Not Thinking Dirty

You know you’re not thinking about sex when you get something in your spam filter with the subject: Get long and Thick and your mind automatically thinks hair and not male body parts. Yep, that’s what happened to me today.

Bridesmaid Dress...Done

You’ll rarely hear me say this, but I’m glad this weekend is over. I went north to celebrate The Bride’s 40th birthday. It’s her family’s tradition of having a girls getaway weekend whenever it’s someone’s big birthday, which sounds like fun, but in reality for me it was rather tortuous.

I drove 5 hours, met up with everyone for dinner and then cocktails in a really loud bar, got to sleep ( or in my case, not really sleep) squished in a double bed with The Bride (they always share rooms to save money.) Saturday was breakfast and then the dreaded bridesmaid dress shopping. We decided to all get different style dresses but all in the same color, which is a great way to go. I was trying on dresses with her 14 year old niece who is about 5’8, 125 pounds, all legs, with cute little boobs that still stand up. Every time she stepped out of the dressing room I’d hear, “oh, that’s cute. That looks great on you.” Me? Well, I got the “oh, that’s not bad.” I ended up choosing this dress. I really do like the dress even though I think I look huge in it, but then again I think I’d probably look huge in anything. And no, I probably won’t wear it again only because it’s navy, which just isn’t my thing. If it was in black, then yes, I would probably would.

The Bride will tell you that we didn’t get to chat all that much, but I have a feeling she’d say that about most people. The problem? She spent more time texting and calling The Fiancé. Seriously. She called him after dinner, texted him when we got to the bar, which was 10 minutes away, called him in the middle of having cocktails, and then called him when we went to bed which by the way was 3am on the East Coast. I then woke in the morning to click, click click… her texting him again in the morning. It was awful. I can’t wait until they are finally married and don’t really have anything to talk about any more. Just kidding. But really, is all that communication necessary? And I find a bit rude.

The highlight of the weekend was coming home and getting a big squeeze from The Little Miss and hearing her say, “I missed you. I’m happy you’re home.” That right there really makes all the thoughts of how huge I look in a dress and how much someone else is texting seem so insignificant. Kids really do have a way of so easily putting things in perspective.

And one final thought… why are the portions at Cheesecake Factory so ginormous?

Afternoon Delight

So The Husband has been home early all week, which may sound wonderful, but really, not so much. He’s been getting home around 2:30pm and it’s been putting a cramp in my solo afternoons. This week The Little Miss was scheduled to be at school all day and not to be picked up until 4:30 which meant The Husband and I had a couple hours each day to ourselves. No child, no work, just us.

I know what you’re thinking, oh, a little afternoon delight. Yeah, no. I hate afternoon sex. Seems like too much information when the lights are on. Even though The Husband has seen me naked, has seem me birth a baby and seen me from every direction, but I still feel really self conscious about knocking boots in the light. My belly is stretched and wobbly, my boobs hang low, I have stretch marks over too much of my body and I’m just too wierded out by him seeing me like that. I know, when he’s in the moment, the LAST thing he’s thinking of or seeing is all that stuff, he’s just seeing the woman he loves totally naked, with him.

So, sadly for The Husband, the week of a seemingly illicit afternoon rendezvous has come to an end with no action on my part. I promise I’ll make it up to him, sometime soon, but definitely in the stealth darkness of night.

The Bounty of Summer

It's only just Spring, but I am already starting to see the summer bounty making an early appearance.

Peaches in bloom

Fruit on my apricot tree

I've been slowly working on getting my summer garden ready for planting. Over the winter the weeds too hold, with Spring upon us they have spouted up everywhere and now, I have a lot of clearing I have to attend to. I'll also loosen and amend the soil and plan out what is going to go where. I can hardly wait to get my hands dirty and start planting.

Last year, the garden gave us many delicious meals and it's such a treat to go in our backyard, pick ripe produce right off the vine and have it on our dinner table that night. It doesn't get much better than that and a wonderful lesson for The Little Miss. I'm also looking into joining or starting a neighborhood garden exchange. I'd love to be able to trade some of my fruit and veggies with my neighbors who might be growing something I'm not. It would be a great way to meet my neighbors and a wonderful way to get a bigger variety of fresh produce..

What's in your garden this year?

Things I Do at Work

Work is work and I often spend too much of my day checking out some of my favorite sites. So... if you are bored at work, or even not bored, and looking for something to do, here's a few of my favorites.

For my much loved celebrity gossip, this is my all time favorite.

If you need to feel better about your situation, go here.

If you need to confess or what to see what people are confessing about check this out. There's something for everyone.

For the most wonderful handmade gifts, this is the go to place. Hands down.

Of course my Google Reader (which is pretty much the best thing ever) keeps me updated on all your blogs. It's amazing I get anything done at work.

They'll Eat Anything

We had some friends over this past weekend and I busted out this recipe which I’ve had for a number of years. A friend of mine had given it to me and although I had never tried it, I thought I’d experiment and try it. It’s from Cooking Light and turned out to be a real crowd pleaser. It’s one you can make ahead and then pop in the oven once your guests arrive. Although I used a different kind of pasta, there’s not much else I would change, as it seemed just right for me. I served it with roasted asparagus and a spinach salad with toasted pine nuts, mushrooms and a balsamic dressing.

If you try it, let me know what you think.

Mediterranean Spaghetti

Sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg balance the pungent feta and Parmesan cheeses to give a bold, intriguing flavor to a familiar meat-and-pasta dish.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups).


Ingredients
· 1/2 pound lean ground beef
· 2 cups chopped onion
· 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 1/2 cup dry red wine
· 1/4 cup water
· 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1/8 teaspoon pepper
· 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 2 cups 1% low-fat milk
· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
· 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
· 1 large egg
· 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs, divided
· Cooking spray
· 4 cups cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
· Fresh oregano sprigs (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the first 4 ingredients, and sauté 5 minutes. Add the wine and next 6 ingredients (wine through tomatoes). Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thick.
Combine the flour, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium sauce-pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook for 7 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove milk mixture from heat. Stir in feta cheese, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and egg.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs in a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Place 2 cups spaghetti in casserole, and top with 2 cups beef mixture and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers. Combine 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake casserole at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh oregano, if desired.


Nutritional Information
Calories:
365 (23% from fat)
Fat:
9.4g (sat 4.8g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:
22.2g
Carbohydrate:
47.4g
Fiber:
3.2g
Cholesterol:
80mg
Iron:
3.7mg
Sodium:
709mg
Calcium:
281mg

More Fun with The Bride

I know it’s only Monday but, I’m psyching myself up for a weekend with The Bride. She’s flying out to California for a girls getaway weekend celebrating her 40th birthday. Yep, it’s a big year for her. I’ll be toting the blue dresses with me to see if she can come to any conclusion about what she wants to do. She did go back and looked at the room where the reception is going to be and there are blue curtains and blue in the rug. She mentioned she took some pictures that we can “stare at” this weekend. Doesn’t staring at pictures sound like fun? I really can’t wait. Oh yeah, that’s right, I’m suppose to be looking to be looking forward to all this, but in reality, I’m not.

I Look Young

Holy crap! I just got carded at Trader Joe's. Not bad for a 43 and 1/2 year old. I'm still laughing.

Updated after TJ's comment about how Trader Joe's "always" cards:


I shop at Trader's weekly and have for quite some time and can't remember the last time someone asked see my ID. Regardless, even if I look anything younger than my age, I'll take it, wouldn't you?

A Fork in the Road

I have a 10 year old niece on The Husband’s side of the family who was just told by her pediatrician she really needs to get more exercise, watch what she eats and to be careful of her weight. She is by no means heavy or over weight, but over the past 6 months or so I think she’s just beginning to get a little chunky. I can see what her doctor is getting at. Over the past several years her weight and height have not gone up proportionally and if that trend continues she will become heavy, overweight, fat or whatever label you want to apply.

My niece’s grandmother was appalled at the doctor for “putting so much emphasis” on her weight, “especially at that age.” Me? I was happy the doctor said something. If you look at my niece’s mother and her grandmother, you can easily see what the trend is, and it’s big. The grandmother has been dealing with weight issues for as long as I’ve known her and is scheduled for gastric bypass surgery in April or May. The mom is big, Rubenesque , round, curvy or however you want to describe her. Their diets are horrible. I watch the family stuff so much processed, fatty, fried food in their mouths it’s hard to imagine they are getting anything nutritious at all.

The Niece is coming up on the challenging pre-teen and teen age years ahead. I worry if her family doesn’t take this seriously it is going to spiral into many other issues. I don’t think it’s too early nor do I think anyone is putting too much emphasis on her weight. I don’t want her to have to shed tears about her friends calling her fat. I don’t want her to feel any less because she’s biggest one in the room and I don’t want her weight to keep her from becoming the person I hope and know she can become.

Is This What She Thinks About At Night?

The Bride is doing her job just splendidly. She’s driving me insane, but it is her wedding. I got a call yesterday from her and she’s rethinking the blue bridesmaid’s dresses because she thinks there might be blue curtains in the room where the reception is going to be held. These are the same blue dresses that she really liked on-line when we were together over President’s Day weekend. The same blue dresses I just happened to find on sale, the same blue dresses I happened to find 4 of, all in the right sizes for the bridesmaids and the same blue dresses I bought for everyone because it’s what she liked.

Maybe there’s something bad about wearing blue dresses in Washington DC.

Getting Back

I ate like crap while on vacation. Now, I feel like crap. I feel big, bloated and sluggish. It’s amazing how one week of eating copious amounts of hot dogs, hamburgers, miscellaneous fried food and pizza had really made a change in my mental and physical state of being.

It was super fun while it lasted, but I’m ready to get back to my routines. I’m ready to eat healthy and light. I’m ready to go back to no sugars and no sodas. And I’m ready to feel like me again.

To The Little Miss

Dear Little Miss,

I know I am really cynical about Disney and Disneyland, but I tried my hardest to not let my feelings get in the way of your experience. There’s so many things in life that can manipulate the way we see the world and ourselves. I really want you to find your way with as little big corporate influence as possible. I know that’s impossible, but your innocence is so important, I don’t want it to be tainted.

Having said that, I think you had a good time, at least I hope you did. You really weren’t interested in any of the rides, except for one, a roller coaster. For some reason you really wanted to go on that and you screamed like a good coaster rider is suppose to. You had no interest in the It’s a Small World ride, until you were in the little boat looking at all the waving dolls who were singing a song that was stuck in my head the rest of the day. You met the Princesses, none of whom have mothers, because Disney has killed them all off and all are enslaved until their prince charming comes to save them. I don’t want to burst your bubble, but it just doesn’t happen that way. You met Tinkerbell, whom you adore and now have a Tinkerbell snowglobe to go along with your Tinkerbell pillow, Tinkerbell movie and your Tinkerbell ornament. You also loved Minnie Mouse and her little house. You could have stayed in there the entire day and were in there almost long enough to start giving tours of the rooms.

Most of our days were spent walking around the park, just taking in the sights, dreaming of the next time we come when you’ll be older and hopefully wanting to go on more of the rides. I don’t think you’re hard wired for dangerous behavior but we do hope you’ll enjoy going on more of them, when you’re not as afraid of loud noises and not as apprehensive to give things a try.

I loved watching you. I loved watching your face light up when you saw a familiar character and I loved how you gave big hugs to them all. I loved how you were so excited to pick out some Disneyland ears of which you picked out pink Minnie Ears and how you wanted to wear them the rest of the trip. I loved how we got to sit in our hotel room and watch fireworks and loved when you went to sleep that night you told me you were going to dream of fireworks in our favorite colors.

I hope your dreams came true that night and always come true, as long as it doesn’t involve a Prince coming to your rescue.

Love,

Mama

So Far So Good

I made it through our two days at Disneyland with my sanity and marraige in tact. We're now in Arizona for some pool time for The Little Miss and me, golf, for The Husband and baseball spring training for him as well.

I'll fill you all in on more details when I get more time because right now the pool is a'callin.

The Happiest Place on Earth: Redux

Mystery solved. I've figured out why Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. It's because the scale at the hotel read a loss of 35 pounds. Now, that's pretty happy.

Ready or Not, Here I Come

Here’s the outfit, well actually just a shirt, I sewed up last night, for The Little Miss to wear to Disneyland. I wasn’t sure it was going to work when she first tried it on and said, “I can wear this for cooking too.” Read: it fit like an apron. Not the look I was going for, but in the end, I think it turned out pretty cute, especially with her black leggings, white socks and red shoes.

Disneyland, here I come. Wish me luck that I don't punch a Princess while I'm there. And sorry if that offends anyone.

I'm Still Here...

Sorry, it’s been a bit sporadic over here but life if getting really hectic again and I’m finding it hard to find time to blog. Sunday we’re heading to Disneyland for a couple of days and then next week to Arizona for a little baseball spring training, something I knew NOTHING about 5 years ago. But now, I find myself taking a week off of work and pretending to be a bit more excited about it than I really am. That’s not lying, is it?

The weight loss thing is going fine, if you consider not putting on weight a good thing. I certainly haven’t lost any in the past couple of weeks, but my pants are still a bit on the loose side so I’m happy about that.

Being on road trips and vacations is hard for me to stay focused and it’ll be especially challenging this time since we’re traveling with The Husband’s aunt and uncle who have ZERO sense of healthy eating. But, I’ll do my thing and do my best.

I'm a Late Bloomer

Call me a late bloomer, but I just discovered the wonderfully addictive world of ebay. I wish I had never gotten started. I’ve been able to sell a couple things and actually made some money, but those dollars have quickly been turned around to buy things like this succulent little bikini for The Little Miss.

And yes, that is her running in the sprinklers yesterday. It's one of the joys of living in California and the joy of me working only part time.

Cha-Ching

We had a lovely anniversary. The Little Miss was dropped at her friend’s house while the two of us went back to the bar where we met. We had a dinner and a conversation not interrupted by a two year old, which means we just basically talked about the two year old. And just before falling asleep last night, The Husband said “this is exactly where I’m meant to be.” Man I love him, and not only because he bought me an iPhone....cha-ching.