( Of Babies and Boobies, Take Two )

I went to the library yesterday on a commando-strike mission to pick up the Baby Whisperer books. I'm reading the first one slowly, as I nurse the baby. Unfortunately, I also got distracted by the DVDs for checkout, and have a couple things to watch now, which I really didn't need, except that sometimes trying to do something useful while feeding Baby is just not possible, and it's just more entertaining to throw something in the DVD player for background or distraction.

Okay, Baby is awake for a little while and calm. I should quit distracting myself and do something useful, like laundry.

Hasta!

I cleaned my bathroom yesterday!

I know . . . what's to be proud about that?

My bathroom was a wreck, and I hadn't cleaned the floor in far, far too long. It was GROSS. I purged a bunch of stuff to take to the women's shelter (if they'll take it) – shampoos, body wash, perfumes – mopped the floor, and cleaned the sink. I sort of wiped down the toilet, but forgot to brush the bowl. I also didn't clean the window panes, which are all wet and moldy. Oops. But the rest is done! :)

I also planned my dinners for this week, and shopped accordingly on Monday afternoon. I'm planning so I will use up stuff in my freezer, then I'll start using Saving Dinner the Low-Carb Way, which I bought a while back in order to start planning my dinners better. I hate it when stuff goes bad in my fridge. Food is not getting any cheaper!

Now, I just need to get the rest of my house under control . . . Slowly but surely!

Still haven't had the baby yet. I feel like a total lump today, though. I have no desire to do anything but sleep and munch on berries. :) I can't have too many berries, though, because they have sugar. Maaaannn . . . I'm trying to suppress my cravings.

I fell on the stairs again last night, but it wasn't as catastrophic as the first time. I did land on my ample butt, which probably saved me, ;), but my tail bone took more of it this time. My elbow might be bruised, too. My back is a little stiff, but I don't feel anywhere near as painful as I did last time I fell. I really should walk barefoot at night, instead of wearing these slippers. I like my toes to be warm, but, despite their rubber soles, these slippers don't grip much when it counts (they're supposed to be called "slippers" because I just slip them on – not because they cause me to slip on things!). I just went back to bed feeling stupid, instead of horribly bruised and stupid. :)

Well, I should at least take a shower. It might wake me up some. Then I can go through baby clothes while I watch a movie. I need to wash the new clothes and pack an outfit or two for the hospital. I might pack my own go-bag first, though.

So lazy . . .

Like I said before, I love Valentine's Day. I love the color red, I love hearts and gooshy cards, and I LOVE MY SWEETIE!!! :D

It's possible that part of the reason I still dig V-Day is because I used to get a lot of attention. My parents also made a bigger deal out of gift-giving holidays than birthdays. At least, I always got a lot of candy. ;) Not that I ate it all – hardly! But Valentine's candy rates right up there with Easter and Christmas candy, so I'm not complainin'.

Problem is, this year, I can't have candy. :( I could really have used some chocolate yesterday, though. At least, part of the day. It was a good day, overall, but I had some hormonal moments. Sweetie's arrival home from work made everything better, though. :)

I'd intended to maybe get up early and start cleaning the living room. We'd already planned to have dinner at home, and since that's where the dining table is, I wanted us to be able to use it, and not have to think about a mess around us. We were CERTAINLY not going to eat Valentine's dinner on the couch!

I woke up late, though, and only had time to get the roast started in the crockpot and the veggies chopped. I only had an hour after that to get ready to go out to lunch with a couple of friends from the choir I was a part of back in 2006. I was horrendously late, but lunch was fun and we got to spend a few hours catching up. I had a giant smoothie thingie that I was hoping was sugar-free but may not have been – not that I cared at the time, because it was SO FLIPPIN' GOOD!!! The coffee shop where we met for lunch was not diabetes-friendly, so my sugar was elevated when it was time to check, but not so bad to be worrisome. I knew it would be. Sometimes, you just have to go with the lesser of the evils. The breakfast burrito was VERY good. :)

When I got home, I didn't have a lot of time before Sweetie was going to be home to get the living room cleaned up and the dishes done. And then I just kept dropping stuff. I felt really unwieldy yesterday. It's hard to pick things up, so it's frustrating when I drop them! I was getting kind of cranky about it.

I decided to roast the veggies before putting them in the pot, which meant coating them in oil and putting them in a 500° oven. The sink was very full of dishes, so I didn't wash off a spatula to pick the veggies off when they were done. When I was pulling the onions off (using my large carving knife and a fork), I touched the hot baking stone (covered in oil) with the back of my left middle finger. OUCH!!! I sucked on it first and put some stuff on it, so it didn't blister, or anything, just hurt. :( Thankfully, Sweetie was home not long after that, so I got hugs to ease my fraying nerves.

I didn't get the living room as clean as I wanted it, but it's still way better than it was. I was pretty exhausted and didn't want to do the dishes. Sweetie did them for me. I couldn't have asked for a better present. :) But he got me a present, anyway!

He wrote me a little note and even put the present in a bag with some tissue paper (see, it's GOOD that I save some things ;)). He told me beforehand that it wasn't a romantic gift, but it was something I would like. I didn't care – he was going to do the dishes. :) He could have wrapped up a pretty rock from the driveway, and I would have been happy. :)

Turns out, he'd gone to Game Stop on the way home and, based on reviews and the advice of the guy behind the counter, decided to buy me Professor Layton and the Curious Village for my Nintendo DS. For the first time in months I took Clubhouse Games out of my DS (ALL I've played has been Solitaire – for months). The game is cute and the puzzles are fun. I love this kind of game! :) Sweetie did a good job. :)

After Sweetie finished the dishes (he's SO awesome! My hero!), I separated the stuff out of the crock pot into serving dishes. Sweetie had found some candlesticks and candlestick holders and lit them, and set the table! He even folded some paper towels all fancy, like we saw at a Chinese restaurant last Sunday. He was bored while we were waiting for my parents, so he reverse-engineered the folding technique, and put it to use last night. :)

Check it out!

The spread:


A closeup (you can see the steam rising off the meat!):


The napkin:


I swear, this is THE BEST pot roast I have EVER made. It was pot roast NIRVANA. Seriously!

Take a roast, leave the fat on it, sear it on all sides in an oil-coated pan, and drop it in a crock pot. Poke some holes in the top and insert whole garlic cloves. Salt the meat (I have a sea-salt grinder), pepper it, and sprinkle on any or all of the following: Onion powder, curry powder, dill weed, savory (an herb that came with my spice rack – I don't know how available it is, but it's not really that important, so if you don't have it don't worry), and a little brown sugar.

In a bowl or large measuring pitcher, mix up the following and dump it on the roast in the pot:
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (Campbell's is my favorite)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Turn the pot on low and let it cook for a few hours (my usual rule of thumb is 8 hours on low, 5 hours on high).

About two hours before the roast is done, drop in your veggies – starchiest/firmest on the bottom, softest on top. For instance, if you're using potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion, put the potatoes and carrots in first, and then put in the celery and onions on top.

I can't have potatoes right now, so I substituted them for butternut squash and turnips. Not only did this make the meal more aesthetically pleasing (pretty colors!), it was also all kinds of tasty! I decided to roast them (as I said above) before putting them in the pot, but I couldn't tell you if this made a difference, or not. (Roasting instructions: Place chopped veggies on a flat pan – baking stones are perfect for this – coat with oil, add salt and pepper, and put in a 500° oven for five to ten minutes, or however long it takes to get them to brown a little and sizzle.)

I kid you not – this was the best pot roast I've ever eaten (if I do say so, myself). We had the rest for lunch today, and it was just as good, if not better! The sauce is sweet, and compliments the meat and veggies perfectly. And you don't have to add anything to make it into gravy! Just ladle it, as is, out of the pot. SO VERY GOOD!!!

I'm getting hungry again, just thinking about it!

Anyway, after dinner, we decided to watch an episode or two of Supernatural – in the dark (not necessarily recommended – it's scary!) – and ate sugar-free instant pistachio pudding.

We were really tired at bedtime. Sweetie read for a while and I played my new game. Since today's his day off, we got to sleep in this morning.

I love being an old married couple. :) Valentine's Day doesn't have to be all about the presents and market-driven romantic gestures. It's all about being together and doing stuff for each other.

I love you, Sweetie. You make my life wonderful! :D

I went to a Mary Kay event last night. I couldn't sleep when I got home. Too excited! Also, I think there might have been some caffeine involved. At any rate, I didn't get to sleep until after 1am.

I woke up before Sweetie's alarm so I could go to the bathroom, but my hip was hurting, too. I tried sleeping on my left side, but heartburn kicked in. I flipped to my left side and the cat joined me, but then Sweetie was getting up. My heartburn subsided a little, but I realized I was HUNNNNGRRRRYYY. This is not just morning munchies, here – it was full throttle I-need-breakfast-right-NOW. Also, I was still excited from last night.

I got up, ate some cheese, helped Sweetie with his lunch, made some tea, ate some more food, and now I'm back in bed (where it's warm) to use the computer for a little while.

I have an urge to clean out the back room today. A STRONG urge! It's just freakin' cold this morning, so I'm going to give myself a chance to sleep a little longer (although I don't think it will happen), then get up, shower, and dig into that pig sty storage area.

I only have a few months to use it effectively before we move again. I want that time!!! Not to mention it just needs cleaning. Sweetie's getting a shiny new computer soon. It needs a nice home! :D

More about Mary Kay later.

I need to hurry and make my husband an omelette so he can have dinner when he gets home and leave again for a belaying certification class at Vertical World. We have a teen area-wide thing in a week or so, and he's going to be helping out with their indoor rock wall climbing. Cool. :)

Anyway, since I don't have time to post, today's post is over at tiny_socks.

Laterz! ;)

I did a little shopping at Safeway yesterday, because I was there for food bank collection and needed some ingredients for chili that I'm making for our fellowship group tonight, not to mention I wanted to pick up a couple items for the food bank.

I truly can't believe I used to shop there regularly. Some of the prices are incredibly high. Some are decent with the use of the club card, but most are just outrageous.

I decided that I would have to start shopping at the Commissary again, because their produce is usually the cheapest and they have the bread I like. I suppose I could have saved the chili ingredient shopping for today, when I went to the Commissary, but I wasn't sure I was going to go to the Commissary until this morning after church. I'm out of bread and I need some more creative food options to keep up this low-carb, low-glycemic-load lifestyle.

Unfortunately, though the produce and meat were cheaper (some of it), I was underwhelmed yet again by the Commissary's offerings. I was especially unhappy that my favorite, cheap bread was no longer available. :( I used to get two long loaves of Orowheat Cracked Wheat (square version, not rectangular) for $1.97. There is NO OTHER bread that cheap for that quantity (not to mention that tastes as good!). I suppose I could check the PSNS Commissary, in case they still stock it, but I have a feeling I just can't get it anymore. :(

The place was also pretty packed (although not at first when I got there), and there were these three kids running (running) down every aisle, and no one was telling them to stop. Apparently, they were with a caretaker, not a parent, but she didn't seem to be that concerned with their behavior. That REALLY bugged me.

I don't know. I'll have to reweigh the pros and cons. There were certain aspects that I wasn't terribly impressed with, but there is a significant savings on staple foods, if you can find them. 97% lean ground beef (3% fat) is less than $1.50/lb. I can get Hunt's tomato paste for $0.50/can. Millstone wholebean coffee is $5.98/lb. Tillamook Cheddar is $5.99 regularly for the medium baby loaf and $6.99 for the sharp. That is unheard of anywhere else unless it's on sale. The Commissary still charges a 5% surcharge on the total of your bill (which is annoying, because they're supposed to be tax-free, and I'm not sure it compromises the savings), though, and you have to tip the baggers, because that's the only income they get, and if you go through the regular line, you can't carry your own groceries out. I never have cash with me, so I have to get it at the checkstand. Thankfully, I can get just $5 if I want to, instead of $10 or $20 increments, like many other debit readers will only let you do.

I'll continue to go to the Perry Ave. Red Apple for WIC purchases, because I can't buy the juice concentrate anymore and the Red Apple is the only place that carries the particular cans of V8 the state allows you to purchase, and they carry string cheese in 8 and 16 oz packages, which is also nice.

This diet both simplifies and complicates things. I have to do more cooking and hunt down healthy foods (which is both expensive and exhausting, sometimes), but it also eliminates all these other foods that are just junky and unhealthy and ultimately a waste of money. Hopefully the food budget will equalize, but I expect the savings will be lost in gas expense, since prices have skyrocketed AGAIN this week. I paid $3.19 for gas on Friday, and the price has already gone up seven cents. Disgusting! That's probably what's driving up produce prices, too. I wish we had a year-round farmer's market!

All righty, I'm officially drifting off, so I'm going to take a nap before I have to take my blood sugar reading again and start cooking the chili. Laterz!

I miss my hubby. :\

I've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2. Well, "watching" isn't the right word. I've had them playing for background noise. I spent most of the first movie doing dishes and cooking. Dinner tonight was stove-grilled BBQ chicken and boiled collard greens with turnips. Yum! :) I love collards and turnips, but I've never had them together. I even had a raw turnip with lunch, which was also quite tasty. I wonder if turnip greens taste as good as collards? Maybe I can try growing turnips in a container garden . . .

I'm going to have to start buying more produce, especially the leafy-green variety. It's probably time I started shopping at the Commissary again. They have my favorite bread, anyway, which is the kind I should be eating.

My sugars have been in the two-digits all day, which I guess is a good thing. They have to be below 90 for the morning check and 120 for the other checks – and I guess they have to be above 40, or I'll experience hypoglycemia. I'm not eating as much, so my stomach constantly thinks it's starving. It's probably good I train it now for smaller portions, since there really isn't room for the large meals I've been wanting to eat. I do need to remember to drink more water, though, to stave off the hunger and keep myself hydrated. Usually, I have my water bottle by my side at all times, but I haven't been as consistent today. It's kind of a pain in the neck to fill the Brita pitcher over and over all day.

I'm still really hungry. I suppose I could eat my evening snack now . . .

[MMmm, bread and cheese!]

I've been researching the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load. VERY interesting stuff! Some foods that you'd think would be healthy are not necessarily so, and some that would seem less healthy are not as impactful on blood sugar as one would think. Rice cakes are some of the WORST food you can eat!

Check out this link for a definition of Glycemic Index and Load.

Know what's nice? Grapefruit has a low glycemic load. Hooray! :) I just bought some today, hoping I could have SOME fruit in the next few weeks. It was on sale; usually it's pretty expensive. I'm supposed to keep the sugar to a minimum in the morning, but I've been craving juicy, citrusy things in the mornings. I have about a glass-worth's of orange juice left in the fridge, and I can't have it. :( I wish I could save up my carb total for some point in the day where I can drink that juice, but the insulin cycle doesn't work like Weight Watchers. Bummer.

It's good to have a list of fruits that are low on the GI so I can indulge every once in a while. I'm allowed to have fruit, but only a little at a time. I get so bored with water . . . I might be able to use my juicing apparatus on the Magic Bullet blender thingie to make low glycemic juice. Most juices I have to avoid are from concentrate, and probably have high fructose additives that are horrible for blood sugars and health in general.

If nothing else, I'll break down and buy some Splenda and sugar-free Kool-Aid so I can get my not-water fix once in a while. I might dilute it with club soda for some texture. I know carbonation isn't really good for you, either, but sometimes I just really want something bubbly!

If I keep rambling about food, my evening snack isn't going to be enough to keep me happy . . . Maybe I'll have half a grapefruit tonight, in addition to my bread and cheese. I don't know. Reflux is a concern at this hour.

Boy, I've been rambly lately! This post is long enough now. More updates later. Bye for now!

I keep losing track of the days!

I posted more of a diary post over at tiny_socks yesterday (link to the post). I had a pretty crappy Wednesday and Thursday, except for the evening. I got a nap in the afternoon, which made me feel much better, and then we went out to dinner with friends and then to coffee, where I got to spend time with someone else I haven't seen in a long time.

Today, I went to coffee with sweetsusie to catch up, since we haven't spoken since before Christmas (that's a long time for us!) except via email, and then I got some lunch and went to the hospital, where I had some gestational diabetes counseling.

It's not too bad. The diet they'd like me to keep will probably help my reflux and weight issues in the last ten weeks. I don't have full-fledged gestational diabetes, but my sugars were elevated during the test, and that's not a good thing. They just want me to monitor and diet so I don't have to do anything more drastic (i.e. take insulin pills/shots) to control it.

Unfortunately, I'm not a terribly consistent person. Eating at the same time every day is nearly impossible sometimes, especially when my husband is gone, like he is now. He is helpful in making sure I eat dinner in the evening, and something more substantial than what I would eat on my own. So I'm going to have to set up reminders for myself and possibly keep a food diary, so I have a record to keep me on track.

Speaking of which, it's past time I ate dinner . . . I'd really love a steak, but since I don't have one, I'll probably settle for eggs and toast. Reflux is acting up again, so nothing sounds good at all. But, I have to eat something. Oh well.

I'm hopefully going to be diligent in the next few weeks about cleaning the house. I'd like for at least part of it to be ship-shape and sparkling by the time Sweetie comes home. I bought a rug for the living room, because the floor is so cold. It's stripey and matches the walls and curtains, and will hopefully warm the room up.

Well, I should cook something before the wind knocks out the power. I can hear it beginning to bluster out there, and the power flickered a couple times a little while ago.

Until later!

It's snowing! It will probably be all gone by tomorrow, though, as rain is predicted for this evening (if it's not raining already). Part of me is happy about it – it's so pretty! But part of me worries for my husband, who drove to Tacoma in his MR2 and will be coming home after dark tonight. Hopefully the highways are clear and we don't have a surprise freeze.

I helped with food bank collection this morning/afternoon, and it started snowing in earnest about an hour before I was done. For some reason, there were more people on the road after it started snowing. I'm wondering if they all decided to stock up on warm foods, or they were Christmas shopping and decided to go home all at once, or they're just crazy. The grocery store was packed! I suppose it can also be blamed on this being the first day of the month, and therefore payday. Everyone's stocking up on their groceries after their huge Thanksgiving feast leftovers have finally dwindled. ;)

Doing food bank collection in November and December is interesting. I don't care if people pass up the chance to buy a can of something for someone else's Christmas dinner, but the ones that actually annoy me are the ones who say, "No, I'm fine," or walk by as if I wasn't even there. Granted, it was really noisy and busy at our door, but a quick, "No, thank you," would suffice.

Ah well. I'm home and warm now, with tomato soup and grilled cheese in my belly. I'm really sleepy, too . . .

Hasta!

It's Monday – I have to remember that. :)

The borscht feast was a huge hit, but I forgot to take pictures of it before serving it. I was really hungry. :) Of course, not everyone liked it, but that's okay. Beets are one of those veggies that people either love or hate. I'm really proud that it came out so well. I've never tasted it before, so I really didn't know what we were in for. It tasted like beets and beef broth – very hearty – and was excellent with a dollop of sour cream. YUM! I'll have to make that again sometime, perhaps with meat added.

Two loaves of beer bread disappeared quickly, as did the Chinese chicken salad. Although I think my husband ate a quarter of it, himself. ;) I love cooking for soldiers. They're always appreciative of good food (or even mediocre, if it's homecooked).

After eating and cleaning up, Sweetie and I were free to go. It was about 1:30 or 2pm by the time we hit the road, which allowed us to get over the pass in the daylight. We reached our destination just after dark and relaxed with Sweetie's aunt, uncle, and cousin until we couldn't stay awake any longer. I'd only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before, because I failed to prepare anything during the day and did it all after I got home from choir practice at 9:30pm. I was up till 2am, but I wanted to make sure everything was done and I had to think very little before packing the car.

Thanksgiving was awesome! I ate so much, I looked like I was in my ninth month. I was pretty sure I hadn't been that big that morning! Thankfully, I was less rotund the next morning. Note to self: There isn't as much room in there as there used to be! I'm going to have to be extra cautious at Christmastime. :)

My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I went to Wal-Mart the next morning at 8am to hit the sales. Othello is a small town, and Wal-Mart is pretty much the biggest store they have. The parking lot was as full as any other day, and the shelves were not picked clean. The store wasn't crowded, either, which was nice. I was there for the exercise, because I knew I'd eaten a lot the night before and would eat more over the course of the weekend, and I'm not much of an impulse shopper – especially since I know rent is coming out in a few days and I had no way to check the pending transactions in the bank. I did get a couple things, though, some gifts and some little items I needed.

We spent the day around family, watching movies, talking, eating, and playing with the kids. My nieces are incredibly cute. :) Exhausting, but cute. ;)

We went home on Saturday morning-ish, with leftover turkey and some premade sandwiches (nothing beats sandwiches made with leftover turkey). We vegged and watched Law & Order on DVD while waiting to go out to dinner with Sweetie's parents. We ate at a local steakhouse, which was EXCELLENT, and went to bed pretty early. It's been feeling later than it really is lately, which is probably an artifact of Daylight Saving and Washington's gloomy, short winter days.

We went to early service Sunday morning and came home for lunch – more turkey leftovers! I made an awesome turkey salad, which I ate on wheat bread with cheese and cranberry sauce. Yum! :D I'm looking forward to it again for lunch today.

The house is an utter disaster – Sweetie pulled some boxes to go through out into the living room, and I just haven't gone through them yet (by the way, this is totally me). So, yesterday afternoon, I pulled over a filing box, dug out my filing folders, and started organizing papers that have been boxed for way too long. I found some great stuff! I did get rid of extraneous stuff that we don't need, but I kept college papers and memorabilia and some other paperwork. My filing box is full, so I have to get it from the living room to the office, clear the stuff away from the filing cabinet, and start loading that bad boy up. It's a six-drawer monstrosity that I should have put to use the moment I got it. I should have had Sweetie move the box last night.

While filing, my nose got stuffier and stuffier. By evening service time, I had yellow mucus and a headache, so I wasn't going anywhere. Sweetie played hooky from church to spend the evening with me, and we watched more Law & Order while I finished filing.

I'm not sure I slept much last night, between my clogged head and aching hips. I don't have a fever or a sore throat, thankfully, but I've been sneezing like crazy. I'm convinced it's allergies that snuck in while I was adjusting between our climate and the frozen, dry air of Eastern WA (not to mention my dusty, filthy house). Some Sudafed seems to be helping, as is the Neti Pot I bought, anticipating sinus issues this winter.

The Neti Pot is weird. You pour water through your nose. The drawing in the instructions has a woman smiling while she's irrigating her nasal passages, which could only be because it's such a ridiculous thing to do. Really good for you, but it feels silly. :)

In an effort to get something done this morning, I started to replace white Christmas lights that have burnt out, but I bought the wrong voltage. Not only that, but one string doesn't like to let go of its bulbs. Now I need to go find the right bulbs and maybe a tool for getting them out of their sockets. Bleh. :p

Well, I'm hungry again, and I should get back to doing something useful. Hopefully I can get more filing done today; I'll probably just bring a few folders at a time down to the cabinet so I don't have to lift the whole box. Pregnancy has its drawbacks.

This is also a really long post. Hope you made it to the end! :) If so, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Laterz!

I mentioned one day in the Armory that I had a recipe for borscht (Russian beet stew, basically, although I'm using a Polish recipe), and a couple of Sweetie's coworkers were very excited about this prospect. I've been threatening to make it for a while now, but hadn't gotten around to it (I've never even eaten borscht before, but have always wanted to try it). SO, since Sweetie's work is basically on the way to Eastern WA, where we're going for Thanksgiving, I brought the stuff to make borscht, beer bread, and Chinese chicken salad to the Armory. I just finished baking four loaves of beer bread (two for Thanksgiving in E. WA) and the borscht is simmering. I'm hoping it's done in twenty minutes or so, because I'm HUNGRY!

I'm going to take a picture of it, but I'll have to post it later, since I didn't bring my camera cable. It smells wonderful so far.

I need to go turn the bread out of the pans to cool further. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :D


P.S. We realized the other day that Sweetie hasn't been home for Thanksgiving in two years. I'm VERY thankful he's here this year!

Sweetie also posted about our Army dilemma at his blog. He explained the process better than I did (including who the "processing people" are). And he cleared a few things up for me from my last post.

Apparently, the state never approved the orders, but lost them well before they ever reached approving hands. And didn't say anything till recently, when asked what was going on with said orders. NICE.

Um, actually, that's the only thing I remember him clearing up . . . Read his blog to find out the details. My brain is a sieve lately. :)

* * * *

Sweetie has the day off, so we were going to go to the Naval Hospital to go to the Tricare desk to ask our questions and then go get a doctor's note so I can get a massage. I need to pay the chiropractor, too. I won a free massage there, and could really use it. I don't know what I did to my neck, but it hurts a lot. And not being able to get comfortable at night has made my back even achier, too. Unfortunately, I can't afford another chiropractor appointment, so the massage will have to do.

My brother's girlfriend is in massage school right now, too, and they're practicing on pregnant women, so if I bring my doctor's note to her, I can be a model in class, and get another massage! Hooray! :)

I just need to get off my butt, get cleaned up, and get outta here . . .

* * * *

In other news (HAPPY news!), my blog made it into a list of "other milspouse blogs you should check out" on Spousebuzz.com. I'm so flattered! :D Being geographically separated from routine Army life doesn't lend itself well to regular military blogging, but, as could be seen by my last post, it still affects our lives. But I suppose I can provide something of a day-to-day (when I remember to post) distraction from other people's problems once in a while. :) That's what other people's blogs do for me. I'm happy to do it for others, as well!

* * * *

Lunch today was leftovers from Olive Garden. We went with my parents-in-law on Saturday night, and I had the yummiest meal I've ever had there. If you have an Olive Garden near you, you really should try out their Braised Beef & Tortelloni. It has very tender little pieces of steak, portabello mushrooms, roasted red pepper, and asiago cheese-filled tortelloni. It's like beef stroganoff, but not as creamy. It is SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!! I can't recommend it enough!

For dessert, I had their Torta di Chocolate, which is basically a little cup-shaped brownie (I want to say Devil's food cake, because it is that rich and sinfully delicious), filled with gooey, warm chocolate, and surrounded by vanilla cream and strawberries. I ate the whole thing. I seriously didn't know if I would explode that night, but I was really full. I'm usually not a huge fan of Olive Garden, though I do like their food, but I would definitely go back for that meal. It was fantastic!

* * * *

Okay, it's after noon now, and I need to get showered and get my butt out the door if I want to do anything relevent today (and get home so we can have dinner and watch a movie, or something). Later, gator! :)

Can you believe it's been six years?

The biggest question being asked today is, "Where were you on 9/11/01?"

Sweetie and I had driven north from Vancouver, WA, to stay with friends in Suquamish, WA, so that Sweetie could go to a job interview on 9/11/01 in Port Ludlow, WA. That morning, after I got out of the shower, Sweetie came into our room and told me what happened. I didn't take him seriously, at first, because it seemed pretty surreal, but I went out to the living room and watched on TV as they looped the events from three hours prior.

I didn't cry. I have to admit to being a little detached, because, well, we are on the complete opposite coast. However, I do remember feeling confused and incredulous. How could something like THAT happen in THIS country??? (This is a year and a half prior to Sweetie joining the military, so my feelings were much different than they would have been had he been on the brink of deployment that day.)

We had to cross the Hood Canal Bridge that morning, which is the gateway between the Trident Submarine Base and the rest of the Puget Sound. Naturally, it was open (not a draw bridge, but opens to let nautical traffic through) to let "something" (which we never saw) go through. Sweetie was late for his interview, but it didn't really matter, as everyone was a little numb and traumatized that day. In fact, the events were something of a boon to us, since the man that would become Sweetie's boss was a big fan of right-wing politics, and Sweetie was only a year out of college, having gradutated with a Political Science degree. They didn't talk computers, really — they talked politics, and the guy instantly liked him.

We were going straight home afterward. The bridge was again open, but this time we saw a large Navy ship going through (too far away to recognize what, but not a carrier). The only time I shed a tear that day was when were were halfway home, and I heard the people of Congress singing "God Bless America" on a radio broadcast. For once — for ONCE — our country was not divided down party lines. For once — and briefly — this country was united about something.

I actually read something recently in an article someone wrote on Gather.com. It was pretty uninformed, but the person did not claim to be politically minded — only pondering something she'd seen on TV and thoughts that were going through her head at the time. I can forgive misinformation if it's not someone touting their great knowledge on the subject and claiming to be an informer. However, she did go on to say that the phrase (often heard from the military community, even from my husband), "Better to have a war on their soil rather than ours," was selfish. She believed that the war should come over here, because we deserve it.

. . .

It makes me wonder how many people follow that same logic, and whether they'd be willing to stand up to that when the war does come to this soil. Like it did six years ago today.

You know, I thought I was through all the seven (five?) stages of grief over the events on that one day six years ago — but things like that keep making me revisit Anger. I can't find the article again (lost in the archives of hundreds of articles on the same subject), and looking for it is about to make me turn this into a rant about respecting the choices of our military men and women, and the decisions of our government. But I won't. That's not what this post is about.

All that said, I was trying to think about whether I would commemorate this day, or not. Should it be a national holiday? Do we need another holiday? Or should we wear a certain color (or colors) and have presentations, concerts, pageants, etc., etc. in order to perpetuate the memory of the act of war performed on our own soil?

I read a post on IMAO.us that sparked an idea. I'm wearing red, white, and blue right now, but not intentionally. I just happen to have a lot of red, white, and blue in my wardrobe. I'm not watching the news. I am writing a blog post. But what is going to be my act of commemoration on this memorial day?

I'm making PORK CHOPS for dinner.

Nummy, yummy, Radical-Islam-be-damned (and I do mean that in the holiest sense) PORK chops.

Whee, I'm such an INFIDEL!!!

:D

Thursday, my father-in-law lent us his 8ft ladder so I could pick plums. Today, my mom came over to help me. She did most of the picking, mainly because she's a little taller than I am and because pregnant-lady-on-a-ladder is not necessarily the safest thing in the world, no matter how well-balanced pregnant-lady is right now. ;)

I was afraid we weren't going to be able to get many of them, because most of the best ones were up high, beyond the reach of even someone as tall as my husband (6ft) on an 8ft ladder. HOWEVER, the plums were so ready to come off the tree that it took a little shaking of the branch, and we were pelted with plums from above. Note to self: It's dangerous to pick plums with Mom!

I never sprayed this tree, and I'm not much of an avid organic farmer, so the plums, though juicy, amazingly sweet, and beautiful on the outside, occasionally harbor a worm that has snuck its little self in there at some point. Mom found some today when she cut a few open. I don't think the worms are harmful if swallowed (mmm — protein!), but the idea is gross. SO, though I have a huge haul, I'm going to have to cut them all open before eating them to make sure I'm not ingesting some little stowaway.

I'm giving a bunch away, because there is NO way I'll be able to eat them all myself, but even the amount I kept for me is intimidating! I'll have to find something to make out of them . . . Jelly? Preserves? Sauce? Juice? Wine? ;)

I'm going to have to Google "plums+recipes" to see what I can find. I can think of a billion things to do with apples and blackberries, but plums and grapes are slightly limited in my imagination. Time to broaden that . . .

Here's a pic of my recent haul (well, a fifth of it, actually):



(click on pic to see a larger image)

Mom took a bag for herself, I'm giving a bag to my in-laws, and I called my brother and a lady from church who expressed interest to see if they would like a bag, too. I haven't heard back from them yet.

Boy, I'm really hungry . . . Time for dinner!

[UPDATE: My sister-in-law (my brother's wife) just called — she just picked a bunch of Japanese pears, so we're gonna make a trade! Hooray! :D I'm going to have to hurry over there, though, before my brother and niece eat them all.)

I'm making pot roast in the crock pot and beer bread in the oven. The pot roast is done, we're now just waiting on the bread.

It smells SOOOO heavenly, I can hardly stand it! I've been trying not to snack too much over the past couple hours, but my mouth is in a constant state of watering, and my stomach is beginning to tell me that my liver is the first to go, should my stomach give up hope and start consuming my other organs for sustenance. Such a drama queen.

ANYway . . . Just a few minutes more, and we can EAT. I've been thinking about this pot roast all day!

I had a recipe, but, true to form, I changed it to suit my needs. Well, not even needs. I just can't leave well enough alone. Unlike the characters Prego keeps bringing onto their commercials, I bet you I could find a spice to put in their spaghetti sauce. Just try me! Of course, I'm not likely to buy Prego in order to see if I can add spice to it, because I make my own, and I'm pretty sure it's (ahem) better. ;) If I do say so, myself.

The altered recipe:
-Some kind of beef roast cut, seared on all sides in a pan and plopped in a crock pot.
-Garlic cloves inserted into holes cut in the top of the roast.
-Salt, pepper, onion powder, Savory, and any other spice that seemed right dumped on top of roast.
-Mix together:
*One can of cream of mushroom soup
*One can of cream of celery soup
*Two Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
*One Tbsp soy sauce
*One Tbsp vinegar
*One (or more, I think I put in three, actually) Tbsp prepared horseradish
-Pour mixture over roast.
-Cook on low for most of the day.
-Add veggies a couple hours before mealtime.

Voila! :D

The timer has gone off, so it's time to check the beer bread! FOOD!!! YAY!!!

I don't have "real" migraines, like some people get. Usually, the pain is associated with my sinuses or my vision, and I get some light sensitivity, dizziness, maybe nausea. But it responds well to almost any pain killer (especially since it's been so long since I used anything but Tylenol, and that not very often), a decongestant and/or antihistamine, and a little rest.

I woke up this morning with a stabbing pain behind my left eye (definitely sinus pressure), and tried to sleep away the pain. I couldn't sleep too long, because that would give me a different kind of headache, so I got up when it felt like it had subsided. I ate a little breakfast, drank a little decaf coffee, and went to take a shower. I thought it had passed, for the most part, but I was starting to feel the pressure again. During the shower, I thought about calling my husband in (he has the day off) to turn the light off. There's a floodlight on the shower, and the white, glossy walls can be blinding. I think it was making my eyes work harder (without my glasses) and the sinus pressure worse. Ironically, since steam usually helps when I have sinus issues. I'd taken a 650mg Tylenol (8 hour release) and two Sudafed (regular strength) before my shower.

I was going to try to go to Mom's Group this morning, but the stabbing pain kept coming and going at random intervals, especially when I would get up and move around (probably requiring more work of my vision, because the light changed between rooms and I had to focus on different distances). I decided driving was not in my best interest, and I didn't know if my nausea would become worse in a different environment. I called the leader of Mom's Group and told her that I was developing a sinus migraine thingie and was going to have to stay home.

Sweetie had computer networking stuff to do at the church (he's their new volunteer IT guy), so he left me home to lay on the couch and not move. I figured out that I felt worse if I had to focus close-up, so I tried watching TV, since it was across the room. That seemed to be okay. After a little while, focusing close-up wasn't bad, either, so I tried using the computer.

It seems the pain has mostly passed, and I feel even better now that I've eaten something. The pressure has kind of moved into my cheekbone, and my vision still feels wonky, but it has for the past several days. I know part of it is sinus issues, but I really do need a new prescription and lighter glasses. I'm wondering if I can even afford them, though. I guess it's time to make some inquiries about whether TriCare Prime has any real vision insurance.

ANYway, I need to continue lunch, since all I've had was leftover spaghetti with browned butter and mizithra cheese. I need some veggies and starch to balance it out. I'm still quite hungry . . .

Laterz!

I rock the mashed potato world!!! :D

As you can see, I'm a wee bit proud of the mashed potatoes I made last night. There is only a little bit left, and I'm trying not to think too much about them, because I'll just end up eating them, and Sweetie won't get any more. I've been thinking about them all night . . .

I suppose I should start at the beginning. :)

Sweetie took his DLPT (Defense Language Proficiency Test) on Thursday and Friday, and managed a 2/2+, which is really good for this new test that has been kicking everyone's butts. I wanted to celebrate somehow, and had been intending to have pizza on Friday night. Well, since I didn't want to cook Thursday night (I was sleepy, nauseous, and not willing to get anywhere near a stove) we'd had pizza Thursday night. Oh well, dem's da breaks. ;)

So, I hunted around the freezer and came up with a couple steaks. I had no red wine with which to marinate them, but it turned out that Worcestershire sauce did the trick nicely. I'd gone grocery shopping (finally) yesterday, so I even had side dishes to go with the meat. Imagine that! ;)

I marinated the steaks in Worcestershire, and sprinkled them with onion powder and fresh-ground black pepper. Then I laid thinly-sliced garlic over the top. I should have let it set like that for half an hour, at least, but as I was slicing the garlic, I had the worst craving for garlic mashed potatoes. Thankfully, I'd picked up potatoes, in hopes that we could do baked potatoes with dinner. I changed my mind on the baked, cleaned and peeled three of them, diced them up, salted them, and threw them in some water with about four large cloves of garlic (diced). I realized as I was boiling those potatoes that I had very little time in which to cook the steaks. I'd intended to broil them in the toaster oven, but that was probably going to take thirty or forty minutes (now that I think about it, it wouldn't take that long, because I was comparing it to the time it took to broil a piece of chicken. But I only broil frozen chicken. D'oh. ANYway . . . ). The potatoes would have been done and cooled by then. I turned the temperature down under the potatoes and flipped the steaks in the marinade. Usually, I do fifteen minutes on one side and fifteen minutes on the other, then cook. This time, I did about ten minutes on one side, and five on the other. Oh well, good enough for government work! :)

While the steaks were finishing their time in the marinade, I chopped the ends off some fresh pole-greenbeans I'd bought at the grocery store and cut them in half. The veggie side is always the easiest — throw it in the microwave for three minutes (if frozen) or five minutes (if fresh), just before everything is done. I'm getting better at this "all courses finish at the same time" thing. :)

The broiling did not quite go as planned — it turns out I'm not an accomplished broiler, for all the broiling I've done in the past. The steaks looked really red inside for a long time, but it turned out it was just the juices, because when we pulled them out, they were quite well done. Oops. Oh well, we ate them anyway, and they were good. :)

But the mashed potatoes . . . They finished at a good time, and I drained them and put them in one of my pretty casserole dishes. I mashed them with a large serving fork (I don't own a potato masher) with about two tablespoons of real butter. I then decided to use the last of the whipped cream cheese in the fridge — about a quarter cup, maybe — and a little tart, plain yogurt (Nancy's brand). I added more salt and fresh-ground pepper, stirred it up, and called it good.

And they WERE good. YUM!!! Creamy, buttery, garlicky mashed potatoes . . . *drool*

I'm going to have to make those again. :) This whole cooking thing is becoming more fun as I try my hand at more recipes (most of them made up on the spot — or enhanced from written, because I can't leave well enough alone). It's also nice to have someone to cook for. :)

I don't have a lot of time, so I'll just hit the highlights:

This weekend was busy, but fun. I sure love my husband. :) I love seeing him every day, and I love spending time with him. I'm so glad he's home!

Yesterday, I attempted to make bean soup for dinner, but I screwed up while boiling the beans that morning. I didn't put in enough water, and left it to boil while I took a shower. While getting dressed, I realized it smelled a little smokey. I didn't panic about it, because the beans were kind of smokey when they started boiling, and I thought it was just a residual smell.

When I went to check on the beans, I heard them hissing, and there was definitely more smoke in there than had been earlier. I opened the lid, and looked on in dismay at the hissing, screaming, blackened beans in the bottom of the pot.

And they really burned black, too. The tops looked fine, but the bottom of the pot was charred. The smell was atrocious! The worst part is that the entire house smelled like people had been smoking in it all day. I woke up to the smell this morning, too. Now I'm trying to banish it by simmering some cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in some water on the stove. It seems to be working pretty well. I was ready to fry a piece of chicken or a salmon burger just to change the smell. Even fish would be better than stale smoke. Ick! :p

Anyway, after putting the charred pot aside yesterday, I read some instructions, and found that I should only boil the beans for two minutes and then leave them to soak for an hour. *Sigh* I did that, but they soaked for two hours while I was at Mom's group. By the time I got the soup started, it was only going to get to cook on high for four hours — not enough time for the beans to soften up. By 7pm, after boiling it on the stove for a while, we gave up and put it back in the crockpot to cook today for dinner. We had $25 left on an Olive Garden gift card (which is enough to cover soup, salad, and tip), so we headed there. It was packed full, so we went next door to Red Lobster (where we could still use the gift card), and our dinners only cost us $4.51 out of pocket, with balance and tip. :) And it was yummy!

Tonight we'll have bean soup and cornbread. I'm determined!

Anyway, I'm going to be horribly late for my interclub meeting if I don't go take a shower right now. Hasta!

Sweetie flew in around 10:45 or 11pm Tuesday night, but he didn't get back into town till 1am, or so, Wednesday morning. I didn't really get to sleep till 2am. He had yesterday off, so we slept in, hung out, and went to see the Simpsons Movie. :) It was really funny — more than just a 90-minute episode, in my opinion. Sweetie tried to pass it off as "all right", but I know better. He was cackling. ;)

After an errand, we went home and I took a nap before starting dinner. I've been wanting to make homemade macaroni and cheese for some time now (the kind you bake), so I decided to make it last night. It calls for 8 oz of cheese, so instead of using 8 oz of cheddar, I used 2 oz of mozzarella, about 3 oz of cheddar, 1 oz of parmesan, and 2 oz of cottage cheese. I also added ham to the mix. It turned out fantastic! My husband further stroked my ego by telling me my macaroni and cheese is his very favorite — the best he's ever eaten. I know he's my husband and he's supposed to say things like that, but he meant it. I'm rather proud of myself. :)

There's something so satisfying about carby, fatty food. ;)

Heh, now that I've said that, you should read my post over at tiny_socks, where I rant about how the BMI has made me fat. ;)

Okay, not really. But I do rant about the BMI. Did you know that the standard weight for someone 5'2" is 116 lbs?

Now that you've picked yourself up off the floor and wiped the tears from your eyes, the same chart says that a 5'2" person is overweight at 139 lbs. Wow! I'd LOVE to be back down to 139 lbs! :)

I probably won't get that way eating macaroni and cheese, but it sure is tasty in the meantime! :D