Mini-Me Friday #2

Well, this week I neither gained, nor lost. To me, that is a victory because mid-week, I was a cheese eatin' fool! Seriously - I went on, of all things, a cheese eating streak. It was strange. I also know that I didn't eat my snacks that day, so it was right before dinner and I just snarfed it down. I'm sure that's what did it, but I truly was relieved when I saw that I didn't gain anything back.

As far as exercise goes, I did better this week. I exercised 4/7 days, which felt great to get back into. I'm not having to totally kick myself to get it done and I totally thought I would be. I'd like to improve the pace that I'm able to walk at, but I know that will come with time.

In thinking about my week, I can tell you that I did LOTS better eating-wise on the days when I kept my little food journal thing WITH me and was able to write down exactly what and how much I had eaten right away. The days that I didn't have it or remember to do it at all until the next day pretty much got away from me. (Cheese night is a good example. If I would have known how well I'd stuck to my plan at that point -- I probably would have figured out how much I *should* have, cut it up and put the rest back. Instead, I just kept that big ol' brick of cheese right next to me while I made dinner and snacked away. Oh - and got some grapes while I was at it -- one of my fave combos to eat together, grapes and cheese.) Anyway - I have noticed that one, so a goal this week is to keep my CR (food journal) with me all the time.

One thing I've done that's been absolutely fantastic for me is the meal planning. Seriously - that has been amazing. It has saved me a bunch of time at night, a bunch of food has been saved from being wasted, and we've saved in our food budget BIG TIME.

I'm about halfway done with my meal planning for the rest of this month, so I'll put that on the sidebar again when I finish. It's actually been kind of fun...I always talk about trying new recipes or making ones we've enjoyed again but then I get into the middle of a hectic weeknight and just make the same ol' stuff because it's there. Now I can actually TRY those recipes and make those things again that I've only made once but that we really enjoyed.

Yesterday I picked out two cookbooks and two magazines that I knew had a bunch of recipes I'd been wanting to try. I needed 27 more meals for October, so I made a list of 6 chicken/turkey, 6 seafood, 5 pork, 5 beef, and 5 vegetarian dishes. What I now need to finish is actually putting them onto the calendar and making a shopping list for each week from the recipes, based on what we already have in the freezer/pantry and what I'll need to pick up for those meals. Then, I'll be all set. LOVE it. Absolutely love it. The other thing I still need to do and will probably just do in batches is figure out the food exchanges for each recipe. If I know how many are in each serving, it will really help me during the day and stick to my eating plan better.

So, there ya go. My weight loss week in a nutshell. Goals for this week: keep my CR with me and add in some different exercise, not just walking. Even if I don't get a DVD or something in there, I want to make sure I add some easy strength training and stretching in every evening.

My memory verse for this week was Proverbs 29:18 - "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint."

Yes, and some do it with cheese!

The Cabana Boy Said WHAT?! And A Recipe...

Just a few random tidbits here and there, and the chicken enchilada casserole recipe at the end...

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Last night at dinner -- I made Chicken Parmesan (yum!)with a new marinara sauce recipe --

Me: I am not a fan of this sauce.
The Hubster: I don't like it at all.
Me: *blink*blink* Oh.

That is the first time in our almost 6 years of marriage he's ever said anything like that. I actually just laughed and didn't get my feelings hurt -- after all, I didn't like it either. To be fair, he can't stand tomatoes and that's all that was in the sauce...so there ya go.

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About 10 minutes later, laughing about how bad the sauce was...

Me: So, did you just take your vitamins with Budweiser?
The Hubster: Yep, sure did. Blog that!

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I don't recommend not being able to find the word you are thinking of when you are a speech therapist. You don't get cut much slack. Especially when the word is "fast"...

The Hubster: What's up with that cop?
Me: I'm not sure, but he's not going very hurry for having his lights on.
The Hubster: Going very hurry?
Me: Going very hurriedly.
The Hubster: Hurriedly?
Me: He's going pretty slow, huh?
The Hubster: Stay in the shallow end, honey.

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White Sauce Chicken Enchilada Casserole
(so NOT a Martha Stewart recipe, by the way, Beth Anne!)

This makes either one 9x13 pan or two 8x8 pans.

4 medium or 3 large chicken breasts (boneless,skinless)
3-4 large or 5-6 small flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (I used 2% monterey jack/colby)

Sauce:
5 oz evaporated milk (fat free)
1 can cream chicken soup (healthy request)
1 small can diced green chiles
1 small (8 oz) tub light sour cream
Any seasoning you want -- I used some garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350. Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. As the chicken is cooking, stir together the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Tear the tortillas into 1-2 inch pieces.

When the chicken is done, shred it and stir it into the sauce until well combined. Spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray and line with a layer of tortilla pieces. Layer half of the sauce onto the tortillas. Spread half of the cheese over the sauce. Repeat the layers. (I had enough for two layers.)

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

Mini-Me Friday - Check In #8...ANNND...A recipe!!

First things first -- thank you for all of the kind words, support and encouragement. I think that the scale just sort of was the tip of the iceberg for my bluesy attitude the past few weeks. I'm happy to report that I'm not feeling so "funky" anymore -- and that was even before the good news I got at my weigh in last night.

Yes, I said good news. I lost 1.5 pounds this week...so basically, I undid the last three weeks and am now back and ready to keep on truckin'.

I feel good about my efforts in all of my 1st Place commitments and know that I did the best I could this week. The funny thing is, last night after my meeting, I came home and had that "bottomless pit" feeling. I just wanted to eat. And eat. And eat.

And eat.

So, I sort of did...but not on anything that I felt horrible about and nothing that put me over on my daily exchanges, so I don't feel guilty. (And let me tell you what a great feeling THAT is to not lug around today!)

I also finally busted open the motivational cd's that came with my starter package and have listened to them the past few days. There really was some good stuff on there, and I've had lots to think about.

Okay -- I have to go clean up the house from today now that the kids are both snoozing away. I'll leave you with the recipe for my dinner. Jennifer's Veggie Stew (which, by the way, made me giggle because it has a roast in it! How awesome is that??) inspired me to make some vegetable soup, so this was my quickie, off the top of my head version. I'll put the "recipe" (ha!) below. Enjoy -- and Happy Friday, friends.



Quick And Yummy Veggie Soup
1 cup whole grain pasta (I used mini penne)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 yellow squash, chunked
1 zucchini, chunked
1/2 red pepper, chunked
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Whatever seasonings you choose, I used about 1 1/2 tbsp of this salsa seasoning mix
2 cups vegetable broth (1 can) - I only used half a can because that's what I had, but it didn't make a whole bunch of broth.


Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic, squash and zucchini and sautee for 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper and tomatoes, and seasoning. Sautee 5 minutes longer. Add vegetable broth and cooked pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5- 10 minutes. (This is also the part where if I would have had it, I would have added some fresh basil.)

Enjoy!!

Thursday Thoughts - and another recipe!

This might become my usual - who knows? But it works again for me today, so here I am Thursday Thinking and dishing out a recipe at the end.

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My friend, Jennifer, is someone that I've recently come to know pretty well through the bloggy world. We've bonded over our Starbucks from a world away, and it all started because I don't like McD's french fries. (Apparently they are quite amazing in Japan!) She is such a sweet woman, and you don't have to guess how she feels about things. I love that about her, and I especially love how her heart for the Lord just shines. I am blessed each and every day that I read her blog. She passed this award onto me, which sort of blew me away, by the way -- and I'm excited to pass it on. (I love little "happies" like this!)

This award was designed to honor people who walk the walk with regards to what they "preach" (though I personally don't like to think that I preach -- just talk, really) in their blogs, and who are trying to start in their own homes with making the changes they'd like to see in the world. (Um, see why I'm surprised I came to mind? LOL)

So, now I am happily passing this along to Earen , Heather and Beth Anne because they all hit home runs in the change starting at home department. Every time I visit their blogs, I'm always blessed and challenged by what I read, and they all have an obvious heart for the Lord. They are just regular moms trying to figure out how to make each day better than the next, and how to grow closer to Him in the process. I think that maybe that's what this little award is all about.

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Moving right along, back to things on the homefront...I really don't like it when my kids are sick. I know that no mom does. It just stinks to have to watch them be all yucky and not be able to to fix it. Thankfully, this go-around they both just have nasty colds -- actually I think G's is more of a sinus infection so we went to the ped yesterday and left with meds for her. I hope they kick in quickly - she is so congested that it's just nasty.

Yesterday was Mitchell's day to bring snack at preschool and it just about killed him that he wouldn't get to be the line leader and snack passer because I kept him home. (He probably could have gone, but in addition to making sure he wasn't contagious anymore - just a cold, but still - they are having a harvest party on Friday and he would really be sad if he missed that one.) I took the snack down to my neighbor so that she could take it to school for me and he said "Does Ela get to be the snack passer instead of me??" He was so worried about it.

It made me think about myself and how sometimes I'm still guilty of that same mentality as an adult -- I don't want to miss anything and it will just about kill me if someone else has to do one of my jobs. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson with leaving my job at school. The building didn't fall down. The school didn't get sued. No children fell ill. The world moved on, even without me. I know that in Mitchell's case, he just didn't want to miss being a part of things and to have his moment in the spotlight, but for me -- I think it's that whole needing to be needed thing. I have a few people in my life that this is their "thing," it's actually what they are known for, so it makes me cringe a bit to think that I have some of that myself. I am working on it and hope that I don't wear it as a badge as I have seen others in my life do.

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Last night I was getting the kids out of their clothes and into their pajamas. I was busy cleaning up a pretty icky diaper for Miss G and sort of half-paying attention to Mitchell, who is completely able to change his own clothes at this point. Out of my half an ear I had turned in his direction, I heard something that sounded like "both of my underwears" so I decided to actually turn my head in that direction. Would you believe that my silly little boy wore two pair of underwear all day yesterday because he loves his new Spiderman undies that much?! Here's how our conversation on the subject went:

Me: How in the world did you end up with two pair of underwear on?
M: Well, I love my new Spiderman underwear and I just couldn't choose.
Me: Wasn't one pair dirty?
M: No, I put them on after my bath last night so I was really clean.
Me: Oh, I see.
M: Which pair do you like the best, Mommy?
Me: Ummmm, whichever one you leave on.
M: I like them both just the same. I wonder what kind of underwear Spiderman wears?
Me: Probably Spiderman undies.
M: No, I think he likes Thomas.

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I really should have taken a picture of this, but my cranky girl yesterday cracked me up. At one point in the day, the only thing that made her happy was wearing her birthday crown, the thick, blue doctor's kit glasses, a string of fake pearls, my tennis shoes, and she had to tote around her plush, pink purse. She was so dang proud of herself.

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Okay, so I actually read the paper yesterday morning. As in, I sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and read the newspaper. Cover to cover. That simply doesn't happen in my life anymore.

Here's an article that I read that really made me upset. I can't STAND this sort of thing. (I also couldn't get the paper's website to load, so I copied this from another blog, but it's the actual article and that link works, just not for me apparently.)

This from the Rocky Mountain News:
Suggesting church for students gets district suedBy SARA BURNETT
CHERRY CREEK, Colo. — The Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against Cherry Creek Schools, saying a project aimed at helping students reach their full potential illegally encourages going to church.
The complaint, filed on behalf of two parents who have children in Cherry Creek schools, accuses the district of violating laws regarding the separation of church and state.
Tustin Amole, spokeswoman for the district, said Tuesday the district is confident the project is not illegal because it does not mandate participation in any religious activity.
Known as the 40 Developmental Assets, the project is promoted as a way to help students grow into “responsible, confident and healthy young people,” according to a newsletter sent to parents.
Among the assets is having family support and telling the truth, “even when it’s not easy.”
Recommendation number 19 is “religious community.” It suggests young people spend time each week in activities at a religious institution.
The project, which is used nationally, has been in the Cherry Creek district for 18 years, -Amole said.
The complaint asks the court to order the district to stop endorsing Developmental Asset 19. It does not specifically seek damages, but asks for any other relief the court deems proper.

The bolded part actually made me laugh because I immediately thought about how these parents seem to be doing the complete opposite of what the whole project is supposed to be doing for their children. How about telling your kids that although you don't like these recommendations and that although they upset you, simply recommending these activities is not illegal. How about telling your kids that if they had required such participation, then you bet - scratch that itch and file your lawsuit. How in the world is filing this lawsuit teaching those children to be healthy, confident and responsible? If you ask me - it's teaching them to be ultra-defensive, catered to, complainers.

I can only say that if our kids went to that school and it was recommended that they not be involved in religious activities, you bet your bippy that it is we, as parents who would be addressing that with our children. We wouldn't go running to the courts to file a lawsuit because the school system recommended something that was in contrast with our beliefs as parents, and we DEFINITELY wouldn't claim we'd had our rights violated. We would make it clear that no matter what the school recommends about that area of their lives, this is where we stand as a family. And if the recommendation meant that much to us, I doubt that we'd be sending them to school there.

That, to me, is taking a stand. Not claiming that they are having their rights mowed down. I think that they are coming off as whiners, personally. I also want to say that I'm completely open to other opinions on this subject, but since it's my blog...

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I just thought about what I wrote, and my husband will probably be so excited about it when I tell him. He loves it when I get fired up about stuff like that. I'm so much more lukewarm than he is on things so much of the time, I bet he'll be all jazzed to see me with my feathers ruffled. What a nerd. Also, he'll probably get a good chuckle out of the little award thing because (a) he doesn't really get this whole blog thing and (b) because he more than anyone else sees my warts. I think he'd chuckle, and then say he's proud of me. We'll see.

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Okay - so now for the recipe. I found this one in the paper on Sunday, so we had it on Monday and it was yummy. Here are my own personal notes -- can you tell I rarely follow a recipe as it's written?

I used the bones from a whole chicken I'd cooked the day before, and I also used a cooked chicken breast I had leftover. I just chopped it up and threw it in. Seeing as how I try to use the crockpot instead of the stove whenever possible, I threw it in there and it was fine. I think next time I'll not cook it quite so long because it reduced quite a bit -- I'd do maybe 2-3 hours on low instead of my normal 5-6. It was a nice change of pace and we both really liked it. I think next time I'm going to add shredded cabbage and lots of stir fry-type veggies. I forgot to add the veggies even though I thought of it this time, and I also forgot that I was going to serve it over ramen noodles. Whoops. Welcome to a day in my brain.

Oriental Chicken Soup

1 lb - cubed, boneless chicken breast (mine was already cooked)

4 - minced scallions (my hubby hates onions of any kind so I left them out)

2/3 cup of orzo (I left it out)

4 cups - chicken broth (I used low sodium)

2 tbsp - soy sauce (I used low sodium)

2 tbsp - rice wine or cider vinegar (I used rice wine)

1 tbsp - fresh, minced ginger (I only had powdered and just sprinkled, I didn't measure)

2 tsp - sesame oil

4 oz - trimmed/julienned snow peas

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except snow peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook 5 minutes. Add snow peas. Cook 5 minutes more, or until orzo is tender and chicken cooked. Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Thursday Thoughts - and a recipe!

So, if these are the opposite of deep thoughts -- does that make them shallow? Hmmmmm... hope not, just they're not anything to really chew on...know what I mean?

• I am probably the only person on the planet who is capable of cutting her thumb with celery. Yes, CELERY. (And by cut - I mean, blood was drawn.) I was trying to scrape a yucky part off with my thumbnail and the rib went under my nail and cut it open! ...Welcome to my world, friends. Welcome to my world.
• Okay, so check out the poll. Those of you that selected "Other" -- what is it that you like? Is it pumpkin bread? I just realized I didn't put it on there. I'm dying to know what else is left? Pumpkin ice cream? Pumpkin mousse? Help me out "other" people!
• I bought some Weight Watchers English Toffee ice cream bars yesterday. Uhh, YUM! Ice cream is ice cream, let's face it -- but when I have enough bread and fat exchanges left at the end of the day for TWO of them (they're like popsicle size) -- that makes for a Happy Tara. Have I mentioned that I love ice cream?
• So, I have still been thinking (ouch!) about the whole control issue. It is SO good to know that I'm not alone, and it seems to be a general theme in a lot of people's lives. Alana mentioned in her comment that a lot of us bloggy friends seem to have the same problem. It made me think about that a bit. Is it that most bloggy people are control people? Or am I in the middle of a freakish little subset of control addicts? Or are we just able to say "Yep, I struggle with that?" Or does EVERY person struggle with control? Are there some people who struggle to actually get a tighter grip on things instead of trying to let go more often? Can you imagine that one??? I can't, but I'm sure it exists. (Don't ask me why my mind does stuff like this. I should be exercising it with Sudoku puzzles or something, but no -- I ponder things like this.)
• Speaking of wanting more control -- I actually did take control of something that I've been wanting to for awhile now. Well, Tuesday I sat down and started making a Menu Plan for the whole month! I think that I have been talking (to myself) about doing this for at least a year now. Yesterday was the day that I finished it up and I feel so good about that! I know I am a total nerd here, but it was so much fun (seriously, it was!) that when I thought about what to make for dinner yesterday at about 4:00...I went to the fridge, checked the calendar and saw that the decision was already made for me. I even wrote on there when to pull stuff out of the freezer to defrost for upcoming meals. Seriously. It was awesome!
• In conjunction with that, I'm trying my hardest to save us some money so that when we eventually move, we have more money to spend on the new house for decorating, etc. See, I'm going to add up how much I've spent in the last 6 months at the grocery store every month and get an average. Then, I'm going to see how much I have SAVED based on that number this month with my big effort and put the difference into our savings and keep track of how much is in the "decorating fund." I am a SERIOUS spender at the store, girls. Big, big spender. I know I can tone it down and I think that's why my little monthly menu thing feels so good!
• Speaking of possibly moving! (Do you like how this is pretty much one big "and", "and", "and"...) I had two friends come over for a walk yesterday morning after we all dropped our kiddos off at preschool. One of them asked how the house selling thing was going. I told her that we'd had about one showing a week usually, but not for almost 2 weeks now. I added that if we had a showing call today that I would really be up a creek because I had been feeling sort of apathetic that morning. Uhhhh, YEAH. We got about 1/4 mile away from home and the cell phone starts ringing. I just KNEW it would be the realtor and it was. It was 9:30 and they wanted to show the house between 9:45 and 11:45. Uhhh, not so much. I said I could pull it off by 10:00 so we walked home at the speed of light. Can I just tell you -- I love my friends. I seriously have some GREAT friends, and these are two of them. They didn't ask if they could help, they just asked where stuff was. One ran the vaccum, the other one swept/swiffered while I cleaned up the kitchen sink/counters, made the beds, wiped off the bathroom sinks, etc. Georgia and her little same-aged friend just looked at us like we were nuts. I'm not kidding. Those girls saved my hopefully-shrinking-bootie. And the best part? We laughed through the whole thing and still got our walk in! Thank you, Lord, for my amazing girlfriends.
• We are having a TV-free week over here. Mitchell was quite full of sass and vinegar (that's my version of the old catchphrase) last week so we decided to just axe the ol' boob tube for a week. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about this because it almost felt like more of a punishment for me than for him, and I know that many of you know what I'm talking about. Mr. Boob Tube helps Mommy check her email in the morning and make dinner in the evenings. Well...it's actually been great and I know that we will now have at least one TV free day every week. I think he would watch it in a heartbeat if I let him, but he's actually been great about it. As far as thinking about his behavior more -- Monday was the same -- a horrible day. Tuesday was marginally better. Yesterday was a truly awesome day. He was SO good. (He's 4, so of course he had his moments -- we all do -- but for the most part he was just a delight.) I am sure that I am a more attentive Mommy this week, and that is probably the biggest reason for the change. I'm hoping it lasts for more than one day! Thank you, Lord, for my sweet, sweet boy.
• I am so, so, SO proud of my husband. I can't really get into details on here, but can I just tell you that he is seriously kicking some lawyer bootie at work!!!! He recently won an appeal that he'd worked on for over a year and won it in a huge way. It was a pretty remarkable case, so much so that yesterday he was contacted by a law publication and they will be publishing the case because it is such a rare situation. I am bursting with pride at his efforts and success. In addition, a judge that he appeared before for three years recently announced his retirement from the bench due to health reasons. My husband hadn't appeared before him for seven years but sent him a letter expressing his admiration, thanks, and respect for the man. He indicated that this man had truly mentored my husband and that he is the reason he is where he is today. Well, this week he received a reply from the judge. He let me read it -- and it brought me to tears. Apparently, my husband's letter had a much bigger impact on this man that Chris could ever have anticipated. The judge's eyesight is failing him -- that is the reason for his retirement. Chris sent the letter in large (24 point) font and double spaced...the judge indicated that not even his clerks that he works with every day think to do that. The day that he received the letter, he'd been at a conference all day and he was unable to read even one more word that day so he had his wife read it to him. He stated that she put it down in the middle of reading it and they both began to sob and hug each other, for it meant so much to them to read the words that Chris had written. He was so touched and so grateful for Chris' thoughts and efforts -- he was actually brought to tears, and brought together with his wife. Can you imagine??? This man does not want to retire, I'm sure he feels like somewhat of a failure, and is devastated to have to end his career so much earlier than he ever dreamed of doing. It sounds as if he was feeling hurt, lost, and very regretful. And then Chris' letter arrives and turns the tide of emotions. Absolutely breathtaking. I told Chris that this whole situation was definitely a God Moment. It was a case of "Holy Attraction" if I'd ever heard of one. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I could not be more proud of my man, even if I wanted to be. I love him so much -- and I can assure you -- this is so very typical of him. I'm so blessed to call him my husband. Thank you, Lord, for my amazing husband.

Okay -- is that a long enough ramble of random thoughts for you? As a reward, and in the spirit of Mari's Slow Cooking Thursday, here is the recipe that I'm using for tonight's dinner. Happy Thursday, friends!

Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwiches
From Light & Tasty

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 kaiser rolls, split

SERVINGS 4
PREP 10 min.
COOK 240 min.
TOTAL 250 min.

DIRECTIONS
Cut the tenderloin in half; place in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper; pour over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat; shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker; heat through. Serve on rolls. Yield: 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich equals 402 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 1,181 mg sodium, 56 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 29 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3-1/2 starch, 3 very lean meat, 1/2 fat.

The Best Reason EVER!!!

Okay, so it's Monday. You don't want to cook. Your husband (and maybe even you) wants to watch Monday Night Football with some wings and a burger.

Tonight's the night, baby!!

On Monday, the 24th, go eat at Chili's!! 100% of your bill will be donated to St. Jude's Hospital. (That is one of my very favorite charities, so I'm doing my part to get the word out!)

Here's the whole story if you want to read more, but truly -- you eat, they get the money -- is that like the ultimate way to donate or what?! You can even call your order in and pick it up to go. They have special parking spots and your own little door and everything! (Not that I know this from experience or anything.)

Of course, I'll be having a salad with some grilled chicken. Being good.

*yawn*

Boring -- I'm bored and as a result, bored this morning...so lower your expectations, okay?

It's my birthday today -- I prefer to think of it as Saturday. With benefits.

Like cake -- I'm VERY excited about cake. The thing is - -I had one last night at my mom's but it was more the ice cream that got me. Goodness. My grandma's boyfriend (hee hee -- that still makes me giggle) brought the ice cream and if that's what it takes -- I'm about to have an 85 year old man do my wicked dessert shopping. If you've never had the Dove chocolate ice cream -- GET SOME. I was DYING it was so good. Ugh. (Did I mention that I'm trying to lose weight? Could it be because the only thing I'm excited about on my birthday is food? Hmmm.)

Anyway -- my mom insisted on making me a birthday dinner, which was so sweet since I know how tired she is. She took Mitchell to the grocery store with her and he was so freakin' adorable when they got back. I was downstairs working for her on the computer and he came bounding down the stairs and ran over to me. He said "Mommy, Mommy, I got you a surprise -- here it is!!" Hee hee. It was actually a giant card. I mean a card that literally folded out to be a poster-sized card. Too cute -- he was VERY excited because his grandma helped him write his name on there. He's very into spelling his name. It's quite cute -- but then again, he's my kid so I'm extremely biased.

Once we got done oohing and aaahing over the card, we moved onto the stuff upstairs. "Come see! Come see!" were my directions. So I came upstairs and he showed me the flowers that he picked out for me -- my mom said she didn't help at all. (He actually matched them color-wise.) Aand the cake -- oh my word -- the cake. I thought he was going to lose his mind!! It was one of those that was a little rectangle with like 8 servings in it. It was white frosting with little circle sprinkles and a big bouquet of plastic balloons. The PERFECT cake for Mommy if you are three years old -- and SCORE -- YOU get to keep the balloons. AND blow out the candles. AND stick your finger in the icing before it's served. AND after all that -- not finish your cake and ask for more ice cream instead. (Hee hee.) I told you -- that ice cream is KILLER.

While we're on the topic of food -- might I add that I always forget how much I LOVE this chicken my mom makes. It is by far -- my very favorite chicken dish of all time. It is AWESOME!!!! And guess what -- I've never made it. I have no idea why. I was eating it last night going "Why the heck don't I ever make this???" And I didn't have a good answer. Anyway -- we had that chicken, corn on the cob and fruit salad with grapes, cantalope, watermelon, raspberries, blueberries and my fave -- blackberries!! Talk about the perfect meal!!

Okay -- so I seriously love this chicken and I will now put the recipe here for you. Yes, I am THAT nerdy and yes, it is THAT good. Someone try it and tell me when you do -- I know you'll love it as much as I do. (FYI -- it's also really good cold for picnics.)

Yogurt Chicken
2 cups plain, fat free yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons worstershire sauce
2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons pepper
3 chicken breasts, split and skinned
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted (optional)

Combine yogurt, lemon juice, worstershire sauce, celery salt, paprika, garlic and pepper in a large, deep bowl. Add chicken pieces and coat well. Allow to marinate in the yogurt mixture overnight if possible, but for at least 30 min - 1 hour in the refrigerator, covered. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350. Remove pieces of chicken from the sauce and roll in the crumbs. Arrange in a large baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with butter, if you're using it. (I've never done that but I bet it's GOOD.) Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until done.

Now the good thing about this recipe is that it's good for you, so don't feel bad eating it. I think it was orginally made with sour cream, but my mom changed it to yogurt and it's sooo GOOD this way!!

Okay -- that's all I have for now. Off to eat some breakfast so we can get ready for a fun day at the museum while I have the chance -- Georgia is sacked out in the swing and Mitchell is watching his library video before we have to take it back. I might even read the paper!

Actually becoming a morning person...

So, in the past, the hardest thing for me to do was get up at 5:00 am to get to work on time. Now, I'm up by 5:30 on my own and I'm really actually enjoying it, if you can believe that. I get to check email, blog (if I want to!), enjoy a cup of good ol' decaf, watch some of the news, jump in the shower, listen to my fave morning show on the radio...I love it!! Mitchell usually isn't up until around 7, so it's great "me" time. I know I'll lose it once Miss Georgia gets here, but for now, it's great.

I had to turn the heat on this morning because there was a chill in the air!! Hooray!! I love fall and the cooler weather. Don't get me wrong...I love summer and the warm air too, but enough already. It's October...it's not supposed to be 88 degrees in October like it was this weekend!! I don't want it to be just freezing yet, but getting out the jeans and sweaters sounds good to me! I think I'll make something in the crockpot for dinner...maybe some chili with steak in it? Yeah... I think so!

To get a bit off topic, Mitchell has a major obsession. Trains. Thomas the Tank Engine to be more specific. The only good thing for us is that he makes ANY train into Thomas with that good imagination of his, so at least it hasn't cost us a lot of money...YET. That's what we're doing for his birthday party, which--by the way, he asks us about EVERY single day. (Is it time for my birthday party yet?) I love that kid. He wakes up from his nap..."So, Mommy. First we change my diaper then I watch Thomas. Okay?" His voice goes way up like he's actually asking and not demanding. Funny how the tide turns and brings about sudden bursts of tears when I say "No, we're not watching tv." Sigh. He's pretty easily distracted with humor and if all else fails, we go on a hunt for Thomas and his friends in the living room. That's always big fun.

He's going to be Bob the Builder for halloween. He's very excited about it and also fluctuates between being Thomas and Bob when he grows up. The Thomas love is starting to drive Chris a little bit nuts, but I was talking to his mom the other day and he was the EXACT same way at this age with airplanes. (Yeah, that might be why we have a copy of "Air Combat" in every bathroom in the house.) I think it's just funny how trains seem to consume about 90 percent of Mitchell's brain from day to day. He pretends he's a train when he's walking (he's started to shuffle and chug now, so it's even becoming more refined), he whistles like Thomas while he's eating, his trains have to sit on the window sill to watch him eat all of his meals, they go in the car and wait for him while he's in school, etc., etc. I do love it though because it brings him such enormous joy and really does bring out some creativity in him while he's playing. We don't even have a train track or anything...I've kept holding off because he's fine without it and I thought tha coming downstairs to one that Santa setup with an actual Thomas character or two on it might be a magical moment. I can't wait for that!!

Makes me wonder what Georgia will be obsessed with? Hmmmm.... :)