20 February 2008

Recipe Corner and Other Things

My Own Brand of Coping
Today I am organizing my office here at work. It's what I do when I'm ignoring major issues-- I like to take a moment to, say, clean out and organize the bathroom closet when I've been informed that the house is on fire. Just hold on a minute! Let me get all of the band-aids in one box, please, and then I will deal with this pesky heat and smoke!

NCETMB Exam Countdown:
7 days! Shit Fire and save the matches, folks! Last night I fell asleep in Bird's bed at 8:30 ish and did not rise again, thus losing an entire precious night of studying. Oh, my.

I Made Two Delicious Things This Week.

First, simple salad that required no genius (and will include no measurements):

Bag of Dole Classic Romaine Salad (or whatever, organic something something if you so choose, just get some greens together)

Grape Tomatoes

Red Pepper

Carrots

Cucumber

Chopped peanuts

Dried Apricots

Morningstar Chik Patties, baked and cut up

T. Marzetti's super-fattening but always delicious Honey Dijon dressing.

Note: A. used real chicken breast on his salad, marinated in olive oil and soy sauce and baked. Gross.

+++++++++

Second, I revisited the smoothie I was so keen on making while I was pregnant with Bird:

One cup vanilla soy milk

One cup quick-cook Quaker Oats

One Banana

Frozen fruit (I chose a frozen strawberry-mango-pineapple mix and added frozen blueberries).

Blend, eat for breakfast, stay full until lunchtime.

I use a super-washed-out tall salsa jar (Kroger's Private Selection, I assume?) to drink from because it is tall and straight with no neck (easy washing), and it has a lid for transporting to the office in a hurry.

I Also Discovered a New (to me) Budgeting Tool.

mvelopes.

I'm trying the 30 days free, and so far so good. I like that it asks you to assign your money to be spent certain ways BEFORE you spend it, rather than the traditional budget program (or homemade spreadsheet in my case) that tells you where you over-did it and hopes you won't do it again. It's the old-fashioned envelopes (hello, Mr. Ramsey, you are a pompous butthead but your system works) idea, but online and integrated with your online banking instead of cash-only. I like that it's not going to let me cheat, that every dime spent needs to come from somewhere, whether it's the mortgage money set aside for next month or the food budget, whatever. High hopes over here. Try it with me if you want and we can talk about it.

Family Health Crisis Moves from Red to Yellow
Dad doing great after surgery, Grandpa with MRSA infection and other multiple, layered, serious health issues cleared to go home (which, honestly, I did not think was going to happen, but yay). Granddad (other one) still stable, holding on, taking a couple of sips of juice a day. Family and hospice still hovering. Snee family still grocery shopping in three-day blocks, waiting for news and travel plans.

Bird is Still Two, Not Terrible (mostly).
Had a nasty fever over the weekend, but seems all better now.
Tells Thomas "Oh, Thomas! You have such a pretty tail!" Melts heart.
Calls Beardog "sweet boy." Double melts heart.

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Hey my husband and I do the envelope system! We use actual cash and it's been really great. And I hate it when I have to steal money from one envelope to make up for overuse of another. But it has really worked for us. We started it in October and each month it's gotten easier. Good luck! And I'm glad to hear your dad is okay. Remember when he came running out into the living room in his underwear with a baseball bat? Ha!