.
Beat until well mixed and creamy.

Happy 2nd Birthday Daisy Jayne!!!

Being a Girl

I have never been a pink person.  In fact, I don’t wear a lot of girlie clothes.  Sure, I love my accessories, and I wear a little lace, but my color palate is left to bright solid colors. I rarely wear patterns, and mostly just wear layers to mix things up.  I never really thought about this, until Dan started saying something.  He asked me to buy cuter “lounging” clothes.  Usually I stick to sweat pants and an old t-shirt.  Yup, I’m one of those wives.

So, we went online so I could figure out what in the world he was talking about.  He picked out some cute yoga pants, with a shirt, some shorts and a couple sleeper tees from Victoria’s Secret.  I’m not going to lie, I was pretty hesitant.  I mean, when I want to relax, I don’t care how I look.  I just want to be relaxed. 

It only took 2 days for my order to come in, so yesterday I tried out a pink sleeper tee.  Super comfy!  The fabric is super soft and it’s really comfortable.  It’s not tight at all, but somehow still form fitting.  I got the pink one with the sparkly heart, and the purple one.  I even dug out some of my old sleeper shorts and pants that were hiding in the bottom of a goodwill clothes pile.

I’m not going to lie, I felt pretty good wearing pink.  And there maybe some pink fuzzy slippers in my future.

Sigh of Relief

I’ve been quiet here since Dan’s Dr’s appointment. 

On Wednesday we were told that Dan’s CEA levels came back at 2.9.  His pre-surgery level was 2.1, three months ago it was at 2.8.  So, Dr. H suggested that Dan have a PET-CT scan, just to be sure the rising CEA levels are artifact and not the start of a recurrence.  CEA is CarcinoEmbryonic Antigen test.  CEA is secreted by embryonic cells, but level out in adults as you lose these embryonic cells.  Some cancer cells will secret CEA, so in some people, an increase in CEA will indicate tumor growth.

We scrambled around work schedules, and other appointments to get Dan in for a scan.  Dan didn’t want me to tell anyone because it was just precautionary, and nothing definitive.  Why have everyone else be on edge for nothing?  Being quiet was very hard for me.  I told my mom because I needed someone to know what was going on.

I’ll admit, I was really scared at first.  There was no warning.  Dan has been feeling great.  He’s getting his motivation back for MMA, and things were settling into normalcy.  Well, normal for us.  Not to mention, so many wonderful things have happened since Wednesday morning!  Our two good friends got engaged, and my friend Megan had her baby!  I was having a really hard time being happy and excited for everyone, with Dan’s health weighing me down. 

Plus, I caught a stomach bug and couldn’t get out of bed Friday.  But, by Saturday night, my viral infection was gone, and we were able to visit with my family for a Stephenson Clan bowling night.  By the time we were headed home, I realized I hadn’t thought about Dan’s health all night.  Sunday afternoon, Dan’s family came into town for a visit, and I felt great.  I was confident Dan would be fine.

Yesterday at 7am, we headed to the Simon center for Dan’s scan.  They put in an IV port and injected him with a radio-labeled glucose tracer.  The glucose will be metabolized and the PET scan will show any area in the body where high levels of metabolism are occurring.  In layman’s terms, tumors will glow. Then the CT scan, lets them look more carefully at the areas that “glowed.”  Dan was done by 8:45.  I was anxious for results immediately, but we had to wait.  I was a little scared, but I knew that even if something came back suspicious, we’d have to wait for a biopsy to confirm, so we were focused on being prepared for bad news, but really expecting the all clear.

Dan had an appointment with Dr. H to go over the scan results today at 8am.  As we were slowing getting up, Dan checked his e-mail and Dr. H had e-mailed him last night (after Dan bribed him with donuts), that the scan showed no signs of any cancer. 

Dan is still cancer free, and we now have yet another reason to celebrate tonight.  Today is a good day.

A little about me...

I was sick Friday and Saturday, so this is about all I could put together.

A. Age: 27 who day dreams of having the responsibilites of a 22 year old.

B. Bed size: Queen. We love our bed. Its our favorite purchase to date.

C. Chore you dislike: Dishes and cleaning the bathroom. Those are the husband's chores now. One of the first times Dan came over after I gave him a key, he did my dishes while waiting for me to get home. I was so embarrassed, and we moved in together soon after. I was not letting a man who does dishes get away.

D. Dogs: Miss Daisy Jayne who will be 2 years old on Wednesday and Miss Penny Layne who is 8 months old.

E. Essential start to your day: Seeing my husband and the dogs. I prefer to see my husband making me coffee. Oh, and breakfast. I have to eat in the morning.

F. Favorite color: Purple – I wanted our wedding color to be purple, but my mom talked me out of it. The orange and red was still beautiful.

G. Gold or silver: Silver – I'm allergic to gold.

H. Height: 5 foot 6 inches

I. Instruments you play(ed): I taught myself how to play the piano, and still say that I can play. We have a piano, and I don't play it. I really need to get some books to get back into it. I also played the violin for 9 years, but I haven't picked it up since high school. I need a new one with a better tone. And, I am really self conscious about it because I had a horrible teacher. I still won gold at state several years in a row.

J. Job title: Wife, Puppy-mommy, Senior Biologist.
In that order.

K. Kids: 2 dogs and 2 cats...for now.

L. Live: Greenwood, IN in a house we built a year and a half ago. But, we will probably be moving to either Broadrippe or Greenfield in the next 3-5 years.

M. Mom’s name: Kim, Mom, Mommy dearest.

N. Nicknames: Dan calls me his Queen, and the dogs know me as Momma. When I was a baby, my dad called me Peaches. Some people try to call me Nikki, but I quickly correct them.

O. Overnight hospital stays: When Dan was in the hospital. I'm not sure this counts.

P. Pet peeves: Rude people and mouth breathers. Oh, also when people write an e-mail and the put the entire e-mail in the subject line and nothing in the actual e-mail.

Q. Quote from a movie:

"WaaAAAllll-e. EeeEEEEvvva."

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: Greg, Rebekah, Elisabeth, Ducky, Adam, and Caleb. Phew.

T. Time you wake up: Sometime between 7:20 and 7:40 (weekdays that I work ), and weekends, whenever I get tired of hearing Penny bark and Dan hasn't yelled at her yet.

U. Underwear: Yes. I like a variety to choose from.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: I don't like lettuce on my sandwiches, but I do like lettuce. I've not met a vegetable I haven't liked, but there are a lot out there I haven't tried yet like collard greens and a sea beet.

W. What makes you run late: Whenever I have to put the dogs up. I take too long apoligizing for having to leave them. They just know how to look soo pathetic.

X. X-rays you’ve had: My feet and back. I've broken my right foot 3 times and I have scoliosis.

Y. Yummy food you make: Everything! I love to cook and am always finding ways to make anything taste better. In fact, I had a very yummy banana smoothie with dark chocolate PB this morning. Yum.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Monkeys, lemurs, and the tigers. I'm amazed at any zoo animal though. They are all so much more athletic and powerful then I am. I'm glad we are more evolved thinkers since we lack in the physical strengths, or so we tell ourselves.

Did you learn anything new??