Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Fog Is Beginning To Lift

It's a foggy morning.  The temperature is supposed to reach at least 85 degrees today.  I believe we will have a very hot summer this year, followed by an Indian summer, as my childhood hero, Laura Ingalls, would say.  Foggy mornings remind me of my childhood summer vacations in Ohio, visiting my grandparents.

My grandfather has passed already, but he is one of my most favorite people on earth.  He was a strict old guy, grew up in a strict home, army guy, married to a stricter wife of many, many years.  What I loved about my grandfather were his extremely high standards, his work ethic and his green thumb.  Every summer I can remember he would be out in the garden daily.  It was always a very handsome garden.  My grandparents had two acres of land.  The garden would probably take up a half acre.  It had everything you could think of.  He used to put us to work, snapping beans.  One fond memory was my first bite of a garden fresh tomato.  I saw it in the wheelbarrow, along with about 50 other tomatoes.  I walked by, reached down, grabbed a small tomato, and took a bite.  Gross.  I put it back with the exposed side down so no one would see it.  Wouldn't you know, that night at supper, right on top of my plate was that blasted tomato.   My grandfather said I was not allowed to eat supper until I finished that tomato.  He said what I did was wasteful and I shouldn't waste good food like that.  So I ate it.

I grew to love eating fresh garden tomatoes.  My grandfather was someone I always admired.  I have never met anyone who could grow beautiful flower beds and such wonderful fresh produce like he could.  So when I see a faintly foggy morning, I always think of him.  I miss him.

The fog is gone now. It has lifted and the morning sun and songbirds are out.  Stephen is still asleep and I am enjoying my morning with a great cup of coffee and beautiful country scenery.  We will probably grab a late lunch later, do some grocery shopping and then Stephen will head to work.  My mom wants me to stop by the Asian food store for her today.

I will check in later.  Hope you all survived the Mondays!  What is your favorite homegrown vegetable?

Laters.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Great Work Day

Today was a pretty good day at work.  I was able to accomplish quite a bit.  One of the departments I oversee has been struggling with fulfilling their job duties.  We had a team meeting on Friday night.  It was a productive one.  Ever since the meeting, it's been going pretty smooth.  Let's hope it lasts.

I am pretty pooped out.  I am having fish for supper with rice.  I have one more work day tomorrow and then I am off to Oklahoma to see Stephen.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

Laters.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Checking In

Hello! Just quickly checking in to say hello. Work was great today. I got a lot accomplished. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Today Was Better

I felt so much better today. I got 11 hours of sleep last night, drank plenty of fluids and had a decent supper.

I will be heading to bed soon as I do have a full day of work tomorrow. Grocery retail work is never ending.

Happy weekend to all!!

Laters.

Trying It Out

This post comes to you from my iPhone. I've never posted anything from my phone before. I'm sure it's just like my computer.

Anyway, I am working late today. I did get 11 hours of sleep last night and I do feel a tad better.

I will try to post something later today. Happy Friday everyone!

Laters. 

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Sandpaper

Hello friends.  I have been feeling a little under the weather since last night.  My throat has been scratchy and it feels like sandpaper every time I swallow.  My tonsils have always been large, but today, they are so swollen that it hurts to turn my head.  My neck is super sore and I'm sure my glands are the reason why.

It will be a short post tonight.  I want to catch up on a few blogs and then get to bed so I can get a lot of rest.  I haven't missed any work and I don't want to.

Hope you all had a great day!

Laters.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Gorgeous Day!

Wow.  Today was a gorgeous day!  I am so happy I was off and was able to enjoy it.  Stephen and I had lunch together and then ran to Sprouts to load up on some fruits and veggies.  I also bought a loaf of my favorite bread.  The 21 grain bread is the best bread ever!  I love all the nuts and seeds in it.

After Sprouts, Stephen went off to work and I headed to the Apple store.  I dropped off the Kid's phone so they could fix the screen.  It was an hour wait so I told them I would be back later in the day.  I had fresh produce in my car and I wanted to make sure the quality was good.  Berries don't like a hot car!

I headed back to the house, unloaded all of the groceries and then decided to take a short nap.  I knew I would be up late tonight.  I did not go to Stephen's job for supper, so I had plenty of free time.

After my siesta, I hopped in my Terrain and headed back to the Apple store.  Picked up the phone and it was in great shape!  Can't even tell the screen was ran over by several cars on a busy street.  Ya... that totally happened.  I was very impressed that it survived.  You hear all the myths about the phones bending and whatnot.  This phone fell off a moving car and was ran over I don't even know how many times.  It only shattered the screen and glass protector.  Quick fix at the Apple store and I was on my way.

I headed to the OKC outlet shops off of Highway 40 and Council.  I wanted to get a pair of shoes for my niece.  They didn't have what I was looking for.  Oh well.  The drive back to the house was nice.  I got to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

I decided to make some veggie pizzas for supper.  I know Stephen would want a snack when he got home, so I decided to use up the two mini herb flatbread crusts I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

I love making homemade pizzas.  They taste so much better than store bought and better than most restaurants. I don't care for red sauce, so I always make mine with pesto or olive oil.  Tonight's pizza was with pesto.  Yumm!

Here are what the pizzas looked like before they hit the oven...


As you can see, they are personal size, so it's great for one person.  Here's a close-up.


The base has the pesto sauce, then I topped it with grape tomatoes, mini orange peppers, roasted garlic, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and grated Parmesan Reggiano.

Here is the finished product after spending some lovely time in the oven!  It's gorgeous!


Doesn't it look so yummy???  It totally was!  I know Stephen is going to LOVE it!

Well, I am off to read some blogs.  I go back to the ICT tomorrow and back to the daily grind.  Hope you all had a gorgeous day!

Full Day

I would like for all my time here in Oklahoma to be relaxing and fun. But sometimes there is work to be done. Today I have a bunch of errands to run.  First off, Stephen and I will grab some lunch later, then head off to the store to do some shopping before he goes into work.  I also need to go by the Apple store to see if they can repair the Kid's iPhone 6 screen.  After that, I promised my niece I would look for some track shoes for her. She's a sprinter, so she needs shoes with spikes.  Good thing there is a Nike Outlet here.

In all, most of today will be fun.  I won't be able to go and have dinner with Stephen tonight at work.  Instead, I will work on the eight Easter baskets I am making for some of the children of the parents I work with.  The Kid is 20 now and has long outgrown the holiday stuff.  Oh well, that's what work kids are for!

Yesterday's water intake was right where I need it to be.  I actually felt pretty good yesterday and despite traveling, having water with me on the road trips helps out a lot.  I didn't even have to stop for a potty break.  With it only being a two hour drive, I made sure I went before I left last night.

Guess I better get the day started.  Coffee is hot and yummy this late morning.  I'll catch up with things later.

Laters.

Tired

Made it to OKC.

Today's water intake:  10 out of 12

Laters.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Shocked

Congrats to the Wichita State Shockers for beating the Kansas University Jayhawks!  This is a great win for our little city!  Now they can quit griping about playing against KU.  Lol...

Today was the bridal shower for my future sister-in-law.  It was very nice and she has a really big family!  There were three of us to 20 of them.  Oh well.  I think we brought enough gifts to equal theirs, so I didn't feel so bad.

I am getting so excited for the wedding.  This is my little brother.  I also have a sister, but my brother is the baby.  I am the oldest.  I have been waiting for this day for so long.  My brother is everyone's favorite.  He is also spoiled rotten.  But he is such a good person and wonderful young man.  I am so proud of him.  My son really looks up to him and my brother was a great role model for my son.

Well, I have some things to do this evening.  I want to pick up around my bedroom.  I've got some clothes on my bed that need to be hung up.  The dishes are done and I just need to pack.  I am going to OKC after work tomorrow.  It will be a short trip.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Today's Water Intake:  7 out of 12 (so far)

Laters.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

High Quality H2O

Gosh... I have gained back 20 pounds of the 40 I have lost.  Yikes!  Winter is over and it's time to shed that weight off!  I have made a goal to lose 20 pounds by my brother's wedding in June.  If I do it right, I should be able to lose 25.  It's going to consist of going back to drinking almost a gallon (12 cups or 96 ounces) of water a day.

So here is a heads up.  I plan to post my water intake daily.  I know it's boring and mundane, but it will help keep me accountable.  Walking (outside of the 10,000 steps I put in at work) will need to start back up.  I will need to walk at least 3 times a week for at least 40 minutes - 120 minutes a week.  That should be good starting out.  I am sure I will increase activity once I get going.

I am starting to feel better because I have written down a plan.  Now I need to follow thru and will need some help!  If you have any suggestions or tips, I am all ears!  I appreciate and thank you in advance.

Today's Water Intake:  7 out of 12 (will get 2 more before bed)

I suspect I will be in the bathroom quite a bit in the next several weeks until my body adjusts.

Hope you all had a great day!

Laters.

Friday, March 20, 2015

It's The Same Stuff

Do you ever get tired of doing the same thing over and over again?  Seriously.

Change is good.  I love change.  I wish others loved it as much as I do.

I'm tired tonight.  Long day today.  Another long day tomorrow.

Looks like the Wichita State Shockers and the Kansas Jayhawks will finally get to play against each other.  And I don't care who wins.  All I know is that WSU better bring it or they will be the laughing stock of basketball for the state of Kansas.  They have been wanting a chance and have been bitching about not getting to play KU during the regular season.  Well, put up or shut up.  Lol...

No worries.  I know it's a long shot for my beloved Buckeyes to win against Arizona.  One can dream.

Laters.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Quickie

Just wanted to check in with a quick hello.  I have a list of things to accomplish this evening: supper, laundry, more laundry, dishes and more laundry.  I also have a really big day ahead of me tomorrow.  I am pulling a 12 hour shift, so I want to get to bed at a decent time tonight.

Hope you all had a great day watching March Madness!  Go Buckeyes!

Laters.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Peanut Clusters

Remember those milk chocolate peanut clusters from the Nifty Nut House, Stephen's favorite?  Well, we have been playing around a bit with these candies for a few weeks now.  Stephen loves these so much, he could easily eat an entire pound in one sitting.  Not good for you!  So, I have been rationing them out in little baggies and then I hide them around the kitchen and dining area.  One day, he found all three baggies I hid and promptly ate 15 candies.  Goodness!  He has no willpower and I was terrible at hiding them.

So today before I left, I made sure to really think about the hiding places.  I had three baggies to hide.  No sooner than I backed out of the driveway to head back to the ICT, I receive a text message with a picture of one of the baggies.  What?

I called him instantly and demanded he tell me where found it!  He started laughing hysterically, saying I had not even been gone for 5 minutes and he already found a sweet treat bag.  To make matters worse, he teased me for almost 15 minutes and couldn't stop laughing.  I was pouting because he wouldn't tell me where he found it and I didn't want to give my other hiding places away.

I finally told him I had to hang up so I could use my phone at the Starbuck's drive-thru and told him he better tell me later.  So I drove back to the ICT and made it to work.  I decided to leave for lunch and sent him a text asking if he was going to give up the hidden location.  He called me and started laughing all over again.  He finally told me he found the baggy in my coat pocket.  I left my coat on the dining room chair and hid one of the bags in there.  sigh.... I am terrible at this game.  Lol.

After I pouted a few more times, I told him good luck on finding the other two bags.  These are hidden better than the coat pocket (I think).  Anyway, I went back to the store after lunch and walked in to find some beautiful flowers sitting on my desk.  They were from Stephen.  He called an hour before my lunch and had them arranged at our floral dept and delivered purposely on my lunch.


If you look closely on the card, it reads:

Peanut Clusters

:-)

Laters.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

St. Patty's... On A Tuesday

Today was a great day. I slept in, had a great brunch, did some shopping and had a wonderful supper with Stephen.

Let me unfold the day for you. I already posted pictures of our brunch. And the second plate was mine. Here is a car selfie on our way to grab Stephen's car tags.


Yep, that's me looking SUPER rough. I have really long hair, but I pulled it back today. Lol...

We then headed to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get my future sis-n-law a few gifts for her bridal shower. We got her a 10pc Calphalon Tri-ply stainless steel cookware set, some really nice wine goblets and drinking glasses and a Bissell Spotbot for her dogs. BBB does not gift wrap, but they do have a gift wrapping station. I am terrible at wrapping so Stephen, the DIY guy, did all of the wrapping and I did the bows.  It turned out okay.


After finishing our shopping, we were famished. We headed home and I started to prep for dinner while Stephen got the grill ready. Our salad had a mix of romaine hearts, baby spinach leaves, mini peppers, mini cucumbers, grape tomatoes, pear, blueberries and avocado.  The entire salad was organic except the dressing.



For the main event, we had grilled sockeye salmon, seasoned with a little garlic salt and pepper, grilled onions and yellow squash and a baked sweet potato with butter and brown sugar. Heaven on a plate!


It was all very delicious. I am totally serious. Of course, I couldn't eat it all and Stephen will have some great leftovers for work tomorrow.

I am dreading going back, but one must work to live. Hope you all had a great St. Patty's Day.

Laters

I Love Breakfast

I can't help but to write about food on this blog. I should write more about it on my food blog, but I really only do restaurant reviews on that one. And I make no apologies for the sloppiness of the plating or how the food looks. I am not a professional, nor do I aim to be. I just like that my food tastes really, really good!

I really like eggs. I will eat them cooked any way. Well, except pickled. I am not a fan of pickled eggs.


Today's eggs will be over easy.  It's the best way to eat them!

Can you tell which plate is mine and which one is Stephen's?





I picked up some everything bagels last night. They are my favorite. I love all the seeds and seasoning on it. I didn't lie. The plates are messy and the food looks messy too. But it was sooooo yummy!

I even put a little green on our plates.  Happy St. Patty's Day!

Laters

Monday, March 16, 2015

Spring Break

It's officially spring break.  Lots of kids everywhere.  I am happy to not be at work right now!

Today was uneventful.  I took a nap and went up to Stephen's job to have dinner with him.  I think he may be taking the day off tomorrow, so we will have plenty to do.

I did do some grocery shopping and picked up some Sockeye salmon, sweet potatoes, salad fixins, more eggs and some oatmeal.  I'm thinking we may grill tomorrow.  Yumm!

Well, I am off to read some blogs before bed.  Hope you all had a great Monday!

Laters.

I Am A Hot Mess

It all started off innocently enough...  Here I sit, warmth beginning in my mouth, moving slowly thru my body toward my tummy.  I heart coffee and it hearts me back.


Patiently waiting... for the unknown.  Their voluptuous round bodies lie in waiting, kissed with a light brown skin.   Their anticipation rises and my heart starts to pound.


Things start to heat up.  The surface is hot, it all starts to sizzle and perspire.  As I close my eyes and fantasize of what is to come next, the smell is intoxicating.


The grand finale nears.  The finished product stands alone, yet blended with so much delectable goodness.


 It looks like a hot mess but tastes sinfully good.

Say hello to our morning omelet!  Lol...

Have a great day!

Laters.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

I Got Mad At The Cat

I love Gabby.  I promise.  What I don't love is her cat hair.  I'm really good about keeping it off of my clothes and I am forever wiping things down and dusting around Stephen's house.  I don't mind her sitting on my lap when I am here, only because I have a special blanket she lays on.

But I am tired of her jumping up on the bed.  It gets on my nerves.  I don't want cat hair where I sleep.  I always take a shower before I sleep and I like going to bed clean.  When I got here, I made sure to give her some attention, lots of baby talk and doting on her.  I then grabbed a shower and decided to hop into bed to cruise the net and do some blogging.  She came into the room and kept up a loud persistent meow, like "pay attention to me".  She finally jumped up on the bed and I told her "No!"  I shook my finger at her and she stopped in her tracks.  I said, "No bed Gabby!".  She instantly jumped off the bed and sat sulking at the door.  sigh...

I just need my space, cat!  I've had a long day and I don't want you on the bed.  There are just some things I won't budge on.  I am just a big meanie.


I am sure all will be forgiven when I go to brush her later.  She loves that.

Okay, I am over it now.  Chat you all in the morning.

Laters.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

A Delightful Evening

It was a wonderful supper.   Everyone had a good time.  Rose is all set to go tomorrow.  She absolutely loved her surprise.  Supper was a success!  Here's a picture of one of the plates.


Doesn't that steak look divine?  It was cooked perfectly to a medium center.  All of the sides were yummy!  The kids loved the Nathan's hot dogs and their "mini" steak.  It was a fantastic evening.

Well, I am off to finish laundry and to pack.  I will be in Oklahoma after work tomorrow.  Can't wait to see my Stephen.

Laters.

It's A GREAT Day!

It was a great morning.  I got to bed at a decent hour last night and slept in until 9!  I needed it.  I feel so much better today.

I got up and put the coffee on.  I do love a good cup of coffee!



The Kid was home this morning so I made us some breakfast - scrambled eggs and biscuits.


We do love our butter and jelly on biscuits.  We use the Land O Lakes whipped butter and Welch's Concord Grape Jelly, two of my favorites.  Whipped butter is the only thing I buy for table use because a little goes a long way.   I purchase stick butter for baking.  The eggs turned out perfect.  We only eat cage free eggs and I don't mind paying 50 cents extra for them.

I have almost everything ready to go for this evening's GrillFest!  Here's what is on the menu:
-  Sterling Silver ribeyes seasoned with Daddy Hinkle's seasoning and marinade
-  Warm potato salad with green onions, bacon and cheese throughout
-  Baked beans with ground beef and extra brown sugar
-  Crock pot corn - cream cheese, butter and a touch of sugar
-  My AWESOME salad full of mixed greens, veggies and fruit
-  Rolls
-  And a big chocolate pudding cake!

I am feeding a total of 10 people.  It's going to be great and I am so happy to do it for my friend Rose and her family.  It's one less meal they have to worry about and today is all about fun and relaxing!  No talking about cancer when I get there.

I also have a big surprise for Rose that I have been planning with her youngest daughter.  Rose and her husband are going to Kansas City with two of their daughters to talk to a cancer surgeon, just to see if there is any hope.  They have never been up that way and after talking to the youngest daughter, they were worried about the trip.  I told her not to worry about anything and to let me help out.  Sooooo.....

I arranged and paid for a rental car, paid for two hotel rooms at HI, got them gift cards to eat at the Cheesecake Factory at the Plaza, got them a $50 gift card for gas and will give them $50 in cash for tolls and lunch on the way home Monday.  I told the youngest daughter I even printed out directions to every single place so they wouldn't get lost (it was all close to the major highway).  She started to cry, which made me cry.  It made me feel good to do something for them.  I don't want them to have to worry about expenses when they are already so worried about Rose.  Besides, I would have just spent the money on clothes or something I don't need.  This is for a good cause.

It's a great day!  Hope you are all having a great weekend!  I'll catch up with all of you this evening.

Laters.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Off For A Day

I am so happy!  I have tomorrow off and I need it!  Today just took forever at work.  I was happy to get out of there, but I had to shop for tomorrow's grilling event.  I am taking over a massive amount of food to Rose's house and feeding her entire family - 8 adults and 3 children.  There will be her daughters and grandchildren and her funny husband, so I made sure to cover all the bases.  I can't wait to share the menu with you tomorrow!

Tonight's menu features broiled mackerel and rice.  It's a traditional Korean dish my mom always makes and since I haven't been home in forever, I was missing it.  Mackerel is a fish that is either loved or hated.  I love it, but I can't eat it like some people do... in patty form?  Mackerel patties, like salmon patties, are disgusting to me.  I don't even like crab cakes.  Yes... I am weird.

The weather is supposed to be super nice on Monday with the temperature in the high 70's.  Hello spring!  I will be in Oklahoma so it will be perfect weather for walking and spending time outside.  I have quite a few things I need to do while I am there.  Hope Stephen doesn't have any more plans for us.

Well, I smell the rice and it has finished cooking in the rice cooker.  I am going to enjoy my dinner and read some blogs.  Have a fantastic Friday night!

Laters.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Nap Needed

I had a manager's meeting today in which all of the assistant managers in our company came together and listened to what our company objectives will be in the next year.  thrilling....

Anyway, I got home around 3:30 and decided to take a much needed nap.  I slept for 2.5 hours and now I feel better.  I am working early tomorrow, so I won't be staying up late this evening.  I am tempted to go for a walk around 9:30 because the mild weather is beckoning me to enjoy it this evening.   I've got a window cracked in my bedroom and despite all of the hustle and bustle traffic noises, it's a beautiful evening.

Hope you all had a great day!

Laters.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Late Night, Late Post

Thank you for the kind words and thoughts about my friend, Rose.  I really do appreciate it.

It's another late night post.  I just got home from work and wolfed down a slice of Boar's head Oven Gold turkey with a slice of BH Jalapeno Havarti cheese.  I just made a little roll-up and devoured it while my sweet potato was in the microwave.   That's what is for supper tonight.  I know it's late, but it's a light meal.

I only got four hours of sleep last night.  I couldn't fall asleep.  It didn't help that I was watching Netflix until 2 am.  Oh well, I should get at least 6.5 hours tonight.

I promised you some pics! These pictures are from the produce department in the store I help manage.  It's the 3rd largest volume store in size and sales in the ICT.  The produce department is my favorite area to shop.  These photos were taken a couple of months ago.


This is our melon display along with the mangoes that were on sale.


This is the tomato and avocado table.  All of the fixins for a great guacamole and tomato salad!


Our apple and pear table with every apple and pear you can think of!


And last, but not least, citrus!  Doesn't it beckon spring and summer?

So here is a look at one of the departments at the Big D.  It's my favorite to shop in and I am sure you can tell why.

What's your favorite area of the grocery store?

Laters.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Update On Rose

Well, the news is not good.  She has a mass on her pancreas that is inoperable.  Best case scenario is one year.  I am here for my friend.  I have cried so much and now I can't cry anymore.  It's time to put the big girl panties on and be the rock and support she and her family needs during this time.  It's time to put the quality of life at the forefront.

Thanks to all for your kind words.  I am not a religious person.  At all.  But I do appreciate your efforts thru prayer.

I am working late tomorrow so I will most likely be up later this evening.  I know I should get some sleep but I am wired for sound right now.

I did have a Freddy's cheeseburger for supper.  Do you know how long it's been since I have had a cheeseburger?  I think it's been at least 6 months.  Of course I regretted eating it as soon as I was done.  Ugh... they do a number on my tummy.  Why do I always forget that fried foods are not my friend?

I saw a really cute coffee sign today.  It said "Boyfriends, chocolate and coffee are all better rich."  Haha!  So funny!  It made me laugh.

It's quiet in the house now.  The tapping of my laptop keys are the only thing I hear.  I am a loud!  I really tap on those keys with some gumption!

Okay, enough small talk for tonight.  Hope you all had a good day.  I am hoping to post some sort of pics tomorrow night.  Maybe some pics of where I work?

Laters.

Monday, March 09, 2015

Long Day

Well, the time change has proven to be crappy.  I knew it was coming.  I went to bed around 3 am.  I know it's late, but I couldn't get to sleep.  I always do that, especially when I know I have to be up early.  My alarm went off at 8:40 and it was the first time I woke up since falling asleep.  I was out of it at first, but got all my things together and was successfully out the door by 9:05 am.  It's a two hour drive back to the ICT, so I went by Starbucks before heading out of town and got to work right around 11:30.

I worked until 10 pm this evening and I have to be back to work at 7 am tomorrow.  yay.

I'm keeping it short tonight so I can read some blogs before bed.  Hope you all had a great Monday!

Laters.

Sunday, March 08, 2015

Vacation Is Over

Well, today had some highs and lows.  The highs were I got to put my new pair of Nike's to work.  I walked 1.5 miles this afternoon.  It was a gorgeous day outside.


Here are my new kicks!  I think they are cute.  Anyway, the weather was mild with a nice breeze.  We are out in the country a bit, so I had paved roads to walk on.  I really want to venture another mile or so down the road because it turns into a dirt road and there are a few houses/farms I would like to see up close.

When I got back from my walk, Stephen was out working on the yard, spraying for weeds.  I remembered I didn't take any pictures on my walk, so I snapped a pic of my semi-clean car.  Stephen washed the outside and inside for me yesterday.  It can get dirty pretty quickly out here with the Oklahoma red dirt.


After we were done outside, we came in and got cleaned up.  That's when I got a call from my son telling me he left his phone on top of the car and drove off.  It's smashed, of course.  It's a brand new iPhone 6.  Ugh....  no worries tho.  He has to take care of it.  It makes me sick and now he's sick because he found out how much a new one is going to cost.  Oh well.  Guess that will be an expensive lesson I am sure he will learn never to do again, cuz mama isn't paying for another phone.  This one was a Christmas gift, so he will have to take care of the new expense.

I am dreading going back to work tomorrow.  I guess I have to go back some time.  Hope you all had a fabulous week!  I am glad I had the time off.

Laters.

One Hour Difference

It's amazing what a difference an hour change can make.  I can't believe it's already 2:30!  We woke up super late this morning, even went to bed before midnight.  That's ok because this hour change is going to kick my butt next week when I go back to work.  Gone are the days of sleeping in until 9:30 am.  I am going back to the 6 am wake up times.  I am thankful tomorrow is a late day at work. I am closing tomorrow night, so I won't have to leave Oklahoma until 9:30.  This means I don't have to wake up until 8:45.  Yay!

After we finally got up and decided to get around, I put a pot of decaf coffee on and started in on our brunch.  It was going to be a hearty scramble for brunch today.  First I sautéed some chopped yellow onion until they were translucent, then added in some ground sirloin.  After that was cooked all the way thru, I added some eggs and spinach.  I threw in an avocado and some toast and we were set!


We eat a lot of avocados, in case you were wondering.  We don't eat much cheese and the avocado adds the perfect amount of fat, and a healthy one, at that!

Stephen ended up eating part of mine because I started talking to my dad on the tele.  He's doing much better, feels better and is calling tomorrow for a follow-up appointment.  They found a nodule about the size of a grape in his lung and he needs to go to a specialist to see what needs to be done next.  Our small hometown doesn't always have the specialists needed for cases and so patients are referred to doctors in other areas, like Wichita.

Anyway, it's a gorgeous day out and I am thankful for that on my last day here in Oklahoma.  I won't be back for an entire week, so I want to get lots of sun and relaxation in.  I am going to break in my new Nike's and go for a walk in a bit.  I will try and take some pictures, but I must say everything here is brown and tan due to the lack of moisture.

Enjoy your day and I will chat ya this evening!

Laters.

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Night Out

It was a beautiful day out today.  Stephen worked outside, washing both of our cars inside and out.  I stayed in and deep cleaned the kitchen, swept the floors, and deep cleaned the shower in our bathroom.  After cleaning, we grabbed a shower and then headed into the city for supper.  We decided on Red Lobster and shared a meal.  I enjoyed the coconut shrimp and Stephen enjoyed the shrimp linguini alfredo.   It was a choose any two entrée meal and it's so much food, we always share it.  I used to be able to eat it by myself and I am so thankful I don't anymore.  Sharing it fills me up now and most of the time, Stephen will eat part of my portion.

After supper, we both had a major sweet tooth.  We headed over to Braum's and grabbed two sundaes.  I should have chosen the single dip, but my eyes were way bigger than my almost full stomach.  It was still pretty yummy!


Right now Stephen is in his massage chair.  I got him one for Christmas, the HoMedics one.  It's the big daddy of the three they had on display at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  His back is a little sore today.

Well, we move our clocks once again.  I have one more day of vacation left and then I head back to Kansas on Monday, back to work.  sigh....  It's been a wonderful week of relaxation and fun, but I must get back to the daily grind and the realities of medical concerns around my dad.

Hope you all had a lovely Saturday!

Laters.

Dad

My dad decided to go ahead and get the CT and blood work done today.  I am super thankful he is not waiting around.  I am hoping to hear back from him soon.

We woke up at a decent hour this morning.  I woke up two hours before Stephen (8 am) and laid around surfing the web.  We finally got up and I made some coffee and started working on a late breakfast.  Stephen isn't really picky when it comes to breakfast.  He has eaten everything I have made and really likes breakfast.  Breakfast is my favorite meal and I could have it for all of my meals.

This morning I started off browning some diced onions.  I like a lot of onions!  I then whipped 4 eggs in a measuring cup to get some air and volume in the scramble.  I added the egg to the onions and then threw in a handful of fresh green spinach.  Yumm!  Threw in a pinch of salt and pepper and added a slice of dark German wheat toast and voila!


It was a nice and simple breakfast and with my hot coffee, I am good until later this evening.  Right now we have the front door open and are sitting in the living room listening to Lonely Day by System Of A Down.  Lol... not my regular type of music, but this stuff is actually mild.

Well, I am off to read some blogs and then we are going to do some work outside - washing cars and spraying the yard for weeds.

Have a great day!

Friday, March 06, 2015

Disturbing News

As I was out doing my shopping today, my sister sent my brother and I a text about my dad.  She said he had a tumor in his lungs and she was pretty sure he had lung cancer.

Crap.  First of all, I was pissed my sister sent this kind of message via text.  Second, she's a hypochondriac - seriously.  She once predicted my dad having colon cancer when all he had were hemorrhoids.  She tends to get a little excited about things.

I called and talked to my mom.  She said my dad went to the emergency clinic when he was at work because he had a blood pressure of 200/100.  Not sure if that is something they should keep you at the hospital for, but they let him go after they took an x-ray of his chest.  He was complaining of it hurting from all of the coughing he was doing.  According to my sister (who said she talked to the clinic doc on the phone), he has a dark spot in his lungs and the doc suggested he get a CT.  So now my sister thinks he has lung cancer.

My brother and I are the more calm and level-headed ones in our family.  We conferenced my sister in on the call and she proceeded to tell us all she knew.  She then went on to say she should also get a CT because she was having chest pains when she coughs, and so on....

My brother and I decided not to get upset or worry until we actually hear back from the CT scan.  It won't do us any good to get all worked up and then have our parents worry as well.  My sister will do enough damage when it comes to that.

So now I have been thinking about this all day.  I don't want to think the worst and I will keep a positive attitude until we hear something.  No worries for now.

Laters.

Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day outside.  I have been lounging around the house all day and now it's time to get out there and do some shopping!  I have a bridal shower to buy for, Easter baskets to make and I may just do a little clothes shopping while I am out and about.

I am not cooking this evening because I am grabbing something to go for tonight's meal.  I think we may get the salmon from Logan's Roadhouse.  It's always really good.

Hope you are all enjoying your day!

Laters.

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Picky Eaters

I have three more vacation days left.  I go back to work on Monday.  Boo!

Tonight's supper was yummy.  I made baked chicken thighs over asparagus, baked potatoes and salad.

I first started off seasoning these boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  I prefer them over chicken breasts, although Stephen does not.  Too bad!  I seasoned these with a light sprinkle of Lawry's garlic salt and some pepper, covered them with saran wrap and put them in the frig for a few hours.


After these were put in the frig, I washed and cut the asparagus.  Now these asparagus are pencil thin, which I love.  One must be careful when picking out thin asparagus because if you overcook them, they can become quite woody and tough.  I always opt for thicker asparagus when we are grilling.  I seasoned these with olive oil, salt and pepper and left them in the casserole dish since the chicken would be cooking on top.


Looks yummy, huh?  Once I was ready to cook, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees.  I coated the chicken thighs with seasoned breadcrumbs and sprinkled Parmesan Reggiano on top and placed the thighs right on top of these lovely asparagus.  It cooked for about 45 minutes and smelled heavenly the entire time.  I am in love with all things garlic and PG (Parmesan Reggiano).  And it has to be PG as no other real Parmesan exists!  Here is the finished product...


The asparagus cooked in the chicken thigh juices and made them super tender!  I also made a his/her salad, Stephen's with strawberries and mine with pear.  I always like putting fruit in salad.


Not pictured tonight were the baked red potatoes.  I packed up supper and took it to Stephen's job and we ate. He's picky.  Ugh... sometimes I wish he would be keen to trying different foods.  He liked the food but would rather have had chicken breasts and broccoli instead of the thighs and asparagus.  Lol.... He knows what he likes, I guess.  Doesn't mean I won't keep trying.  He doesn't have to eat it, right?

It's getting late so I better end this post.  Pretty sure not many are up this late anyway.  Do you only like certain foods or are you someone who will try new things?

Laters.

Good Morning

Good morning!  Well, we have at least 15 minutes left of the morning here in sunny Oklahoma.  Looks like the metro area got around 2 inches of snow yesterday, but the sun is out this morning and it appears that most of it has started to melt.  Schools are out of session again today.  I have to laugh because where I am from, we wouldn't ever call this a snow day.  I can appreciate the district for trying to do the right thing as I believe many people who live here are not used to getting that much snow.  I can tell by the way they drive.  Ha!

Okay,okay, enough with the jabs on the southern folks.  It is funny tho.

Stephen got home early last night, around 12:15.  He got to leave early due to the road conditions.  I made him a snack of a sandwich: Boar's Head OvenGold turkey breast, BH cheddar cheese, spinach and Miracle Whip on whole wheat.  We also snacked on a couple of those yummy peanut clusters.  We watched an episode of Breaking Bad and then headed to bed.

I woke up this morning around 7:30 and made myself go back to sleep.  I finally woke up for good around 9.  Put my Gevalia coffee on and am sitting here now enjoying it while on my computer.  The front door is wide open so I can enjoy the sunlight while blogging.

I purchased a new coffee creamer.  It's made by Silk and is the hazelnut flavor.  It's not too bad.  Stephen made one of his "juicer" concoctions this morning.  He loves to use his Omega juicer every day.  It's pretty good stuff!

Well, looks like we are getting ready to watch the news at noon. I wonder what Lacey, the weather girl ,will say today.

Dinner this evening will most likely be oven baked chicken, potatoes, asparagus and a salad.  Chat ya all tonight!

Laters.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

They Closed School For This?

This was the view from the front porch around 5 pm this afternoon.  I can't believe Edmond schools closed today for this.  I am sure they will be closed tomorrow for sure, as there is now a glistening blanket of snow covering the ground now.



Stephen suggested I stay at home this evening, so he had to take leftovers for supper.  He didn't mind because the goulash was really good.  And the second day always tastes better than the first.  I also packed him a small salad, an orange, a plum and some pistachios and raw pumpkin seeds.

It will be a long drive home from work this evening, so I probably won't see him until after 12:30.  I have no idea how the roads are.

I really didn't do much today, woke up super late since I went to bed after 3 am last night.  When we woke up, I made us a breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs, roasted turkey and avocado on a whole wheat bagel.  After the news, I edited my son's English Comp paper for class (due tomorrow) and sent it back to him.  I also did 3 loads of laundry and cleaned the kitchen.  I got in a 2 hour nap and now I am blogging away.

It's really the same stuff everyday and I always laugh to think someone may want to read what I actually do each day.  I only laugh because I love reading about other peoples' lives and what they do during the day.  It makes me smile knowing someone else has opened up their life for us to see, to share.

Anyway, I am going to hit the shower.  Hope you had a great hump day!

Laters.

On A Tuesday

Yep, another Tuesday has come and gone.  I made a decent meal this evening for supper to transport to Stephen's job.  He really liked it, even though he said I could have added some corn to the pasta.  Lol...  I decided to wait on the meatballs for Thursday night.

I started off with the sauce.  I use the Delallo sauce as the base and then add lots of stuff to it.  In today's sauce I added ground sirloin, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, onion and garlic.  Looks pretty tasty, huh?


I let that simmer for a few hours. The pasta we use is half egg noodles and half whole wheat rotini.  It's a really good combination and it's super satisfying.  You do need to cook the egg noodles a touch longer than the whole wheat pasta.  Makes sense because the whole wheat pasta doesn't have a lot of "stuff" added to it.   See the steam in the picture?  :-)


Here is the finished product in a to-go container. I added a sprinkle of Parmesan reggiano cheese to it.  Nothing fancy when it comes to containers.  It's what's inside that counts!


We also had one of my awesome salads.  I love making salads.  In tonight's salad we had tender organic mixed greens with baby spinach, sliced sweet mini peppers, grape tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, plums and avocado.  We always get as much of our fresh fruits and vegetables organically grown.  It really does taste better and I don't mind paying extra because we don't waste it.  I make sure of it, hence the cauliflower in the salad this evening!


Now I am just waiting for Stephen to get home.  He will want a snack (probably a small bowl of leftovers) and a few of his chocolate peanut clusters from the NNH.

Nothing fancy on a Tuesday.  Hope you all had a great one!  We've got some weather coming in tomorrow so I am looking forward to spending the time lounging around.

Laters.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Waiting For the Snow

It's the 3rd day of my vacation.  It's the blah boring day.  Now that I have finally relaxed and can unwind, I am kinda bored.  Looks like we have some snow coming in tomorrow.  Supposedly anywhere from 1 to 3 inches according to Lacey, the weather girl.  It's decent out now.

The UPS man just made a stop and dropped off my box of goodies I ordered for Stephen.  He loves the chocolate covered peanut clusters and the dark chocolate haystacks from the Nifty Nut House back in the ICT.  I don't recommend ordering online and delivery, but if you can't visit them, it's worth it's weight in chocolate to get some.



Stephen is a grouchy bear this morning.  He didn't get enough sleep because we met his mom for brunch this morning at 11:00.  He went to bed at 3 am and got up at 9:30.  Sigh.... and the man hasn't shaved, so he's even more of a grump.  He has to shave every three days or his mood is off.  I always thought this was funny, how men can have their rituals and it will affect them if they are off the course.

Well, I need to start prepping for supper.  We are having meatballs (mini meatloaf), parmesan roasted red potatoes and a nice salad.  I am taking supper to Stephen's job tonight and we will eat together.

Have a great Tuesday!

Laters.

Monday, March 02, 2015

Cracking Up

Well, it finally happened.  I finally dropped my iPhone 6.   And it cracked.  But not really.  Thankfully I invested in that fancy screen protector that I paid $35 for because that is what actually cracked, not my phone itself.  WooHoo!  Best $35 I have ever spent.   The crack is super tiny and you can barely see it.  It's also at the very top of my phone.  I have never dropped my phone before and always prided myself for having the longest lasting screen than my friends and co-workers. Guess it was bound to happen one day.  Super glad I had it covered.

I've been doing a ton of thinking today.  Sometimes this isn't a good thing.  I started thinking about growing roots.  You know, a home, a place to call your very own.  I am 41 years old and I have never really had a place of my own, a place where I decided I am going to stay.  Sounds odd, but I have been in two long term relationships, both of which I lived in their house.  I lived on my own for a couple of years in an apartment and now I have lived in my townhouse for 2 years.  I haven't even fully unpacked everything in my townhouse.  I guess I felt like I wasn't going to stay long.  So today I was thinking about just unpacking.   I won't be moving to Oklahoma anytime soon.  My relationship is good where it is.  Despite a lot of travel time, I am in a good place.  So why not just grow roots where I am?  There are several residents who have lived there for years.  I could be like that, couldn't I?  Do I want to grow roots in a townhouse?  There are too many questions.  Once I get back from vacation, I am going to start unpacking.  I might as well.  Maybe this will start things in motion for me to make some decisions.  Ugh.... I hate growing up.

Those Steel Cut Oats Tho!

I had to get out of bed.  My sleep schedule goes into a weird cycle when I am here because Stephen works 2nd shift.  He works from 3 to midnight and doesn't go to sleep until around 2:30 am, waking up at 10:30 am.  So when I am here, I wake up around 8, take a nap around 3:30 to 5, then stay up until he goes to bed.  It's funny.

I wanted to get up and make some oats for us while he was sleeping.  I make mine with vanilla almond milk because I love my oatmeal sweet.  I use Simple Truth Vanilla Almond Milk.  I also use the Quaker brand of steel cut oats.  Today I am making 4 servings so we have left over for dessert tonight.  It calls for 4 cups of almond milk and one cup of oats.  You need to bring the milk up to a boil first.



Once the milk comes to a boil, lower the heat and add in the oats.


This is one cup of oats to 4 cups of almond milk (4 servings).

After you add the oats, just stir occasionally for the first 5-10 minutes.  I start stirring more frequently after that because I love the creamy texture it gives.  Once the milk has cooked down, it's pretty much done.  Here is the finished product.  I love fresh raspberries on mine.


It's delicious and the oat grains are a little toothy, but so yummy!

Okay, that's all for this morning.  I really love my new oatmeal!

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Great Birthday

I had a really good birthday!  I got to sleep in.  I made an awesome breakfast for Stephen and I this morning: whole wheat biscuits, scrambled eggs, Jimmy Dean sausage and steel cut oats with fresh raspberries.  Let me just say I will never go back to eating regular oatmeal ever again.  Steel cut oats are the only way to go.  I don't care that it takes 20-30 minutes to cook. It's worth all the extra time and effort.  I know this sounds like a lot of food, but it wasn't.  One biscuit, one egg, two small sausage patties and a half serving of the oats.  It was perfect and held us over until supper.

We watched some tv, but basically did nothing.  We actually took a two hour nap at 2 pm and didn't mosey out of bed until 4.  I got up, showered, put on a nice outfit and even put a little make up on.  We went to The Shack Seafood and Oyster Bar for dinner.  It was a first for me and probably the only time I would ever get Stephen to try something new.  It was wonderful.  I got the Crawfish Half and Half and was pretty close to an original Cajun/creole meal.  I am definitely going back again soon.

We shared the Mudslide dessert and it was divine!  Very rich and decadent.  If you are ever in the OKC area, I highly recommend this place!


Now we are just home chillaxing.  Stephen made the mistake of looking at his mortgage online to see how much is left to pay.  Lol....  he's so funny.  He said he would be happy with about $10 million.  Um... let's work for $1 for now!

I am looking forward to having a full week off from work.  I have already started unwinding.  Hope you all had a great weekend!