Shelly’s Journal

Ah, the joys of napdom. What a treasure it is when a busy Mom squeezed a few moments from a day to snuggle under a blanket and check out the inside of her eyelids. My naps are few and far between. Yesterday, my little guy ended up with a late nap and my big guy begged to watch a show. My weary body relented to his pleas, and I found my self tucked in for 30 minutes of repose. Ahhhh!

Just as the thoughts running through my head began to take a path of their own leading me to dreamland, I heard a small rustle in the mini blinds on our front window. I knew the window was cracked, so assumed, the wind. As I tried to get back to my dream-to-be, another rustle jarred me away. I peeked my eyes open to see what was making that noise. Even from my prone position, I knew that something was lurking behind the blinds.

Flashback, 1998, Richmond, VA. A rustle in our bathroom blinds during the middle of the night draws me to peek out the bathroom window, only to be greeted by a bat - flying strait at me. Can you say scream! I dived in the shower and Gil came racing to see what my peril might be. He swooped forward with a towel to scoop up the areal rodent and release him back into his domain.

Gil is no where to be found. He’s not even done with work yet. It’s all me baby. Please don’t let it be a bat.

I lurk towards the window, trying to peek between the slats to see what it could possibly be. A mouse? A snake? A really big bug? A lizard. It was most certainly a lizard, and I most certainly was on my own to dispose of it.

I went downstairs and retrieved an old peanut butter jar from the recycle bin. The key element of this hunt - no touching allowed. Yuk. I slowly raised the blinds to the midway point on the hanging window and then above the location of my visitor. There he sat, uncertain, I was sure of what was going on. I tried to scoop him without allowing him to fall to the floor. Instead he got stuck in the partially open window and then crawled strait up the glass. Somehow, I tapped the jar near him and he fell in. On went the lid. Yuk. Yuk. Triple Yuk.

I descended the stairs victorious, and shared my catch briefly with my oldest son. Then we released him back to the wild to catch more bugs in our garden.

My next task - exploring the window to see how he got in. The screen were up, but then I noticed that there is a brushy type thing on the edge of the window that is supposed to keep things out of the open window. It would be easy enough for my little visitor to push his way through the brushy stuff and into the house. I guess he crawled up the side of the house onto the window and just kept crawling, not realizing where his path took him.

I closed and locked both of the windows.

And the excitement of the the day’s catch drew my 4-year-old from the TV and transformed him into a bouncing splendor of boyish joy. Which meant, the moment of napdom was snatched away by a little brown visitor.

A while back I mentioned that I had a new approach to my fitness. Last year was all about losing the baby weight and getting into shape. The vehicle I used was running and the goal to run a half marathon was the motivator. I finished roughly with a 2:13 time and pushed through.

As the fall began, I started to get back into weight training some. Then around Thanksgiving, I strained my rotator cuff and everything went for a loop. It was a real demotivator. Because it happened during the winter months when the weather affects my personal ability to workout, it pulled me down that much harder. I did not run at all during the month of February, maintaining some workouts and physical therapy. I put on about 4 lbs. and slowed down.

While visions of improving my half marathon time danced in my head, I seriously wondered if I could put the miles in to do that - especially since my dh schedule was all over the place and he wasn’t much of a help in keeping the boys so I could run or coming with me. I knew that I wanted to be stronger all over and continue my weight training. I also knew that if I got into the running too hard, that all other exercise would fall by the wayside.

I decided that I wanted to increase my overall fitness level more than I wanted to train for races. For the last few months, I’ve been trying to work out a schedule that allows me to do that. It’s been a frustrating time as more schedule changes have really thrown a wrench in the matter.

Finally, things have worked out to some degree. My plan is to weight train on M-W-F using DVD training. I want to workout hard and increase my weights. On T-Th - Sat, I’ll run. Sunday will be my day off. Weather is a factor in my running schedule. If I need to, I can try and switch a day - especially at the end of the week when I can fiddle with my day off. Or once summer comes, we might do an extra run on Sunday as a family. Since we’ve been back in church the last few months, that has been harder to do.

I’m also diligently working my shoulder with some additional exercises I picked up in PT, doing ab work and throwing in Yoga stress relief here and there where needed.

In the last week I’ve decided to run with the stroller on my days rather than wait for my dh to get home from work in the afternoon. I do so much better with exercise in the mornings than in the afternoons. This week, it worked out fine - except for the weather. So, I just do the best I can. I got 5 of 6 workouts this week - which is more than I’ve done in some time.

I do my weight training when we first get up, while the boys are watching their morning show. It takes away computer time for me, but is well worth the effort.

So far, I’ve been doing well. Over the last month, I’ve dropped my additional poundage, and started to get muscles in areas that were not so muscular before. I feel better overall, although I still have a mini afternoon crash of about a half hour. I am sleeping better as well - that is when the other members of my family don’t wake me up (count both boys, dh and the dog).

I haven’t completely counted out racing for this year. As I’ve worked my body through weight training, my running is improving despite how few miles I’ve logged this spring. I know that the overall strength I’m building is fueling that.

I’m still blogging regularly at my fitness blog - mostly just summaries of my encounters and feelings toward my workouts. I am working on eating subtly, too - but still refuse to embrace the diet mentality.

So that’s where I’m going these days!

My first attempt at homemade slaw. It was the usual Shelly fiasco. If there’s a way to do something wrong, I’m there.

I put the slicing disk in my food processor the wrong way so that half of my cabbage was a slimy mess. I was getting so frustrated. How could this be? This is a high quality processor. One up for user error. Once I flipped it over, it was a matter of a minute before my slaw was slawed. And the carrots shredded like a dream.

Next I added 1/2 cup mayo and 2 T White Vinegar. The mix didn’t seem right, so I added more of the mayo and vinegar. I ended up with too much vinegar. But when I put it together with the pork sandwiches, not so bad.

I got my pork recipe from Chris, here.

She had these ingredients:
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dry mustard
2T sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder (optional)

We liked it, but didn’t love it. But, it’s a good base recipe to start from. I’m thinking a little less vinegar and a little more sugar. And the above made about 2x what we needed, so I froze the rest and plan to use on some ribs next week.

Plus, how economical is this? The sauce probably cost about $3 to make. Pork Shoulder -$3. Rolls - $2.50. I think we had 8-10 sandwiches out of this, plus sauce left over for the ribs (does that make the sauce only $1.50???)

The Coleslaw cost me about $1.50 to make - and I could have had more if I’d not messed up so much cabbage. Next time I’m trying this version.

It’s great when you have the tools and the seasonings on hand to do what you need to do!

We sit around looking at the unfinished spots. More than two years ago, Gil tore out the bank of cabinets over the stove and moved them into the laundry room. There is still a white spot on the wall that needs to be painted yellow. One light fixture was to go in above the stove utilizing the power that previously drove the oven hood. (I really don’t miss the oven hood. Just one less place for grease to collect.) Another fixture needs to be replaced and the entire ceiling could use a fresh coat of paint.

On the floor, Gil still hasn’t sealed the grout or finished putting in the molding he tore out when the tile floor went down. But, I still feel like a new woman in my kitchen. Why? Because I finally broke down and bought some things to use in the kitchen that have helped me out tremendously.

Food processor - I have already told the story of my new mini food processor. It is a thing that I use almost daily. Tomorrow, cole slaw.

Liquid measuring cups - I never had one until a few weeks ago. I did have one of those big Pampered Chef ones, but not a little one. Well, I did have a cup from my bread machine, but it didn’t have a spout and was really lame. So now I have a 1 cup and 2 cup. Again, I use them almost every day.

An Egg Beater - This was a luxury item of sorts. The one thing I remember from my mother’s kitchen is the egg beater. My kids have already developed the same fascination. I like it much better than the whisk.

Garlic Press - I had one, but a really lame one that never worked. I finally got a good one, and wow! what a difference. How did I live without this?

Mixing Bowls - I never really had a set of utility mixing bowls - some odds and ends from my mixer (big and glass). I got a 3 pc plastic set from Target that I just love and use one of them almost every day. I love working with them and I love that they are plastic for when my kiddos work with them. My little guy has a thing for the smallest bowl and the wire whisk.

Stand Up Mixer - Is that what you call it? I had this, but never used it. I broke it out this year and love, love, love it.

Pans - A new 10 inch skillet (the old one was literally falling apart), a new big skillet and the Rachael Ray 5 qt saute pans. What a difference good pans make. I have been lusting after the RR pan for 2 years, and finally broke down when I saw it on sale at Amazon. I love it. I can boil pasta in it, make rice or use it like a fry pan.

Still thinking about - a rice cooker. We’ve been eating lots of rice these days, and it would be nice to have one, but I know there are other options if I’m on the ball. I think I’d rather replace my favorite slow cooker (you can make rice in that, by the way) though first.

Since I’ve never been a big cooker, I’ve never missed these items. Over the last two years, I’ve been more into making good meals, and these things make my life so much easier - especially in the last month as I’ve tried to make dinner every night. I still can’t believe I didn’t have some of these things!

What would you call your essentials in the kitchen? Do you have a favorite “tool”?

Bump went to his first car race ever this past weekend - The Lipton 250 at Richmond International Raceway - part of the Nationwide Series (or as Bump says…Serious) which is a NASCAR race. He also got to enjoy qualifying for the event and for the Crown Royal 400 (the big boys) race on Saturday.

He got to see his favorite racer….

A year ago, we didn’t even know their names. But one day, at Kmart, he saw a red car pez dispenser and his life (and ours changed forever.)

He thinks of all of them as “his guys.” But his favorites are Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch (who wouldn’t like a guy with M&Ms on his car?), Tony Stewart, Junior and Bobby Labonte. He is so cute when he says Juan Pablo Montoya or Patrick Carpatier or AJ Allmindinger. He knows them all. He named them all off for my husband as they went through.

And my drivers? Kevin Harvick who drives the “Shell” car #29 (my birthday) and Jeff Burton (born the same day as me.) We like our drivers for weird reasons…

I gave a link to Martha Stewart’s Pillowcase bag the other day. Here’s my first attempt:

I made this bag for one of my great nieces who just turned 6. I plan to make it a beach bag of sorts, filling it with fun things for the shore from the dollar store.

I did end up buying a twin sheet set to get the pillow case since I couldn’t easily find print pillowcases locally, but since I’m running such a shortage on pink in my stash, I think that I’ll easily gobble up the rest of the fabric. Technically, you could make a fabric tube from the sheet material and make another pillow case bag. Which I might do as well.

I carried the bag around for a few minutes with some stuff in it. Not bad. I wouldn’t use it every day, but it would be nice to pack extras in when you’re going out and about.

Total project time - 40 minutes.

It’s been a month since we sang the song, since we paraded around the yard looking for the hidden treasure of his birthday gifts, since we wore silly hats and blew up balloons.

My little boy is four. Is he ever.

It seems like only yesterday that I was frantically trying to nurse him, staying up what seemed all night. He grew to have this little personality and funny faces. He walked, then ran, then talked and hasn’t stopped since. Always shy, he’s now bold and friendly.

I look at him and see the little man inside of him. As his pants get too short and his shirts too tight, I cry a little. He is now big enough to ride roller coasters at Busch Gardens. Amazing.

He talks like he’s 7, with big words and expressions. He loves the alphabet and numbers. Colors and shapes are his friends. He climbs trees, swings on his tire swing and rides his two wheeler with training wheels.

He is a special boy. He and I are close. We talk and laugh all the time. He is learning to be a good big brother. Sharing has come hard. He plays with his little brother and makes him laugh. He shows him how to do things.

There is so much more, more than I can explain, more than I put to words. He puts smiles on my face and tears in my eyes.

Thank you Lord for my beautiful little boy and the 4 years we’ve shared so far.

All is quiet here this morning. Wednesday is Bump’s day at a Mom’s Morning Out Program and my little guy has graciously agreed to take a nap. The only sound to be heard is the hum of my food processsor as I take the time to do some pre-cooking.

First off, I made meatballs for dinner tonight. I made and pre-cooked them so that I just have to reheat tonight. Here’s my recipe:

1 lb. ground beef
Parm Cheese
Parsley
Bread Crumbs
1 Egg Beaten
Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper
Oregano

I really didn’t measure any amounts. And, I forgot the salt and pepper. Even without the mayhem, my brain is a little flaky sometimes. I usually put onions in my meatballs, after all, I could pulverize them in my Cuisinart, but decided to see how seasoning only would work.

I baked them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

They tasted very good, but I missed the salt and pepper. I think the kiddos will love them - especially my little one who is a big meat eater.

Next up, Pesto…..

I’m growing basil in my herb garden this year - that is, if the rain hasn’t washed out all my seeds. So, I’m planning on perfecting the Cuisinart pesto recipe and then making some as gifts for a few people I know who don’t cook much. And it’s freezable, so I’ll be also stashing some away for winter.

I was a little worried about making this recipe in my 3 cup food processor, as it was not included in the recipe booklet that I got with my machine. I thought it might have been too small for the job, since 2 cups of basil leaves are suggested for this recipe. I worked around it. Initially, I packed the food processor full, but when it was obvious that everything was not going to be processed, I opened it up and scraped the sides and removed a portion of the unchopped leaves. Then I started her up again and she was humming away. I stopped and opened it up, adding more leaves and repeating this process until all the leaves were chopped. It worked like a charm.

And now, I still have a few minutes to have lunch and write a post!

I’ve been plunged back into the world of daily cooking in this new schedule. It’s a role I haven’t embraced for 4 years - at least on a regular basis. I’m trying to be organized to make sure I have enough on hand to do what we need to do for the week. So, I’m planning….

This week’s menu:

Monday
Apricot Fish/Baked Potatoes/Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday
Cranberry Chicken in the Crockpot/Rice/Steamed Spinach

Wednesday
Spaghetti Dish from Rachael Ray Cookbook, pg 291/Meatballs/Green Beans

Thursday
Black Bean Chili

Friday
Chicken Enchiladas or Pesto
On hold due to potential NASCAR attendance by Gil and Bump on Friday

We just wing it on the weekends. I’ve also got a black bean and rice dish I’m waiting to try.

Cooking is very exploratory for me, as I never really learned to cook. I picked up things along the way and am only now putting it all together. It’s another adventure!

Also, I do feed my little boys from our dinner, although they usually get some things for just them. Instead of fish tonight, they got ham. Usually they always get bread and fruit. If I can get them to eat anything else, it’s a bonus. Bump cleaned his plate tonight. Clean. Two months ago, he would have never touched the stuff. This is the difference of family meals together.

I’m experimenting some in the cooking field, trying to find a list of 20 or so recipes to keep in my rotation. I’m trying some new things. I like to do that. I found a couple of great dishes on allrecipes today.

Mushroom Porkchops
Ingredients
* 4 pork chops
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 pinch garlic salt, or to taste
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Directions
*Season porkchops with salt, pepper and garlic to taste.
*Brown in deep frying pan on medium heat.
*Add mushroom and onions and saute for about a minute with pork chops.
*Add soup. Simmer on med-low for about 30 minutes, until chops are cooked.

Notes
I added a little milk also, trying to make gravy. I didn’t keep a close eye on this one because my potatoes were distracting. The liquid in the pan ended up blackening and thickening. It was the highlight of the meal.

Round 2 -
Mashed Potatoes with Fried Mushrooms, Bacon and Onions
Ingredients
* 6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
* 5 slices bacon
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 6 medium mushrooms, sliced
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

Directions
*Peel, dice and boil potatoes as usual for making mashed.
*Prepare bacon (I baked mine.) Saute onions and mushrooms.
*When potatoes are done, mash as usual except use butter and ranch dressing in mashing.
*Add in bacon, mushrooms and onions.

Notes
This was great. I used canned mushrooms in the absence of fresh.

It was a lovely meal, really.

Directions