Hubby's Back Working Weekdays!

My hubby is back working weekdays again! I am so excited! He came home from work Saturday and said he would be off on Sunday and then back to regular weekdays starting Monday. It is so much nicer having him here on the weekends and gone on the weekdays. Honest, I'm not trying to be picky, but it's hard to work and get anything else done around here during the week if he's home; and I hate going to bed by myself only to wake up in the middle of the night when he gets in. And as far as weekends go, I'm just used to having him around. I was so tired last week--getting up in the middle of the night is hard for me.
.
So he's back on his regular schedule because they got ahead of schedule on the job they're on so 2 of them got taken off that and put back to their regular work. Fortunately, he was one of the two.
.
Now I just have to put up with the kids being home for the next two weeks. It won't be too bad--I'm just a creature of habit and I'm not used to having the kids home. Earlier, I had to put on earphones to drown out the sound of the TV so I could get some work done.
. Above is a picture of our dinner last night--it's over brown rice, but you can't see the rice with as many veggies as I put over mine.
.
Here's the recipe (sort of):
Butternut, Pea and Potato Curry
.
1/2 onion-diced
2 stalks celery-diced
2 carrots-diced
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 butternut squash-cubed
1/2 large sweet potato-cubed
3 small potatoes-cubed
1 TBSP curry powder
1/2 tsp each-ginger, turmeric, paprika
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups yellow pear tomatoes (mine were out from the freezer from my garden)
1 can coconut milk
1 can peas-drained
.
Saute the onion, celery, and carrot in the coconut oil until the onions get translucent. Add the potato, sweet potato, and squash. Sprinkle all of the spices on and saute for about 10 minutes.
.
Blend the tomatoes and the coconut milk in the Vita-Mix and pour over the veggies (add more water if needed to make a nice sauce). Simmer covered until veggies are as done as you want them. Stir in the peas.
.
Serve over brown rice.
.
It was supposed to be a curry, but the flavor and consistency, etc. reminded me of another dish I had at an Indian restaurant--I don't remember the name of it, but it was really good.
.
The puppy is doing really good. I told the kids that since they are home for a couple of weeks, they need to let the big dogs in and watch the puppy. Hopefully, by the time they go back to school, the puppy won't be so crazy every time she sees them so I can have them in here (being good) while I work.
.
It started out rough, but now everyone is being good.
.
Well, I guess I'd better get back to doing something productive. It's too much fun blogging, though.
Ciao for now.

Baby It's Cold Outside

To steal a line from a Christmas song. It has been really cold here. Today is warm by comparison--23 degrees at 4pm.
.
This is my third shot at this post. I tried two other times from my cell phone while son was sledding and both times I accidentally did something (I thought I just hit the backspace key, but apparently not) and everything I had typed just disappeared.
.
This is KiKi. She was a rescue dog--a friend found her and we brought her home in 2004. She is a little slow, but such a good dog.

This is Dubby. She was a K-Mart parking lot freebie that we got in 1998. She was supposed to be half lab and half Rottweiler. (I think her lab momma was friendly with a German Sheppard that the Rottweiler didn't know about.) Son was about a year and a half at the time and called her "the dubby". (That's little kid language for "the puppy".) The name stuck--she's Dubby.
.

The kids are out for Christmas break now--2 weeks of it. Daughter is at a friend's house for a birthday party/sleepover. We took son sledding. Hubby and I sat in the car and tried to stay warm while he slid down the hill over and over again. Right now, hubby and son are gone--son's violin lesson.

.

Yesterday was the annual third grade formal Christmas breakfast so last night, daughter was all gung-ho on manners. Now we're not heathens, but we are also a far cry from a Martha Stewart family. So daughter kept trying to correct everything we did at dinner. "That's not how you are supposed to hold your spoon." "Your napkin is supposed to be in your lap except when you are wiping your mouth with it." Etc. We finally got her calmed down. I explained that manners are to make a meal enjoyable, not miserable.

.

For dinner we had pumpkin soup. I got the recipe off MSN.com. It was really good. And easy! :-)

.

The puppy got her stitches out this morning! Ya-Hoo! So she no longer has her wiener wrap or her big collar. Her tummy is still sore from where the stitches were pulling, but the vet said that as active as she is, that was better than taking them out earlier and possibly having to take her back to surgery and re-sew her up. I guess I agree. I don't think I'd have wanted to do another 10-14 days of that.

.

Son had his violin concert. I was so disgusted with that. The teacher also teaches at the local charter school so she had her private lesson students play with school orchestra. The show was the "winter showcase" for the charter school and there were so many kids there. And of those kids, way too many of them were behaving obnoxiously--I hate that. And of all of the parents there, way too many of those were just as obnoxious as the kids. The teacher had the orchestra kids all lined up ready to go on stage and another teacher came in and started having kids change their shoes for another part of the show. The violin teacher tried to stop her telling her that they needed to be ready to go on in a minute and she had them lined up and they didn't have time to change shoes and the other teacher hollered out "my third graders need to change shoes. My third graders change shoes." I mean really! Why was her group supposed to be allowed to get out of the line up to change shoes? Just a guess, but judging by her attitude, I would bet that if someone had pulled this other teacher's kids out when they were lining up for anything, this other teacher would have thrown a fit. Anyway, watching some of the teachers and some of the parents, I can pretty well figure out why the kids were acting the way they were.

.

Oh, and also, I didn't even get to see the concert from the audience. I went to sit down and they were charging admission! The charter school is a public school! And none of the other public schools charge to see your own kid preform. So anyway, I watched from the wings backstage. Son didn't do very well--he was put in the back. He had never played with most of these kids and he was uptight. (Also, he is like his mom--doesn't do well in chaotic situations.)

.

OK, so enough complaining now. I haven't been writing much lately because of hubby being home. His getting in at 2 am from work and then getting up at 7 or 8 and then taking a nap at like 2 pm has kind of put a crimp in my style. I'll be glad when he is back on days. Make that I will be glad when he is back on weekdays. I don't like him working the weekend. It would be nice if we were both off on the same days.

.

When hubby and son get back, we are going to go get dinner (our usual Friday routine is to go out to dinner). Hubby wants Mexican food tonight. And then I was thinking that maybe the kids and I would go see a movie tomorrow while hubby is working (after sleeping in and after daughter gets home, of course).

.

Well, I guess I'll go now.

Ciao for now.

Whew, I've been away from my Blog a while

Hi! I've been away from my blog for awhile. I have just been really busy!
.
Look at my poor puppy.
She is just too active. She won't let her belly heal up so now she is in a wiener wrap and a fancy collar. Fortunately we'll try to get the stitches out on Friday, so we've only got a few more days of this.
.
Son got his braces on yesterday!


Isn't he cute? He'd hate me for saying that. His mouth was sore so he had some broth and a smoothie for dinner last night. For breakfast, he had cream of wheat. I made him mashed potatoes to take to school for lunch, but he decided he'd try the Christmas dinner they were doing. It'll have mashed potatoes.
.
Here's a picture of our yard right now. It started snowing last night and just quit a few minutes ago. We now have some sunshine, but it's only 21 degrees.

Hubby is on the couch trying to catch some ZZZ's. He has to work again tonight. He got home last night a bit after 2 am, slept until 7am, and is now catching some more sleep. I would be really grumpy if my sleep was broken into bits and pieces. I hope he's not.
.
I haven't done anything exciting with food lately, so I don't have anything to talk about there. I did get a start for Kefir from my aunt. She has hers in milk, I rinsed mine and am doing it in soy milk. It definitely imparts a yogurt-y taste to smoothies. And from what I've read, it's supposed to be really good for you.
.
We have a piano recital tonight, a violin recital and a boy scout Christmas party tomorrow night, and trumpet lesson and a girl scout Christmas party on Thursday night. Then on Friday, the kids are out for a 2-week Christmas break. Saturday and Sunday, hubby works and on Monday, we have another Christmas party.
.
It just gets so busy this time of year.
.
Well, I had better get back to doing something constructive.
Ciao for now.

Friday Morning

Good morning. I'm sitting here at my computer waiting for one of the gals at work to get in. I'm certainly not lonely this morning--Daughter is home sick today and hubby is home again today.
.
Daughter has had a runny nose for a couple of days and now she's really feeling rough. It's just a cold. I'm listening to Disney's "Lion King" on the TV. She and her daddy are watching it.
.
I'm also really cold this morning. The thermostat doesn't say it's any different than usual, but I get cold easily and once cold, I don't warm up easily.
.
Depending on my boss and the office manager, I'm either going to be really busy today or have nothing at all to do. (I'm waiting on each of them before I can get into certain projects.) I was kind of hoping for slow and then I was going to take off and go to the mall and get a haircut and a pair of shoes. (I have a jumper I was going to wear to hubby's work Christmas party tomorrow night, but I don't have any shoes to go with it. I just need a pair of super cheap black flats.) With daughter home, I doubt I'll make it shopping even if I am slow at work.
.
Dinner last night was steamed cauliflower, sweet potato mash (left-overs from thanksgiving that I took out of the freezer), and a small bean burrito (leftovers from last night). Hubby and the kids had ham in lieu of burrito--hubby bought a ham with his gift card from his employer.
.
Then we went driving around to look at Christmas lights. They were so pretty.
.
Then we came home and had a strawberry/banana smoothie for a snack and went to bed. It was a nice evening.
.
Well, I should be getting a call any minute now--she was going to be in at 9.
Ciao for now.

Betty's Burrito Beans (and still the dog)

Last night's dinner was roasted squash (or "squishie" as we say in my household) and bean burritos. She squash was drizzled with olive oil and molasses and then baked until soft. The burritos had sauteed onions and peppers, homemade "re fried" beans, and spinach on whole wheat tortillas.

Funny story about the beans. A couple of years ago, I had a big container of dried pinto beans. Daughter got it out of the cupboard, opened it, and filled zip-lock bags with the dried beans. Then in sharpie, she wrote on the bags:

.

"Betty's Burrito Beans

(or you can try to make coffee)

$2.00"

.

She didn't know the difference between beans and coffee beans apparently. But anyway, ever since then, whenever I make re fried beans, they are called "Betty's Burrito Beans". Here's my recipe--they aren't really "re fried" at all.

.

Betty's Burrito Beans

.

1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans sorted and soaked

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 tsp salt

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

.

Boil the beans. Let them boil down until there is just enough water to cover them when they are almost done.

.

Chunk the vegetables and put in the vita-mix with just enough water so they will blend well. Blend them and then pour the mixture onto the beans and bring back to a boil.

.

When the beans with the veggies are done, put in the salt and pepper. There will still be water over the beans, this is OK. Blend with an immersion blender. Put in the barbecue sauce and stir.

.

If the beans are too runny, cook down. If they're to thick, add enough water to get them to the correct consistency.

.

And that's all there is to it. I get asked to bring my beans to family things as a bean dip or when we have tacos. Also, my family likes them really well so I know they will eat (picky little boogers, anyway).

.

Last night after dinner, when I went to feed Little Girl, I noticed that her belly was all swollen to one side of the incision. And then this morning, even though the swelling was down, when she sat up, there was one area that bulged. So I took her in to the vet as soon as they opened (had hubby take kids to school since he's off today) and found out (Whew!) that it was just inflammation and it should be fine if she takes it easy.

.

So I asked if I could just quit the medicine they had given me for her. I told them that she was like a hummingbird on speed with the meds--they laughed and told me that I should only give her the meds from now on if she really acted like she was in pain. (Hello, I don't think that dog feels any pain.) And right now, she is actually taking her usually morning nap (usual before her surgery that is).

.

Like I said above, hubby is home today and tomorrow and then will be working Saturday and Sunday. After he got home from taking the kids to school, he came over and stood over my desk and started talking. Apparently, since he is home, I am supposed to be ready to have him all over me. I told him that work time was not that time. He decided to go for a drive and see if he could find a deer (whatever, at least he's not here bugging me).

.

I'm hoping to have a busy day at work, but right now, I'm blogging while I'm waiting for a call to discuss the things I hope to be able to get done today. I'll have to wait to get started until a couple of things up at the office are done so I may or may not be busy (I'm hoping for the "may").

.

Ciao for Now.

Zucchini Noodle Salad and life in general

Last night for dinner, I made the above salad. It was kind of a last minute thing that came out really good. I made it up as I went along--here is the recipe:

.

Zucchini Noodle Salad

.1 1/3 zucchini

1/3 Diakon radish

1 red bell pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 heaping tablespoons Tahini

1/2 tsp ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

black pepper to taste

.

Run the zucchini and radish through a spiral slicer and dice the red pepper into small even dices. Toss the veggies together.

.

Put the remaining ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together for the dressing.

.

Pour dressing over the veggies and toss again.

.

That salad was so good. I ate the leftovers a few minutes ago and I think it was even better this morning--it was like the veggies got softer.

.

Well, that's my grand dinner experiment. Then came this morning.........

.

Son was supposed to get his braces on this morning but he woke up an hour early (I thought it was nerves). He puked (again I thought it was nerves). I talked to him and he felt it was just nerves and he would be fine. Then, as we were getting ready to head out the door, he puked again. So I cancelled the appointment. And now he is pale as a sheet and lying on the chair asleep. I guess it wasn't nerves after all.

.

Yesterday, the puppy went crazy and wouldn't settle down at all. she usually takes several naps during the day, but yesterday, after her short morning nap, she suddenly went nuts wanting to run and play. She didn't settle down until 9:00 last night. I called the vet this morning and found out that the pain med they were having me give her does that to some dogs. They cut her dose in half--so far, she seems a bit more normal today--we'll see if she goes nuts after her nap.

.

I wish humans snapped back as fast after surgery as she does. But then again, I fear that she's going to pop her sutures open and then have even more troubles. One of our older dogs, Ki-Ki, did that. Fortunately she was healed enough that it just gave her a really wide scar.

.

Hubby is going to have a weird schedule from now until sometime in January. This week he has Friday off, and then, starting Saturday, his schedule is going to be Saturday and Sunday-days and Monday through Wednesday-6:30 pm to 3:00 am. They are doing an office remodel so are going to work after the office closes 3 days and the weekends. What a pain! Oh well.

.

Well anyway, I had better get to work.

Ciao for now.

Little Girl's recovery

We went over to the vet's office after I got the kids last night and picked Little Girl up. Poor baby felt so bad. I know it's a routine surgery that most female pets have, but I can't help but feel bad for her--I remember how much my appendectomy and cholecystectomy hurt.

.

So last night, she just wanted to be held. She yiped if she moved wrong or tried to get up or down off the chair. I even had to help her go outside to the bathroom because she couldn't get down the three steps to the yard.

.

At one point, she was shivering so I went and got the little yellow blanket and wrapped her up. This morning she was sleeping all sprawled out on her back (not very lady-like, but oh will)--see her scar?

.

Today, she can get up and down by herself, although she has yiped a couple of times. She also is wanting to play fetch, which she is not supposed to. Right now, she is chewing on her Kong (I filled it with peanut butter to keep her still and busy).

.

For dinner last night, the family wanted hamburger gravy. So while hubby made that, I made the potatoes (vegan), the steamed broccoli, and then some vegan gravy for myself. (I just melted a little vegan margarine, seasoned it, stirred in some whole-wheat flour, and then added soy milk and stirred on the stove until it got thick.) There was just enough vegan gravy for me. It was so good.

.

I had my annual physical today (it has actually been 2 years since my last). I was so pleased! The nurse went on and on about my weight loss, the doctor talked about it a lot and congratulated me on doing it the "old-fashioned" way. He told me that I am the healthiest he has ever seen me!

.

(I was a bit frustrated when the nurse asked me where I got my protein. She asked if I ate chicken even though I was vegan. Uh, no. You would think a nurse would have at least a bit of nutrition knowledge. I remember we had a course on it when I went to nursing school--apparently if you don't use it, you lose it.)
.

I did a stupid-40-year-old-woman trick last night. Since the dog couldn't get down the steps to go potty, I carried her down (hubby wouldn't do it because he wasn't dressed; hello, my stunning outfit was jammies at the time). So I carried her down the steps and started to put her down and started losing my balance. I tried to get her put down quickly without hurting her, while trying to re-gain my balance by pushing with my toes. I went over forward anyway. I got the dog down just in time to put my hand out to break my fall. I have a skinned knee, sore toes, and a bruised hand. Hubby had me in tears (laughing at myself) as he re-enacted my slow-motion fall.

.

I also made some crock-pot oatmeal last night before bed. You put steel cut oats, water, and soy milk in the crock-pot. Turn it on low just before bed and when you get up you salt it lightly, stir it a lot, and you have oatmeal! It was good. I will do that recipe again for sure. For a topping, I blended 1/2 cup of soy milk with 3 dates (my favorite sweetener) until smooth and then threw in a handful of almonds and blended just enough more to rough chop the nuts and then poured that on my oatmeal. YUM,YUM!

.

Well, that's all I have.

Ciao for now.