Lazy Days

I've worked ONE day this week (yesterday) and spent pretty much the entire day sitting because I couldn't get up to do anything. I even took a nap this afternoon because I thought I would fall asleep during Mass if I didn't! That is so awful!

This morning, I had choir practice since next Saturday a group of alums is singing for their former choir director who is turning 99. This was my first time rehearsing with this choir and it was different...I probably should have rehearsed a little before I went since I only knew a couple of the songs! Oh well, it worked out (besides going about 40 minutes over the scheduled time and I didn't eat before I went!)

One of the deacons came the homily at Mass today and he did a good job (my mind wandered a few times, but that's par for the course since I have issues focusing when there is so much inside my head!) I wrote down a couple of the things he said: "the promise of 'peace' is not for the absence of turmoil"..."true peace comes from within"..."we don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future"... It was nice, and I got to see some people I know (which obviously happens when you've been going to the same church for over 25 years...ha!)

I ordered my mom and sister some pictures and bought some frames from Kohl's. I also made my sister a photo book, but didn't do that until a couple of days ago, so it hasn't arrived yet.

I am still doing "ok" with my healthier eating. I just finished a soy chocolate milk/frozen strawberry smoothie with a little bit of flax seed for dinner (I may have some chips and salsa for a snack later, but for now I'm full!) Earlier today, I made another recipe from my Deceptively Delicious cookbook. This is what I posted on facebook about it:
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So...I've been trying to eat healthy this week (besides that whole trip to the Mexican restaurant, eating LOTS of pepperoni as a snack, and candy from the boss' office multiple times yesterday...) and decided to try the other macaroni and cheese recipe from my Deceptively Delicious cook book. I LOVE pasta and cheese, so this worked for me...even though it didn't "really" work. I didn't follow the recipe exactly which MAY have been my problem because the cheese didn't exactly stick to the noodles (weird!) I also used "full fat" cheeses because that's what I had. Therefore, this probably wasn't that healthy, but cheese is yummy...ha! :) I only used one pan because dirtying two pans seems silly, I still don't have paprika, and used the butternut squash puree I made earlier this week.

Macaroni and Cheese
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat (skim) milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
2. While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, the the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and seasonings, and sir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.
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If you try this, let me know how YOURS turns out :)
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Well, I'm not sure if I'm going to participate in the "Bloom" book discussions, but tomorrow should be the first video from Jessica and Angie (that I may or may not have time to watch tomorrow). However, I want to re-read the first three chapters before I continue on because I read them in the mall (in Nashville) and was more than a little distracted. So, I'd better stop typing, stop watching TV, and get to reading :)

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my sister, and all moms :) At Mass, they did a blessing of moms, but before they did that, we prayed for those who have lost children, and those who have lost moms which was really nice.

Good night!

Yummy Mess

(And a little fun with "Picasa"!)

Yesterday, I spent way too much money at the grocery store (no one else does that, right?!) However, I had pretty much nothing in my fridge or freezer, so it was time. Last night, I made some very yummy--and really unhealthy...four cheeses AND half-and-half--soup. It made enough to bring some for lunch today and I gave some to my mom for hers as well. I'm pretty sure I will be making that recipe again (only with a few more potatoes...it only called for one which made for a pretty "soupy" soup and I kind of like chunky...)

Anyway, I also bought stuff so I could make smoothies (looking through my soup cookbook reminded me that I purchased a hand mixer last year and haven't used it in a while). I don't have very much counter space and the outlets in my kitchen are in really crazy spots. So, I squeezed into a spot and hoped for the best (in case I haven't mentioned, my kitchen is carpeted...whoever came up with THAT idea must have had a few screws loose!). I filled the cup a BIT too full so of course stuff went flying when I turned on the mixer. How I managed to come out of this mess with a still-white sweatshirt I will never know! (Actually, it didn't make THAT big of a mess, but it was a fun title...the soup last night may have really made a bigger mess, but I gave the stove a nice cleaning this evening and switched over to winter burner covers...)

Well, my smoothie is gone (healthy snack, yes, but PROBABLY not really necessary considering the amount of food I ate at dinner...). I got paid today, so need to check and see if it was enough to pay the bills that are staring at me.

Oh, I did work today, but today it feels a lot more fun to write about smoothies than that...back to work tomorrow.

Good night.

Busy Day

It was REALLY busy today at work and I felt REALLY bad for my student because I was having her do a lot of stuff, but then I would take over when she could have done stuff. I was scattered (and crabby at times) and not sure I was a very good teacher. I did talk to her after the shift was over to make sure she was okay with the way things were going. She told me it was okay, but it was pretty nuts. I think today's "quote of the day" is quite interesting..."I treat others exactly the way I want to be treated." ~Dionne Warwick. Well, I'm not SO sure I did that today, but I tried to catch myself whenever I was leaning toward not being very nice. I'm pretty sure I "slipped up" a time or two and was rather impatient with some folks, annoyed with others...overall, probably not one of my better days as far as being nice to people!

My friend ended up back in the PICU last night with her son (she's the one who painted my guest room last summer when he was here after transplant). I haven't talked to her in MONTHS, and was hoping it was because things were going well. (Of course, I talked about her a few times last week at work...it always seems like that brings the kids back to the hospital!). He's pretty sick, and they aren't exactly sure what is going on. I was able to "catch up" with her when I got off and we visited for over an hour (we still have lots to talk about!). While I DID miss talking to her, I would have rather taken a road trip to go visit than see her here! It WAS nice to see her, though, and since I have the next three days off, I'm sure I'll be seeing more of her. She is SO great. I am SO thankful that God continues to bring wonderful friends into my life :o) I'm praying that he improves quickly and gets to go home soon.

Well, my lunch consisted of a spinach salad with dried cranberries, blackberries, strawberries, and carrots with ranch dressing (sometimes I like to pretend I am a healthy eater! I also had a Diet Coke.). That was about eight hours ago, so I'm pretty hungry (plus Medium is on!). I would love to write more, but my stomach has other plans (and, no computer at home means this is it!). Good night from mom and dad's (my mom said my computer got to Fort Worth on Thursday, but that doesn't really tell me when it will get back to me!).

Marcie, thanks for commenting on my last journal entry. My legs are a bit sore from my run, but in a crazy kind of way, it is a "good" feeling! I agree that once the race day comes, I will be able to do it because of the reasons I want to do it. I stopped by your blog long enough to see you have adorable little red-headed girls, but that's about it (well, at least that's what I remember about my visit...you could have a couple of little red-headed boys, or one of each!). I PROMISE when I get my computer back, I'll read your story, and tell you hello then! Take care!

Laurie, I guess you are still traveling...hope you are having fun!! :o)