Stepping It Up

In the 6 months since my last post, I have not lost a pound. In fact, I've gained a few. Between a full time job, the twins, housework, etc., I have so little time or mental capacity for eating right and fitness. I stepped on the scale last Saturday and just about had a stroke. When your sweat pants start to fit more like skinny jeans, something has to change. Rather than being depressed about it, however, I decided to be proactive. I went upstairs, got on the computer, and joined Weight Watchers! I'm doing the online version and I love it. I've only been a member for 4 days, but I've already learned SO much about my eating habits and why my previous attempts at weight loss failed. My goal is to lose 100 lbs, which would put me at the healthy weight I was before my thyroid started to spaz.

Sunday, I took a 3 mile walk outside. Monday, I did yoga out on the deck. Last night I went and re-joined the gym and I have an appointment with a personal trainer on Monday. I feel more in control than I have for a long time. If I can lose 2# a week most weeks, I'll be at my goal weight in just about a year. Sweet!

Here's to changes to come!

A Grocery Cart to be Proud Of

While the phrase "The waist is a terrible thing to mind" has always made me chuckle, its only true to a certain extent. Those of you who know me in person know that I'm no twiggy. I'm 6' tall and I have always sort of justified my weight by my height. I also have hypothyroidism which makes weight gain very, very easy, and weight loss quite difficult. So there you have my recipe for fitness apathy.

I had a wake up call recently. As you know, I had twins 6 months ago. I only gained 22 lbs the entire pregnancy and the babies were born at 5 lbs 2 oz and 6 lbs 3 oz, so I didn't gain a whole lot of body fat. After they were born, I nursed them for 3 months. Yes, twins, for 3 months. I lost a LOT of weight. I don't own a scale so I don't know how much, but I'd guess around 30 lbs on top of whatever was left of the baby weight. After 3 months, I was just not able to produce enough milk to meet their nutritional demands, AND I went back to work, so I stopped nursing. Anyway, I went to the doctor's last week to get my thyroid levels checked and, as always, they weighed me. Much to my surprise, I had gained back everything. I only weighed 7 lbs less than I did right before the babies were born. Ouch.

Now, I have just about every justification in the world for being overweight. I'm tall. I work full time. I have twin 6-month-olds. I just don't have the time to eat right or exercise. But, at the end of the day, no amount of justification changes the fact that I need to shed a few. Scratch that- a lot.

While I have never been one to do the yo-yo fad diets, I have tried cutting calories in the past. I am usually able to lose about 10 lbs before I end up using all of the old justifications to give up. Like I said before, hypothyroidism makes every pound a fight.

After stepping off of that scale at the doctor's office, I came to a series of realizations.
1. My daughter is already in the 97th percentile for height, even though she was born a month early. She is going to be tall like me.

2. Both of my kids are going to be watching what and how I eat and how I take care of myself. What kind of example am I setting?

While I was in the doctor's office, I decided to bring up the weight-loss issue. I asked her what I could do to affect long-term changes in my weight and my overall health. She told me to cut way back on the carbs. She said that Atkins had it all wrong- all carbs are not created equal. Apparently an apple is not the same as a twinkie. (Seriously, is anyone surprised by this?) She said that the human body can get all the carbohydrates it needs from fruits and vegetables and that breads and pastas should be considered a treat. For some reason, that really clicked. It wasn't really any new information, but the way she phrased it somehow made it easy for me to do.

Since then I have switched to diet soda, cut out the morning bowl of cereal, and added lots more fruits and vegetables. I don't know why, but this time it seems to be working. I don't feel like I'm dieting. Its much easier to look at weight loss in terms of making healthy choices than in terms of what I can and can't have. I'm not perfect at it by any means, but The Hubs and I have almost eliminated white flour from our diets.

The first grocery shopping trip after this decision was awesome. We bought everything from the outside perimeter of the store - deli, produce, dairy, and whole wheat bakery rolls. When we got to the checkout counter and I saw the conveyor belt full of wholesome goodies, I had a real sense of pride.

My one struggle thus far has been finding healthy recipes. It seems like half of the healthy recipes online are for fish, which I'm severely allergic to. So, if anyone has any great healthy recipes to pass on, I'd love to try them!

ps- shellfish is ok, just not fish fish.

What does one say?

I have an friend who is the mother of four less-than-beautiful children. By less-than-beautiful, I mean slightly terrifying. My friend and her husband.... well, lets just say the only runway they've ever been on is at the airport. My friend, (we'll call her..... Quasimodo? That's a little harsh. How about Helen?) Helen, is always emailing pictures of her "gorgeous" children. Even though I know what the emails are going to contain, I still have to repress the impulse to recoil violently.

"So what?" you say. "Big deal! Everyone thinks their own kids are athletic supermodel-geniuses." While this is decidedly true, Helen's fantasy runs a little deeper than most. Helen wants to enter her two youngest daughters (3 and 5) in a beauty pageant.

After the initial shock and subsequent fit of laughter, I became immediately grateful that I received the news in an email and not over the phone. I'm not that good a liar. I replied to the email, stating my feelings about pageants at large (for the record, I abhor them,) and tactfully avoiding discussion of her daughters' err... shortcomings. She replies that she figured that's how I would feel about pageants, but that she wanted to know whether or not HER kids should enter. Since my last email (apparently) wasn't specific enough, I had to employ every ounce of diplomacy I possessed. Ever see the movie "Little Miss Sunshine"? Good. Now imagine that it was a horror film and you'd get the picture. These girls winning a beauty pageant would be like Paris Hilton being awarded the MacArthur Fellowship.

Helen then sent me a recent picture of her 5 year old and another of the dress she was considering buying for her. As the phrase "A face only a mother could love" entered my mind, I was touched by the love-goggles that my friend had for her kids. In her eyes, they are perfect, and I guess that's all that really matters.

Its sweet in a blindly delusional sort of way.

In the Thick of Things

While browsing around the internet today during the rare but blissful synchronized twin nap, I remembered my long-neglected blog. My extended absence from the blogosphere can be attributed to my two little angels who, to protect the not-so-innocent, I will dub Bonnie and Clyde. They were born happy and healthy and currently occupy about 23.75 hours of my day. I did, however, get a little break from them today to go to the dentist. (Notice the distinct absence of angelic choirs.) Temporary filling with a 40% chance of root canal in the near future.

My quest for self-improvement has taken a turn for the... different? While I still aspire to a clean house and a hot dinner on the table, I have had to throw the to-do list out the window and cut myself some slack. As a self-proclaimed type A control freak, this has been no small feat. I have, however, managed to work part time, care for my twins, bake my own bread, make my own butter, keep the kids, The Hubs, and the (now pregnant) dog fed, and still keep the household dirt diwn to an acceptable level. I recently baked a pretty fabulous fruit tart and am currently sewing a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding in May. (Please forgive the somewhat boastful nature of this paragraph. I feel rather entitled to a little back-patting.)

Well. Pardon the abrupt ending to this post, but Clyde is starting to fuss. And there's.... wait for it.... Bonnie yowling as well. Ta Ta.

Double Trouble

Now that I am out of the first trimester and, for the most part, past the throwing up, the desire to sleep 22.5 hours a day, and the inability to string a coherent thought together, it is time to get back to the business of...well, er...whatever it was that I was doing before.

Most of you who read this blog already know, but for anyone who doesn't, The Hubs and I are having twins! I am currently 13 weeks and they were both healthy and strong as of our last ultrasound a few weeks ago.

Now, onto the show.

Lately, the improvements I have been making to my life have felt more like trying to keep my head above water whilst baking two buns in the oven. Cooking dinner after working a ten hour day felt like a major accomplishment and after hauling myself out of bed at 5:00 am for an entire workweek, I felt like I deserved a medal. However, as the first trimester unpleasantries have started to fade, my focus has been staying on top of my house work. It is soooooo terribly easy to say "that dirty kitchen can wait til.... someday in the not-too-distant future...."

I have always been more of an Amelia Bedelia than a Martha Stewart, but I want to raise my kids in a clean, organized, put-together environment. I am sure that my definition of those particular adjectives will change a bit once I have two newborns to care for, but I figure its best to get a habit established anyway. I have been making an effort to at least stay on top of the laundry, do the dishes more than once a week, and keep The Hubs' shirts ironed and presentable-looking. The Hubs was recently asked to start wearing shirt and tie to work, so the throw-it-in-the-dryer-with-a-wet-towel trick doesn't quite cut it anymore. Suprisingly, however, I have found the regular ironing to be quite enjoyable. It is a chore in which no scum is involved (such as shower scum or baked-on food scum) and the results are so crisp looking. I feel positively June Cleaver-ish while I'm ironing. Maybe I should start wearing an apron and pearls...

Tomorrow, I am going to bathe the dogs and tackle a long-neglected and scum covered shower. The dogs love baths so that will be the easy part. (We regularly find our younger dog, Lucy, just hanging out in the tub...) The shower, on the other hand, is full of soap scum, dirt from Lucy's paws, and hard water stains. Not an easy mixture to clean. I have previously used Arm & Hammer shower cleaner, but that has strong fumes that I can't bring myself to consider safe for gestating fetuses. So I will be trying Ajax, a heavy duty scrub brush, and a lot of prayer.

I realize that my cleaning routine probably doesn't interest much of anyone, but I am trying to embrace the idea that once these babies are born (and I have recovered from the c-section,) I am going to be taking sole responsibility for the upkeep of my house. I will not be working outside the home, won't be going to school for a while, so I want to be able to take pride in my little kingdom. Bring it on June Cleaver.

I do, however, promise not to regale you with tales of the babies' latest bowel movements or any other gore of that nature, and that's just going to have to be good enough.

A New Reason to Improve

As of Thursday morning, I have an entirely new reason to do the things I do, to be come a better person- Thursday morning, after ten long months of trying, I found out that I am finally pregnant! It is just barely sort of starting to sink in that I am going to be somebody's mother. I feel prepared and inadequate all at once. Anyway, in order to prevent this blog from becoming a "Johnny threw up today" kind of blog, I will stay brief and just say that I am excited beyond what words can express. So in the spirit of my announcement, the artist I will feature today is Anne Geddes ;) (No analysis needed).

Bosch and Scale

The next artist I'd like to feature is a fascinating sixteenth-century Dutch painter named Hieronymus Bosch. There are so many reasons why I love Bosch's work. Let's take a look at the painting that is cosidered his masterpiece: The Garden of Earthly Delights



I apologize for the somewhat poor quality of the picture, its the best I could find online. This is oil paint on wood. There is an INCREDIBLE amount of detail in this painting that you just can't see in small scale. I encourage all of you to go to the library and look up a book with a larger image of this painting- its amazing. Here are some close-ups of the right side panel:









Now- why do I like these jumbled, slightly disturbing paintings so much? Firstly, consider the period in history in which they were painted. The Garden of Earthly Delights was completed in 1510! Martin Luther wouldn't post his Ninety-Five Theses for another seven years! This was a time in which portaits and religious paintings were the norm. To my (very limited) knowledge, although they contained religious content, nothing like these paintings had ever been done before. Look at the surreal creatures and objects in the close-ups. Its plain to see that later surrealist artists like Salvador Dali were heavily influenced by Bosch's work which was so entirely ahead of its time.

So how did Bosch create such a surreal, even nightmarish mood? It wasn't just his use of strange creatures- look at how he messes with the scale of everyday objects. All of the human figures are propotional to one another, but the flute, the bagpipes, and the animal skull, for example, are all gigantic in proportion to the humans. It gives the viewer an feeling of vague uneasiness which the theme of the painting only enhances.

Scale is an interesting tool that artists use to inspire certain feelings in the viewer. Consider the Sistine Chapel, for example. A viewer's breath is simply taken away by the massive scale of the work. Then after the feeling of overwhelming awe subsides, the viewer can look at the individual frescoes. As you're out and about looking at various advertisements, buildings, landscape designs, etc., consider how the creator used scale to convey his point. In advertisements, a product is often portrayed as being much larger than it actually is. Like this ad, for example:




If the bottle were actually this big, it would take an NFL player to lift it. But the proportionally large scale of the bottle draws your attention to it.

On a somewhat unrelated note: Donovan McNabb, I hope you enjoy the death of your career with the Washington Redskins.

Art Lesson

Going back to school in a creative field has made me realize just how important the creative process is in my life. Being in an art class again has made me feel like a big part of me that was asleep for a long time is alive and engaged again. Since art is once again a big part of my life, I'd like to start featuring an artist each week (or, let's be honest here, as often as I get to it). For the most part I will not be featuring artists like DaVinci and Van Gogh whose work everyone is fairly familiar with- I want to talk about some lesser-known artists. Not obscure, necessarily, but not uber-famous either. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the work of a Collage artist named Dick Allowatt. (I'm starting with him because I'm currently doing a project based on his work.) Dick started his art career as a Graphic Designer but now works in collage and assemblage. I like his work because not only is the composition great, but his work is also quite thought-provoking. Take this collage for example:




This collage is called "Golden Girl". It is an interesting take on our obsession with beauty and body image. Note the asymmetrical balance of the angels and the fabric and the unity brought to the whole piece by the repetition of the blue shade in the angels' tunics, the girl's swimming suit and the saints' outfits and by the gold in the background, the arches, and the girl's hair. This is a really well put together piece. Let's look at another one:




This piece, entitled "Miss Fortune" is a really neat mixed-media collage. I love the combination of the renaissance-style painting with the Bookie's log. A lot of collage is purely aesthetic, but Dick Allowatt really says something with each piece. The project I am currently composing is based on "Golden Girl" and I will post a picture of my piece when it is complete.


Here is more of Dick Allowatt's work:


So there's your art lesson for the day. Or week. Or however long it takes me to post again.

Time for a Change

Another day, another dollar. It sounds so simple, but employment is such a big part of modern life. For the last two years I have worked at a job that was good for a while, terrible for a while, and then ended up being great. My coworkers are nice, my boss is the best boss I've ever had, and the hours are completely ideal- but I have hit a dead end. A few weeks ago I was promised a promotion, and then a change in company policy made said promotion impossible. In fact, this change made it highly unlikely that I will ever be able to advance. My boss laments the fact that I will not be able to do this other job he had intended for me, but this bolt from the blue came from high above his head. So although there are a lot of things that I really like about my job, it is time for a change. I am putting the feelers out there for a new job. Although some people would be fine with a never-changing job, I am not one of those people. I need to be able to grow and improve. So I will take my time and find just the right job that will probably be pretty similar to the one I have now, but with advancement opportunities. I have been at my current job long enough so that it won't look like I can't hold onto a job, and I will be leaving on great terms with lots of good recommendations. So I feel that the time is right for a change in employment, hopefully at a place where I can stay until I have my degree, 45 years from now.

Anna Returns

After a shamefully long hiatus (attributable to an increase in my professional workload, starting school, and a rather nasty bout of food poisoning,) I'm back!

To be completely honest, one of the reasons I haven't written anything in the last few weeks is that I haven't had much to say. I have all of these good ideas, but implementing them one after the other sort of defeats the purpose since I can't really establish a habit for any of them. Since I can't really start anything new right now, I thought a simple status report might suffice:

Good Idea#1: Freezer Cooking- We still actually have several of these meals in the freezer. We will be eating one of them tonight, as a matter of fact.

Good Idea #2: Debt-Busting- After about 3K in unexpected expenses this spring (Damn you, Murphy, damn you.) we haven't made much headway. Our "budget" has pretty much consisted of getting the bills paid and feeling pretty good about it.

Good Idea #3: Non-Negotiable Priorities- Haaaah! Ummm yeah. These are still all-too-negotiable. It comes down to 2 factors, the foremost of which is that I don't have a lot of time. The second factor is that when I do have the time to exercise or read scripture, I just don't want to. Now that it is staying light out so late (isn't it lovely?) I think I am going to start walking my dogs after dinner. Goodness knows they would like it. As for scripture study, I just don't know. I'm right in the thick of the Mosaic Law right now and....ZZZZzZzzzzzz.....*snork!* What was I saying? Oh right...Old Testament. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there but MAN do you have to work to find it. I guess church as a whole is not yeilding much satisfaction right now. I think most of us churchgoers go through phases like this where church just loses meaning for a while. I guess I'm in a bit of a spiritual funk. I'm sure it will pass.

Good Idea #4: Going Back to School- This is going swimmingly. I love being back in the classroom and doing something I absolutely love. I finally feel like I am headed in the right direction, academically speaking. I really can't wait until I'm designing professionally. *sigh* It will be bliss.

Good Idea #5: Eating Healthy- This has been going fairly well except for the aforementioned food poisoning. I am currently trying for the nth time in my life to give up soda. I loves me some Coca Cola. I haven't had a coke since last Thursday which has to be some kind of record. I did drink a lot of sprite over the weekend, but since it was the only thing I could keep down for about 48 hours, I didn't feel too bad about it. The Hubs is down to the last notch on his belt and is going to have to buy a new one soon. Why can't weight loss be that easy for women? Garrrr. One good thing that seems to have come from my recent illness is that I now have somewhat of an aversion to fast food (from whence the food poisoning came). Certainly less fast food in my diet will be a great thing.

And thus are the good ideas.

I would also like to add that I crocheted 2 (count 'em- TWO) dish cloths this weekend. Next stop, dish towels. OOOooooo.....

Good Idea #5: Healthy Eating

In a recent development, The Hubs has become terrified of diabetes. He is strong and fit and healthy as a horse, but all of a sudden he wants to take steps to ensure that he doesn't become diabetic and have to have his feet amputated. A worthy goal, undoubtedly. However, I'm not sure why the sudden worry. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he is turning 25 in June (yay car insurance discounts!).

Anyway, we are cutting way back on the sugar (I have always had a very insistant sweet tooth) and upping our intake of fruits and veggies. I am also trying to eat more whole grains and use less processed food in my cooking. On that note, I am proud to announce that last week, I made my own butter. It is fabulous. It is creamy and delicious and contains only two ingredients: cream and salt. No monohydroxyunsaturated anything in my butter.

If you'd like to try making your own butter, take heavy cream and put it into a large bowl. I started with a gallon of cream and ended up with what looks like about 5 lbs of butter. You can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or if you are like me and do not have the counterspace for a stand mixer, (*sulks bitterly*) you can use a hand mixer with the whisk attachment. Just beat it! First it will form thick strands off of the whisk, then soft peaks, then stiff peaks, then something a little firmer and then all of a sudden the cream siezes and buttermilk floods out, leaving butter behind. Now, since you didn't start out with cultured cream, the buttermilk isn't cultured which means its basically like unhomogonized 1% milk. It is delicious over cereal. Anyway, once your butter gets to that point, drain out the buttermilk and knead the butter in a bowl of cold water. Once the water becomes cloudy, dump it out and fill it again with fresh water. Repeat until the water stays clear. It is important to wash all of the buttermilk out because if you don't, the butter will spoil much more quickly. Incidentally, I am in the market for a French Butter Crock. If anyone knows where I can buy one locally, please enlighten me in the comments.

I am really excited about our foray into healthy eating. I have tried to make this change on my own before, but without the support of a spouse, it is infinitely more difficult. The Hubs, for most of our marriage, has worked at fairly labor-intensive jobs, during which a dinner of Chicken Ceasar Salad was completely insufficient. Now he is behind a desk a lot of the time and his caloric needs are much closer to my own so that, in order for me to eat healthy, I don't have to cook 2 dinners. Yay desk.

On a less healthy note, we ate a freezer dinner last night that made all of the other freezer dinners we muscled through completely worth it: Bacon Wrapped Chicken.


It was divine. Not something you'd want to make often because there isn't much that's healthy about it, but wow. It was good. It would be a great dish to take to a party because its easy (albeit time-consuming) to make but looks and tastes tre gourmet. I served it with fresh broccoli to up the healthiness factor and what a meal.

Hopefully the healthy changes to my diet and the regular (I can't yet say daily...) walking will make for a more energetic me that can keep up with full-time employment, part-time scholarship, and all-the-time wife-ing. Go me.

Good Idea #4: Going back to School

Back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad I'm not a fool...

And to earn a degree that will let me do something I actually enjoy doing and make money doing it. That's right folks, I'm going back to school for a degree in Graphic Design. I started college as an art major, but since I didn't really know much about what I wanted to do, everyone convinced me that I'd be a starving artist or a secretary with a useless degree. So I switched my major, sort of foundered around for a while, and ultimately dropped out because of some personal and family issues. Now that I've been a working adult for several years (as a secretary with NO degree,) I have figured out how I can use my artistic abilities to earn a living. I am SO excited to be going back to school. I wouldn't change the choices I made- I still believe that they were the right ones. Still, it was really tough watching all of my friends graduate and feeling like I'd never get there. I am tying up all of the loose ends concerning enrollment, registration, and the like, and I will be starting my first class(Fundamentals of Design- YAY!!!!) 2 weeks from this Friday.

Education has always been really important to me and my lack of a college degree has always left me feeling, well, lacking. This is a self-improvement that I have wanted to make for quite some time and it feels so good to finally be getting there.

I'z goin too bei smarterr nau...

Since I have been out of town for the past few days, I have no food review for today. Honestly, I'm getting pretty tired of the freezer dinners. They just aren't the same as fresh food. Yes, it was quite enchanting the first week, not having to cook, but the quality of the food was just blah and after an entire month of it, I don't think I can do it again. I am, however, going to try a different method of making things ahead. I am going to go back to planning 2 weeks of meals at a time, shopping every other Friday, and just doing everything I can do ahead of time as soon as I get home from the grocery. Chopping, browning, etc. That way I will still have a plan, still save time on work nights, and still have fresh food that isn't a drudgery to eat. We will finish up the freezer meals we haven't eaten yet (except maybe the Chili...I may just throw that out when Alex isn't looking) and next payday I'll buy groceries like a normal person.

So overall, I'd say OAMC has its merits, but it isn't for me. I enjoy cooking (and eating) too much. When I know I am capable of "Wow!", "meh..." just isn't good enough. Also, I plan to start using coupons a lot more in the coming months, and that isn't easy to do when you only shop once a month. That takes a kind of planning that is well beyond my abilities.

And so, Good Idea#1 dies a quiet death after it fell on the "error" side of the trial and error process. So long OAMC, I will remember the good times.

Anna Rambles

Being sick has gotten in the way of a lot of things recently, namely my Non-negotiable priorities. Still, I have found that categorizing exercise and scripture study as non-negotiable keeps them on my mind a bit more than they heretofore were. The past few weeks I have done them about 40% of the time, which, while it is not perfect, is better than the < 5% I was averaging before. My hope is that as my cold disappears and the weather improves, my batting average will increase.

In other news:

I cleaned my ENTIRE house on saturday. Dishes, Laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, the works. I am the queen of my domain.

Daylight savings time started which means last night it was light out well after 8 o'clock. I can smell camping season quickly approaching.

I am going to Vegas this weekend with The Girls. A few weeks ago, The Hubs gave me a few dollars to get a coke and I told him I was going to save it for my trip. When he asked why I would hang on to such a paltry amount, I replied that where Las Vegas is concerned, one never knows when a girl will need some singles. He wasn't nearly as amused as I was.

My favorite dessert is Tiramisu.

That is all.

And now, the dinners we have tried since my last post: Spaghetti and Sweet Onion Pork Chops.
The Spaghetti sauce was good. That's a pretty tough one to screw up. I think I may save that recipe, make a whole stock pot full of it, and can it someday when I am feeling adventurous. (Maybe canning will be a "Good Idea" in the future. I have never tried it. Frankly, the idea that something may explode in my kitchen is not confidence-inspiring.) When I asked The Hubs what he thought about it, he said "Its spaghetti- what's not to like?" It was really nice, however, not to have to brown the meat. Cook noodles, dump in sauce, warm through. Nice.

The Sweet Onion Pork Chops were really tasty. The sauce was tangy and sweet (although next time I will be adding a prodigious amount of hot sauce and liquid smoke) and was quite good. It could have used more onion. I also think that it would taste better over chicken, but don't tell The Hubs I said that. He doesn't like it when I blaspheme.

Sweet Onion Pork Chops:
The Hubs: 9 (I believe this is his highest score yet)
Me: 8
Wrench: "Its good"

Tonight we will be having Creamy Lemon Chicken, which I am looking forward to. The promise of broiled swiss cheese topped with fresh lemon slices gives me great anticipation. *wipes drool off of chin* Tune in tomorrow for the review!

The Hubs Has a Good Idea

He's a pretty smart cookie actually, he has good ideas quite frequently. But don't tell him I said that, I'd never live it down. Last night as we were eating Lime Pepper Chicken (more on that later), The Hubs suggested that some of our dinners for next month come from the Crock Pot. I readily agreed and so, next month some of our Freezer Meals will be designed for the Crock Pot. Also, since none of the freezer recipes we have thus far eaten have wowed me with their excellence, I will be keeping only the best of the freezer recipes and then just making and freezing a bunch of stuff that I already make. Jamaican Jerk Chicken, for example.

The Lime Pepper Chicken was good. Nothing fancy, the flavors were not complex, but it was good. Oddly enough, there was no pepper of any sort in the recipe. If I make this again I will add some habaneros or scotch bonnets for a little kick. Once again, I forgot to get scores from The Hubs and Wrench, but they both approved. I'll give it an 8. Not bad for a work night.

My cold persists and so without further ado, I bid you adieu.

If, in today's post, you find grammatical errors, stories with no conclusion, or other nonsensical ravings, please forgive yours truly. I. Am. Exhausted. I forsee a nap in my lunch-break future.

Since I am scarcely able to string together a coherent sentence, I will be brief. Beef and Broccoli = yuck. After running a slew of errands both on my lunch break ( I still squeezed in a walk later in the day!) and after work, by the time I got home I was tired and starving. Usually in that state I am able to wolf down large amounts of dinner without even tasting it, but the unsavoriness of the Beef and Broccoli trumped my tum. The flavors were weird, the meat was tough, and the broccoli was soggy- not a good combo. The Hubs and Wrench said it was fine (I was too tired to even remember to ask for their scores) and that they didn't mind it at all, but as for me, I will not be making it again.

Beef and Broccoli:
Me: 1.5
The Hubs: "tastes fine"
Wrench: "Its good"

As part of my debt-busting good idea, I'd like to share some ways in which I save money. Today's tip, FREECYCLE. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of freecycling, it is based out of a website with local groups all over the country. You sign up (free!) with your local group and start the fun! You can post things that you don't want anymore (I'm talking anything- from an old lawn mower that may or may not work to your leftover coupons to the couch that you just replaced) and people come and get them. You can also post things you want or need. I have gotten many items from freecycle. For instance, last night I acquired a whole bag of jeans. I wear a really hard-to-find size (translation: expensive) and although these are much too short, I am going to cut them all down into capris for the summer, saving about $100 I had planned for just such an expense. So now I can use some of that money to replace other parts of my wardrobe that are nearing the end of their life-spans. Unless, of course, I can find those on freecycle too...

A Week Gone By

This weekend was somewhat tiring. We were not at home for more than a few hours each day and consequently did not eat dinner at home except for Friday night, when we had the Rotini. It was delicious. That one is definitely going on the menu for next month. The scores were in almost perfect harmony:

Rotini:

The Hubs: 8

Me: 8.6

So what have I learned after a week of eating freezer meals? Firstly, next month I will be planning side dishes such as salads, breads, etc. to go with the majority of the meals. Secondly, next month I don't think I will plan freezer meals for the weekends. We are usually quite busy and, oddly enough, I miss cooking a nice dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Don't get me wrong- the freezer meals are good, but they're nothing compared to my usual fare. (I know, I'm so humble. Just ask me.) I still want to be able to cook mouthwatering apple and white wine pork chops. Or Jumbalaya. Or Gumbo. So- next month I will do freezer meals for Monday through Thursday and then have my delicious dishes Friday through Sunday.

In other news, I got a new car this weekend! Now, this may seem like a strange way to go about paying off debt, but I assure you: it fits right into the plan. How is that, you ask?

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, The Hubs and I had a 1989 Ford F350 that, to make an exceedingly long and painful story short, blew up in Middle-of-Nowhere, Wyoming. We still owed money on said truck, so when we rolled into the Salt Lake Valley completely car-less, we didn't have many other options aside from rolling the loan for the truck into our new vehicle. Fast forward to last week: we were still fairly upside-down in our vehicle. The mileage was getting high, it was starting to have a lot of issues, and we felt strongly that it wasn't going to live to see the day when we had it all paid off. SO- after lots of looking at several dealerships over the course of a few months, we finally found a great trade that, while it would raise our monthly payment, would erase the negative equity we had in the old vehicle and would give us something that would actually last, hopefully well beyond the day when it is paid off. Clear as mud? Good.

So this is what I got:

Its a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. *Sigh* Love. What we save on gas is going to easily make up the difference in our monthly payment. (We have a 60 mile round-trip commute, so you do the math...)

Anyway, just wanted to share my good news. Also, this weekend made me realize how grateful I am for The Hubs' family. I got to see them a lot this weekend and, though I'm not sure what exactly it was that brought this on, I realized just how important they have all become in my life and just how much I have become a part of the family. Living accross the country from all of my blood-relatives is difficult to say the least, but my in-law family makes it much, much easier.

I am done rambling now, kudos for reading this far. Tune in tomorrow for a review of Beef and Broccoli.

Differences of Opinion

Tonight marks the end of my work week and for the first time in I-can't-remember-when, there is no gigantic smelly pile of crusty dishes waiting to ruin my Friday. My sink is so clean it sparkles. OAMC be praised! Instead of playing scullery maid, tomorrow I will be able to devote my attention to my mutts and to a long-neglected project.

Last night's dinner was a split decision. We had the Cheeseburger Soup and I loved it! The Hubs, not so much. The soup was flavorful (although not as cheesy as one would expect) and filling, and although I will be making changes the next time around, (about 3x the potatoes, 1/2 the broth) I enjoyed it thoroughly. The Hubs, however, had had a bad day and was starving (which, in our household is a synonym for extreme crankiness) by the time he got home, so I think he would have been better served with something more substantial than a soup. I learned last night that he doesn't really like soup. We've been together over 8 years now and I never knew that. Chowder, sure. Chili, great. Stew, awesome. Soup, no. Live and learn I guess. So our scores are as follows:

Cheeseburger Soup:
The Hubs: 2 (and he said that was being generous)
Me: A wholehearted 8 (although with the changes I plan to make, it could easily be a 9.6)

So there you have it. Maybe next month once I make it thicker I will tell him it is Cheeseburger Chowder. Maybe I will stick to serving this as a side dish. The spread of these scores is interesting to me. Even though we spend more time together than almost any married couple I know, we are still our own people with differences of opinion. Namely, pork chops v. steak, sliced bread, and Bob Dylan. How fascinating.

And now, a request. To those of you who read the blog even occasionally, would you do me the honor of becoming a follower? I would just like to be able to gauge my readership a little better. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I know several of you who read regularly that aren't followers and I'd just like to know who's out there!

Thanks sincerely,

Anna

Back to Debt-Busting

So I said a while ago that I was going to take March and April to get used to living on a budget and, slowly but surely, it is all starting to come together. As of now, the debit cards (both mine and The Hubs') are officially retired. I will be writing checks for all of the bills that go in the mail, but everything else I plan to do in cash. I will be using The Envelope System to help us stick to the new budget.

If you aren't familiar with the envelope system, here's how it works:
1. Make an envelope for each category of expenses you have and label it accordingly. One envelope for gas money, one for grocery money, one for savings, one for your electric bill, etc.
2. Fill each envelope with the money that you have budgeted for that particular expense.
3. Each time you make a purchase, you put the receipt into the envelope the cash came from.
4. No borrowing from other envelopes!
5. At the end of the pay period, whatever you have left in the envelopes goes into savings. (Until my emergency fund reaches the desired amount, then whatever is left will go toward debt.)

That's the plan anyway. I have yet to implement it, but I think it will be great. I think I will be setting everything up over the next few days.

And now, last night's dinner.

The Chicken Chow Mein, most feared of all my freezer dinners, wasn't actually that bad. While it in no way resembled anything Chinese, it wasn't vile. It tasted like chicken and rice with cream of mushroom soup. Nothing fancy, but decent. I will concede, however, that the water chestnuts were odd and unnecessary. So overall, it was a keeper, but I will not insult the Chinese people by calling it Chicken Chow Mein next time I make it. I will call it...hmmmm...Mushroom Chicken. Yep, that'll do. I think I will also add broccoli next time.

Chicken Chow Mein a.k.a. Mushroom Chicken:
The Hubs: 5
Me: 5.5

Not spectacular, but reasonably good. Tonight, Cheddar Cheese Soup. (which I added hamburger to, so I call it Cheeseburger Soup instead...)

Thus it Begins

Last night, how to describe it? The peace. The tranquility. The harmony. I came home from working late, popped my casserole dish into the oven, hit the button on the rice cooker, and viola! A mere 40 minutes later, a hot dinner came out of the oven as if by magic. I had 40 entire minutes to clean the kitchen, play with my dogs, and read with The Hubs!

Shall I compose a sonnet to thee, o freezer full of food? How shall I ennumerate thy goodnesses?

My nightly routine went from "Night on Bald Mountain" to Beethoven's 6th.

For those of you who are more visual:

from THIS:




To THIS:





From Berlin 1945 to Pax Romana. From The Osbournes to the Cleavers. Ahhh. Much better.

And now, as promised, a review of the dinner:

We ate the Chinese Honey Ginger Chicken and it was...meh. It wasn't bad, it was just very, very bland. When all else fails, add hot sauce.

On a scale of one to 10, 1 being "even the smell made me gag" and 10 being Nectar of the Gods, The Hubs and I will each be giving the recipes a score.

Chinese Honey Ginger Chicken:
The Hubs' Score: 5
My Score: 4.2

That being said, this recipe has the potential to be at least a 9.6. Next time, I am going to treble all of the seasonings and use either white wine or apple juice instead of water.

Tonight's dish, Chicken Chow Mein. *gulp* I am dreading the eating of this dish so much that I have set aside cash in preparation for the drive-thru trip that I foresee following the tasting of this...err....meal...

C-Day

Let me begin by saying that Once-A-Month-Cooking is not for the faint of heart. It was confusing, overwhelming, and exhausting.

But oh, the rewards! All of the finished products looked and smelled delicious and my freezer is brimming over with meals that I won't have to cook after work.

When I say all of the recipes looked and smelled delicious, I mean that they all looked and smelled delicious except for the Chili (which smelled less-than-appetizing) and the Chicken Chow Mein. I must have been asleep at the keyboard when I let this one onto my recipe list. It was a casserole. And not only a casserole, but the casserole that other casseroles have nightmares about. It was a horrid concoction that jiggled ominously and made splurping noises when stirred. Seriously, why oh why would one need Cream of Mushroom soup to make Chicken Chow Mein? Maybe I should have just cut my losses and substituted green Jell-O. But, in the name of frugality (lest we should forget Good Idea #2,) I didn't throw out either the Chili or the Chicken Blob.

Here are some things I learned on C-Day:

What I will do differently next month:
1. I won't come down with a cold on C-Day Eve.
2. I will get all of my advanced preparations done in advance. That ate up a LOT of time on C-day.
3. I will not get all of the ingredients for all 15 recipes out ahead of time. This proved to be a huge waste of my already scarce counterspace.
4. I will not open all of the cans in advance. Due to my cold and my lack of advanced prep, I didn't get all of the recipes made in one day. I did 10 recipes on C-day with the help of my afore-stated lovely friend and her equally lovely sister, 4 recipes on Saturday, and I will do the very last one tonight. I had to put plastic bags over the cans that I had prematurely opened.

What proved invaluable:
1. A healthy supply of paper towels.
2. Burn Salve.
3. Mariah Carey on the iPod....(only those of you who know me personally will know just how much I am kidding when I say that...)

As for my predictions about how I and my kitchen would look at the end of the day, "Cut me Mick" was just about right. I really did feel like I had gone ten rounds. My kitchen, on the other hand, fared a little better than I had predicted. Due to my friend helping with dishes while she was here and my own periodic dishwashing breaks (and my dogs gobbling up everything that hit the floor...), my kitchen looked less like a Hurricane Katrina zone and more like the site of some pansy little tropical storm. Still wrecked, but no casualties.

And last night, I asked The Hubs (as I always do) what he would like for dinner. He asked me (as he always does) what his options were. I simply referred him to the list of meals I had in the freezer, he chose the Chinese Honey Ginger Chicken, I got it out of the freezer and measured the rice and water for the rice cooker so that all I have to do tonight is pop the chicken in the oven and start the rice cooker! No tears or throwing things involved. Tune in tomorrow for my review of our first freezer dinner.

So: all in all, I declare C-Day a success. Even though right now I feel like death warmed up, when I look in my freezer, I feel like a domestic goddess. Bow to me, oh ye kitchen utensils- I am no mere mortal.

Anyone know where I can get a cape?