For those of you who read my earlier post today, you know that I am hosting the Women's Ministry Christmas party. So of course today should have been filled with cleaning, organizing and decorating. After all it is D-Day minus 9. But is that what I did? Well certainly not!
I love to cook. Absolutely love to cook. Try new recipes, the harder the better. Interesting ingredients, you name it. Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart, Paula Deen and Southern Living were some of my favorite cooks/recipes to peruse. Then came Weight Watchers. Now on Flex, I have learned that there are no foods that are taboo. I just have to count the points, some are too hard to figure and some foods just cost too much. It is a very workable plan, but it caused me to turn my back on my foodie favs. The effort and temptation were too much.
The other day I was searching for something to do with some of the 285 pounds of pork that I brought back from Oklahoma. Yes, I typed that correctly 285 pounds! I pulled out Rachel. There on page 84 of 365: No Repeats was a tempting menu and it didn't sound too bad from a WW perspective. Rosemary-Orange Pork Chops and Lemon-Butter Broccolini. Now I am going to admit my denseness, I thought Broccolini was a Rachelism kind of like EVOO. But there in the recipe it called for 3 bunches of Broccolini. Thank goodness for the internet. Sure enough it is a real item a cross between broccoli and Chinese Kale. I thought well there goes that recipe, I won't find it in my neck of the woods. I will have to wait until I make a trip to Central Market. Imagine my surprise when I actually found it at my local grocers, now I bought all they had...but they did carry it!
Today, began with good intentions. I was in the kitchen cleaning and saw some pie pumpkins that needed to be cooked, so today became cooking day. Ahh, heaven. I cleaned (yuck, pumpkin guts), baked and pureed the pumpkins. I then figured since I was already in the kitchen I would fix my special dinner...these don't happen much with our baseball schedule. I did alter the menu slightly. Rachel suggested crusty bread to go along with...I know my weakness. I didn't dare. So I made a couscous dish instead. Thanks to my friend, Glenda, I cooked it in chicken broth with a touch of poultry seasoning and added some fresh cranberries. Yum!
Now at 10:45 p.m. I have two loaves of banana bread in the oven...well I did have some bananas that needed to be used or thrown away. So I am cleaning off a counter top! I am not one step closer to ready for the party, but I sure did enjoy my day.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Cooking...
Ack! Parties on the Horizon
I don't know what I was thinking! Back in July it really seemed like a good idea to offer my home for the Women's Ministry Christmas party. I really do enjoy having people over and we have been blessed with our home and soooo I would like to bless others.
But evidently I didn't think of the logistics of having between 50 and 75 women here for dinner and gift exchange. I have not even begun to decorate...I can't keep the regular "mess" under control right now, thus I don't want to add trees and such. I better figure out something, the party is on December 8...9 days away.
Then as soon as the Women's party is over I must plan something for Smoda's 6th birthday. He typically wants to go to Chuckie Cheese. Works for me. This year he is wanting to have a "Spiderman Jedi" party. What is that you might ask? If you find out, please let me know! All he will say is that he definitely wants a "pie in his face, chocolate please". A pie in his face?? Like in the Three Stooges? No, like they did to Brother Richard at VBS this summer. The joys of motherhood.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Weekly Weigh-in
Well, I didn't make my goal of 1.8 this week. I actually only lost .2. I will admit I was VERY upset with myself when I got off the scale. This is the first time in this journey that I have felt failure. Even the week that I gained a pound wasn't this bad. Reflecting back on the week, I am sure the reason I am so upset is because I did everything right. As I said last week, I had gotten sloppy on journaling and lackadaisical on exercise. This week, I did everything I know to do and lost less weight than last week!
I am done with my pity party. Most people in my meeting gained weight, they were even afraid to look at their weight diary. I did have a loss. A new week has begun and a good attitude will take me a long way!
Loss this week: -0.2
Total weight loss: -48.4
Saturday, November 24, 2007
On the Home Front
When we moved into this house, I knew I wanted to paint (or have painted) the foyer. It was a massive expanse of white walls. I loved the fact that it was big and open, but when you see walls that go up for 20 feet, white can become a bit cold. And I did not want my home to seem cold and uninviting. But as with all home improvements, you have to wait for the right time, money, etc. And in this case, RacerDad was daunted by the height and I needed help. Barb from the baseball team came to my rescue. She was needing some auto work done and was willing to barter her painting expertise for the work. YEA for me!!!
Now the foyer is a lovely shade from Sherwin Williams called Camelback. The art niches became a beautiful shade of red. I think this niche (between the formal dining and family room) is one of my favorite spots in the house.
Unfortunately in the following picture the wall color becomes a bit washed out. It is not near as brown as it appears here. It is actually more in the light golden family. The mirror is one of the great things that RacerDad brought into the marriage. I saved it, he was going to get rid of "the old thing". His mother always wants to "touch it up" with gold paint (ugh!). I love the patina of the frame, it is perfect for me. I picked up the table at our church garage sale. We had the church remodeled and the ladies in charge of the new furniture wanted everything to match. Lucky for me I bought a great table with no nicks or scratches for $25.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Christmas Music
Have you heard that Michael W. Smith has a new Christmas album?? The songs I have heard are absolutely lovely. I will definitely be adding this one to the Christmas music this year.
What Christmas music can you not live without? I am always looking for something new to add. We like it all here...carols, traditional choirs, funky and funny.
Finished Objects - November
I have actually completed two major projects this month. Fall was SOOO busy with baseball that I had lots of knitting time. I decided have knit long enough, it was time to try a garment other than socks. Obviously, I didn't have much confidence in myself I made a vest - no sleeves and very little shaping. Things went well knitting from the bottom up, until I got to the armholes. All of a sudden I developed a hole. If it hadn't been for Tasha and Lise, I would have ripped the whole thing out. Tasha ripped back and picked up the live stitches for me. Then Lise was able to figure out it wasn't me, but a fallacy with the moss stitch pattern. I was able to finish it in time to wear it for Thanksgiving. It was warm (which I needed with the cold front that came through!) and I did actually receive some compliments on it.
The yarn is Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed in Ivy. It is a 60/40 wool/cotton blend, very cushy. The pattern was from Patternworks.
The project I am especially proud of is my Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole. I had seen Liz working on hers this summer and I am such a copycat I wanted it exactly like hers. So I ordered the same yarn (Jojoland - rhythm), in the same color way and ended up with a totally different look. Her stole was cooler- more blues and greens. Mine still has a lot of greens, but I have more reds.
This was a fun knit and great to do during baseball, it required very little thinking. At first I was intimidated by the fringe, but I am so glad I bit the bullet and completed it. I think the fringe really makes the project.
Hunting Season
I had never experienced Black Friday until last year. I know, I know...how can a girl skip the biggest shopping day of the year?? Well to begin with, I didn't grow up shopping the day after Thanksgiving. My mother had usually already completed her gift purchasing by that time and my grandmother hated crowds. Holiday travel plans as an adult put me in either Wichita Falls, Texas or Coweta, Oklahoma...neither a shopping mecca.
Then came Black Friday 2006. A sweet friend knew that we would be in town for Thanksgiving and asked what my shopping plans were. I could literally hear her jaw drop over the phone line. "Honey, don't you know this is a woman's equivalent to deer season?" Who knew? I figured why not give it a try, I had nothing better to do. Marie then began giving me lessons, target practice, getting the deer lease and setting up the blind. In other words, I needed to get the ads, figure out my purchases, and then scope out the store opening times. I never knew shopping could be so complicated. She picked me up at 4:30 that morning. I believe I heard RacerDad chuckle as he rolled over, in his defense he does snore....maybe that was it.
We began at Target. The line was unbelievable. Most of the crowd was very pleasant passing the time chatting, until they saw people cutting in line. The nerve! As the doors opened all congeniality ceased. The hunt was on! People literally ran, elbows out pushing to get to the best "deals". This type of shopping is definitely not for the faint of heart. I scored on some of the biggest game, MP3 players. Pure beginner's luck I am sure. Many more stores followed, none with quite the hysteria, purchases completed ...Marie had me home at 7:46 a.m. She deemed it a success and I now knew what all the hype was about.
This year, there was only one item that could lure me out into the pandemonium again. I saw the object at the top of Speedy B's list was on sale as a "door buster" at Kohl's. Their doors opened at 4:00 a.m. I had a brief lapse of sanity, I thought I can leave my house at 3:30 make my purchase and be home by 4:30...what a deal. Off to Kohl's I went, same line scene as last year. Only this time, being alone I brought my faithful ipod with my current book in progress (an Elizabeth Peters mystery, absolutely delightful!). I went in the doors as they opened...someone in the back of the line actually bleated like a sheep, how true! I searched the store, my item was not there. It had never been there, can you say false advertising? Now I knew I had seen the same thing at Bed Bath and Beyond in Denton so I figured I would just go ahead and pick it up there. Did I mention I was in Lewisville? Just a 20 minute drive, no big deal. Off to Denton, to find that the store did not open until 6:00. What am I going to do? An hour and a half, go home? No because I wouldn't be able get back out without the boys. So I went to Penney's. Half of Denton must have been there. I don't think I have ever seen their parking lot so full. I picked up a few things I didn't know I needed and stood in a LONG line. Back to BBB, disappointment again. I hadn't seen it at BBB but at Linens and Things....in LEWISVILLE! What's a hunter to do? I had it in my target I wasn't about to let it escape. So I drove back to Lewisville. Sure enough, there was my trophy. The store coupon, my reward for being there early was for 20% bringing the total to almost $20 less than the sale price at Kohl's.
Success! But will I do this again next year? I don't plan on it. I really don't get a thrill from getting there before sunrise and I can't say there is any sale price worth it. Now maybe if I enjoyed shopping. But I will be real honest, if it doesn't involve yarn or books I would just rather not shop.
For those of you who enjoy shopping....Happy Hunting!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Little Engine
The boys and I went on a bike ride today. The weather is about to change for the worst and I wanted the boys to burn as much energy as possible. We were at the end of a three mile ride headed up a long, steep hill...Speedy B in front, then Cowodie, Smoda and I brought up the rear. I could hear Smoda muttering something, but I couldn't quite make out the words. I pulled up alongside him and plainly heard...."I think I can, I think I can".
He made it, but at the end of the ride he said "I think that ride is too long for a 5 year old!"
Halloween Costumes
I know it is Thanksgiving, but I haven't shown pictures of the boys Halloween costumes that I made. Yes, you read that right, I made them....pins, pattern, sewing machine the whole shebang. Speedy B and Cowodie were penguins. Smoda wanted to be a rabbit. It wasn't too bad. It was actually kind of fun, just sayin'.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Weekly Weigh-in
My weight loss is slowing down, but as RacerDad so kindly put it...it is still going down. I have consistently lost weight since the end of May but where I was losing 2 1/2 to 3 pounds a week, I am now losing .6 to 1 pound.
I think the main problem is I have not been journaling as faithfully. I would "remember" point value and keep a tally in my head. This week I have been journaling and have stepped up the exercise. I am so close to the 50 pound mark and I would really like to hit it Thanksgiving and all.
Saturday's weight loss: -1
Total since May 26: -48.2
Monday, November 19, 2007
Holiday Gift Mixes
Here are two drink mixes I shared at our Women's Ministry Taste of the Holidays gathering on Saturday. One is for hot cocoa, it is a little different than ones I have seen in the past. The other is a family favorite...Russian Tea. I put individual servings of the cocoa in clear disposable cake decorating bags. The bags are cone shaped, we topped the cocoa mix with 1/4 cup mini marshmallows and 1 Tablespoon of mini chocolate chips. Tied the bag with a holiday ribbon and had a pretty cute inexpensive gift... much better price than Linens and Things had for the same item, I believe they were charging $4.99 per bag.
The Russian Tea I put in clear party bags, topped with a square of scrapbook paper and curling ribbon. Again a nice inexpensive gift for teachers, neighbors, etc.
Hot Cocoa
1 box Carnation instant milk (9 5/8 oz box)
1 10 oz jar coffee creamer
1 1lb box Nesquik
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
1 cup powder sugar
Mix all. Store in airtight container. To make, add 1/3 cup mix to 1 cup hot water.
Russian Tea
3 cups sugar
2 cups Tang (or instant orange breakfast drink)
1 cup unsweetened instant tea mix
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 envelope kool-aide lemonade mix
Put 1 1/2 to 2 rounded spoonfuls into 1 cup boiling water.
You can use Splenda for this recipe, also be aware that the orange drink mix does not hold up well. The mix needs to be used within 3 months.
I enjoyed a Mexican Dip that one of the other ladies brought. It was a big hit! So if you are looking for an easy savory dish to take to a buffet you won't go wrong with this one.
Mexican Dip
2 cans of Mexicorn
4 oz. chopped jalapenos
2 cups mayo
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Mix and bake in an 8x8 pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with Frito chips.
This recipe can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator to bake the next day.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
What a Beautiful Morning
I woke up this morning to cool temperatures. It was 68 degrees! Wow, fall like temperatures this early, I'll take it. Even better...the high today will be in the low 80's. I have my windows up and a delightful cup of Whittard's English Breakfast tea from Britt. Such a nice start to the day.
We will have guests today. My friend, Angie, is attending a conference and needed a place for her two youngest to stay. My boys can hardly contain their excitement. It should be a fun day.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Finished Objects
Believe it or not I actually have some finished items to show. Woo Hoo! It feels good to have accomplished something! The first is a calorimetry. It was a fun , quick knit. I loved doing the short rows and it really gave me confidence to try them later in a garment. I actually did a gauge swatch and followed the pattern precisely...but I think it is too big. I am going to take it and show it to Dawn, she is the expert in our knit group on these. Maybe she can see what I did wrong. I used a heavyweight Socks That Rock in the Christmas Balls colorway. I love the bright colors.
My second item is one with which I am pretty tickled. I needed something to keep my ipod in when I exercised. I knew I had seen some free patterns for ipod cozies on the web, so I went searching. While many were cute, they were also more involved than what I wanted, making me go out on the edge and design my own. Nothing exciting or special...but just what I wanted. Speedy B decided since it looked like a sock when I was knitting it, I needed to call it an I-sock. I was especially pleased with the little pocket to hold the earphones when not in use. I used another Socks That Rock, this one was Christmas Rock.
My last finished item is this sweet ruffled scarf. My friend Ellen bought the kit for me when she took her daughter back to college. The colors are perfect for fall. There are two yarns in the scarf, koigu and a mohair. I had never knit with mohair before...kinda fun to try something new. 
So there you are...actual knitting content. Finished objects no less, not just stash enhancement!
Ravelry Swaps
Last week was such a lousy week...it was such a nice blessing when I received not one, but two swap packages! The first was from Britt off of the Ravelry "Cup of Tea" group. The group did a tea swap and Britt did a wonderful job. She sent four wonderful varieties of tea, some lemon cookies, the darling pot and cup for one. The yarn was a beautiful shade of blue in an alpaca blend. I think it will make a lovely scarf for this winter.
The second swap was also from Ravelry. Baseball Knitter set up a summer camp themed swap. My partner was Lixie from the Lixie Knits It Podcast. I received a great package from "home" including chocolates (they didn't last long!), a notepad from the underground, various pens and pencils, a cute cupcake candle, a knitting journal and some great Stroud Wool in shades of blue and green. Gotta find the right sock pattern for that luscious yarn!
Thank you ladies!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Exhausted, but home
It is well after midnight as I type this...but it is soooo good to be home. The two younger boys and I came home this evening. RacerDad and SpeedyB will be home tomorrow.
The funeral was a fitting tribute to a lovely man. Unfortunately the weekend brought up many memories of mom's funeral. So it made for a long, emotionally draining five days.
Glad to be home.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Hectic Weekend
The boys and I leave today to go be with my mother-in-law. RacerDad went last night but had to leave early this morning in order to be at work. The funeral will be on Tuesday afternoon.
Speedy B has a baseball tournament this weekend. RacerDad feels that it is best to let him participate. It will help him to stay busy and make things a little less chaotic at MIL's. So I am dropping him at a friend's house on my way out of town. RacerDad will pick him up this evening and then take him to a baseball friend's house in the morning. One of us will need to come back home Sunday to pick him up.
I am taking school work for the boys to do while we are gone. They might not get anything done, but at least if they get "bored" they will have something to work on.
Until next week....I really did have some knitting I wanted to blog about....finished objects even...but no pictures. There is always next time.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Ores Watson
Today our family lost a wonderful man. My father-in-law, Ores, went home to be with the Lord.
A more interesting person I have never met. He loved words...poetry, jokes, crossword puzzles, the Bible, singing. Ores loved to hear the boys recite scripture and read. Whenever we came to visit he would always have a new joke to share.
How many men would think to cut your wedding announcement out of the paper and have it laminated? Ores did. He also sent me flowers when I gave birth to my boys and would periodically send me a subscription to a magazine he thought I might enjoy. Just plain thoughtful.
My favorite memory is a relatively new one. At 91, Ores knew his time on earth was running its course. About 9 months ago, he and my MIL came for a visit. After the boys had gone to bed Ores asked my husband to lay down on the couch. Then this sweet old man knelt beside him and gave him a father's blessing. It was such a touching moment...there was not a dry eye in the living room.
Ores will be missed.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Weekly Weigh-in
This week I lost another 3 pounds!!! I am now down 30.2 pounds. My goal for the MayDay challenge had been 20 pounds and with another few weeks to go I am excited to see where I will be.
I bought a new outfit this weekend to wear to church. It is 4 sizes smaller than what I was wearing in May. Happy dance happening here. What was even better? I was able to bless two women from church with clothes I no longer need. I told RacerDad to be prepared to see me in the same few outfits over and over. I can't see buying a bunch of new clothes since I don't plan on staying this size for long.
Challenges for me...it is hard to journal every meal. I have the journal sitting right on my counter, but invariably I get busy and forget to jot it down. I am also feeling a little water logged. Water has never been my favorite beverage and at times I just don't want to drink it. I know I should and force myself but I would like hints on making water more "fun" to drink.
Need encouragement in your weight loss journey? Check out Tales from the Scales.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Vacation Swap to the Beach
My local knitting group hosted a Vacation Swap. The idea was to send your partner to a vacation locale and put theme based goodies in the package. My partner was my very dear friend Blogless Ellen. She went way above and beyond on my package. It was simply unbelievable.
It was all packaged in the darling polka dot bag. The bag is great for the beach (or to carry my knitting in). There is a separate zippered waterproof compartment and another zippered compartment inside, as well as pockets on the outside. I love the colors, so bright and cheery.
Inside was a fun note explaining each object and its significance to my vacation. There was a chart holder from KnitPicks (one I have had my eye on forever), to keep my pattern from blowing away. She included a great sock pattern that I think will be fun to try.
A handmade, just for me, needle roll was the next item. It is beautifully tie-dyed in aquas, blues and greens then lined with a sand colored fabric. I filled it as soon as I got home. I was so excited that it holds my large needles as well as all my dpns.
Ellen provided me with a book to read, what is a beach vacation without a book?? This one is special because it is from a local author with whom she used to work. Based in Texas at the turn of the century, I can't wait to read it. It is next in my stack on the nightstand.
Last, but definitely not least, was the yarn goodness. Ellen gave me Socks That Rock and not one skein, but two!!! That is right people...two skeins of STR. Both skeins are lovely shades of ocean blue. Ellen said she couldn't decide which one to give me, so she did both! The first is Lucy in the Sky and the other is Blue Moonstone. Just lovely!
Thank you so much dear friend. It was a wonderful vacation!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Smiling
I am very happy to say the dentist was able to fix RacerDad's teeth today. He built them up with resin. It took less than two hours and they look very natural. RacerDad asked if this process was what people referred to as "bonded" and the dentist said no. We are just hopeful that they will hold up well.
Poor RacerDad, no more bagels, corn-on-the-cob, or apples. A small price to pay.
Thanks for all your prayers!
