tiny finger pumpkin soup

As I was preparing to clean up the kitchen for the night I noticed the step stool next to the stove. I smiled. I grabbed my camera and took this picture. Why? Hopefully as a reminder of what fun my kids are and were. I know someday soon, they will not want to hang in the kitchen with me, help to me cook. One thing we enjoy doing is cooking. I am more adventurous than others in the family and love to try new things. Emma takes after me in that respect. Graham likes to help! Since he could walk, chairs, stools or what ever he can find are pushed up to the counter so he can lick the bowl or stir. I cherish these moments. I have learned to cherish these moments. Next time I will think to take the picture with them on the stool.
I do have to drop a note of how fabulous this soup is! The chocolate covered fingers that were dipped in it made it very tasty!

I have a few favorite pictures.
I am considering ordering larger prints from www.updone.com
If you feel like letting me know if one is better than another that would be awesome!

I have struggled all morning, but feel I need to re stir the pot. Unless you have worked in health care, you cannot understand the impact that government has on it. For years health Prof. have run like chickens trying to appease all the mandates of the government so they did not lose their license, what had become hard and stressful to handle, will now be impossible. Medicaid and medicare, have been a thorn since it's inception. If you think you were protected by having "private insurance" you are wrong, you have been picking up the other 50% (now 75%) of the tab. Government only pays 25 % of what the procedure cost, not what the doctor (hospital) charges, of what it costs! Simple economic lesson here, to maintain a business, you must turn some sort of profit, otherwise it will fail. In all our forgiving hearts and understanding bull, we jump at the chance to sue these people who only want to make our quality of life better, thereby causing doctor malpractice insurance to rise, causing your health care prices to rise. Since none of this was addressed in the bill, our problems have not been solved. Also, congress is exempt from this bill, just as they are in SS, which we all now know to be bankrupt.
Does it not scare you just a little that they will force the American people into a program they feel they are to good for?
30 million people who did not have insurance before now have it, I am sorry that is not majority rule.
If you think kids were dieing in hospital beds because they did not have insurance you are wrong!
Little story: A family from Mexico, desperate for the life of their son, came to the USA (Midland TX) by illegal means for our awesome health care.
They had no money and by law could not (yes this is true) get treatment for their son. Since they were not citizens they did not qualify for government assistance. He was admitted as no Emergency room can turn you away. The wonderful pediatricians at MMH, struggled, fought and finally found a way to help this poor boy get the lifesaving treatment he needed, through charity and private donations, not government aid. Charities, churches and natural good will of people is what makes our country great. If you think it does not exist, it might be you need to take a look at your own heart and past monetary donations.
I hope I have conveyed my message with out insult to anyone, given facts and really, there is no discussion regarding this, it is fact.

one last jab, I really don't care what insults you hurl at me, when most people lose a communication battle, they often attack with name calling, that is how the other person knows they won.

That special Room

I know now why people have those museum rooms in there houses.
You know the ones you are never allowed to go in.
It is because at some point your children will be trained not to mess with it and you can go hide in there, free from toys, free from clutter, laundry and anything else that invades all other living spaces.

Tator twist

This is so off the diet subject, but hey we are all allowed cheating room right?
Besides with P90X I am pretty sure I am burning like 1000 calories everyday!
Last night I made a family favorite, tatortot casserole. The kids really like it and Graham usually eats more when you serve it to him.
It is just ground meat, a can of cream of mushroom and tatortots.
This morning as I was chowing it down for breakfast, I know don't give me any crap, I was thinking, you know you could really change this up to make a great breakfast.
Sausage, cream gravy and tatortots, a little egg if you want, but would that not be an awesome breakfast casserole?
I will let you know...

Texas baked black beans and fried polenta

First just buy your polenta. You can make it if you wish but go someplace else for the recipe.
I used cilantro and green chili polenta and pan fried it in a little butter.
Baked black beans.
I used one bag of dried black beans
cook them in a crock pot all day.
Chopped one small white onion
one red bell pepper
A can of hunts fire roasted tomatoes
one can of green chili
couple slices of chopped cooked bacon
mix it all together
add salt and pepper to taste
add cumin to your taste
put in a casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
I put a little shredded cheese on top.

I will update you and let you know to date I am down to 128.5 pounds.

New Mexico, you missed a spot!

The little snow storm that hit New Mexico and Texas delayed our travel plans to Midland by a couple days. Thanks to the awesome Greg Morgan, we knew New Mexico got a lot of snow. Well Texas did to, but since New Mexico is such a barren state to drive through with one hotel that is the one you have to worry about.
So on Sunday we decided it would be safe enough to travel, as they had reopened the road.
The roads were dry. Driving along I began to wonder why they had been closed the day before. The road in New Mexico dipped down into a small valley. In that valley was a stretch of maybe 50 feet with 12 inches of snow. One poor VW bus was laying on it's side having been I am sure one of the many victims of the snow patch.
So my question is why? Is it that the workers in New Mexico feel just for fun they will not plow one spot in the road? Or was it on a county line and they can't decided where the line is?

Money makers?

One of the down sides of moving is finding new doctors. This is not easy! I believe some are in it purely for the money and have found a way to run their practice to get as much as they can from a patient rather than actually helping them. I am not saying they are all like this but I must say I have met a few.
Luck was in it for us when Graham got the H1N1 a few months ago. Pediatric Pathways is a practice consisting of a few doctors and nurses and office staff that are just awesome!
Dr. Huff has been the doctor we have seen. He is from Odessa so how can he be bad?
Yesterday, Emma started mad dashes to the restroom and not because she was vomiting.
I ran and got my handy home test strips and tested her urine. She has a bladder infection.
I called the doctors this morning and took Emma straight in. When she could not pee on command, the nurses did not send us home with a cup, they waited patiently.
Emma finally gave up her specimen and we sat and chatted with the Wonderful Dr. Huff.
I was fully prepared for a good talkin to, but it never came.
He recommended "the best pediatric urologist" there is. He said they would not make her have another UCVG as they are very traumatic to the kids and really they should only have them every 2 years or so. He seemed confident Emma could still out grow this and said as long as we catch the infections early he saw no reason why we should rush her to the table.
I am almost certain he saw the relief flood my face. Emma perked up from her corner slouch and said I LIKE THAT OPTION! That is the one I want!
He said often times surgery is done to relieve the parents and children from the horrors of UCVG.
I feel as if a small load has been lifted. We will continue to pray every night that Jesus heal Emma, but I feel he has given us a tiny spark of hope by leading us here.
I believe these doctors are in it for the care and love of the children.
Dr. Huff was very kind, and careful how he worded things. I think he knew the wrong word would send Emma over the edge.
They are fantastic!

Vomiting

If you have ever wondered how Graham communicates or if he even does I will give you a small example.
Most of the time when he poops he grabs his diaper and says blaa. As in icky.
This morning I was down stairs impatiently waiting on the coffee maker to descale and I hear him get out of bed. He is crying a little bit. I walk up the stairs and he is standing at the top pulling on the zipper to his pajamas saying vac baaa vac baa.
I was like huh? I took his hand and brought him downstairs.
He felt warmish but seemed in good spirits.
I walk back up to turn the TV off and step in a nice wet puddle of vomit.
I am glad he can tell me he has done it, I just wish he would tell me where.
And now that I can decipher the code of his speaking I will know to look for it!

Don't be a tofu hater

I know I should not waste your time by posting this but I had a pretty decent lunch!
I could never cook tofu and serve it for dinner as the people in this house would gag and demand pizza.
So I took it upon myself to make lunches I like!
I made this recipe up on my own and I need to work on it a little.





1 package of firm tofu
1 eggplant
1/4 cabbage shredded
little almond flour for breading
coconut flour about a tablespoon
salt and pepper

Slice the tofu to finger size bites
Slice the eggplant
mix almond flour and coconut flour with a fork.
Hit it with salt and pepper.
Roll your tofu and eggplant in the mix and stick it in the deep fryer! (this was my mistake I pan fried it and all the breading fell off as I turned it)
Salt and pepper again to taste once it has cooked for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
You will have left overs! Or at least you should, this diet thing will not work if you can eat an entire eggplant and box of tofu.
This is low carb not low fat so don't give me crap about deep frying.
Take your cabbage and 2 tablespoons of water, put in a sauce pan.
Cook it about 6 minutes on medium high. Or until it is the texture you like.
I like mine a little crispy. Add salt to taste.
The soup came out of a box. Totally up to you if you want it.
I thought this was a really good lunch.
The breading does not stick well to the eggplant. I tried rolling it in corn starch first and that did not work, maybe I could do an egg batter next time.
If you have suggestions to improve it please speak up!
If you are here to gag and tell me how gross this is then bye bye.
Go to McDonald's and eat your burger and fries, I am here for a totally different reason than you are.

healthy beginnings

Recent misbehavior of my body has inspired me to really really watch what I put in my mouth. I will be logging my favorite "healthy" recipes, fitness routines and other lifestyle changes here on my blog. I am doing this mainly for myself. A way to hold myself accountable. But if some one else is inspired or could use the recipes then it is win win!
I will post my starting weight (logged at the doctor) 136 lbs.
I know, that does not seem like a lot to some of you, but I am only 5" tall. My ideal weight according to doctors is between 115 and 120.
What I notice is even 5 lbs difference in weight on me causes drastic changes, hormonal, attitude, energy levels and many other things I will not TMI you with.
I started about 3 weeks ago (not New Years Resolution) routinely working out.
I am taking a few supplements, Cinnamon, Flax oil, vitamin C, Biotin, and a product called AcneAdvance.
Today was the very first day in months that I woke up and did not have a new pimple on my face! I use clinique acne wash morning and night and despite that I was still getting cystic acne. I can not tell you how freaking happy I am! My face has lot of healing to do but at least for today there is not a new pimple!
Next week I will tell you how much I have lost or gained.
Wii Fit has become one of my favorite fitness routines. I really like the hula hoop.
Small changes I have made regarding my diet are no more mashed potatoes. I have replaced them with Mock Mashed Potatoes.
You can also use cauliflower to replace rice.
So far I am thrilled with the results and the taste!
I will keep you up to date and post more recipes as I find and experiment with them.

Here is something to ponder

First if Emma was getting 2 hours a day of homework, I would be up at the school!

Here is the flip side

So lets take puppies. Allow one litter to grow and play together until the age of 6 to 8 weeks.

Take the second litter and separate them, allowing them no canine interaction at all. They will be raised by School board admins and be trained all day.

Put them all up for adoption and see which puppy is picked.

Extending school days, tacking on homework and only allowing enough time for our kids to sleep will turn them into the non interactive dogs who bite people that the school board people raised.

The puppies that had little to no training during the first weeks of their lives are more playful, cute and willing to learn.
The puppies that started training from birth will only beg for the bottle, follow you around waiting for it's next meal and will not know how to play.

You can learn a lot from dogs.
Can we understand now, why we have an entire generation of people who will vote for the politician promising them "rights" to food, health care and money?

I came to that conclusion all by myself with minimal homework assignments in my life and only 63 hours of college.
It pays to be a dog lover.
I know I am talking to dog haters.

Letter to Mom

Dear Mom,
The reason people are so skinny here is they do not sell blue bell.
There is no HEB that sells fresh roasted salsa. When you ask about a "good Mexican food" place you are returned with blank faces and the sound of cricketts.
Produce here is not wonderful. I am hoping spring and summer bring better results.
Places I would like to eat on my visit back to the great state are La Mission, Romies and possibly Casa Madrid if we have time and room in our bellies!

Stress? What stress?

Any time your spouse starts a sentence with "I don't want to stress you out, but..."
You will feel stress. I might in the future elaborate on this. You might know the what he is talking about or not.
My note to people who live in Colorado...
CHILL! Uptight is not a desirable trait.
Keep your horn to yourself. The only reason you should honk is if I am about to hit you, sitting for one second longer to make that right turn on a red light is not a reason to blow your wad.
Jogging in 15 degree weather does not make you a health nut, it makes you a nut.