The best cookies ever!

The other morning I was watching GMA and they had a great chocolate cookie recipe. And I tried it. OMG! Sooo, good. The only changes I made to the recipe were that I used Splenda, Splenda Brown Sugar, and half the salt.

Frannie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Woodruff Family's Secret Cookie Recipe

Makes 48 cookies

Ingredients:


2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated, then add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine cake flour, baking soda and salt. Stir with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture all at once, and mix until they are just combined. Do not over mix.

Fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Drop 1-tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto a nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

By using the cake flour it makes for a very tender cookie! And so far have been loved by all! I am sure one of my friends after yesterday is wishing she had some of the best diet pills on the market. She ate about 15 of them yesterday when our daughters got together to play lol.

I need a break

I am sooo tired. I forgot what it is like to be pregnant and have energy one second and the next be passed out cold on the couch the next. But, I keep plugging on looking for a job and everything else. I really need to clean my house more, since my parents and sister will coming in from Indiana tomorrow for Easter. But, I really want to get away. Just Jeremy and I- the 2 of us. We really need it before this baby comes, but where to go. Philly is close, but to me not far enough away. Flordia is too far, but you know NYC is just right. About 3.5 hours away. I wonder if I could get people to chip money to cover the cost of a New York City hotel room? Nah, you know they will want to buy stuff for the baby. Which is fine with me... on the 24th of this month we get to find out what it is...

So, what is your guess: Boy or Girl?

Ummm awesome show last night!

So, did everyone watch House last night? Come on you know you did because I want to talk about it! So, what did you think about them killing off that doctor? And have you heard why they killed him off? It is soo cool! If you haven't watched House last night, please do!

But, I never get over how many different tests that they run on the patients in House. Have you ever noticed that they never run something say like a colon cleanser. Because you know that something as simple as that would never make a tv show, but it would be fun to watch them try to give one!

I want to move right now!

Ok, I am so sickof the stupid people in my area! I want to move right now! Part of it is the crazy mom's club in my area which is worse than an evil high school clique. They and their relatives think nothing needs to change. They don't want to add white colar jobs, they are fine with their blue colar jobs (which are closing right now). So, I need a change. So, why not move out of the state and maybe find something with Wilmington NC real estate. I would love to just pack everything up and move without a care. These are the same people that made me so stressed I was in an ER for a day.

Dreaming of Spring and Summer

One day when we have money we want to finish our little patio in the back. We need to rip out the old concrete squares, because they are so uneven and stuff with pointy corner stick up on some of them. We either do that or add on and make a year round room off the back- which to me would be nice! But either way I would love some outdoor furniture. We have a couple of pieces but I would love to be able to eat outside or lounge around outside in the shade! Ahh a pregnant woman can dream! Right! But, I need to get some pillows for the one bench we do have because after a while it isn't very comfortable after a while without them!

OHHHHH got a great deal!

With the new baby coming, there are a few things we will need to get for it. BTW- we don't find out the sex of the baby until mid April. Well, Lorelei car seat is expired, so we need a new one. If it is a boy we will need a new stoller, because Lorelei's stroller is pink and white lol. I think I would like a double jogging stroller, so I can have both kids in one stroller and it will make me go and workout lol.

Well, I was checking out all the "normal" baby sites and thought that I should check out some not so normal places and found a great Sale going on at buy.com. LOVE that site. We have used it a lot in the past to buy tv series on dvd and puter parts, but they also have baby stuff. But, with this sale I found a great deal and want to get it for Lorelei's birthday- it is a Pink Tee Ball and Glove set. And it is very pink! I am so excited because it is only 9.99 and had free shipping! How great is a deal is that- a bat and glove for less than 10 bucks! There is also a really funny video up of Howie and his son and this website. Check it out it is so funny!

Drool- I want to go so BAD

During all the craziness of our lives in the last few months, we really weren't planning on getting pregnant. Well, again my in-laws are planning another family vacation and they want us to go with them. Well they were planning on August to go to the Outer Banks. And I have never been to there or any where in the Carolinas, so I would love to go. So, they changed it to June, but now I'm not sure if I will be able to go since I will be intering my 3rd trimester- not sure if I am that brave to travel that far out. But, I have never been there... and I want to go so bad! I missed out on the AZ trip that they went on just before Lorelei was born, and it looks like I am going to miss out on another trip- again!

What a roller coster ride for the new year!

Sorry that I have been gone for so long, but things have been crazy here. I had to quit the gym job for health reason. I kept getting sick from the chorine smells and the mold growing on the walls in certain areas of the gym. And yes it was new contruction, but that is what you get when things aren't done right. But on top of all of that Lorelei got tubes in her ears, I got pregnant, and ended up in the hospital a few weeks ago due to stess freking out my inners. The baby is ok and I am due around Labor Day. But on top of all of this is trying to find a new job, I am going all out- full time day and sticking Lorelei in either a home babysitting kind of a place or daycare.

And on top of all of that, I need to ship out gifts for friends from Christmas, baby shower gifts, sharing books, etc... but the post office never has any shipping boxes, so I am having to look some where else now for them. One day Lisanne will get her Christmas present lol. Maybe in July lol.

Are you looking for a new snack?

Ok, since I am jobless and bored and depressed (I hate bills- gotta win the lotto)... I decided to look for some new recipes to change up things a bit... and saw this recipe on Rachael Ray's Every Day website...


Spicy-Sweet Asian Nut Mix

MAKES 3 1/2 CUPS
Prep Time: 10 min (plus cooling)
Cook Time: 5 min

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup chow mein noodles
1 cup peanuts
3/4 cup wasabi peas

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sesame seeds and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sugar and, when just dissolved, stir in the soy sauce, then the chow mein noodles. Quickly spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet; let cool.
2. Crumble the sesame mixture into a bowl and toss with the peanuts and wasabi peas.

Now I would change this up by using a brown sugar sub and add more protein packed nuts etc... But I have always loved sweet and spicy... and with the nuts you can add that sweet and salty to your taste buds as well...



Enjoy!

still sick... cough cough cough... all I want for Christmas is new lungs... that work!

ok when it this going to end? Well I hope soon! Well I didn't have a cold after all during all this time... so ha... it was my allergy asthma acting up... Weds my coughing started to really act up... and just was getting worse each hour... by Christmas day I was barking my cough was so bad... I peed myself twice and went through about 8 pads (I have moved on to stuffing one of Lorelei's overnight diapers in my undies... god i'm so sexy... umm not)... and nothing was working on supressing the cough... it seemd that the meds were making it worse... so when I woke myself up with weezing and this puckering sound from my lungs I knew I had to get into the doc... I had to leave work at 10:45 (babysitting is open till 1:30) to make it to my 11:20 apointment time... the doctor's office closes at noon on Fridays... so I was getting worried when my doc didn't come in until almost 12:20... he was listening to me cough in the hallway and was counting how long I was coughing and how much time inbetween coughing fits... he came in and said that this wasn't not a cold like we tought back in Novemeber... and basically said without saying it that he was wrong back then... this was purely asthma acting up pure and simple... he ordered me to start doing nebuilzer treatments today...

Needless to say that scared me to death and with good reason... he said that if this would of kept going on I could of ended up in the hospital or calling 911... worse case I could of died... needless to say that scared the pee out of me... oh wait that was just me coughing again... argh... he also put me back on antibotics (amoxicillin) and told me to keep taking the dayquil... I am to do the breathing treatments 3 times a day until these coughing fits go away... and then if I have a flair up go back on it... to me this is all very scary because my asthma improved from gastric bypass in losing the weight... and right now I feel like i have hit a big old brick wall... I'm not allowed to workout until I have healed up... which is really frustrating when you work at a gym... argh! But my over all health is more important than doing something stupid like working out too soon and ending up in the hospital...

I will post soon about our Christmas with my in-laws and with my parents later... but please pray for my silly lungs that don't seem to get breathing correctly... right now I am going to watch for the millionth time Sydney White... man o man how I love this cheesy movie... right now I think that I need something hot to drink... what I wouldn't do for an espresso machines!

Things were going so well and then ARGH…

I was getting ready to write a post about this past weekend and how well it went and then my mom called and just totally ticked me off… she thinks that we can just drop everything to pick up the house phone… well hello we have lives and that just isn’t going to happen… we have lives… and I work a lot of nights at the gym and when I’m done I work out… well try to… or go to the grocery store etc…

Tonight I just got home and was sitting down to relax because parents don’t seem to get it that we close at 8:30pm… not 8:45 or 9.. 8:30… well this dad didn’t show up till 9… his 6 year old daughter thought that he had left her… and well I couldn’t find him… and I can’t go into the guy’s locker room… and that is where he was… taking his sweet time… he finally showed up and I was able to leave… but I had to go to the store to get some tape to wrap a few gifts for once I got home… and here my mom is freaking out because we didn’t pick up the phone when she called… Jeremy is on call this week and was dealing with a work outage and I just got home.. so she calls his cell phone… omg… give me a freaking break… there are times when I wish she lived closer.. but then there are times I think would I be able to have a life? My mom really needs to learn to deal with this… she would get so mad at me in college when I didn’t return phone calls and now it is even worse…

Ok, vent off… but man! I will have to post later about our mini Christmas this past weekend later… I’m just too mad right now… but here is a photo… enjoy!



Oh yeah, late idea for a Christmas gift... My brother-in-law said he wanted some compact flash for his camera, but the stupid boy didn't tell me what kind of camera he has... MEN!

the crazys cont…

well, we are still sick… argh… this is driving me nuts needless to say… I took Lore back to her doc on Monday because she had this horrible cough… well even though she was on antibotics for 11 days for her ear infection… she was getting sicker… the doc said that it was a good thing I brought her back in… her ear infection got worse and was suprised that her ear drums didn’t bust… so she is on a new antibotic and we have to take her back in 2 weeks… me on the other hand is finally over my sinus infection, but I still have my cold (each day it gets better) and over the weekend I got a bladder infection… well I had left over antibotics from the last one a month ago from when they switched stuff (went for years without one and get 2 in 2 months… what is up with that)… so it is now gone too… but I am sooo tired and then realized that I missed last months B12 shot… and now I am due for this months… so I will have Jeremy to that tonight…

And with all of this sickness going on, I still haven’t uploaded my thanksgiving day photos or any of the other photos… told you all about thanksgiving, pregnancy scare (and no i’m not… not ready for that yet lol), and my BIL dumped his girl friend for cheating on him and moved back home…

I also got my first paycheck from the gym… cheer… but now we might have to replace the battery in my car (at least that is cheap) and I hope and pray that is all it is to fix because other wise I might have to return the Christmas gifts I just bought (waited for the paycheck)… I didn’t go nuts, only spending $20 on each person… well all but Jeremy’s gift… but I am really praying that if we just jump the car it will start and be fine… I’m just frustrated that things were looking up and then this happened today… on top of that I didn’t work this morning because there was a 2 hour delay for the area schools- so that means no morning babysitting… which means 5 hours I don’t get paid… but we will be open tonight and I’m working tonight… I have to find someone to work Friday night… but I might just take the hours… only bad thing is my parents are in town starting tomorrow… so I won’t get to spend much time with them because of working Friday and Sat. morning… I also had someone cancel on me for Sunday because her grand daughter is singing at church on Sunday for the first time and I don’t want her to miss that… so I’m trying to figure out if I am going to work it or find someone to fill it…

We are also doing Christmas this weekend with my parents… so part of the reason I have to clean… but then again… I’m so tired… I don’t wanna… but I need to at least get the living room cleaned for photos lol… but, I feel like I am never home right now… I need to come up with a way to clean when I am home… because I’m only home for about 2 hours in the afternoon… and that is the time I use to make phone calls if I need to etc… and by the time I get home at night I’m pooped… so if any of you have ideas please let me know… but speaking of cleaning… off to move laundry around…

**NOTE**
My car just needed a new battery… cheer- it was an easy fix and didn’t cost that much to replace…

Being Creative

Well with everything that has happened this last year I have some gret things to scrapbook. Yes, scrapbook! I can't wait, I just need to get my photo printer to work (for some reason it won't suck the paper up into it). I have my rubber stamps, inks, and other scrapbooking supplies all ready to go. So, I just need to get those photos printed and get some time to myself and I will be ready to go. I have the looks and layouts all ready in my head! So, what are you all going to be scrapbooking this new year?

Nice surprise

Well, the coughing is getting a little better… as long as I keep taking the stupid cold meds… Lore eat like a horse yesterday showing no signs of ever being sick the day before… but with everything going on the last few weeks I wasn’t shocked that I hadn’t lost any weight… hadn’t gained but still hadn’t lost… well today I was wondering because some new undies I bought last week started to sag… and I was like what the heck! I’m on my period and everything nothing should be sagging but my boobs lol… but I am now down to 213… I hadn’t lost any weight since Oct 10th… so it was super nice to see the scale change numbers for once…

But, I gotta get Lorelei ready for her eye therapy tonight… so I better go… just had to share the happy news…

Yahw... I'm tired...

Today is another long day for me. I worked this morning at the gym, and tonight I work at Lane Bryant. And on top of it all is I have a sinus infection. Argh! And it is frezing here. And more and more people that get to know me at the gym are wondering where my wedding band and engagement rings are at. I miss wearing my rings, but with the weight loss there is just no way I can wear them anymore. I feel naked without them. I am going to get them resized one day but for now I go without them. I am thinking of getting a temp wedding band because I'm tired of being naked there, lol!

Whoop!

The gym opened this morning at 4am… found out yesterday around 4:30 that we were opening… worked from 8:30 to 1:30 and then from 4:30 to 8:30 and worked out afterwards… which ROCKS… shiney brand new equipement to break in… sooo happy!

Well, I’m pooped… need to shower and layout clothes for tomorrow… and omg 7:15am SUCKS! Horrible time of the day lol… ok off to bed… pictures to come in a little bit btw…

Another WLS Fave recipe

Lets face it a lot of our fave dishes for the holidays aren't all that healthy for us. It is even harder when you have had gastric bypass and you have to watch your sugar and fat amounts. This recipe was created by my WLS friend Jackie. And I think this will become a family fave soon!

Candied Yams

Melt a little smart balance, tiny bit of juice from large can of cut yams and some DiabetiSweet Brown Sugar to the pan until it melts down together and starts to make a "brown sticky candyish mess". Throw away the rest of the juice off the yams and add them to the pan, turning gently to warm them and coat them in the "candy" glaze. Takes 10 mins. tops. Done.

Another healthy Thanksgiving Recipe...

This is a recipe that was created by a WLS friend and it is just awesome. Liz did a great job in creating this for anyone wanting a healtier stuffing. If you try this please let me know what you think!

Whole Grain Bread Stuffing
Ingredients
1 loaf whole grain bread , cubed
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup fresh chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh chopped celery
1 tbsp chopped parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-1/2 cup lowfat milk (or stock)
1 egg , lightly beaten
2 medium apples , cored and chopped

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Put bread cubes in a large bowl. Set aside.
3 Put water in medium saucepan. Add onion, celery, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Do not drain. Pour over bread cubes.
4 Stir in milk and egg. Gently stir in apples.
5 Spoon into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake for 1 hour.

Try these Thanksgiving recipes!

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up this week, I wanted to share some recipes with you all that I think you would love at your family table this week.

Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
• 2 cups 100% cranberry juice
• 2 packets unflavored gelatin
• Splenda to taste
• Granted orange zest - optional

Preparation
Bring 1 cup of cranberry juice to a boil. Meanwhile in a heatproof bowl add 1 cup cold cranberry juice – sprinkle gelatin over to dissolve. When the juice boils pour over gelatin mixture, Mix thoroughly and put into a container and refrigerate 2 hours or until set. Enjoy!

Quinoa Stuffing
Ingredients
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation
Bring broth and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion, celery, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and thyme; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked quinoa, cranberries, and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees in a greased baking dish about 10 minutes until heated through.

See isn't that a great recipe! And just think you won't even need any diet pills like Ephedrasil hardcore!

Sylar is Spock?

I love scifi/fantasy... it rocks... anything is possible... the only thing that can limit you is your imgination... that is it... I know that a lot of people don't get this... but I think most of the ones that don't get it don't like to think outside the box... and there is nothing wrong with that hehehe... but I have never thought inside the box (which is why teachers hated me in school lol)... and that is part of the reason i love this genre so much!

Well the other night after my babysitting meeting at the gym (ugh so close to opening) I came home and watched my shows that were recording... I was watching Fringe (ugh love that show so much) and saw the most amazing movie trailer in years!!! Star Trek is going to be in movie theatres May 8th, 2009! DROOL! Don't know why I'm so excited watch this! I'm trying to figure out if the tattoo guy in it is a Klingon or not... but omg it is so amazing! I haven't been this excited for a movie since the LOTR ones or POTC ones... so, it looks like I will need a babysitter that day or something because I will spend the money to see that in an imax theatre... and oh yeah... Sylar from heros is Spock... and the prince dude from the pricess diaries 2 is kirk... and cop angel from hot fuzz is scotty... ohhh going to be soooooo good!

Also, when I was looking for the link to show you the movie trailer... I saw this one... do you guys remember the Escape to Witch Mountain and the Return from Witch Mountain movies? That movie trailer is returning to that story line... The Race to Witch Mountain comes out in March... I loved those movies as a kid... I have one of them on DVD... looks like I need to pull it out and watch it...

And I know there is a new Transformers movie coming out next summer as well... so far it looks like next summer is going to have some rockin' awesome movies... my geeky neard heart jumps for joy lol... but, I am off to make sugar free cream cheese cookies (made a few last night... OMG good!) I will post the recipe for them later!

Making more out of our lives...

I have talked off and on about going back to college to get another degree- a B.S. in nutrition science or to take to a whole new level and become a registered dietitian. After what I have dealt with in my own journey through weight loss I am more equipped to help others than someone that has never had an issue with weight. I would also like to become a personal trainer to help others to work through their issues of food.

My mom is an R.N. for a hospital in Indy. She went back to school when I was in high school. First she went for being a medical assistant, then LPN, then her assoc. RN degree and then her B.S. RN degree. Because of that I remember what she went through in picking her school. And she often thinks about going back to school to get her masters. I think she should because she would be a great teacher.

I recently came across an online MS degree that I think she would be interested in at Saint Xavier University in Chicago and Orland Park. MS nursing programs are becoming more and more popular to take online so that you can still keep working while taking your classes and it is combined with one weekend of applied campus experience. And all practicum work will be in your local area, so you really can keep your life very normal while in school.

More and more hospitals are wanting more out of their nurses for a number of reasons. Some want them to be able teach at their schools all the way to wanting their nurses to be the best of the best for their patients. What better way to do those things than to go back to school for MS Nursing. So, if you are a nurse or studying to be a nurse really check out this program. It looks great to me and I know I can't wait to talk to my mom about this program!

Want the inside scoop... on WSL...

I know a lot of you have questions about WSL (gastric bypass) and some of you don't feel comfortable asking them and that is cool... and if you do ever have a question just ask... nothing will bother me...

Baraiatric TV was created by some people that use the WLS message board that I belong to... But this will give everyone some insite that this isn't a quick fix... for some the weight just flies off (so not fair) and for others it just a bit harder (like for me)... and these shows well as my college history proffs would say "widen your world view."

Well I am off to shower...

argh!

Well, I called again yesterday to see when the gym was going to open. The asst. manager of the gym had no idea. He told me they were installing the speakers so, you know they are close when it comes to things like that... but what is frustrating is that Lane Bryant is now doing the schedule 2 weeks in advance now. So, I have no idea what I am going to do if I have to work at both places on the same night! And I asked again what is the gym providing for the daycare room and all the manager knows is that a tv is given. Maybe it will be a Sony Vaio but right now I would really like to know do we have a changing table or not! Ok, done with my vent... please pray for me and the gym!

Amen

We don’t work on things with Lore like I am sure a lot of other parents do with their kids… I don’t sing the ABC song all day long etc… plus she looks at me like I’m a freak of nature when I do it… but with her being such a strong visual learner she watches a lot of Word World and shows like it or shows on the History Channel, History International, Planet Green, Discovery, Smithionian (think that is how it is spelled lol), TLC… and picks up a lot.

She can spell words and knows most of her ABC by sight… numbers… well she isn’t so big on them… she will go down the stairs saying one two… one two… says one two three when her and Jeremy play… but we do hear her from time to time saying certain numbers up to 20… not in order… but I know there are some where in her head…

She is finally liking books… but she wants me to read 40 of them at a time… umm no… I will read 2 at a time and that is it… and it seems to be fine with her now (my parents completely ruined/spoiled her when they had her that week and half without us there- but that is vent post for later)…

But in the last week she has really picked up some new words… Taco, YahYah (what she calls her LuLu the spider (it is some leapword stuffed toy))- which means she is naming things, yogurt, oh darn I can’t remember the rest… well when i do I will post them because it is so funny… because to me they aren’t normal toddler words…

And then tonight… she said Amen and pressed her hands together… my MIL last year for Christmas got her a little board book that has a button on it and says God is Great, God is kind etc prayer… and at the end it says Amen. I tried working with her on it last year but whe wanted nothing to do with it so I stopped pushing… and TADA… she said it all on her own… rock on… but she didn’t say it for Jeremy… little bugger… she also won’t kiss him either… brat… sorry but that is bratty!

She is also waking up during the night crying because she is wet… argh… but still won’t really pee on the potty… we have a total of 2 times now… she always tells me she has to go pee pee but she won’t say on the potty… and I’m about to duc tape her to it so she does go on it lol… but she seems to want to wear real undies so I let her… but she is also totally in love with baths all the time… she will start crying/meltdown/insane crazy shaking because she wants Bubbles soo badly (bubbles= bath)… so as soon as she pees herself in real undies she thinks she has to take a bath… umm if I did that… that would be about 15 baths per day… not happening…

I am also trying to think of some sports that we can start to do with Lorelei next summer. She already has down the basics of a golf swing... but I am wondering if she would like to go to the range and hit a few? I know that Jeremy needs some new golf shoes, but I'm not sure if he would like those for Christmas or not. Time will tell on both of those issues!

A little time for me

Well as of November 1st, I am no longer a Stampin' Up! demo, but I am still a rep with Amway/Quixtar. And since I am no longer with SU, I have been gathering up my promotional products that I bought in the hopes it would bring me some new customers- well these puppies are heading to my upline. It kind of worked... as in I got a few new customers and then the housing market bombed, then the whole mortgage mess, and now the stock market and then no one had any money to buy anything. But, that is life. But, it is also a huge weight off my shoulders because I didn't even have any time to scrapbook for myself let alone help anyone else. So, now I can sit down stress free and relax and have fun!

Pizza and Thanksgiving

One of my WLS buddies posted this recipe and I had to share it with all of you… see we can still have pizza… just in a different way… and why you might ask… because we need to be low carb high protein and fiber… pizza high carb and fat lol… but if you start with this great base… I can’t wait to try it!

Broccoli Crust Pizza
2 cups cooked broccoli shredded (squeeze out as much water as you can)
2 large eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp garlic powder

combine all and press evenly into well greased pizza pan or cookie sheet (this makes a LARGE 14 inch crust)
sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and basil (if desired)
Bake at 450 degrees until browned and bubbly (15-20 minutes)

And if you eat like this you won't need weight loss pills! This would be a great way to use up turkey leftovers as well after Thanksgiving. Just tossing out another idea for you all to get ready for Thanksgiving!

How about this for Thanksgiving...

I know some of you are trying to think of what to fix for thanksgiving... so I wanted to toss out how about roasted chicken for any holiday dinner...

I saw Ina make this today and oh man it looks soooooo good!!! And don't forget once you have finished getting all the meat off the bones you can now make homemade chicken stock... and don't forget this is very low fat if you don't eat the skin! I think this would be a great sub for that boring old turkey dinner!

Ina's Roasted Chicken recipe

Something different for dinner

One of my WLS buddies posted this recipe and I had to share it with all of you... see we can still have pizza... just in a different way... and why you might ask... because we need to be low carb high protein and fiber... pizza high carb and fat lol... but if you start with this great base... I can't wait to try it!

Broccoli Crust Pizza
2 cups cooked broccoli shredded (squeeze out as much water as you can)
2 large eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp garlic powder

Combine all and press evenly into well greased pizza pan or cookie sheet (this makes a LARGE 14 inch crust). Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and basil (if desired). Bake at 450 degrees until browned and bubbly (15-20 minutes).

Christmas Gift Ideas

Since money is tight again this year for Christmas (come on stupid gym and open!), I have been looking for some ideas for gifts. I thought about making my own gifts, but once I figured in what it would cost me... well that idea went out the window!

So, one of my ideas is doing Operation Christmas Child. We had a former MOPS member come in and talk about this great event. She does one box for each year her child is old. So this year they are doing 7 boxes (I think she was 7... or was it 9). So, when my parents were out visiting they helped me buy things for the boxes. I need to get a few more things, but I have to wait for more money. These are some of the things that these children need in their boxes-

TOYS
small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky®, etc.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES
pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.

HYGIENE ITEMS
toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.

OTHER
Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)

A PERSONAL NOTE
In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.)

I think what hit me the hardest was some of these kids don't even have their own toothbrush and washcloth they are so poor. One little girl (they showed a video) lost everything in an earthquake and all she wanted was a babydoll. She got one through OCC. Can you imagine all you want is a simple doll and you have just lost everything... and I mean everything and then to get one from a complete strange in another country. To me that just brings tears to my eyes to think about it. Or you are so poor that you use the plastic shoe box that your child's gifts came in to make meals... or to have no socks and live in a place where it is winter for half the year it seems...

So, this would be a great idea as a gift. Just tell your love one instead of buying them something (they probably don't need anyways) you are going to make up so many of these boxes to help poor children of the world.

Another great gift idea is buying handcrafted fair trade products made by
economically disadvantaged women worldwide. Please Visit Hope for Women. They make beautiful cards out of flower petals and they are just amazing looking! I have seem artist in the USA sell these types of cards for $10 a piece. Their cards are so much cheaper and to me even more beautiful as well.

Another gift idea is to give the gift of food. See if there is any local food shelters getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas meal packs. A lot of these places need money to buy turkeys and hams for the holidays, so you could tell your love ones I bought so many turkeys in honor of you to feed the poor. Or, you could buy a a flock of chicks for $20 through Heifer International to help end hunger around the world. Just think how a few chickens can make a difference in the life of a family in Cameroon. Their eggs will provide protien, more chicks will be born, so that means the extra eggs can be shared or sold and then the chickens can be then used for meat... also they help keep the bug population down and their pooh helps to fertilize gardens.

So, here are lots of ways to help the world around us with out us getting all commerized with the upcoming holidays. I think I am going to buy chickens in honor of my mom and then ducks and geese in honor of other family members on top of finish the 2 boxes for OCC. I really hope that some of you will also buy gifts like this for this Christmas.

Early Trick or Treating

Well it is just down right cold here in eastern PA. Freezing in my book, but then again I start to feel cold when it hits 69 degrees anymore. Right now my hands are little popcicles they are so cold.

Well just incase it would be too cold to go trick or treating on Friday, I took Lorelei to the outlet mall this past Saturday for trick or treating. It was awesome because it is an indoor outlet mall. So, while it rained some and was windy- we were all nice and warm inside.

Here is a photo from the event-


She picked out the dress from Old Navy back at the end of September when we were visiting my parents in Indiana. What is great about this costume is that she can wear it more than once because it is build like a real dress with real material... not plastic like some are now a days. It also came with the crown, which she just loves to pieces.

I haven't picked up a pumpkin yet for us to carve. We have 3 pumpkins for her to play with (they are tiny little ones) and she thinks they are balls. But, I want to carve one so I can roast some pumpkin seeds for her and Jeremy. But I know when I was little we would put into the pumpkin a votive candle and Votive candle holders to light the pumpkin. But I was told you don't do that anymore... so what do you use to light them with now? Please tell me lol...

Well, I am off to a meeting. Have a great day all!

What did you do today?

Things I have done today:

-put up dishes
-load of dishes
-load of wash
-phone calls for fund raiser I am helping with
-took Lore's crib/toddler bed down
-painted more of Lore's new to her dresser
-stessed over money and the lack there of it
-played with Lorelei
-watched kids shows on PBS with her
-looked online for part time jobs (since the gym isn't open yet) and info on retail franchises

Things I need to do:
-fold laundry
-clean the stove top
-clean sticky spot on the floor
-put fridge lock on the fridge since Lore can open it now
-pick up toys
-watch tv
-take my meds for my since infection
-sleep
-

Misc things...

I'm not a big fan of Halloween. I don't understand how people decorate more for Halloween vs. Religous Holidays (no matter what one's religon is). We do the trick-or-teating and handing out treats (this year they are getting pencils- not going to add to kids being fat). But I see whole yards all gross and nasty and scary for Halloween. And yes we will be skipping those houses when we go out! Plus, I'm not a huge fan of black and orange together... let alone orange by itself!

In other news... the gym still isn't open. Last week the manager told me that we (the directors) would be getting together for a meeting. Well tomorrow will be Thursday and as far as I know there hasn't been a meeting yet. I called today to see if the manager would be in so I could drop some things off by there but only got the machine. So please pray about this... I know I'm not the only one feeling the pinch money wise... there are others worse off than me who will be working under me once the gym opens. It just sucks that I have had this job since August and haven't worked one day yet.

But, when I was at the gym last week I heard some women talking about fat burners. Now, I know nothing about these things or even how they work. But I have learned that fast fixes mean fast gains back weight wise. I think if you only need to lose 20 or less a quick fix might work. But what happened to hard work and breaking a sweat?

Whoop!

217 Baby!!
That is what I weight... it has been well over a month since I could change that number from 221... that is 4 pounds since Saturday when I weighed myself...

I had been talking to lots of people on my WLS message for the state of PA and came up with that something wasn't right but they all thought that it was I was doing to much weights (which I completely disagree with... muscle will always burn more fat than straight cardio)... but anyways I found on a different form this... Gastric Bypass Food Pyramid.

Basically what the nuts at Barix told me was this... so this is what I have been following all summer...
4 to 5 carb servings
6 servings of protein (I only need 64 g)
3 to 5 of veggies
whatever of fruit...

So I started to follow the new food pyramid... I went down to the 2 carb servings... and added one more serving of protein and my stall broke... YES... so, now i am going to hook up with a friend that follows Body for Life for work out ideas and the new plan my trainer has given me as well... so I can play between the 2...

So new goal is to hit 200 by Christmas (which is about 11 weeks away) but I would be happier with hitting 195 by then... that is about 2 pounds a week... but I will be happy with 199 by Jan 2nd... that will be my 10th wedding annv. and Jeremy has never seen me past 240 range when were dating... so be under 200 would be a great gift for both of us!

But I need to go clean some more... but will post about that later!

I hate being sick

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep that is how I feel… Only I could go and get a stupid sinus infection while being on antibotics!!! See no one believes me in how retarted my body is at times!!! and the antibotic I was on is what I normally take for a sinus infection btw… but this morning I felt sooo bad I got up at 7:30AM (ugh such a horrid hour of the day) and call the doc… got dressed and then dragged Lorelei out of bed and got her dressed… tossed her into the car with a sippy and a cookie (all I could find in 2 mins lol) and off we went… my head is so stuffed the doc was suprised I didn’t bust my ear drums… umm didn’t feel that bad but ok… so on a new drug, sutafid (close enough in spelling and the stuff makes me hyper), nasal spray (because my nose is crap too), zyrtec, singlair, advair, my vitamins, fiber tabs, calicum tabs, and today is b12 shot day… I feel like a freaking drugie!

But, my family doc asked if I see a chiropractor and told him that I do, and he went on to see if I could get an appointment with her to see if she could help my head out. Well, I was able to get in and see her in the afternoon and wow... I can breath again. I am still stopped up but I can breath- which is such a strange combo! But she also fixed my hip again and told me no more treadmill until I am under 200 pounds for now. She thinks that is what keeps messing up my hip. So, I guess I am stuck working out on bikes, elipticals, and the arch machines at the gym.

But, I hear Lorelei crying and she should be sleeping so I better go check on her.

Fun Fall Family Stuff...

Today we (Jeremy, me, my mom, and Lorelei) went to a local orchard for one of their family fun days. My mom didn't wait for us when we went to let Lorelei pick out her pumpkin... no she went shopping in their market. Which is what you do last so you don't have to tote around the stuff you bought. My mom bought an insane amount of Honey Crispy Apples. INSANE AMOUNT! And then wanted to do some of the little things for kids, well we couldn't do it because we had almost a bushel worth of apples in the cart, along with 2 gallon jugs of apple cider, etc... Which was a little disappointing to me because last year when we went I couldn't enjoy it much because I was still recovering from my surgery. So maybe I will take her down another weekend before they close up their family fun days.

But Lorelei got to see and play with some seeing eye dogs that were in training. She loved it. And they were such good dogs and puppies (only 13 weeks old)! Jeremy was harassing Lorelei on the way home asking her if she wanted some CAT5e (it is networking stuff- and last weekend was a major upgrade at work) and she would go I want Meowie (what she calls cats) and then Jeremy would just bust up. Later when she got some of the cable stuff... well lets just say she wasn't impressed. Ugh she wants a pet so bad and I don't think Wiggles the fish is cutting it anymore.

Well off to upload the photos...

The work blues

I am so ticked. Tomorrow I have to go into work for a stupid meeting that I HAVE TO BE AT... I was really wanting to go to church since my father-in-law is preaching on how to have a fire-proof marriage that goes along with the new movie out by the same name. But instead I will be at a meeting from 8am to 10am (better get paid for it) and I don't think it is going to be pleasent. And then add to the mess that I can't get a straight answer on when the gym is going to open I am stressed. Very Stressed. I wanted to be able to quit Lane Bryant before Thanksgiving, but I'm not sure if that is going to happen now. I also wanted to quit soon because I would have to buy a new pair of shoes for work because my current black ones make my feet hurt after wearing them to work. And my current fave black shoes are sandles and I can't wear them to work in November lol. So, maybe while my parents are here I can talk my mom into buying me some new Clarks shoes. There is an outlet store there in the same place at work at for Lane Bryant.

Well, off to see if I can find anything fun to watch on tv.

Crop for the Kids

I thought that I would pass this on to you… and please pass it onto your friends. I am helping to set up this fundraiser, and just to let you know we got a Cricut machine and cartridges donated to us!! And if you sign up you have a chance to win it!

I am posting this on behalf of FairView Counseling in Reading, PA. We are a non-profit organization which specializes in Play Therapy for children and therapy for families also. Being a non-profit we must hold events to help raise money for the organzation and our next event will be held on November 22, 2008 from 9am to 9pm. It is called Crop for the Kids.

Berks County 4-H Community Center
1238 County Welfare Road
Leesport, PA 19533

Some of our vendors on hand at the event include:
• Creative Memories rep: Joanne Weller
• Close to My Heart rep: Denise Sanner
• Pampered Chef rep: Cynthia Hills
• Massage Therapist Linda Dlhopolsky
• Beth Brussler from IT’S SCRAPTACULAR
• Shaklee rep: Kathleen Smith
• Handbag vendor Deborah Kovacs

Cost to Crop is $40 per person

Includes: 8 foot table to crop on plus Lunch, Snacks, Drinks, and dinner.

To register for the crop, visit FairView Counseling website.

Click on the events tab to print a registration form. Complete and mail to FairView .

FairView Counseling and The Play Therapy Center
PO Box 13614
Reading, PA 19612

For more information please contact Sandra Himmelreich at FairView Counseling: 610-396-9091 Mon- Thurs

Proceeds to Benefit the Children and their Families who seek treatment at FairView Counseling and The Play Therapy Center

There will also be a Chinese Auction with lots of great items available to win!

Yuumy Casserole Recipes!!

As many of you know from reading my blog I love to share recipes with you readers. I think it is a great way to learn about different cultures, peoples, religions, etc... I think cooking and recipe sharing could bring peace to our world. But, now as it gets colder here in the USA, a lot of us start to turn to casserole recipes. And one of my fave sites to find those is My Recipes.com. I really like the Hearty Tex-Mex Squash-Chicken Casserole. It is so good, but now I would take out the tortillas and make sure the others things I would use in it are either low fat or fat free. But check them out, amazing recipes from all over!

Sqaush and Moths

A friend shared a recipe with me and it is so good. I'm not sure where she got it from, but you really need to try it. I have had it and I am making it tonight with Curried Pork Chops.

2 medium delicata or other winter squash (about 2 pounds)
3 TB. unsalted butter
1/4 C coarsely chopped fresh sage
1 TB. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 C fresh unfiltered apple cider or juice
1 C water
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then crosswise into half-inch thick slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add sage and rosemary and cook, stirring until butter just begins to turn golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). Do not brown the herbs. Cooking the herbs in butter mellows their flavor and improves their texture. Add the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat at an even boil until the cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Season with pepper and additional salt if needed. Makes 6 servings.

In other fun stuff- not! I have been working on different things in the house since Lorelei is still at my parents. One of them is working on the pantry and linen closet. I have made some head way with the linen closet. But have gotten no where with the pantry. Part of my issue is Lorelei gets into the pantry to "cook." The other issue is because of where we live. We are suburban, but on the side of a mountain. So, we get all kinds of bugs. Lately we have been dealing with moths (inside) and snails (outside). So last night when I picked up some things from Home Depot I looked for some moth traps. I need to do something to help get rid of them before it gets really really bad. With the snails... once I find them I just salt them and they will go away... hehehe...

But, back to work for me. I need to finish fixing Lorelei's room!

The joys of life

There are some things in life that you can never escape from no matter what you do to prevent them. One of them seems to be zits aka acne. I never had them much as a teen on my face. I got them more on my back then any where else strangely. Didn't get them really again until I was pregnant with Lorelei. But now I get them a lot when I tend to lose weight from my gastric bypass. As you lose weight your hormones fluxuate a lot and then the next thing you know... you got acne. So on top of the crazy hair loss from surgery you get zits too. So, I now use special shampoo to help my hair (it does come back) and now acne treatments. I tend to like the ones from Amway best because of my senative skin.

But in other news... I found a great recipe today and I have to share it. I got it in an email from South Beach Diet. Here is what the email said.

Chinese-Style Broccoli
Broccoli is a delicious, nutritious vegetable that's readily available year-round. Dubbed a superfood because of the variety of nutrients it delivers, broccoli works well with many different seasonings and cuisines. This savory recipe is a sure crowd-pleaser!

Chinese-Style Broccoli (Phase 1)

Makes 2 (1-cup) servings

Description
Ordinary broccoli springs to life with this garlicky lemon-soy dressing. Serve it with any Asian-flavored dish or even a simple grilled chicken or shrimp skewer.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 8 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions
Heat oil in a large wok or high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, garlic, and lemon juice; continue to stir-fry until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutritional information
80 calories
5 g total fat (0 g sat)
7 g carbohydrate
4 g protein
3 g fiber
300 mg sodium

This is a great recipe for everyone and can't wait to try it. Also check out their website for other recipes too.

Fall meals

I think that Fall has some of the best food around. I'm not saying that because of Thanksgiving, but I love the earthiness of it all! I just got an email from Better Homes and Gardens that has some great fall recipes listed in it. I think I am going to try their spiced rub chicken. It is one of the few I can have since I had gastic bypass and Jeremy doesn't like fruit and meat combos... so I know we will both like that recipe. Plus I think I have everything here for it!

In some other fun news... Lorelei has spend spending the last few days with my parents... in another state! And she is doing fairly well, and I think my parents are surving as well. I just got some cool info about a site that does photo sharing, which we do a lot of since my parents and other family members live in other states- but this site is called Hoorray and go Visit Hoorray today. It seemed like a very easy to use site!

We can do it!

Want to more for children around the world and make an impact on those who are running for president? Please go to this site and fill out the form to send a letter to the men running for that office. We can make a difference in the lives of children and we can do it today!

So, please go to Visit Global Action for Children and make a difference now!

Vote

I just found a really cool video in why everyone should vote. I think it is now too late to register if you weren't before, but it isn't too late to get an absentee ballet if you aren't going to be in town that day.

Visit Vote - Don

So please check this out! And Vote!

Getting ready for winter

Well now that it seems like Fall is finally here, I have been thinking of what we need to do to get ready for Winter. Since soon I will be working 44 hours a week for a while I will have less time at home. So, I have been trying to make a list.

Things to do:
- Plant flower bulbs
- Trim plants for the winter
- Clean out flower pots
- Get seeds for growing herbs inside
- Check gutters
- Look for insulated curtains
- Get a new humidifier for Lorelei's room
- Oil changes for both cars
- Tires moved around on both cars
- New windshild wipers for the red car
- Clean and cover the grill
- Fix the shed (it is one of those rubbermaid ones and it popped a part lol)

Ok, I gotta stop or I am going to get depressed... wow that is a lot of things to do...

Lorelei stories...

Lorelei is now sleeping in the closet. Yes, her closet. It doesn't have doors on it so don't worry about that but we have no idea why she is doing it. We put her into HER toddler bed (which is her beloved crib slightly changed) and she did great in that for a while but then we noticed all her blankets and pillows in the closet. Then we caught her asleep in the closet.

She also thinks that she should be able to cook at all times. She really wants to use the stove and the knives, which is scaring us a bit needless to say. But, I let her help make things like pancakes (the batter), pudding, season things with salt and pepper but these things are now not good enough.

She is also completely in love with light up exit sign, like the ones we have at church. She LOVES them! She will run up to them and then pet them like they are a dog. A couple of Sundays ago she tried to take the signs with her lol. Needless to say she keeps on our toes!

Yes, I am alive...

Sorry for the lack of updates, things have been crazy around here the last few weeks. But, things are going to get a little better now which I am so happy for... The gym is still got an opening date for around mid October. I think most of my staff is hired now (we are looking for one more person that is weekend only kind of a thing). All of the women hired seem pretty cool, so I am really excited.

Jeremy is working on new projects at work, so when he gets home he really doesn't want to play Tech Support with my computer. Last week I really thought there was something wrong with our Linksys router, but found out later it was just Verizon messing with stuff. They are upgrading things (which I hoping that means we will soon have FiOS) but who knows on that one.

How are things going for all of you? Anyone else happy for cooler temps besides me?

Hanging out with Friends

We have a friend at church that is in her 60s and has 2 horses and still rides them! Carolyn just amazes me and shows age is nothing. Of course she will tell you that she hurts a little bit more after a long ride, but she just loves it. Well, she has invited Lorelei and I down to her house to see her horses some time- and yes she didn't invite Jeremy because he is allergic to horses... Well, Lorelei has met a few horses (and ponies) here and there out here in PA and she is such an animal lover so I can't wait to do this with her this fall! But, Carolyn and I were talking about the different saddles and such and she started to list off the different ones she has and so I had her explain to me what english saddles are and how they are different. I think I need to see one because I still don't think I got it right lol.

Well, I think Lorelei is awake- so I better get her up now!

Kids- they keep ya on your toes!

T. Boone Pickens is on right now on GMA and wow he is so interesting. I am sure some of you have seen this TV ads about http://www.pickensplan.com/ and using wind, solar, and natural gas instead of oil and gas. I think that he is amazing. I had seen his ads in the past and do agree with him on a lot of things. Natural gas is every where in the USA- and we don't have to pay some country across the ocean for it. Also why not use the Great Plains as a pick wind farm. Think of all the engery we could make from that!! And why not use the desert for something good (I used to live there and well nothing good is there lol) think of the solar panel farms... we can do amazing things HERE with what we have NATURALLY!

In other news... Lorelei has forced our hands in something lol... We had to take the doors off our tv stands. She kept getting in them and shutting the door and playing with the electrial strips. So the doors have came off for now... so now you get to see the mess of DVDs we have lol...

Ugh Storms Sucks

My mom and I were talking about the storm victims that keep popping up all over the USA. Well, it doesn't help that it seems that all sides of the USA keeps getting hit by these storms. Heck, PA might be hit by Hanna- how crazy is that... and add to it we are back into the 90s here in eastern PA. Well, with my mom being a RN, she is always worried about the sick when storms hit like this and I don't blame her at all! Can you imagine trying to get out of your home if you have heart or lung issues? I'm just glad there are things like portable oxygen concentrator to help out people like that... because lets face it breathing is a very important issue!

My first Post-Op Meeting...

On Saturday I went to my first support meeting for being post-op for gastric bypass. It was interesting. I still don't know how I feel about it, but now I have gone to one at least! One woman there talked about everything she had tried before hand and she really tried everything safely and the weight never came off. And I can completely understand that and how frustrated I was when I was doing everything "right" and the weight never came off. She then started to talk about her mom and sister and how they "hate" her because she has lost all this weight now and they are trying to lose weight but they aren't doing it in a healthy way. They are taking 3 to 6 different diet pills to help them lose the weight. And they didn't talk to their doctor first either. That scares me- always talk to your doctor first when it comes to pills because their are some very safe ones out there... just not sure if one should mix 6 different ones together!

Just Leave Her Alone!

So, what does everyone think about Gov. Palin and her pregnant daughter? Me, well, I don't think it is any of our business. People are now harping how can she be a Christian with a knocked up daughter... umm how many of you can control every single little things your children do, esp. when they are teenagers!??! I know I am having issues with Lorelei and she is only 2! People need to back off and leave the kids alone! Even Obama is ticked off at the media for how they are harassing this family. I think we should be proud that the daughter is keeping the child and that her mother didn't try to cover it up- because we know a lot of people would of killed that child with an abortion or their parents would of covered it up... so people back off of them and let them have the space to deal with this issue on their own! Not like she was trying to install home theater carpet while 5 months pregnant or something crazy like that... please just leave her alone- being pregnant is already stressfull enough!

Getting up early sucks!

Well, I am trying to get used to getting up earlier for the new job at Gold's Gym. And it completely sucks without caffine! Needless to say I am pretty sure that I will be falling asleep later on the couch, lol!

But, in Lorelei news- she is totally in love with all animals. Puppies (all dogs are puppies to her) and Meowies (cats- she first called them kitties- then Meows- now they are Meowies) are on the top of her lists. To make it worse is that my in-laws have 2 dogs that she just loves and then we have some cats tht wonder into our backyard that belong to our neighbors that our outside cats. Well, Lore is sure she is going to get a cat. Well, that can't happen since Jeremy and his mom and his brother are all allergic to cats. But, when we would go to the pet store to get stuff for the fish (which they are both dead) she would try to take a cat and then go for the cat supplies because almost all of them have photos of Meowies on them. You would think that at the age of 2 that her 4 stuffed cats would be enough- but no!

Kids... they keep ya on your toes lol...

Oh the Joys of Losing Weight

Lots of crazy things going around here! Last week we went to Hershey Park (thanks to some free tickets) and had a blast. But, of course because I have lost all the fat off the bottom of my feet well it did get to be a bit painful towards the end and still hurt 2 days later! But, it was really a great time!

I am also happy to report we finally got our new car insurance cards thanks to a stupid mistake by the dealership! I did get a free inspection out of their mistake... but it just made me happy to finally have that stupid piece of paper. But, while Jeremy and I were dealing with that mess last week, we got to talking about things we should update since I have lost weight. I am putting off getting a new driver's licences as long as I can... but I think by the time I hit 180 I will have to get a new one no matter what. But we also might want to start getting some life insurance quotes to see if we can get a better deal. Right now I currently have the same policy since I was a child- aka enough to put me in the ground but that is it... We would like to get something better than that incase something would happen to Jeremy and I at the same time to make sure Lorelei is ok. We also have to draw up a will still. Still have no idea who to leave her to at all. Ugh I hate grown up stuff!

But, I am going to watch some movies I recorded last week since Lorelei is in bed and I can watch them in peace now!

Barbequed Pork Wrap

On my WLS message board one of the women went to LA and got to meet Richard Simmons and took some of his classes at his gym, Slimmons. Afterwards she got to go to his home and meet his dogs! How cool is that...

Well, digging on his site I found he has recipes and I really thought that this one was cool- Barbequed Pork Wrap. Now I would have to use a sugar free BBQ sauce (KC Masterpiece makes one) and use SF preserves and use a low carb tortillas or just skip that part hehehe... but this is a great recipe for everyone!


Serves 4

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2-4oz Lean boneless pork loin
1 Tb Minced garlic
1 Tb Light soy sauce
2 Tb Barbeque sauce
1 Tb Apricot preserves
1-2 tsp Hot sauce to taste
4 Small flour tortillas
1 Cup shredded or chopped cabbage

Methods/steps
1. Mix together soy sauce, barbeque sauce, apricot preserves, and hot sauce.
2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat.
3. Sauté garlic for about 2 minutes and then add pork loin.
4. Braise pork on both sides until brown and then add sauce mixture.
5. Cover skillet and heat on low for about 10-15 minutes, if sauce gets too thick add a little water.
6. Slice up pork into ½” slices and roll in flour tortillas with shredded cabbage.

Nutritional Information:
234 Calories, 15 gm Protein, 24 gm Carbohydrate, 8.5 gm Fat, 34 mg Cholesterol, 508 mg Sodium

FoodMover windows to close:
2 Protein, ½ Fruit, 1 Vegetable, ½ Fat

Are you getting your exercise grove on today?

I am just wondering what you all do when you go to the gym? I am always looking for new ideas to add to my work outs, and I am sure many of you are looking to do the same!

For me I normally warm up and then lift for 40 min to an hour. I work on my stomach area, back, arms, and then some legs. Right now leg wise I am working on the outter and inner parts of my thighs to help strenghten that area after my multi vists a week to the chiropractor to fix my right hip. I had basically thrown it out of aligement to do the rapid weight loss. So, to make sure that this doesn't happen again, I make sure that every time I work out I target those areas. The only other leg thing I do is the leg press. I am up to 110 on that weight wise- doing about 50 reps on it.

Arm wise I go through about 5 different machines that work all areas of the arms and shoulders- I can lift from 30 to 55 pounds right now depending on the machine. In a few weeks when I can resign up with my trainer, I am hoping we can add some more back exercises to the mix. Right now I am only doing 2 of them- but I am lifting about 60 to 75 on them. Tummy wise- ugh my weakest area! But then again, I did have a c-section and then 7 more holes added to me because of my gastric bypass... here depending on what I am doing I can lift from 10 to 65 pounds. 10 is on the ab bench- ugh that thing kicks my butt. So, for the most part I try to only do sit ups on the balance ball. Today I did 50 situps, and then I used 3 other machines to work some other tummy muscles.

Then to wrap everything up, I did 11.22 mins on the treadmill going 3.2 with an incline of 1.0 and then 11.30 mins on the precore keeping mets above 7 and really booked it on it. Once I got done my legs felt like jello, so I didn't do any other cardio so I didn't hurt myself.

So, what are you doing to get your exercise grove on today?