Help me!!!

Conventional wisdom says that if your husband is snoring that you should nudge him a little and get him to turn on to his side. He is then supposed to cease the snoring. My husband just turned off the TV, rolled on his side and within 20 seconds started snoring! I'm not really sure where to go from here... gag... separate bedrooms... HELP ME!!! I CAN'T SLEEP!

As an added bonus Max is in his kennel in the living room where he always sleeps whining like his is being tortured. Yay! Good times!

On the upside of today, I weighed in for my biggest loser competition and I had dropped 5 pounds in a week. I know that half of that is probably water weight but I'll take it! :)

One more time

So I'm going to try again to get back into shape and eat a little more healthy. You may wonder why I keep doing this to myself. I can tell you exactly why it's happening now and it has nothing to do with New Year's resolutions. I realized the other day that not only are we going skiing on March 12th (merely two months away) but I've also signed up for the MS150 again. I need to get in shape QUICK!

I'm probably in the worst shape I have ever been in and I want that to change! I have decided to make appointments to do things like the stairs at work and spinning classes or running. Today went well. I ate quite a bit better than normal. I did go to Starbucks but rather than the Caramel Macchiatto that I wanted, I got the Skinny Cinnamon Dulce Latte and it was really good! Then after work I went straight to the gym for a spinning class. The class was a lot of fun and I think I might be able to go at least twice a week.

Oddly enough, my coworkers decided to start the biggest loser contest again and I joined that hoping it would keep me motivated. It didn't work last time but you never know what might motivate me so I'm trying everything! :)

Favorite Christmas Recipes

When I was growing up my mom made homeade desserts, candy and cookies a lot. Sure we had the occasional package of Oreos but most of the time it was awesome recipes that she got from my grandmothers or found. At Christmas though, she would really step it up. Here are a few of my favorite candy recipes that she made almost exclusively during the holidays.

Peanut Clusters

1 6-ounce package Chocolate Chips
2 6-ounce package Butterscotch Morsels
12 ounce Salted Peanuts

Heat chocolate chips and butterscotch morsels on medium 6 or 7 minutes. Stir after 3 ½ minutes. Add peanuts and drop on wax paper.


Peanut Patty
3 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
1 cup Light Corn Syrup
2 cups Peanuts, raw
1/4 teaspoon Red Food Coloring
1/2 Butter pinch Salt

Bring sugar, water, and syrup to boil. Add peanuts and color. Cook until hard ball stage. Remove from heat. Add butter and salt. Beat until mixture is too thick to beat, pour onto greased cookie sheet. Break into pieces when cool.



Grandmother Batte's Chocolate Fudge

Note: this is the best tasting fudge I've ever had but it's also the hardest fudge recipe to get correct. I cannot give any guarantees that it's going to harden up properly. However we have been known to eat it with a spoon if necessary. Oh and don't attempt this one on a humid day or it's guaranteed to not harden.

3 cups Sugar
1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Cream
5 tablespoon Cocoa
3 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Pecans

Combine sugar and cocoa. Stir milk and cocoa mixture in saucepan. Add Karo syrup. Stir until dissolved. Cook on low flame until soft ball stage. DO NOT STIR WHILE BOILING. Remove from heat and add butter. Cool until saucepan can be held on hand. Add vanilla and beat until creamy. Add pecans. Pour in buttered pan.

Crawfish Étouffée

So I'm a Texas girl through and through. I didn't even grow up in Houston where Cajun and Creole cuisine is common. So when the Louisiana born and raised hubby started requesting that I cook things like gumbo and étouffée, I panicked a bit. What do I know about making a roux? So I decided to start doing some research.

I found The Cooking Bride blog which recently featured a gumbo recipe that looks pretty yummy not to mention many other recipes that looked good as well. However what I was really in the mood for étouffée. So I kept searching and ran across squirrel bread. She blogged about a foodandwine.com recipe for Shrimp Étouffée. She suggested some modifications to make the recipe more authentic. I made it into a crawfish étouffée since I have an abundance of crawfish in the freezer.

I'm not sure I want to turn this blog into a cooking blog because I want to be able to talk about whatever moves me. However, I think I want to start sharing the recipes that work out well for me. This étouffée recipe got two thumbs up from the hubby! If I get more motivated, I will try to photograph my creations in the future. Today you will have to live with just the recipe and my word. :)

Follow the link for the original recipe: Shrimp Étouffée. Below is my version:


Crawfish Étouffée

Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homeade stock
2 tablespoon Tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1/2 tablespoon Garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 pounds Crawfish
2-3 scallions including green tops, chopped
Rice, boiled or steamed

Instructions
In a large frying pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderate heat until almost smoking. Add the flour and whisk until it's the color of peanut butter, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the broth and continue whisking until the sauce starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste.

Stir in the bell pepper, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaf, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the shrimp and scallions and simmer until the shrimp are just done, about 3 minutes. Serve the étouffée over the rice.

Confirming that everything is in fact better with bacon

Bacon flavored chocolate. YUM!

Fun With Hackers

Today a friend's facebook account was hacked. I found out because my "friend" sent me a message through the facebook chat.

I was a little surprised to hear from her since we had pretty much lost touch after she moved back to Oklahoma except through facebook. However I'm always happy when I do get a chance to talk to her so I entered a conversation with my "friend." Here is the conversation with my friend Teri:


Teri
hey Carol!!!
you there?
12:41pm

Carol
howdy!
12:42pm

Teri
I'm in a kind of mess at the moment!!
12:42pm

Carol
whats up?
12:43pm

Teri
I'm stuck in London right now!
12:44pm

Carol
there could be worse places to be stuck I suppose... what are you doing in london?
12:47pm

Teri
I had a visit to resort on vacation in london and get mugged at a gunpoint
12:49pm

Teri
you there plz come online
12:49pm

I'm getting skeptical but I want to make sure it's not actually my friend. If it's my friend, she will ask me to call someone for her so I'm going to play along to see where this is going.

Carol
holy cow!
that's awful!
12:49pm

Teri
all cash, creditcards and my cell phone was stolen off me
i'm freaked out..\

I'm starting to anticipate that there is going to be a request for money and start googling "facebook scams." Still playing along though.

Carol
wow... I was so scared that would happen to us when we were over there. Can the embassy help?
12:52pm

Teri
yes
still thank God i still have my passport..
12:52pm

Carol
that's good... I was about to ask
where are you right now?
12:54pm

Teri
in a public liabrary
my return flight leaves few hrs from now but am having problems sorting some bills..
12:57pm

Now I know it's not my friend. Again if I was the only person she was able to contact, I could see her asking me to get in touch with her family. Now I'm just waiting for the request for money.

Teri
Carol i want you to send me few $$
1:01pm

And there it is. I want to warn my friend of her account being hacked so I run off looking for her old phone number hoping that she hadn't changed it. She had unfortunately. So I emailed her and tried to contact her on her yahoo IM to see if she is online.

Teri
?
you still there?
you still there?
1:02pm

After some discussion with the college student about how she had just heard about this scam, we decide to have a little fun with the hacker. I come back but the hacker had gone offline. I was disappointed!

Teri
?
Teri
what happened?
??
1:21pm

Hooray! The hacker comes back online but I'm not positive if it's really my friend or the hacker. If it were actually my friend she would reference the email I had sent her about the facebook hack.

Carol
what happened with what?
1:23pm

Teri
you were not talking..
1:25pm

Whew! It's the hacker! Opportunity for a little good clean fun.

Carol
Oh sorry! I was checking and I really haven't got any available cash right now! But I did call my friend, Brittany. You remember her?? She just moved to London!
1:26pm

FYI, my friend and I never had a mutual friend named Brittany.

Teri
how much can you spare me as we speak..
1:27pm

Hacker is obviously trying to get away from the discussion about our mutual friend.

Carol
I've got nothing but Brittany said she would help! Give her a call 02072431619
1:27pm

The number is a tattoo parlor in London. My apologies to Portobello Tattoos and Piercings if the hacker actually called. I'm guessing they didn't.

Teri
ok
1:28pm

Carol
Let me know how it goes!

I was hoping for some continued conversation but alas, it was not to be.

A bit later my friend really did come online to give me and I assume a few other people the following message: "Holy crap, someone hacked into my FB account. I'm not in London and I'm not being held for ransom." A bit scary for her to be hacked but it did provide me with a little bit of Friday afternoon entertainment.

The Mister of All Weebles!

Alternate title: Things that cheer me up - Part II

A little background... This is a video that my sister-in-law took of my niece. She is performing the dramatic spindle scene from Sleeping Beauty. I particularly like her evil laugh at the end!

In case you are not up on your Disney classics, here are the subtitles:

[Ominous music]
"Touch the spindle, touch it I say!"
"You simple fools. Thinking you could defeat me, ME, the mistress of all evil."
"Well here's your precious princess!"
[Evil laugh...]




In case you would like to do a comparison you can find a clip of the scene here:

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4000710681/

I may be a little biased but I like my niece's version better.

Boooo Boooo Liar Boooo

Alternate title: Things that cheer me up!

I told you not to chew on your bandages!

What a difference a day makes

The bayou yesterday as I was driving home (the result of about 12 hours of torrential rains)

The bayou today as I was driving home

Recovery update week 4

The news is a mix of good and bad. And really it's only one major bad thing... I can't seem to shake the fluid build up in my upper abdomen. They keep draining it and the fluid keeps coming back. Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment and I'm sure he will drain it again.

Now for the good... I have lost a total of 8 pounds and have a flat stomach despite all of the swelling. I can finally walk like a normal human being most of the time rather than walking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. On a side note, maybe I should have had the surgery before I went to visit Notre Dame last month! ;) I can lie in bed without having my head propped up and pillows under my knees. I can also lay on my side and I can just about sleep on my stomach again.

A nice side effect of the surgery is that I cannot eat quite as much without it being painful anyway. So I expect to be able to lose more weight just from the lack of being able to overeat like I used to. It has not been an easy recovery by any stretch of the imagination but I am starting to feel better. This week is the first time I can honestly say that.

My recommendation for anyone considering a tummy tuck... be prepared for a tough road, and if you live in Houston make sure you try to have the surgery well before summer because these compression garments are HOT (and not in a good way)!

Oh how I hate Mini of the Woodlands!

I have commented previously on my dislike for the Mini service department. Now I have a beef with their salespeople. When I bought the car I had no intention of getting any of their special or extended warranties.

Somehow we were talked into one that covered the tires and rims. The nearly exact quote from the salesman was that you could slash your own tires and they would replace them no questions asked. Sounds pretty darn good! I'm really not so gullible as to believe that I could really slash my own tires and have them cover that. What I did take that to mean was that if I accidentally clipped a curb that they would replace the tire. This was important since I seem to have a knack for destroying the passenger rear tire often.

Lo and behold! I managed to clip the passenger side rear tire only about 6 months into owning the car. My husband had been on my case to take the car by to have that tire replaced and to get the 13000 mile oil change (my first because they said it could make it that long!) I had been putting this off mainly because I kept forgetting so the hubby kindly took the car to have all of the work done.

This visit did not go well at all. I should back up a little and tell you that the hubby does not trust letting a car go 13000 miles without an oil change so he has changed it a few times over the last year. So when he asked to get the tire and rim replaced and the oil changed, they refused to do both.

The tire and rim, they said, had been damaged by a curb. REALLY Mini of the Woodland? REALLY? I could have told you that but you MIGHT want to talk to your salespeople who are telling people that this $800 warranty will cover that and tire slashings!

Then they refused to do the oil change even though I have gone over 13000 miles over the last year. Why? Because the car says it's not time yet! THE CAR TOLD THEM! Apparently my husband changing my oil in between has negated them changing the oil so I have to wait even longer to get a real oil change (not that they hubby can't do it... just that he hasn't been able to find one of the filters in the car so that he can change it.)

Now my husband really hates all things MINI. He has threatened to sell my car if I don't. Thankfully the car is solely in my name and I don't believe he can get rid of it without my consent.

Oh did I mentioned that I have sent several emails to MINI USA about our dealership and not once have gotten a response? Can these car companies really afford to ignore customer complaints? I for one will never buy another MINI! So on the year anniversary of buying my MINI, I'm looking at new cars. We shall see how that turns out! I will keep you posted!

Recovery update

Let's see... I've now developed complications. I have seroma on my up abdomen which is essentially a build up of fluid. I showed the nurse this when I went to get my second drain removed and she recommended binding that area tight and not using my abs.

The first suggestion is somewhat easy as long as my husband is not traveling. I'm bound up tight with an ace bandage so much that it's hard to take a deep breath. Her second suggestion has been a little more challenging! Have you ever tried to not use your abs? I have found that I use them quite a lot for normal daily life. So that one is not going so well.

If these two things don't help, there is another option on Tuesday when I go in to see the doctor. I will let you guess what that is since the thought of it disturbs me so very much! So far it's looking like the other option is likely.

Oh my! What have I done?

I have had several surgeries in my life. The first that I recall was emergency surgery for appendicitis when I was in the third grade. It left me with a 3 inch long scar that wasn't too awful looking for most of my life. After I gained some weight, the scar area did not which left a very odd dip on my abdomen

The second major surgery I had was in my junior year in college. This one wasn't emergency surgery but it wasn't waiting on finals to be over the next week either. I had finally gone for my first OB/Gyn and the doctor took one look at my abdomen and told me that I was pregnant. I insisted that I was not (I was correct) but they did an ultrasound anyway thinking that I was lying.

What they found instead of a baby was a cyst the size of a small melon. Of course it had to be removed so they scheduled surgery for a few days later. Normally a surgery like this would leave a scar that is low and not seen by most people. Unfortunately the size forced them to cut me open down the middle and this surgeon really didn't do the scar well, so it's always bothered me.

I have been wanting to do something about those scars since my late 20's. The first plastic surgeon I spoke to encouraged me to wait until after I had all the children that I wanted. There was also the lack of available funds back then. As it turns out I won't be having any children and surprisingly my company had a fabulous year and provided me with the necessary funds.

So about a couple of months ago I decided to go for it. I talked to two surgeons and chose the one I liked better and went in for a more extensive talk with my chosen surgeon, Dr. Basu. He and his staff informed me that a scar revision surgery would likely be covered by my insurance which surprised me.

I'll admit that I went into that meeting knowing that I would get something other than the scar revision. The other area that I wanted to fix was my upper thighs. Particularly my inner thighs were out of proportion with the rest of me. Even when I was super thin I had a problem there. So I was planning on getting that fixed as well.

The surprise came when the doctor asked if I had ever considered a tummy tuck. He explained to me that the best way to get rid of the noticeable scars that I have was to do a procedure with the skin similar to a tummy tuck. He explained that if he were to do that, he could remove some of the excess fat and tighten the ab muscles. So I did it... Monday.

I was released from the hospital yesterday evening and today I sit here wondering what the heck I have done to myself. The pain isn't as bad as what I expected thankfully however I cannot walk upright yet which causes my back to hurt. I also can't sleep flat yet which makes sleeping difficult in a regular flat bed.

I'm sure I will be thrilled with the results a few weeks from now but at the moment I still wonder what I've done to myself.

Really London??

So this is by far NOT the highlight of our European vacation and I plan to post about the whole trip. However we saw this in the airport leaving London or maybe I should say that a coworker of the hubby saw it and had to buy it for him. I think that my squirrel assassin husband may have a lucrative future in the London crisp business...

Update: I was curious about the "Vote for me!" phrase on the crisps package so I went to check that out. Besides the yummy Cajun Squirrel flavor, you can also vote on Onion Bhaji, Fish and Chips, Builder's Breakfast, Chili & Chocolate, and Crispy Duck & Hoisin. I voted for the squirrel crisps because is somehow seemed right!

Missing in Action

I know I've been missing in action lately. There are lots of reasons for this. Some of it has been the new job that keeps me much busier and prevents blogging during the work day. Another part was the holidays which are just generally busy anyway. Then there is a little bit of having a lot to say about stuff I didn't feel like sharing with the world. It's sorta been nice to have the break.

Part of me wants to get back to sharing with everyone again but this will not be the time. All I see in front of me is at least another 2 weeks of not having time. Or maybe not... In two days I leave with the teenager and the oldest daughter to meet my hubby in Amsterdam. He is already there for business. Then he needs to be in France briefly and then London to round out the trip.

We are taking the teenager out of school for 2 days for this trip. It is a combination of her 16th birthday gift with lots of educational experience in Europe. It's not the trip I would have taken because Paris and London are lower on my list of places to go but this is where he needs to be and where she wants to go.

So we are letting her guide a lot of this trip and she is choosing to do lots of educational types of excursions... Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, concentration camps near Amsterdam, Eiffel Tower, Bastille, Notre Dame, The Louvre, of course shopping in Paris, and no real specific plans yet for London.

My true pleasure in all of this will be twofold. One that I will get to eat at some fantastic restaurants in Europe and that the teenager will have to step out of her comfort zone with food as well. She is a truly picky eater which I believe is my payback for any hell I gave my mom growing up. I have always eaten foods that most kids wouldn't and I think this is my payback to get a child who is my opposite in that respect.

Anyway, I may blog some while I'm there but that remains to be seen. Then I have a week back before there is a short leave from work that I won't go into here. I will likely be back at the blogging thing at that point.

Happy Birthday!

We are in the midst of a very special moment in history. I bet you didn't realize it was happening this week! Yes, the teenager has turned 16! The big expesive Sweet 16 party is happening tomorrow.

We will be starting at Flemings (nice steak place) with 10 of the teenager's closest girlfriends. If she had had her way, she would have invited 50 to that. Unfortunately for her we don't have $3000 laying around to waste on one meal. She decided that the girls were the only ones worth taking to a nice restaurant.

Afterwards we will be coming back to our house and will be joined by bunches of teenage boys. First on the list of things to do is the hot tub... I'm sure they will proceed to stuff 20 people in their (they proved last year that it could be done).

Then they are going to come back in at some point. If it's not too late they will proceed to watch a movie until 1am when we will be kicking out all of the boys. Some time around the start of the movie, I will be needing to send myself into a drunken stupor to deal with all of the noise! Fortunately I have already stocked up.

The next day I will be kicking out all of the girls no later then noon and working on that nasty hangover I will be sporting. Wish me luck! :D

Tagged again!

I'm pretty sure that my friend who created this was drunk at the time - not the same person (Trix) who tagged me though...

1. How do you describe your job to others? I work on computers

2. How often do you re-wear your socks before washing? I only wear socks when I'm cycling or running for the most part. I don't think re-wearing those is a good idea!

3. What is the worse sound possible you're hearing right now? The sound of fat cells being generated after a full week of eating badly!

4. Did you have to eat the last thing you ate? I think I did. That's my story and I'm sticking to it

5. Can you drive a stick-shift, talk on the phone, eat, and cuss at other drivers at the same time? I can do all of that at the same time except for eating. I can also text while driving a stick, talking on the phone and cussing at other drivers!

6. Last person you saw on your caller-ID you didn't want to talk to but you answered anyway? Would it be wrong if that person was my husband? Actually I believe it was the annoying consultant who is the project manager for my project. My husband came in a close second today though!

7. Would you claw your way through broken glass to say hi to the person who sent this to you? The answer is no... no matter who sent it.

8. Do you have trouble remembering how old you are? Always!

9. Do you understand the point of football? Yes! Football rules!

10. Would you ever drink a Tang Martini even if it had Grey Goose in it? I'm with Trix on this one! (Why the fuck would anyone want to waste Grey Goose on Tang?????)

11. Have you ever attempted to dye your hair with Kool-Aid? No

12. Most disgusting favorite food? According to my in-laws it would be sushi. The real answer is probably escargot. I don't think the in-laws know that I like escargot yet.

13. Is there footage somewhere of you "doing it"? No

14. Does size really matter? Most of the time

15. Have you ever accidentally broken something in anger? Yes but not often.

16. Did your mom or dad ever decide to throw away all your toys because you had too many? I think I did that actually every time my mom had a garage sale. I was all about making some cashola!

18. Coconuts or Ugli fruit? I'm going with Coconuts

19. Do you get emails from a certain person who you'd rather not but you don't have the heart to tell them? Occasionally still but not often anymore. I think she has taken the hint!

22. Would you be happy living in a trailer if it was for the right guy? No... The real question is what happened to question 17, 20, and 21??

23. Have you ever cried before, during or after sex? Probably

24. Is your closet messy? Not too bad

25. Have you kept in touch with friends from Elementary? Many have contacted me on Facebook recently. Kinda funny!

26. Did you hook up last night? Not even with the hubby!

27. Are you afraid of wrinkles? Afraid? No! Annoyed? Hell yes!

28. Do you have a plain, cheesy, or spicy attitude? Cheesy

29. Favorite nationality of men? Caucasian

30. What day of the week do you usually get a craving for a hamburger? I'm with Trix on this one too (Whichever one I was drinking the night before)

31.How many states of confusion have you lived in? I stopped counting

32. Blood diamonds or Blood gold? Neither?

33. Do roses really smell like poo poo poo? I don't like roses.

Biggest loser?

I certainly hope so! I'm hoping that the monetary incentive and my general competitive spirit will get me back in the right direction. I'm putting up $50 towards the contest and so far there are 11 of us. If I win, it will be $330 in my pocket. There are prizes for 2nd and 3rd but I didn't bother figuring out how much those would be because I WANNA WIN!

Anyway, the weigh-in was disturbing especially since their scale weighs 5 pounds heavier than mine. But I'm motivated at the moment and day 1 of eating like the healthy girl I used to be went pretty well. I didn't get any exercise in today but I plan on tomorrow morning either running outside or on the treadmill if the weather isn't good.

This is going to mean big sacrifices for the skinny people living in my house. For instance, I will be cooking a lot healthier and the teenager doesn't much like to eat anything unless it's fried or covered in cheese, salt or butter (or a combination). I won't be making any of that for her at least for the next month because I have too much temptation to "taste" what I'm cooking which becomes a double helping of something I shouldn't be eating in the first place.

Then there is the cookies they like to bake... they are required to eat them all. I cannot be trusted alone with a cookie. It's hard enough for me to not eat the frozen cookie dough!

The hardest part for me will be giving up wine. I really enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner but the reality is that I'm drinking about 300 calories. Then there is the issue of getting the munchies when I drink which usually adds another 300-400 calories to the day. So I'm limiting myself to only drinking wine with dinner on Saturday nights. I may not live through that part! Wish me luck!

Tagged!

I was tagged by MattDaddy so I felt like I would actually follow through this time.

For those bloggers that I’m going to inflict this on, here are the rules: You take your folder in which you keep your digital photos, choose the fourth folder, then the fourth picture. Explain. Tag four people.

This was at Ren Fest in Magnolia, TX. The teenager's best friend paid to have her picture taken with the "executioner." They give them different names for the picture taking. The teenager had hers done too and she was labeled "Potty Mouth Name Caller." That was a very fun day!

Now to tag my unsuspecting friends: Nonsense Words, The B.S. Cafe, Trix in the City, and The Crazy Bloggin Canuck. I look forward to seeing what random pics you guys pull up.

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

And why my dogs will someday gang up and kill me in my sleep!

Where in the world is Mrs. Squirrel Assassin?

Good question! I think I've been taking a break. Partly because I wanted to and partly because I'm doing two jobs right now. In the past I had the time to blog occasionally during the day because my job wasn't all that taxing. For some crazy reason, I got bored with my well paid life of leisure and wanted something to do during the day. And I got what I asked for. What was I thinking?

I have decided to step up and fix the problems with our help desk at work. This is no small task because no one has bothered to help these people understand their job. I thought that I might be the right person to do this. Great you say? Well... maybe... that is if they ever find someone to take over my old tasks. Until then, I am doing both! I didn't think that this would be quite as demanding as it has turned out.

So now it's nearly impossible to take 30 minutes to put a post together during the day and with the holidays, I've been busy in the evenings as well. I'm hoping that someone will be taking over my old job very soon giving me a little less to be stressed out about. I'm not gone just resting!

The other "kids"

Where unsuspecting stuffed animals go to die

Abigail stylin' in her new sweater

Baby's first haircut!

What do you say when you don't disagree

Sometimes I think I've been put in the hardest situation in my life. I was talking to the teenager tonight and the subject of Christmas plans came up. I mentioned that we might travel out to San Francisco to visit my brother and his massive in-law celebration. The teenager was pumped to go even though she knows almost no one there other than my brother and sister-in-law.

Then the subject of Christmas at my husband's family came up and it all went downhill from there. The teenager poured out her soul to me. She said that she feels like no one there really likes her there. I have observed what she is talking about. Everyone thinks that the hubby's older and younger brother's kids are perfect and can do no wrong. Our teenager is criticized for sleeping late, texting too much, and being bored all the time. Pretty much she is a normal teenager and she is being beaten up for it.

This evening was heart wrenching for me. She cried to me about how certain family members treat her like she is a bad kid and I don't know what to tell her other than they have their own personal issues and she shouldn't take it personally. But I feel like such a liar! I've witnessed the way some in that family treat her differently.

I've been treated less than well by them too and one Christmas, I refused to participate in part of it with his family because we were told that we weren't welcome to stay at one of the relative's house. That one is a long story that I did chronicle here at one time. It was one of my first posts to this blog. I chose to take it down so that no one in his family would hold it against me at a later time. But the reality is this is all based on the same issue. My hubby didn't always make the best decisions in his lifetime and his family while on the surface accepts him, thinks we are not quite as Godly or quite as good people as the rest of them. I see it from some of them every time we all get together.

So how do I comfort this girl who feels like she doesn't belong when it's her own family who makes her feel this way. She tells me it hurts when they talk bad about her mom and her middle sister. These people can be merciless when it comes to that topic. How do I tell her that she needs to spend time with these people when I know exactly how she feels when she says she doesn't want to go?

I sit here filled will extreme emotion because I can't fix it and the hubby still loves his family. I feel stuck in the middle trying to comfort a girl that has done nothing to deserve this. I really don't know what to do.

Weight Loss Update - "Well that didn't go as planned" Edition

I had planned on running this morning and I managed to get 2 miles in before I had issues beyond my control ended the running portion of my exercise. I did cover another 1.5 miles walking back to the house and walking the dogs. Oh well, I did try though.

Minutes ran today:	33:57
Miles "ran" today:	3.5
Total miles run:	30.92
Weight loss:	2 lb weight gain

Weight Loss Update - The "Houston, We have a problem" Edition

Again the weight is going in the wrong direction. This does not bode well for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Minutes ran today:	33:57
Miles ran today:	3.0
Total miles run:	27.42
Weight loss:	2 lb weight gain

Weight Loss Update - The Slacker Edition

I'll admit it! I was a slacker last week and it shows this week

Minutes ran today:	46:10
Miles ran today:	4.0
Total miles run:	24.42
Weight loss:	1.8 lb weight gain

What happens when I leave a blanket on top of the kennel

And I lived through it yet again

Homecoming that is... I have had a really bad week or so that I don't really want to get into but it's kept me from doing a whole lot of blogging as you can tell. I keep meaning to put up pictures from the teenager's homecoming but never could get motivated. So several weeks later, I'm finally getting these pictures up. I apologize to anyone who was anxiously awaiting! ;-)

The monsterous mum!

The only way a guy can look manly wearing a boy mum

Isn't she adorable?

Gotta love the sunglasses and Vans on her date

Goofy pose

Group photo

Pole dancing so young in life!

Weight loss update

Sigh... weight loss sucks!

Minutes ran today:	25:00
Miles ran today:	2.4 (this is approximate since my GPS watch chose to die in the middle of the run)
Total miles run:	20.42
Weight loss:	1.4 lb weight GAIN!

Weight Loss Update - The "Oops I did it again" edition

I'm not so proud to announce that I hit a new highest weight last week. Before you chastise me for not exercising, I haven't been too lazy to run just too lazy to blog. This means that my diet has gone way off course.

Minutes ran today:	30:00
Miles ran today:	2.71
Total miles run:	18.02
Weight loss:	0.2 lb

The Evil Stepmother

I stumbled on a website by someone named Maureen F. McHugh. She wrote an essay of sorts called "The Evil Stepmother." The whole piece was interesting but one part really struck home for me:

"Becoming a stepmother redefined who I am, and nothing I did could resist that inexorable redefining. I suppose motherhood redefines who you are, too. Part of the redefinition of me has been just that--sitting on the bench with the row of anxious mothers at the little league game or at martial arts. Going to school and being Adam's mother. Being Adam's mom. It has made me suddenly feel middle-aged in funny ways. I used to go through the grocery line and buy funky things like endive, a dozen doughnuts, a bottle of champagne and two tuna steaks. Now I buy carts full of cereal and hamburger and juice boxes. I used to buy overpriced jackets and expensive suits. Now I go to Sears and buy four sweat shirts and two packages of socks in the boys department."

"When I bought endive and champagne, the check out clerk used to ask me what I was making. But no one asks you what you are making when you buy cereal and hamburger."

I think that has been the hardest thing about becoming a stepmom. Overnight, the gourmet cooking that I love so very much was out the window and suddenly casseroles are a weekly part of my life. I don't really have the budget for the stylish clothes I used to have either. I can't say that I shop at Sears but I shop more bargains like never before. I sometimes miss the old me who had no one but my dogs to take care of. Now I'm the one responsible to make sure everyone is fed a healthy meal, gets everywhere on time, and apparently to keep track of everything the hubby has misplaced. It's exhausting sometimes and upsetting that the hubby doesn't understand why it's exhausting.

Anyway, it's an interesting essay if you want to read it:
The Evil Stepmother

Weight Loss update - Week 2 (I've been motivated!)

Minutes ran today:	31:10
Miles ran today:	2.66
Total miles run:	7.39
Weight loss:	1.0 lb

Weight Loss Update - Week 2

I have been very, very bad! I have been out to eat a lot which is usually the death of healthy eating for me. On the upside, it's been a very enjoyable time!

Minutes ran today:	27:10
Miles ran today:	2.33
Total miles run:	4.73
Weight loss:	0.4 lbs (at least it didn't go up!)

This is what I deal with twice daily

You expect me to eat this? Where are my green beans, woman!

Teenagers... are they really that stupid?

I will start by say that this is not about my teenager thankfully. Other than being a little overdramatic at times, she is a good kid. No, this is about the teenager down the street and her friends.

Since my teenager was going to an overnight birthday party and the hubby was out hunting, I decided to pack up and head to my friend's house last night. It got late and I just decided to stay there until the next morning rather than drive home. I got up really early to head home and take care of my dogs.

As I'm driving through the neighborhood I come upon a guy walking down the middle of the street thumbing a ride and very obviously drunk. I keep going and turn down my cul-de-sac and find out where he had originated from. All up and down my street there were beer cans, cigarette packages, and fast food bags. There was also a strange car parked in front of the house.

I park the car in the garage and walk out to pick up the trash that was in front of my house when I hear someone beating on a door. That is when I noticed the Harris County Sheriff's department car at the end of the cul-de-sac. He was beating on the door and yelling for the occupants to open the door.

I picked up the trash and threw it away and then headed to the backyard to make sure there are no foreign objects in the pool. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened to us. Luckily the pool came out of the incident unscathed so I went back in to let my dogs out.

I take them out to the front yard as usual and the cop is STILL beating on the door. I watch for a bit while the dogs were busy and then put them back inside. I stay outside because I'm curious about what has happened. At this point he gave up and decided to leave. I flagged him down to talk and he tells me that the kids down the street had a party and apparently had it all over the street too. He says that he's trying to talk to the parents and asked that I call him when they get home.

At this point I'm thinking it's pretty much over. Oh how wrong I was! People keep showing up off and on to the house presumably to pick up stuff that they had left when the cops showed up around 3am.

Then suddenly the teenager runs down the stairs saying that there was someone screaming outside. We peek at the "party house" and don't see anyone but we could still hear the screaming. So I figured it was time to let the dogs out to do their business again so I could be nosy more easily.

When I go outside, I figure out where the screaming is coming from... there is a girl at the front of the house next to the "party house" yelling for Jessica to let her in. This girl is ranting and raving because Jessica wouldn't let her in. The teenager and I watch for a bit after going back in and laugh about it right up until the girl picks up a large object from the garden and looks like she is about to hurl it at a window.

I decide for my neighbor's sake I should do something to stop her since they were obviously not home. So I run out there and yell at her that she's at the wrong freaking house and to stop beating on people's door. The girl gets an oops look on her face and goes to the correct house were Jessica presumably let her in.

As soon as I see the parents, my new buddy Rocky (Harris County Sheriff) will get a call and pay the parents a visit. So I guess back to my original question... are teenagers really that stupid? Do they think they are going to get away with big underage drinking parties in the parent's house without them eventually finding out? They must be!

Temporary change

I have temporarily changed the name of this blog to reflect the opening of bow hunting season. Can you feel the excitement folks?

During the last few years of hunting season the hubby was actively pursuing his MBA which curbed a lot of his hunting. This year there are no impediments to the pursuit of the perfect deer (buck or doe... he's doesn't discriminate). The hubby works out of town most weeks and then will be hunting many weekends. I will truly be a widow for a while.

Stay tuned for reports and potentially pictures of this weekend's "kill."

Weight Loss Update - Day 1

Yeah, I know I that the last post on this implied that I would be getting started right away. So sue me! Better late than never.

FYI, I am going to try to make these posts pretty regularly so that I can keep up with my progress and hold myself accountable. They won't be even remotely interesting most of the time. For that I apologize but these posts are to try to get me motivated more than anything. Here's hoping that it works....

Minutes ran today:	28:20
Miles ran today:	2.4
Total miles run:	2.4
Weight loss:	0.4 lbs (small but it made me happy anyway)

Yes folks! It's that time of the year again!

It's HOMECOMING! I am so overjoyed I can't even tell you. Mostly I feel like a big ole failure as a mother to not be more excited about this whole thing. All I see are $$ flying out of my wallet and I cannot see past that to share in the excitement with the teenager.

This homecoming is starting out better I must say. There was no confusion with the boys thinking that she already had a date therefore not being asked by someone in her school. She was asked during the first or second week of school. So with all of that drama out of the way we can plan ahead a little better this year. Oh and I kinda know what to expect too. Things have changed since I was in high school.

For starters there is that whole homecoming garter that the boys now wear. Boys wouldn't have been caught dead wearing something like this when I was young:

Boys didn't want to wear a silly flower with ribbons and a stuffed animal on it. When did boys decide this was cool? So I dropped about $55 on that for the teenagers date. I can't wait to see the monstrosity that will be the teenager's mum. If you weren't around for homecoming last year go here for that picture.

Then of course there is the dress, shoes, purse, and jewelry. The teenager showed more restraint this year and all of that only cost a little over $200. We paid the $200 and her mom paid the difference. Last year the dress by itself was $180 and then there were alterations.

But of course that isn't all... there is the cost of an updo, makeup and a mani/pedi. I figure that will be at least another $100. Then if there is a limo... yikes!

Hopefully you can see why I've lost all of my excitement for homecoming ever! The teenager informed us that they have now added another formal winter dance and then there is Sadie Hawkins dance in the springtime. These schools are killing me with all of these freaking dances! I won't be able to send the kid to college because I had to buy her three different dresses/outfits a year. Then of course in her senior year (and God forbid in her junior year) there will be prom. Does anyone else find this a tad excessive besides me? Am I being too much of a scrooge?

Not my proudest moment

Today I weighed in at the heaviest weight I have ever been. I'm not proud of this especially since I was in the best shape since college less than a year ago.

Why you ask? Well there are tons of reasons why it's hard to work out and eat right. Partly it's because I leave my house before it's light outside and get home about the time that dinner needs to be made for the family. My hubby thinks that I should just stop cooking but if I did, the teenager would eat ramen, mac&cheese, burritos or pizza rolls for every meal. There wouldn't be a fruit or vegetable get near her otherwise. And since I get home so late, I often whip up something quick and not quite on the diet. I try not to eat it but most of the time it's just so tasty that I can't resist.

Then there is the fact that I'm just plain wiped out when I get home. Mostly I want to eat and relax in the evenings. I'm better at running in the mornings when I'm completely refreshed. This poses a problem as well. I'm the morning person and the hubby is a night owl. He has a hard time letting me sleep so I am getting less sleep than I have since cramming for finals in college.

Well those are my current excuses but I have to do something to turn this around. I'm doing something even if it means sleeping on the couch when the hubby is home so that I can have more than 4 hours of sleep a night. I going to get back into the shape I was last year at this time if it kills me.

So your job as my faithful bloggy friends is to kick my butt and keep me honest. Ask me often how the workout is coming along and how much healthier I am cooking for the whole family. If I can't give you a satisfactory answer, make me run some laps! That'll teach me!

25 things I learned from Ike (in no particular order)

1. I am spoiled!
2. A blackberry makes a splendid flashlight in a pinch
3. I LOVE generators
4. I hate trees with all of their silly leaves collecting in my pool
5. I really hate pine trees
6. I’m addicted to the internet
7. I’m not as addicted to TV as I thought
8. I finally found a good use for all of those water bottles I got when training for the MS150
9. Boiling water to wash dishes really blows
10. That the doo-hickey that starts the burners on my gas stove is electric
11. I can still get those burners lit with a lighter (Duh!)
12. I can’t enter a room without flipping a switch even though I know full well that nothing will happen when I do
13. The college student is so terrified of tornados that she will sleep in a small closet to feel safe
14. The teenager can actually sleep through a hurricane
15. The dogs can too
16. The pizza stone for the grill that I got for my wedding comes in handy when there is no power
17. The fearless Dachshund would rather explode than walk out in the rain to relieve herself
18. Max the Wonder Dog would rather not explode even during the last remnants of a hurricane
19. Ducks fare pretty well riding out a category 2 hurricane
20. I can fix a darn good meal even without power
21. Coffee can be made without power by boiling water and pouring it through the coffee and filter in the coffee machine
22. When transformers blow, it looks like green lightening from inside the house
23. I don’t think I would stay for a hurricane bigger than a category 3
24. The hubby was more scared than I was
25. You might have to drive 55 miles to find gasoline after a hurricane

WE HAVE POWER!!!

Several of my friends and coworkers still don't have power. I am now wishing them well and hoping they will get power soon too!

I don't know if anyone reading this is one of the workers that came here to help with the recovery. If you are or if you know someone that came here, I would personally like to thank all of them for the hard work to get this city back up and running. I know that they are making a sacrifice being away from their friends and family back home and all of the long hours they are working. The city of Houston is truly grateful for the help! Big bear hug for all of y'all!

Major development!

No we don't have power. However today I drove up to a gas station and got gasoline without waiting in line. Then I went to the grocery store and didn't wait in line there either. HALLELUJAH!!

The lastest news

I'm at work for the first time in a week. I could have come in yesterday but my company sent out emails that they were bringing in a truckload of gas for those who needed it for generators. Luckily it was set up near my home so I didn't have to drive too far.

And speaking of the generosity of my company, a few of the guys in upper management here drove out of town as I understand it and bought generators, electrical cords, ice, water, gas cans full with gas, etc. for the employees to come get if they needed them. I can't say enough about how Enbridge is doing for the hardest hit employees. Normally I don't blog about my company but I felt that I had to give kudos to them because I truly appreciated the gas that they gave me yesterday. Running that generator is getting expensive!

We are still out of power but the latest report puts my zip code in the group that should have power on by Monday evening. I feel fortunate because every zip code surrounding us is in the group that won't get power until after Monday and they can't even tell them when it will be.

Lines for gas and food are getting more manageable as of yesterday afternoon so it's starting feel more normal now. Our water has the "boil notice" lifted so yesterday I gave the rest of our water jugs and ice to the hubby's ex-wife when she dropped off the teenager. Her mom has no water or ice so I figured that it should to someone more needy than myself.

The teenager has been at her mom's house since Thursday before the storm. They haven't eaten too many hot meals since everything in their house is electric. I thought she was going to cry when I told her that she wouldn't have to do that anymore. She's been a trouper through all of it though.

Not much more to report other than it's been really nice to get to know all of the neighbors finally. Usually everyone stays so holed up in their homes that you don't get to know anyone too well. Now that there isn't as much to do, everyone is out and talking to everyone else. It's neat how something like this has made us a much closer knit community.

When we get power up, I will have lots of pictures and videos. Stay tuned...

Still not over quite yet

I sit here at 4am on Tuesday writing this. I'm not even sure if I will get a chance to post it since mobile phone signals are really sketchy here. I can't connect during the day too easily but at night it's a little easier. Problem is that we turn off the generator at night for a quieter evening and to avoid wasting fuel unnecessarily and I can't stay on the computer too long at night. Obviously we are still without power but a cool front moved in yesterday morning. Between having a generator and the weather cooperating, things are actually very bearable.

It's almost bizarre sitting here writing at a time of the night when there is normally extreme quiet. In some neighborhoods, it's probably quieter than normal. In ours however, all I hear is the hum of generators all around me. The only light I see is from an airplane flying overhead. It is a shame that it is overcast this evening. Normally the glow of the city lights prevents you from seeing the stars. I imagine that if there were no clouds I could see every star out there. Maybe tomorrow night we will be luckier in that respect.

I will have to say that I feel highly blessed. Many did not fare as well as my family did. We sustained no damage to our home. We did have roof damage to our Conroe rental home so we didn't come out completely unscathed from Ike. However we aren't dealing with not being able to get back to our home as the people from Galveston are. We didn't lose any loved ones either. There is no telling how many of the people who refused to leave the evacuation zones that didn't make it.

I have a list a mile long of things that I'm able to do that others are not. We are don't sit in the dark in the evenings. I have a working refrigerator and deep freeze. I watch television almost whenever I want. I can get on the internet occasionally. I can charge up my mobile phone and computer. We have running water and natural gas service. I don't know if the water is safe to drink yet but we can boil it on the stove if necessary and I have plenty of clean drinking water from before the storm as well.

I could go on and on about how blessed my family is but you get the idea. You may wonder if this is easy. The answer is no. We drove about 55 miles out of town to find a gas station with a line that was only about 45 minutes long. Around here if you can find a station open, the line is at least two hours long. Going to the grocery store poses the same problem of long lines. We stopped for supplies at a little grocery where we got gas and they were out of things like bread. It is the little things that you expect will always be there that is hard.

One would think that this of all things would trigger my anxiety issues that I often suffer from. The funny thing is that I'm about as relaxed as I've ever been in my life. Maybe it's because I've gotten to spend quality time with my husband where he isn't being constantly interrupted by a work call. Or because I haven't been to work since last Wednesday. It could be that I see on TV the people of Houston and the surrounding area are pulling together to help each other. I see that in my neighborhood as well.

It also could be recollection of being curled up in my bed listening to the worst part of that storm and feeling an unnatural calm and sense of feeling safe. Everyone else tells me how scared they were. I don't recall having that feeling at any point. I feared that a tree would come down on our house but somehow I knew that we were going to be OK anyway. I had faith that God would pull us through this and he did.

Ike Update #8

Well we lost power right after my last update. That was about the time that the highest winds were getting to Spring. It was really freaky from what little I could see. At this point I think the eye has passed us and we are on the other side of the storm. I slept through the eye passing which I am not happy about but at least I got an hour or two of solid sleep.

I did take some video from before it got really bad but I'm not sure how much you will be able to see. I will post that later. The hubby is getting motivated to get up and film another update so you may be getting several videos in the next post.

Ike Update #7

Satellite, internet and power are sketchy at the moment. We keep have power flickering and tv is even less reliable right now. I slept a little bit earlier but now I can't seem to sleep at all. Looking at the radar on tv, we are at the edge of the highest winds and will see those very soon.

They are warning of tornadoes so I'm up will be listening for that since everyone else is asleep. I can pretty much deal with the hurricane winds but tornadoes are much scarier.

I am completely amazed that I can still watch tv even off and on and that I can still post on my normal internet connection. I do have a work computer which has a Cingular card so I will continue to post updates after we lose all of our creature comforts. At least I'll have the internet to keep me company!

Ike Update # 6

The wind is still howling outside and the rain is hard. We are getting to the hurricane force winds and within the hour we should have the worst of that. No damage that I can see so far. We lose the dish signal off and on so our updates outside of the computer are getting spotty. I still have power and will continue to update everyone as long as I can.

On a sad note, Brennen's is on fire and the general manager and his family are in the hospital right now. Wonderful restaurant that is a staple of midtown Houston. Hopefully they will be ok.

Ike Update #5

At the moment, it's raining hard and the wind is super strong. The eye of the storm is close to making landfall so it's still going to get a lot worse for us. We have electricity and tv still (tv is surprising since we lose Dish Network in a light rain usually). The hubby is all sleepy so his video updates may not be happening until tomorrow morning. I'll try to get a picture to post though.

Ike Update #4.5

Mark finally got the latest video up on youtube. Nothing much more to report other than the wind is getting pretty high.