My Wedding Ring Is Off!

Yes, my wedding ring is off! Which is a good thing. My ring had gotten so tight on my finger that I couldn't even turn it, let alone get it off my finger. I lost a diamond out of it about 2 years ago and I told Stephen when I could get it off I was replacing the diamond.

I don't think I have mentioned on here that at the start of the year we started eating better. I started Weight Watchers with an anonymous friend and Stephen is doing sparkpeople.com. I had told Stephen that it would make it a whole lot easier if he did it with me so I wasn't cooking a meal for me and bad food for everyone else like I have done before. It didn't last long that time and I gave up quickly. Stephen's is similar to Weight Watchers except you count calories and WW factors your calories, fat, and fiber and it figures into points that you receive so many based on your weight, height and age. Oh yeah...and his is free. But going to meetings with my anonymous buddy helps us both. And when I reach my goal weight mine will be free too!

Stephen met his goal weight this week (gag) with a weight loss of 20 pounds and is going to reward himself with a new ipod for when he is cleaning for my parents. My reward was my diamond in my ring which I wasn't expecting to get this soon. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal weight so I need to come up with some rewards for myself. Although today I will be going shopping for jeans.

Mom says it looks like something has moved out of my pants.

I have lost 14.5 so far and like I said before, I still have a long way to go. But we are making healthy changes and trying lots of new recipes. Which means the kids are eating healthy, too, and they have really liked a lot of our new things.

I will keep you all posted on how it is going but keep in mind from here on out it will be going slowly. I have gotten past that big weight loss jump and each week I lose a little less than 2 pounds. Hopefully I will get to my half way point in the next 3 weeks.

Maybe I will reward myself with a pedicure when I reach that point....

Me and my anonymous friend have lots of fun when we go to meetings. When we are there we like to look at each other and say things like, "Hi. My name is Sara, and I am addicted to chocolate." Then we get tickled and try not to laugh during class. Hey, if I have to limit my chocolate intake we have to make it fun, right?

I have had to take Bryson with me a couple of times and I pray I won't have to again. The first class he was okay. The second he had to go pee. So I took him to the bathroom. Then I took him again. Then by the third time I took him to "trickle" I finally figured it out.

He was saying to himself, "Here it comes, here it comes, it's gonna flush by itself!"

That was it. It was an automatic flushing toilet and he was completely amused. What didn't amuse me was our meeting was in a portable building behind a local church. I had to leave the portable, go a long way inside a dark church building that I have never been in before and back to the meeting. Do that 3 times during a 30 minute meeting and I am aggravated. Remember, I am paying to be there!

So I will keep you posted on the weight loss as need be. And as I come up with healthy recipes I will post them for you on Recipe Tuesday!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

Last week I went to the pantry and stood looking. Brayden was doing his homework and he stopped and asked me what I was doing.

"I'm looking for something I can throw together and call it supper."

"Gggrrreaat. This should be interesting. Sounds gross."

If he only knew how many meals he has eaten that didn't use a recipe. He would probably die, wouldn't he?

When they asked me what I came up with, I told them Chicken Stew. Then this morning I got to thinking that it's not a stew because it's not thick like stew. And yes, there is a difference between soup and stew. But I don't want to call it Chicken Soup either, because that makes me think Chicken noodle and there aren't any noodles in this. So maybe ya'll can help me name it.

Here are a few I came up with:

Brayden's Scary Chicken Soup
From the Pantry Chicken Soup
Nameless Chicken Soup
What In The World? Chicken Soup

Here is what I used:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
32 oz. Swanson's Organic fat free chicken broth
4 baby carrots, diced
15 oz. can green beans
1/2 cup pearled barley, cooked using package directions
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
few shakes dry parsley

Heat oil in stock pot. Add onions and garlic and saute a few minutes while stirring. Add broth, chicken, spices and vegetables and cook until carrots are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Sorry, I didn't really time this so not sure. Throw in the barley after that and cook a few minutes. And that's it. Pretty simple. And you could always do this in the crock pot, but I would add the cooked barley before serving. I haven't had good luck cooking barley in the crock pot. It gets mushy.

Enjoy!
Sara

Five Question Friday!

Yes, i am stealing this from a friends blog. I thought it would be fun on the days that I have nothing else to blog about. Unless you want to hear about all the throwing up and bed sheet washing I have been doing. Yeah, I thought random questions would be more fun, too! Besides, she said I could....

1. What is better, growing old with out money or dying young and wealthy? I guess it all depends on what you call wealthy. I would have to say growing old without money. As the saying goes, money doesn't make happiness. Not that I have ever been rich to know exactly what that is like, I do know that I am happy and content with what I have, and I have had a whole lot less in the past and was just as content. But I also do feel rich, although in today's standards I am not.

2. Who takes out the garbage at your house? Whoever is around when it needs to be taken out. Usually me because I am in the kitchen more and home more than Stephen, but if you asked Stephen he would probably say he takes out the trash more. There are days that I take out 3 or 4 bags when he isn't even here, so I don't think he realizes how much trash I take out. So Stephen, I take out the trash a bunch!!!

3. Have you ever had the same dream many times? I don't seem to dream much, which I guess means that I don't remember them since scientists or sleep people say everyone dreams all the time. When I was very young, eight or younger because of the house we lived in, I had a reoccurring dream. I was in my room looking for a pair of brown socks. I heard strangers voices and every time in my dream I would go downstairs to the laundry room in the basement and there were two men that were there taking my parents hostage. Mom would always have a soothing voice telling me it was going to be okay and then I would wake up so scared I couldn't even scream. My heart would be racing and I would be sweating. I was always scared to get out of my bed if I woke up in the middle of the night and I can remember one time waking up in the morning and the sun was up but my door was closed. I laid there until my mom came and checked on me because I was afraid of what I would find when I opened the door. When I asked her why the door was closed she explained to me that she closed it so I didn't get woke up when Dad and Rachael were getting ready for school. So I would have been pretty young since I was 4 when I started kindergarten. I guess I got off the question there a little, but my point is I think I was scared like that all because of that dream that I had a lot.

4. Can you play a musical instrument? I think everyone can play a musical instrument, some just play better than others. I took piano when I was little for a couple of years. I didn't last long because when we moved here to Alabama I started taking lessons again and I didn't really like my teacher. Of course, a lot of it had to do with her reaction to me not practicing the songs she told me to or practicing it the way she wanted me to practice. I preferred to play by ear and I never did get the hang of reading notes. When I was little, not sure how young, we went to Michigan to see my Aunts and Uncles. I remember going to a barn sale somewhere. I can remember Fred and Sue being there, but I don't remember if Vicki and Donnie were there, although they lived a house apart and were always there when we visited. Fred and Sue moved further north later so this may be after that. Anyway, we went to this barn sale which was the equivalent to a garage sale. I found an accordion there and it was only $25.00. I remember going to ask my mom if we could by it, knowing she would tell me no since none of us knew how to play it. I asked her and she said yes and I was so excited! When we got back to Aunt Sue's house, she picked it up and started playing all these songs. I asked her when she learned to play one and she told me she had never touched one before. I asked her if she would show me how to play it but of course like every other sibling of my mother's, they can just sit down and play something. Aunt Sue got a pencil and wrote above the cord buttons what cords they were (by listening to it...sick) and I sat down and picked out a few songs. You know, the typical, Mary had a little lamb, twinkle, twinkle little star, and so on. Those pencil marks are still there, by the way.

5. If you owned your own store, what would you sell? Well, this can be a loaded question. I have actually thought about this many, many times. And of course, quilting always comes up. I would have to sell things other than my quilts since I don't have a machine that I can quilt on. I can't make them fast enough to stock a store. So I guess I would have to sell fabric, too, and not just any fabric. I would sell all the good fabric that none of the quilt shops around here carry. Like Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fasset. Just to name a few :) And you know I could go on and on about fabric, but I won't.

I have no idea where these questions started, but feel free to post them on your blog and leave a comment here so we can all read about you!

Have a great weekend!
Sara

Heart Broken

Monday Brayden received "the note" at school from his girlfriend. He didn't tell me right off. I had to pull out the info like pulling teeth. When he went straight to his room after school I thought he was headed to the bathroom. When he didn't come back for awhile, I went to check on him. When I got close to his room I could here his stereo. I stopped at the door when I saw his light was turned off. I peaked my head in and he was lying on his bed. I walked over to him and thought maybe he wasn't feeling good so I asked him what was wrong. When he looked at me I could see the tears in his eyes. He told me nothing was wrong. I reminded him that I am a mother and I know better. I told him that I understood if he didn't want to talk right now, and then reminded him that I was a tween girl once and if he wanted to talk to just let me know.

Of course, I got the biggest eye roll ever, but after falling asleep on his bed and having to be woke up for supper, he told me what happened. I asked him if he tried to talk to her about it and he said she won't talk to him. So I reminded him he has every class with her so just remember to be nice and things will go a lot smoother. I told him about all the girls at church that weren't "dating" anyone and all he would say was, "But I REALLY like her." They have been "dating" for almost a year. He talked about what he had gotten her for valentine's day and I told him it was okay to go ahead and give it to her. He thought about it, but by Wednesday, he said even after being super nice to her, she was calling him names and being ugly. He wasn't going to give it to her. I told him not to be ugly back, to just ignore her and be the bigger person. He said he was, but it sure was hard when someone is being hateful to you in front of everyone else. I told him all he could do is pray about it and he said that is what he would do. I talked to him about how this is a good way to learn what you like about other girls and don't like about them. That way he can pick the right one for him.

I know this is the first of many broken hearts for him but as a momma it sure is hard to watch!

Sara

Randomness

Today I had to take a detour on the way to work and saw things that I wouldn't normally see. I thought I would share them with you here. The first thing I saw was a sign at a church.

It read:

"Work like you are going to live 100 more years and pray like you are going to die tomorrow."

I liked that.

Then I drove on and saw prisoners picking up trash along the sides of the road. I then noticed they were in the ditch of a Guns & Ammo store. I thought that was a little unsettling seeing how this was within walking distance of my workplace. Then I decided that if they tried to rob the place they would probably get shot down so it was all okay.

On my way home as I was passing the sign at the local tattoo parlor with the sign that reads, "Tattoos in rear", I saw a maroon Chrysler Dynasty from the late 80's or early 90's (that part is just an uneducated guess) with hydraulics. I couldn't help but laugh. Why would someone want to put hydraulics on a car like that? Who am I kidding? Why would someone want to put hydraulics on any car?

I made up a stew for supper on Tuesday because what I was going to make fell through. Fell through as in I asked Stephen if he got potatoes at the grocery store and he told me he did. What he didn't tell me was he was talking about the grocery trip the time before and I had already thrown those out because we got home and they were rotten.

So I opened up the cabinet and said to myself, "Hmmmm......wonder what I can throw together and call it dinner?"
To that Brayden responded, "Great. This is going to be so gross."

It ended up being really good. My point is I am going to have a recipe to post next week! Yay for me!

Sara

I Feel Like This Sometimes

I read this blog post this morning and can totally relate to this mom. I bet some of you do, too!

We have a busy day full of basketball, cleaning, and hopefully a little sewing, if I can squeeze it in! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sara

Sew and Tell Friday

Today is Sew and Tell Friday at Amy Lou Who's. Click here and go see what everyone else had been up to!

This past Friday after I finished Bryson's snowman pajamas, I finished up something that I had already started. Already started as in I had cut the squares out a couple of weeks ago but had not had time to lay them out and get them sewn.

The tutorial came from here and is called a recycled bath mat. But I didn't need a bath mat. I wanted something pretty and colorful to put under my dish drying rack in the kitchen because I have always just used a dish towel. So I decided this would do the job. I cut 3"squares from some scraps that matched my dishes. My canisters go with my dishes and sit on the counter so I wanted them to go together. It took 72 squares in all....8 across and 9 down. Then I used an old towel to back it with. We received some new towels for Christmas so I had a few that weren't good enough to donate because the edges were all unraveling and looked bad but weren't bad enough to throw away. I didn't embroider it like in the tutorial. Mainly because I thought little feet would be silly in my kitchen and I couldn't come up with anything better so I just sewed across the middle in the ditch and once vertically in the ditch to hold it all together.

I am somewhat pleased with how it looks except for one thing. I should have used my walking foot to sew those in the ditch lines. It did pucker a little on one side, so I just turned it to where I don't have to look at it. But I know it is still there....

Have a look!


Thanks for visiting!

Sara

It Ain't Food Network, But They Eat It....Tuesday!

Over the weekend I wanted to make something in the crock pot. I wanted something warm. Something soupy. I didn't really have anything planned to make for dinner that day. I know, that's hard to believe since I plan out my menus. It had to fit into my new eating plans. Meaning...healthy. Here is what I came up with.

Sara's Lentil and Rice Crock Pot Stew
Makes 12 1 cup servings (4 WW points each!)

(Blaine and I have decided to call it a stew instead of a soup since it is thick. But we are not sure if that is the difference between soup and stew....)

1 lb. bag of lentils (I used 1 3/4 cups cause that's what I had)
2 cups uncooked brown rice (not 10 minute rice either...and I will do this part different next time)
10 cups (or more) fat free broth (I used chicken broth)
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups match stick carrots (you guessed it...cause that's what I had!)
4 cloves of garlic, minced

I took all this and threw it into the crock pot and cooked it for about 7 hours. I used my 6 quart crock pot. It was pretty good. Bryson loved it! The big kids weren't home so I don't know about them. I started out with 8 cups of stock and added more before we ate because it seemed really thick once the rice started absorbing the liquid. After we finished eating, I separated the left overs into plastic containers, with one serving in each, and popped them into the freezer. Now when Stephen and I don't have a lunch made up, we can just grab those and let them thaw out at work!

What I will do differently next time: It turned out kinda mushy because of the rice, even though I didn't use instant. But that also gave it a thicker consistency. I think maybe I will cook it separately and stir it in before serving next time.

Will I make this again? Sure!

If you try this recipe let me know what you think. Even if you don't like it. Just be nice please :)