Happy Dieting New Year

December 31, 2009

4 comments
Tomorrow it is back to The Abs Diet. I haven't chunked up or anything, but I feel much better eating healthy. My current job started screwing up my way of eating and this holiday totally threw it out the window. I have much more energy with I don't eat flat out junk. So Happy New Year and Happy Dieting to you all. Lord knows as soon as the ULM gym reopens I am back to running. This two weeks off of working out has killed me.

And yeah I know it's a Men's Health diet, but it totally works. Other than when I started dating Jeremy my weight hasn't jumped around nearly as much as it use to. But then again this boy is thin and eats what he wants. We had Johnny's Pizza for lunch. I went into a fat coma immediately.

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It may seem gross...

December 30, 2009

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No baby. I think is dislikes cold weather. He is running out of room though because Laura is no longer round, she sticks out funny on the right top side and lower left side. I am assuming it is butt and legs since the head is down. But on the funny gross side I made her laugh when the nurse checked her today and the nurse immediately told her to stop laughing cause she felt the head/water sac bulge out. She was afraid she was about to break her water. Guess that girl is just gonna giggle the baby straight out.

Tomorrow is a full moon and a blue moon. Needless to say our usually not superstitious mother thinks we are getting a New Year's baby. I hope we do, except I did request she go into labor around 9am with a slight break around noon for lunch then deliver at 3pm. In an ideal world this kid wouldn't mess up my sleep. But reality is he probably will.

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Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce

December 29, 2009

4 comments
I literally just realized that I never blogged about the new recipe we tried at Christmas. Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce by the Pioneer Woman. It was the best pork loin I have ever eaten, and I could eat that cranberry sauce on anything.





{photo: The Pioneer Woman}



Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce:
Ingredients

  • 1 whole Pork Tenderloin, Trimmed Of Fat
  • Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter, Divided
  • ½ whole Medium Onion
  • ½ cups Red Wine (optional)
  • ¾ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • ½ cups (generous) Cranberry Sauce (homemade Or Canned Is Fine!)
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Generously season pork tenderloin with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy, oven-proof skillet over high heat. Sear tenderloin on all sides, using tongs to move it around. Remove pan from heat and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thermometer inserted registers 155 to 160 degrees. Set pork on a cutting board to rest.
In a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a minute, then pour in wine (if using) and chicken broth. Add rosemary. Stir together, then add cranberry sauce. Heat mixture over medium heat and cook for two or three minutes. Add more chicken broth to achieve desired consistency.
Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Slice pork loin and place on a platter. Spoon cranberry sauce over the top.
Serve with mashed potatoes.




Homemade Cranberry Sauce


Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 Tablespoons Juice (you Could Also Do Orange Zest, Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice – Anything Citrusy)
  • 1 cup Pure Maple Syrup (not Pancake Syrup!)
  • 1 bag Cranberries
  • 1 cup Cranberry Juice (or Orange, Apple Or Any Ot¬her Juice Combination)
Preparation Instructions
Wash bag of cranberries under cool water, then dump into a medium saucepan.
Pour in 1 cup of cranberry juice (or whatever juice you choose).
Pour in 1 cup maple syrup.
Add orange juice (you could also do orange zest, lemon zest, lemon juice – anything citrusy).
Stir together and turn heat on high until it reaches a boil.
Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium low and continue cooking over lower heat for about 10 minutes, or until the juice is thick. Turn off the heat.




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New Years Resolution

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Honestly I don't recall ever making one. Partially because I hate committing to anything. For instance, there is this New Year's Party we have been invited to, but Jeremy is working that night. If things go as they did last year and he is stuck at the restaurant at midnight I am hauling my happy tail back to town to see him. I would literally die before I was the odd man out in a swarm of couples at midnight, especially on our first married New Year's Eve. Plus we are getting up super early to drive to Tennessee to see his family the next day and nothing makes me mad more than a sheer lack of sleep. So it is likely I will slip out before 2010. I can't even commit to a party, how can I commit to a resolution? There is also this youth group deal my husband is involved in, I would like to help out every once in awhile but when they wanted a huge commitment to be there every time I coped out. The grad school/teaching combo usually has me worn out or doing homework most nights and I just can't commit to something when I honestly just may be to wore out to leave the house some nights. Another commitment issue.

Are you seeing my pattern? Sounds like fun. Yes. You want a commitment? Sorry no.

But I will attempt to commit to a New Year's Resolution this year.

1. Workout at least 5 days a week and not let work and school have me to tired at the end of the day to do yoga or stop by the gym to run.

2. Cook more often. Since I started teaching I haven't cooked except for Sundays. Mainly because Jeremy works nights. But he starts working days soon so I will be back to my constant grilling ways, even in 30 degree weather.

3. Cut back on junk food. Pre-teaching I was really good about eating healthy but these teachers eat horrible and are sucking me into their nasty habits.

4. Be nice at home, mean as hell at work, and outwardly tolerate things but still think people are crazy. I admit I overly express my opinion about some crazy people. I won't change my opinion, but I won't make it quite so obvious I think they are crazy.

Notice none of them have to do with committing more? Baby steps people. Baby steps.

I hope you all have a great New Year. I am heading back home tomorrow to take the furbabies to the vet and then finish packing for our trip. I won't be able to blog while in Mount Pleasant but I will use twitter, hopefully I will come back with lots of fun snow pictures. It better snow. Last year it snows the day after we left. It better snow this time. Plus his brother's weenie dog had puppies so I will be in dachshund puppy heaven. Yay.

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Not Me Monday

December 28, 2009

1 comment
Is it seriously Monday already? I know I am not an avid Not Me Monday participant, but I do read MckMama. And considering the guys are busy and I am bored out of my mind today I will participate.

I did not allow my dog to wander around in a baby onesie for three days straight until it finally was so stretched out that I decided to wash it and put it back on her. I would never let my dog wear something she begged me to let her put back on. Dressing dogs is just weird, not to mention this dog use to hate puppy sweaters.

I also didn't sleep all day yesterday and wake up at 3am angry that I was awake and attempt to wake up Jeremy so he wasn't getting to enjoy the sleep I wasn't getting until I finally passed out around 5:20am. I wasn't accused of being awake because of the large quantity of chocolate I was consuming at such a late hour and was then checked to see if my glass contained Mountain Dew to see if I was in the middle of some caffeine high.

I would never drink soda out of Jeremy's cup instead of pouring my own because I don't calories that aren't in my glass or on my plate.  I only drink water, and would never sip coke out of someone's cup

I would also never buy my husband a marshmallow shooting gun and then get mad at him for shooting me. Who did I think would get shot? The dogs are now terrified of this gun even though it shoots out their favorite thing to eat.





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Engagements

December 24, 2009

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As of last night both people who caught the bouquet and garter at our wedding have been engaged(in the 6 months since our wedding). Our friend Ethan took his girlfriend Rebekah(who caught the bouquet) to Natchitoches to a nice dinner and carriage ride and popped the big question. Yay. About two months or so ago my friend Ryan(who caught the garter) proposed to his girlfriend and they are planning to get married this upcoming May.

There has got to be some sort of old wives tale luck if the people who caught your garter and bouquet get engaged that same year.



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Ellie Loves Bedrest

December 23, 2009

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After Laura's appointment today Dr. C decided we needed to head over to the hospital for what turned into three hours of blood pressure monitoring. Boy was that fun. And we get to go back Saturday. Hopefully the baby decides to show up around then. Quite likely considering the nurse told her today she probably won't make it to her next appointment on Wednesday. Whoo Hoo.

So now we are home, on bed couch rest. Ellie loves bed couch rest.




To clear up wanting to be called Meme. When Laura was little she couldn't say Emily. She said Meme. It eventually turned into Emmy then to Emma, where it has stayed for the past twenty years. A good friend of mine's son couldn't say Emily either and called me E-meme. I've been called this so much over the years that in WalMart today we ran into a family friend who yelled out E-meme to get my attention. Or Tia, I've been called that too. I really wouldn't mind being called Tia, kind of in honor of my crazy Granny Aida who would never let us call her Abuelita(little grandmother in spanish) because she was convinced she wasn't short.


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Suggestion Box

December 18, 2009

9 comments
Dear Baby Liam,

In case you haven't noticed you did not receive a graduation invitation. So please be polite and do not attempt to crash Jeremy's graduation party. No one likes party crashers. Also, you are welcome to come any day after Sunday, just not January 2-5. Making your grand entrance while I am in Tennessee would not make you a cool baby, in fact you would be a very uncool baby.

Judging by your past ultra sound pictures you hand appears to be stuck to your face. Unless you plan on getting your own TLC documentary called "Baby with Hand Stuck to Face" about a boy struggling in life while trying to get his hand removed from his face, I suggest you move it or try desperately to pull it off. Because as long as you have had it placed there I would bet you're stuck that way. Haven't you heard the old wives tale about "if you make that face it is likely to stick".

Oh and you better be cute, you will know if you aren't because people will say things like "Oh, its a baby" or I will just flat out tell you you looked better with your hand in your face. But you will know, so don't get your faced messed up trying to escape.

And just so you know when I go visit you at Dr C's office Wednesday, and you better be at his office, I will ask him to insert my suggestions into your suggestion box. Your mother/carrying case doesn't like the idea, but if you show up at graduation I will subject you to Popeye torture. You remember that pug, after he snorted and pushed at you you moved to the complete other side of your small living space making your carrier look rather odd and off to the side.

Up to this point, according to your mother, you have not been a nice baby. This would be a good time for you to become a nice baby.

Sincerely,

Your Aunt, who does not want to be called aunt. I will however accept Tia or Meme(like your mother called me)


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Medieval Help Desk

December 17, 2009

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Our presenter used this today. Loved it




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Santa Claus is Watching You

December 15, 2009

8 comments
After taking off my make up I walked out of the bathroom to find Ellie under the table like this:


That little furball had taken HER toy out from under the tree and proceeded to open it and play with it under the table. When I walked up she immediately acted like she was doing something bad before I could even say anything.

For some reason after that I decided to look under the tree only to realize Maddie's present was missing. For a change she left no paper trail. But I soon found the Long Dog on the couch. What a bunch of nut cases. Earlier today Jeremy said he caught them(Maddie being the ring leader that time) taking their pretty little wrapped bones out from under the tree. Guess the girls don't want to wait another week for Santa to come.

Considering they unwrapped their own toy I am going to assume one of two things. 1. They can secretly read. 2. Pure Luck

Word around the tree was that they were attempting to open Laura's present after they had dug into the bones. So Laura, if you don't get this present either beat up some Emo kids and the dogs, I tried.







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Something I'd never heard before.

December 14, 2009

1 comment
Apparently I'm mean. A mother who was highly upset that her child had gotten in trouble yet again decided to tell me her son told her that he only got in trouble because we don't like him and I am mean.

Honestly...mean? That is all she could come up with, the least she could do after 23 years of being called mean is find a new way to say it.

I told her he was playing and that is why he got in trouble and that I was just the straw that broke the camel's back for him that day{I was the 3rd teacher to get onto him}. But what I really wanted to say to her was "Yes I am mean, but not just to your kid, I like to be mean to everyone, it makes me happy."

Heck if I could teach one stinking English lesson without being interrupted to the point of not being able to teach like I was today I wouldn't be "mean", and honestly I wasn't nearly as mean as usual today.

.................

Friday we went to a Under Oath, Emery, and August Burns Red concert in Little Rock. It is quite odd how you can drive 3 1/2 hours from home and end up sitting next to someone you were friend with in high school and haven't seen in at least 4 years. I looked over right before the last band, when I was losing my husband to a mosh pit, and noticed the guy sitting next to me was an old friend...weird. My sister wasn't to happy with us for going to this concert without her though, so we attempted to appease her unhappiness with an Under Oath shirt...which was promptly stolen by a Emo kid. Dang Emo kids.

In case you don't remember we started dating at an Emery concert, brought back old memories. Too bad Emery wasn't on their A game that night. All the other band were great, Emery acted like they were trying to suck, as though they were ticked off they were the opening band.

I also discovered that cotton balls are amazing. I have always hated how my ears ring for two days after a concert and Jeremy happened to have cotton balls in his pocket so I shoved them in my ears. Can you say wonderful? After the concert my ears felt like I had never left the house. I was however, caught off guard, Under Oath had these huge tower lights that alternated between this insanely blinding blue and red. I saw spots for a few minutes. So which is better, deaf or blind?


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According to Jeremy...

December 10, 2009

3 comments
My last Christmas list was vague. So to make life easier on the man who refuses to let me just shop with him and let me pick stuff out but won't let me wrap his stuff I am making a picture list.

1. A yoga block. The P90X video said use my dog, but Maddie is a bad yoga block.

2. Another cook book. I am attempting to start a collection. I have enough Paula Dean.


3. Cute clothes. Like this ruffle shirt from Old Navy. I love ruffles(remember my wedding dress?).

Tunic-Old Navy

Roll up Cargos from Old Navy-the Khaki pants everyday is getting old for me.

4. Any Beatles album I don't have. Digging through my cd case would be essential to buying the right albums.

5. The Simpson's video game I have showed several people at the store.

6. To have the Playstation 2 hooked up again.

That is all I can remember. Maybe a scarf. But like I said, I do better picking things out myself. It is just so funny to me that Jeremy won't let me wrap something he knows he is getting, but refuses to let me pick out what I am getting so it's a surprise.

Hopefully Maddie will lay off snatching ornaments so that we will at least have one to look at while we unwrap presents. This year we will probably have our own Christmas early, then go to my parents house for Christmas Eve and Day since my Dad goes to work Christmas Eve. Which will lead to opening presents there Christmas Eve, and cooking and opening presents with the whole family Christmas day. Oh and driving around town to look at Christmas lights.

This is our last Christmas with no baby. Hopefully that baby doesn't get in the way of my Christmas stocking, my Mom puts together the best stockings. Mark my word, I will be 78 one day and still wondering where my stocking is.

So Jeremy, I hope this helps you out. You don't have to buy me everything...but I sure won't complain if you decide to{wink wink}.


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December 9, 2009

1 comment
After growing them out...once again. I think I want bangs...once again. What is this love hate relationship I have with bangs? Lord knows I'm not paying a bunch of money for bangs [sorry but a guy hair cut should never cost 30 bucks, Monroe sucks], I may regret cheap bangs..heck I may even cut them my self. I think I will. I'll post a picture after I do. Hope I don't regret yet another bang decision.

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Whoo Hoo!

December 8, 2009

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Let the month long school break begin! I took my last final tonight bringing an end to my first semester of graduate school.

Funny how sometimes I feel like an old lady. For instance, I love to be asleep by 9 since I wake up at 5 every morning to get ready for work. It also doesn't help that friend wise we are in the middle of two extremes, I am either around a bunch of married couples who have been together awhile and have kids and are settled in their career or the other side of young married couples like us who are still working college jobs and hanging out. I feel like a kid around the couples who have been together for ages with kids and like I should be in a nursing home around the other ones. Doesn't help I feel like a fifth grader part of the day.

Wow. Limbo. Guess this is what your twenties are all about. Well, I am off to bed...but only after I eat another piece of the awesome cake I made Sunday. Oh and don't get me wrong, I thank God every single day I don't have a kid. That is one group I don't want to fit in right now.

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Cranberry Cornmeal Cake

December 6, 2009

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I found the best Holiday cake recipe early this morning. Normally I would have been mad that I woke up so early but Giada de Laurentiss made it worth while.

Cranberry Cornmeal Cake

Ingredients :

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the pan
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
  • 1/2 cup yellow fine cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup orange zest (from 2 large oranges)
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 large eggs

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Measure 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture into a small bowl. Add the chopped cranberries and toss until coated. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks and whole eggs, 1 at a time. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Using a spatula, gently fold in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown, and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cake into wedges, arrange on a serving platter and serve with the Caramel Walnut Sauce. (The cake can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight in a plastic container.)
Note from Food Network Kitchens: Due to your comments we have retested and changed this recipe. It may not match exactly what the chef did on the show.


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Thanksgiving, Pregnant People, Weddings, and Trees.

December 5, 2009

3 comments
Do you guys know what time of year it is yet? No, not Christmas. Monday is the beginning of finals week. Trust me, it's obvious, just go to Wal-Mart and check out the amout of college students buying junk food to get them through the stressful week. I decided to kick it off with hot wings from Wing Stop. Yum.

So what happened while you didn't hear from me:

1. Jeremy and I met up with our friend Philip at Coda to watch Meriwether. I was very disapointed they didn't have an early release of their new album that came out last Tuesday.



2. We took a million pics to finally get one decent Christmas picture. Two dogs and a husband who have no desire to take a Christmas picture do not make for easy picture taking. Neither do cloudy days. Or taking photos late in the day because your pregnant photographer didn't want to go to the park so after lots of trying you ask your cousin's girlfriend to take the pic.
3. That mushroom stuffing I talked about before Thanksgiving turned out amazing.

Mushroom-Brioche Sage Dressing:
2 c chopped onion
2c chopped celery
1c chopped sweet red pepper
2 tbsp minced garlic
1tbsp minced sage
1 tbsp minced basil
2lbs assorted mushrooms
1/2 lb butter
1 pint chicken or turkey stock
6c diced brioche (Regina suggest using hot dog buns if you can't find brioche)

-in a large pot melt butter, saute onions, celery and peppers until soft
-add garlic, sage, basil, and mushrooms, saute for a minute
-add stock and simmer ten minutes, remove from heat and add bread.
-put in buttered dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 mins before serving.
It is the absolutely best stuffing ever, I don't even really like stuffing and I could eat this everyday.
Recipe from "Regina's Table at Twin Oaks" by Regina Charboneau
You can purchase Regina's amazing cookbook by following the link above to her site.

4. We went to our psychology friend Chris's wedding the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Gwen picked out the coolest cake topper I have ever seen. It was their Wii Mario Cart Characters(at least that is what I think Casey said). It was a great wedding, and the food was so good...it was catered by a local mexican restaurant.



5. It snowed in Monroe yesterday, but not enough to claim it. As far as I could tell it only stuck to the dogs. As much as Jeremy wouldn't want me to post this picture you can see the snow the best  in it out of all the ones I attempted to take. The next one I took trying to get the dogs to sit still while Maddie was staring at the sky trying to figure out what was going on. Shortly after that Ellie decided she was sick of the insanity(she refuses to go out when it's cold) and went inside, while at the same time my camera died. Before my camera could recharge the snow stopped and it was dark outside. Great luck right?




6. Thanks to Jeremy and his awesome tree lighting skills, while sadly no thanks to Maddie who continues to take and destroy Christmas ornaments we have finally decorated out tree. Oh and I should also thank our friend /groomsmen Doug who is conviently in town when we have something big to buy and bring home (so far he has brought us a dryer, king size mattress, and a tree). Hopefully this year the dogs don't drink the tree water to the point where I can't keep it filled and the tree dies before Christmas.




7. I made it out to Hobby Lobby today and bought frames so that I could put up out wedding pictures. I got the museum matte idea from Blue-Eyed Bride. Please excuse the middle picture, getting matte for that odd length frame is a work in progress. And notice the broken glass to the left...I tripped and stepped on the frame while I was figuring out how I was hanging them up. If Murphy's Law didn't occur on a regular basis around here I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Oh and please ignore the awful wall paper, we are currently renting.



I think that about sums up the past two weeks. We went to the Christmas parade today with our friends Lara and Cole which led to Jeremy nearly being late for work because we accidently parked in the parade route...which led to him off roading the car until we ran into a cop who was nice enough to let us skip through the parade to escape. In that instance we overcame Murphy's Law.

Oh and the chances of us having kids are very far away. I recived a poem for a 6th month wedding anniversary that at one point basically said thank God we aren't pregnant. This potentially could have been broght on because my sister tortured the poor boy the whole time he was in Vidalia for Thanksgiving by doing weird junk with her pregnant belly(she can do some weird stuff with her belly button these days, plus she is so skinny anyway that she is now all belly and every move the baby makes is very obvious...which leads to her being lop sided most days). I will admit though I got a good laugh out of him practically running from her when she was chased him with her shirt up(yes Laura and I get great joy in picking out someone's weakness and acting on it). I tried to get her to catch him asleep and put her belly in his face and wake him up but she just wouldn't do it, I'm positive he would have had a stroke.

If you have ever met my dad, or any one else in my family for that matter you would understand where Laura and I get our joy in torturing people in this way.

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December 3, 2009

2 comments
I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth just yet. I am just in the middle of finals and submitting my final projects to TaskStream. But I will be back to post about Thanksgiving break Saturday.


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