9.6

Just a quick update...more like down-date...well, never mind.

I'm down by 9.6 lbs as of the morning. Wish I could say 10, but I'm not quite down that far. The calorie counter website has helped me stay on track and know what I really am taking into my body. If you haven't ever tried a calorie counter website try one.

There is also a cool feature on the website I use, where it tells you how many calories you should be consuming. It sure beats having to calculate it myself...which is what we were taught in my college classes.
http://caloriecount.about.com/

Like I said, try it out.

There is also a cool website to figure out the calorie intake for your kids.
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/?PMID=0

Good luck!

I LOVE SPRING

This is my favorite time of the year. Emmi and I have spent the last month or so (when it wasn't pouring down rain) getting the yard all spruced up. This year hasn't been as bad as years past. Every year there are less weeds to worry about.

One day there won't be any.

I wish!

So today we got the rest of our garden planted. We have added things this year that we haven't planted before (or for a long time) and it seems we have lots of food out there.

We have: Baby Carrots, Peas, Green Onions, Zucchini, Crookneck Squash, Head Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce, Pumpkins, Baby Pumpkins, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, and Tomatoes...Oh and strawberries and Blackberries and Apples and Peaches.

Not all of those last few are in the garden.

So here is the garden.

Oh and LOOK, my neighbor mowed his lawn (another story for another day)

Here are Emmi's Head Lettuce. The lady at the nursery told Emmi that the bugs stay away if you plant marigolds and basil by them. I think she just wanted us to buy more plants. I also think these will die a slow and painful death.

And here is the Cantaloupe. I will be surprised if these last a week. More than likely I will be buying some from the nursery in a few days. These were planted from seed in our house.

And the strawberries that will become a nice meal for the birds in a month or so.

I really don't expect to eat one. How sad is that?

This is my pride and joy (after my child). This is my "snoopy garden". It got that name because it looks like the silhouette of snoopy. I loooooooooove my decorative gardens!

I'll post pictures of it as the summer progresses and other things start blooming.

Happy Spring.

HONEY MUSTARD NUT CRUSTED SALMON

I know it has been a little while since our last menu item, but with birthdays and Mother's day I didn't get a chance to select the item I wanted to share with you.

Tonight I cooked a variation of my second favorite meal item SALMON. (Manicotti being my most favorite)

This recipe even impressed my daughter, who groaned long and hard when she was told we were having salmon for dinner. She ate almost the whole thing.

It makes a mama proud.

So here it is for you to share with your family.

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Honey Mustard Nut Crusted Salmon
Serves 4
About 470 Calories per serving

4 (4 oz) Salmon fillets
¼ Cup Butter- melted
3 T Mustard
2 T Honey
¼ C Breadcrumbs
1/8 C Smashed Walnuts
1/8 C Smashed Pecans (or you can use ¼ C of just one type of nut)
1 T Parsley- chopped
Pepper
Salt
Lemon Juice or fresh lemons to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Combine butter, mustard and honey together in a small bowl
In a separate bowl combine breadcrumbs, walnuts, pecans, parsley, salt and pepper.

Place Salmon in a greased pan (or a pan lined with aluminum foil)
Brush butter mixture on each salmon fillet. You can be generous with the mixture! You will probably have some left over, which is okay.

Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on the fillets, make sure you get the sides.

Bake 15 minutes and serve with lemon juice.

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Here are a few pointers on meal prep, but geez guys, this one is so easy your husbands could do it...without the pointers.

Here is the butter/mustard/honey sauce

And me beating the crap out of the nuts. I REALLY smashed mine, you don't have to go to such lengths. I was afraid my daughter would see a nut and go into hiding...... under her bed or in the basement.

And this is the breadcrumbs mixed with the nuts and parsley. Really, this is quite easy.

And here is my daughter brushing the fillets. If your husbands don't think they can do this, show them this picture.

And then the plated food. Sorry guys I was sooooo hungry I took a few bites before I realized I hadn't taken a picture for you to see.

*burp*

Excuse me!

MY MOM!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Let me tell you about my mom.

She is beautiful..... Inside and out!

And she loves you, no matter what.

No matter what covers a LOT of territory with me! I'm a tough one!

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My mom is my rock! She is what keeps me steady through the hard times.
My mom also has Lupus, as did her father.

Four years ago I was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor. At the time of diagnosis I was close to being paralyzed and had been having medical issues for years. My doctor thought I had MS, I thought my life was falling apart.

After multiple diagnosis, tests, frustrations and no real answers a full body MRI showed a spinal cord tumor in the T9-11 area of my back. It had compressed my spinal cord into almost nothingness.

I was diagnosed on the 13th of August 2004 and went in to surgery on the 20th.

My mom was with me through it all.

My mom, with her own hard medical problems, went to the Dr visits, was scared right along with me, and stayed with me in the hospital for 9 days after my surgery. Those nine days were no picnic. My mom, not the nurses bathed me. My mom helped feed me. My mom helped me to the bathroom. My mom was the nurses dream come true.

Because the tumor had wreaked havoc on the nerves that operated my lower body, I had to relearn a lot of things.

My mom was there through all of that too.

She helped me learn how to sit up again, how to stand, how to WALK!

Then instead of sending me off to a rehab center to continue my care. My mom, my wonderful mother. Took me home to her house and took care of me for another 9 days.
She did this wonderful thing for me and at the same time she made sure my 4 year old daughter was fed, clothed and taken care of.

In all honesty I went home too soon. But caring for me was taking its toll on my moms health and on my dads nerves. Because what I failed to say above, is that my mom was sick the whole time she was taking care of me. That sickness, because of her Lupus and running her body down while she took care of me, hung on for MONTHS and MONTHS and in the end caused permanent health problems.

But my mom pushed through it for me.

Then after I went home, struggling with a walker and cane in a two story condo. My mom checked up on me. She stopped by, she called. She wanted to make sure I was okay.

I lied to my mom a LOT during those times, because I was rarely okay, and ya know, I think my mom knew I was lying. Moms are like that.

But she respected my independence and helped me as much as I would allow.

My mom is a ROCK!

Happy Mother's Day MOM
I love you!

CRAZY DAISY NUTHOUSE

Birthday parties are soooooo much fun.

There is nothing like having nine 9 year old girls running around playing tag, or doing this!

See, it isn't only boys who do "dog piles", apparently nine year old girls do too.

I'm almost afraid to look but I think that is my little one on the bottom. *shakes head*

Oh and they also poke each others cupcakes,

And throw grass in each others hair,

And eat almost thee large pizzas.

There is so much I am learning about nine year olds that I never knew.

The biggest is that they wear you out.

*yawn*

DOWN BY 7

35 days down, and countless more to go!

But I’m down by 7 pounds.

This past month has been a struggle. I’ve had a few days when I wanted to break down, eat a cardboard box…dipped in chocolate of course… and then have a good cry.

Those days suck!

So last night, while I was working out….to Hillary Duff, Demi Lovato and other pre-teen groups….. (I couldn’t find MY ipod so I was forced to go through my daughters dresser and borrow)

I had a nice thought.

I’ve been at the exercise/ cut calorie part of my diet for 34 days and my back and legs have held up. I’ve not had any huge issues that have put me down for the count.

Last night I upped my exercise routine and today I STILL FEEL GOOD!

In fact, I actually forgot to take a pain med today and while my back is very tight and hurts, it is manageable.

I can’t express to you how happy that makes me. My biggest obstacle in loosing weight in the past, is that every time I tried to add the exercise component to the diet my spinal cord rebelled and I had to stop exercising.

This time I approached it in a different manor and my body seems to be holding out.

Today, along with upping the exercise, I will cut calories a little bit more.

Wish me luck!

9 YEARS AGO

Nine years ago tomorrow I received the most precious gift a person can ever receive. She is everything a mother could want.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

MY NEPHEW!

I am a proud Aunt...16 times over, and it never ceases to amaze me how each of my nieces and nephews are so very different in temperament and personality. And I love each of them to pieces.

This little guy was a creation of my sisters and she has graciously allowed me to share him with you. He is 2 years old and makes me laugh ALL of the time.

The picture I am going to share with all of you today just says it all. It also is one of those "uniting" moments for parents everywhere.

Because we have all had those moments when our brains ask the questions:

Do I laugh first, or should I cry?

Here is the moment.

By the way, my sister laughed...then cried.

He somehow managed to get his hands on some Desitin and paint it everywhere.

Man I love this little guy!