Monday, December 29, 2008

New Years Resolution

Okay, so I realize that the new year has not officially begun, but I am not feeling very good about myself lately, so I've already started my New Years resolution which is to get in better shape, eat better and lose some weight! I don't look that bad, really. I'm a tiny bit over six feet tall and as of this morning I weight 164 pounds. I am a size ten in my jeans and a little smaller up top (Dammit!) So, really not so terrible. But, when I got married three years ago, I was 137 pounds and a size six. I was not too skinny, I was healthy, and felt really good about myself. (I also was able to eat whatever the hell I wanted, but thanks to Baby Girl's arrival and the onset of age, those days are gone) So, here are the goals:

1 - I am going to work out three days a week.
2 - I am going to try and lose 20 pounds. That won't get me back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but it will get me back where I think my body will be happy.
3 - I am going to do this in five pound increments. Lose five pounds, get a prize. And no, the prize cannot be food-based. For the first five pounds I have selected this. Aren't they the most beautiful needles you've seen! I got the set of inter-changable circular needles for Christmas (Thanks, Mom!) and although I don't really "need" new needles, these are so pretty I just must have them, so there you go. When I'm down to 159 pounds, according to the gym scale, I get these.

So, Saturday I cleaned out the fridge and got really good foods from the grocery store. This does mean I will be cooking a whole lot more from scratch and not the prepared foods I love, but I can handle it for the greater good. Also, I made it back to the gym today and felt really good. I only managed to do 40 minutes of cardio (I usually do an hour), but I'll get there soon!

Oh, here's the pasta dish I made last night for dinner, which was yummy and pretty darn healthy too:

1 pound chicken breast tenders - cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbl. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup lite Italian dressing
1 Green pepper - cut into small peices, but not really diced
1 package pre-cleaned and sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat pasta - cooked according to package directions

Brown the chicken in the olive oil with salt and pepper. Add the salad dressing, green peppers and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for about five minutes so the veggies start to soften. Add the can of tomatoes, don't drain them, you need the liquid to help create your sauce. Simmer this all together for around 10 minutes so the flavors can get all good and developed. Add the pasta, toss and serve. If I can find really good fresh basil, you can garish with that, it adds a really nice fresh flavor, but I didn't have any yesterday and it was still delicious! We sometimes serve leftovers cold, like a pasta salad, but it re-heats well, too.
I know I need to update you guys on my trip to Tahoe for Christmas, I'll try and get the pictures downloaded later today. For now I will leave you with: It was Awesome!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Happy, Shiny Sarah

Okay, so I really hope that I'm not actually all that shiny, but I am happy. Because of one big thing, and then a series of little things. The big thing is that I am now officially registered for the Stitches South convention in Atlanta in April with my friend, Lara, who I cannot wait to see for the first time in 15 years! We're going to have a knit-centric blast!

The little things have been helping a lot too. You know sometimes around the holidays, you can get a little blue thinking about all the things you have to do or people you may be missing and I'm not any different. So, little treats finding their way to me really keep my holiday spirit up. The first good thing that happened was last Friday. I'd had a really bad 24-hour period, what with being stupid enough to download the latest vicious virus that's been circulating the net and all. So, when a surprise package arrived on my doorstep, it was a little bit of happy in an envelope. I had kinda forgotten about Lara's offer to her on-line buddies for a free copy of Who by Fire by Diana Spechler, but there was my copy at the door! Woo hoo! Reading material for our upcoming Christmas trip and it was FREE. I am a total whore for free stuff. So, after we get back from our trip, stay tuned for a review of the book. I've read a few chapters already and it definitely grabbed my attention quickly, so I totally expect to enjoy it!

The weekend was a series of good little items, Hubby taking me and Baby Girl to Cabella's for some cold weather gear (he usually hates shopping trips), the really nice lady at Wendy's who told us how wonderful it was to see a little girl as loved as ours, and my beloved Florida Gators winning the SEC championship and securing their spot in the BCS championship game! I really hope the SEC can take the championship for the third year in a row.

Today really was looking to be a pretty mundane day filled with practical things like going to the dry cleaner, the post office and the grocery store. Not a bad day, just kinda boring. We got to the post office and there was no line (woo hoo this time of year) and after I made my stamp purchase, the teller made some comment about smelling like tuna fish (herself, not me, apparently I had caught her in the middle of eating lunch), I laughed and said I hadn't noticed, but that I was strangely in the mood for Subway. At that point, she reached in her purse and handed me a $20 gift card to Subway. Really? She said that someone had given it to her and since she didn't like Subway very much she was giving it to me. What a sweet lady! So, with a little smile I headed off to Whole Foods to pick up a few things for the week. After getting through the checkout line, the cashier informed me that the little old lady who had been ahead of me had left a $10 coupon for me since she had been unable to use it herself. Again, how sweet! As I loaded the groceries in my car, I saw her pulling out and managed to stop her to say, "Thank you." So anyhow, those things made my boring little shopping trip so much more pleasant. We hear so often about how bad people are nowadays so to those people today who proved that theory wrong and in their own way, made my day: THANK YOU!

Oh, should you want a little Knitting Christmas cheer, check out Knit & Purl Mama's post from a couple of days ago. http://knitpurlknitpearl.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-two-24-weeks-old.html Scroll to the bottom of the post and read the poem. Also, check out her on-line store, she's got some really good items and the favorable exchange rate between US and Canadian dollars may save you a bit of green.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Big, Wam Fuzzies!

Today was Santa Claus day! Baby Girl and I went to the mall with the Little Boy Next Door (LBND) and his mommy to see Santa and get their pictures made. Not usually that much fun and today was looking like it was going to be no different. When we got there, we had two families ahead of us. After waiting for a while, the mall management came out to let us know that the woman who managed the photo operations for Santa had locked her keys in the car and was running late, but they sent out Santa before she got there so he could visit with the kids. Okay, no big deal, they even gave us a coupon for a free 5X7, so we were happy. Baby Girl and LBND were being good, they were the brave kids who walked right up to Santa and gave him high-fives. All the other little ones kinda hung back a little bit.

Once the photo manager got there, Liz, we figured things would move along fairly quickly, but alas, that just wasn't meant to be. Turns out the computer was giving them trouble and then the camera was broken. So, we waited more. Most of the other families gave up, but we toughed it out. After a few minutes, a little girl (18 months) and her grandma, got in line behind us. Almost immediately, the little girl started crying and pointed to me. Oh Lord, what had I done? Her grandma let her out of the stroller to comfort her and she immediately flung herself into my arms and there she stayed for the next half hour! She hugged me and gave me kisses and wouldn't let go. Finally, when her grandma had enough with the line, she had to take the little one away from me kicking and screaming. I gotta tell you, I loved it! Not the kicking and screaming part, but the great cuddles! Baby Girl didn't even get jealous, she and LBND were having way too much fun.

Finally, after and hour and a half, we managed to get our pictures taken. Santa and his helpers were so embarrassed about what had happened, but really, we still managed to have a good time and told them so. Santa and Liz were both grateful that LBND's mom and I were so nice and I got another big hug from Liz before we left. Everybody was wanting the Sarah hugs! Woo Hoo!

And so I end my warm, fuzzy tale with the picture of the result. Baby Girl and LBND with the Jolly Old Elf himself:

Update....

Still haven't found the Play-doh....could be good, could be bad, only time will tell.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Fear

From the day you become pregnant with your first child, you become very closely acquainted with fear. What if something goes wrong, what if the baby is sick, what if someone steals her....
After a while, you push all those fears to the back of your mind for the most part, you are always on guard, but you can't live your life constantly worried about what might happen.

This morning I discovered a new definition of fear, ceratinly not the same fear as with the other things I named, but fear nonetheless. Today I have resolved to start getting things done in preparation for the holidays and nothing helps get me motivated more than having a nice clean house. As much as I may claim that knitting things that will be in your house (or even someone else's house) counts as housework, truly it does not and my home has started the reflect that realization. Sorry Justification Gods, I have betrayed you.

So, anyhow, as I was tidying up Baby Girl's toys, I discovered the one item that can strike fear into the heart of any mother of a toddler....an empty Play-Doh container..... (cue: horror movie music and tight fade-away shot)