Friday, April 24, 2009

Things like that don't happen here...

I have been saying that here lately. I mean, most people see things on the news and think 'that won't happen here'. Well that all changed on April 22. If you have been watching the news, you might know about a wildfire on the coast of SC. Many, many residents have been evacuated. Most were woken up at 3:30am with a knock on the door. They were not given the opportunity to grab anything. They just had to leave. The fire has destroyed or damaged many of their houses.

The severity of the fire did not hit me until yesterday. I was able to completely see the smoke. I have seen the smoke before, but my view was blocked by trees. Yesterday there were no trees, no buildings blocking my view. It was heart wrenching. Every time the smoke turned black, I knew that someone had just lost their house. It was at that moment that I realized just how lucky I was. If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction on Wednesday I would be the one in a shelter.

I must say that our community ROCKS!! There are hotels offering free rooms, property management companies that are offering a place to say and there are private citizens that are opening up their homes. The restaurants are stepping up to the plate as well. Many of them are offering food to those displaced. They are feeding the hundreds of men and women fighting the blaze. We have the National Guard from SC and NC flying helicopters to drop water from their Bambi buckets. We have fire departments from all along the coast and SC coming here. The Red Cross has been at the command center since the fire began. They have been helping those displaced and the fire crews. They were on the scene when the first homes were evacuated and they will be there until the very last moment.

Sometimes life proves that Heroes are just ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

Friday, April 17, 2009

vegetarian Tortilla Stack


This picture really does not do the meal justice. It was one of the best meals that I have ever had. We also had some mexican rice on the side. The rice was a little bit wet, but that is ok. I am going to fool with the recipe some before I share it.

Dh love Mexican food. I just do not make it very often anymore. I am going to have to try and make something along these lines at least 2 times a month.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Hummingbird Cross Stitch

For the first time in almost 7 years I did some cross stitch. I decided to start doing cross stitch again to give me something else to do. I missed doing my own craft projects.

I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Here is the pattern that I chose to do first. My needlework was ok. I made some mistakes, but caught them right away. However, I messed up big time when I tried to pick it up again. The floss got tangled in the back. They say that the back should be as smooth as the front. Well mine is not that way. This is what it looked like when I put it up for the night.

Monster Salad


After working out last night all I wanted was a big salad. Well I made a huge salad. It was so big that I could not finish it all. I added broccoli, chickpeas, black olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, carrots, shredded cheese and imitation krab. OMG it was wonderful.

Broccoli & Pasta


I could not decide what to have for dinner one night so I went to the old stand by pasta. I added fried tofu, broccoli, onions & peppers. My kids ate the entire thing.

Salt & Pepper Tofu


I love it when dh cooks. He made us Salt & Pepper Tofu, fried rice and steamed broccoli. It was delicious!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

A New Beginning

Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike. I loved it. Time seemed to melt away. I just need to increase my level. I think that I did it a little too easy yesterday, but that is OK. I am starting back up on my calorie counting. I am going to get better. I need to just get back into the routine of it.

Starting Monday I will post my goals for the week. I will also update them throughout the week. Until I get those set up I will post a daily goal list.

Today's Goals:
3 mile walking workout (36mins)- I did 2 miles for a total of 24mins.
30 minutes Wii Fit- DONE
No more candy (I had 2 pieces early)
drink 8 glasses of water

How do you keep yourself motivated?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Savings and Budgets

I did not know anything about finances growing up. I did not save a thing. I did not think about retirement or living on a budget. I grew up in a house where money was not discussed. I thought that bill collectors calling were normal.I did not know that my mom had to go back to work because we were on the verge of losing our house.

It is my goal to learn as much as I can. I want to learn about setting up a budget (and sticking to it) and saving for our retirement. Like many Americans, my husband pension has taken a hit in the stock market lately. He lost a lot of money this past year. I would also love to pay off our truck before it is due. I also need to start saving for our vacation in the fall.

I am going to tackle each of these as a different post.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Organization

I am giving myself a goal for the next month: get better organized. I have always wanted to be better organized, but I cannot concentration long enough to follow through. I have always started with a bang, but then just do not follow through. In researching ADD for Tracker, I have learned that I have many of the characteristics of ADD as well.

I just found a new website ADDITUDE. I absolutely love it. They have lots of tips that will hopefully help my family. My husband and I have been talking about changing Tracker's diet already. We are also trying to find ways to help him recognize when he has just had enough.

I am hoping that this blog will help me keep track of my progress.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Weekly Menu 4/12-4/18


I am not going to assign a day to the meals this week. We are going to be painting the living room & dining room this week. I thought that it would be easier to just 'pull' from the list.


Breakfasts:

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Bananas and Pecans
oatmeal
bagels with cream cheese
egg white sandwiches
omeletes, biscuits & home fries
cereal
Coffee Cake & greek yogurt

Lunches:
pita pizzas
sandwiches & chips
salad & baked potato
Park Day picnic (pan seared black bean dumplings, hummus & crackers or veggies & ???)
veggie dogs & Annie's Mac & Cheese

Dinner:
Creamy Spinach Lasagna, bread sticks, string beans, salad
Vegetarian Tortilla Stack, mexican rice, and salad
General Taos Fried Tofu with broccoli
Homemade pizza
Awesome vegetarian Barbeque crockpot dish
Date Night(no clue??)
Spaghetti & homemade sauce

Snacks:
Homemade soft pretzels
Muffins
cookies
fresh fruit
hummus & baby carrots, celery
peanut butter crackers

For many, many more wonderful ideas check out Organizing Junkie.

Happy Easter


image courtesy of Free Clipart

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Cleaning Help Needed...

I have sliding glass doors in my dining room. I cannot keep the door tracks clean for anything. They are white and everything gets trapped in them. Any tips? I found some tips over at Thrifty Fun.

Wii Fit Anyone?

We have a Wii Fit. My family loves it. Everyone in my family uses the Wii Fit almost daily. I have not been consistent on it, but I will get better. My children are beyond amazing on it. They have all the high scores!! I need to get on their and beat them.

I want to get a few more games for it.

Monday, April 6, 2009

So Embarassed!!!

I joined a gym. Yes I did. I thought that it would be great for me to workout while my rugrats were taking swim lessons. Well I lasted a total of 7 minutes on the elliptical machine. Yep you read that right...SEVEN MINUTES!! I thought that my legs would fall off. I was also very self conscience. I did not know how to use the machines. I even asked dh to show me and he left me high and dry to go to his machine..the one that he likes.

I don't like working out in front of other people! So this was a big deal for me. I have not worked out since then. I might go Wednesday, but for now I am going to stick with the house.

When swimming starts back up next week I will bring a book and ride a bike. I know that I won't make an ass of myself on that. Atleast, I hope not.
 

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