First snow of the year!

I woke up this morning and there was a small blanket of snow on the ground. I LOVE snow - the pretty, fluffy, clean snow. I HATE the heavy, accident-causing snow (although I do love the Snow Day snow!).

Last year, Jazz didn't have much of a chance to see snow, so I thought it would be interesting to watch them. Of course, I took the camera. Allie hid under the deck after she did her business - she is not a fan of the snow - but everybody else loved it!


Chewy ate snow! It's sideways - Blogger won't rotate it for some reason.


Sam found her toy and beat it up, snow and all!


Max was sniffing around, trying to decide if the snow was "okay" or not.


Toby sniffing, then eating, the snow!


Jazz wondering around, trying to figure out if this is "her" yard still!

And with our business done, we can play:

Fun gift!

David and I decided that Christmas should come a little early. Thanksgiving night, he made a bunch of call-back time at work, so we decided to get the Wii that we've been dreaming about for a few weeks.

We both thought it was stupid, that we would never use it.... But, then the WiiFIT came out, and I thought what a great workout! We won't need to renew the gym membership in March if we get that and some other equipment in the basement!

Then, David played Guitar Hero at work yesterday afternoon. He told me that if I could find the Wii on sale that I could get it. Well, it took driving 1 1/2 hrs (and then stopping to see him at work), but I got it!!!!

I hooked it up tonight, and, man is that a workout! I played bowling (fun, but boring), tennis, and boxing. Super fun, and I definitely felt my heart rate increasing! I can't wait to get more games and keep working out! David comes home tomorrow, so I know we will get absolutely nothing done!

How's this for a random post?

We finally closed!

That's right - we've lived in the house for just over 2 months and we finally signed the paperwork tonight!

The good thing about all of this is that when the roof leaked, the owner fixed it. And when the septic tank needed some work, he split the cost with us. We're not having to move in 30 degree weather, and I can just sit back and relax now that it's done. Well, I do need to clean, but that's because I've been lazy, not because we just moved.

Here are some pics of the house, and here are a couple more:


Our living room. I'd love to get a bigger TV since we have the space now! And our Christmas tree is going in front of the bay window, much to the puppies' annoyance. I'd rather put it in the corner by th small window, but that's not what David wants. So, we'll see....


The kitchen - well part of it. There's more cabinet space and a big pantry to the left of the camera. It's a little smaller than most people would like, but with all the cabinet space, we can't complain!


The formal dining room. It's still empty and no curtains up. When we have kids, we're thinking about turning it into our office and then we have all 3 bedrooms as bedrooms.


Our eat-in kitchen with the table mom bought for us as a house warming gift. Now we have our wine cabinet in the corner by the sliding glass door.

More pics to come of the bedrooms after I clean! The house is officially ours! YAY!!!!!!

Meatloaf with Barley

It's been a while since I gave you all a new recipe! I made this meatloaf last night and served it with a baked sweet potato, steamed mixed veggies, and a glass of wine (only 3 points!). This meatloaf was super easy and really yummy!

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
2 tsp canola oil
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup cooked barley, quick-cooking suggested
2/3 cups ketchup, divided
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
20 oz lean ground turkey
2 sprays cooking spray

Instructions
** Preheat oven to 350 degrees

** Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add green pepper and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until pepper is tender (about 7 minutes)
** Spoon vegetables into a large bowl; add egg, barley (cooked), 1/4 cup of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix well.
** Crumble turkey into vegetable mixture; gently mix to combine (kneading will make the meatloaf tough).

**Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Spoon turkey mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Spread remaining ketchup over meatloaf. Bake until center of meatloaf is thoroughly cooked; 50-60 minutes.

** Remove meatloaf from oven and let stnd t room temperature for 10 minutes to absorb juices in pan.
** Slice into 6 pieces and serve.

For Weight Watchers People: POINTS® Value: 5

Personal Challenge

Now that I know I am graduating, I have given myself a personal challenge. Right now, I am in between a 14 and a 12 - closer to a 14, but the jeans I have are baggy. For graduation on December 19th, I want to be a solid size 12 - not a tight 12 - a good fitting, comfortable size 12.

When I graduated with my undergrad, I was going through a rough time. I hadn't met David yet, and I had packed on some pounds since High School. I'm far below where I was then, but I want to be lower. I want to be HOT. Even though nobody can see what I'm wearing underneath, I want to KNOW that the outfit I find for Graduation makes me look and feel great about myself and my accomplishments.

So, no more excuses. I have 1 month and 2 days to pull this goal off. I know I can do it ~ and I have motivation!

Chock Full of Veggies Chili

I have to write a review of this chili because it was SO awesome! My mom gave me the recipe, and now that it's a good "chili" night, I made it! David has an aversion to no meat though, so I added meat and a little cheese because that's healthier than sour cream! I can't wait for David to come home from work and try it!!!!! Super super yummy!

~ Ingredients ~
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 bell peppers - any color - chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 15-oz cans pinto beans (with juices)
1 14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes (with juices) ~~ We used diced tomatoes with chili peppers in it and it had salt, so I cut the other salt in half
(Optional - 2 lbs lean turkey) ~ We used 1 lb lean turkey and 1 lb lean beef because I forgot to get a second pack of turkey so had to use what I had!

~ Directions ~
In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add peppers, mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until veggies begin to soften (about 7 minutes). Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Add beans and tomatoes with their juices (and meat if you use it). Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until chili is fragrant and slightly thickened (25-30 minutes). Serve warm. (I threw a little low-fat cheese on the top)

The original recipe makes 4 2cup servings. With the meat added, 1/2 a cup filled me up, plus added to the bulk, so it can feed more than 4!

~ Nutritional Facts ~
Per 2-cup serving (no meat): 229 calories, 5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 11 grams protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 12 g fiber, 501 mg sodium

Comp Results are in.....

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!

I had a really shitty day today, so I thought I would check to see if they were up yet. Granted, I knew one of the instructors hadn't even started reading as of Wednesday, so I wasn't expecting much. But, they were in!

I got really good comments on all 3 - good connections, adaptations, community involvement..... everything was great!

So, this week, I'm officially going to go order my cap and gown. I wanted to wait to make sure because the deadline to receive a refund was BEFORE the day I was expecting my comps back, but the deadline to ORDER was after. So, I was just playing it safe so I didn't waste $75 and not get to graduate until May!

Graduation is December 19th (yes, a Friday). I already have a Personal Day approved (it's the last day before Winter Break), so I'm set there also! David made sure he requested the day of and the day after off also so that he can throw me a party! I'll have to work on Saturday since it's the Saturday before Christmas, but we'll either have the party Friday night or Saturday night after work. SO excited!!!

Thanks for all the prayers! Now I have one thing checked off my list ~ wonder what will be next!

Thanksgiving Dinner

A little early.... but we had David's family over for dinner. Matt, my Brother-in-law, is being stationed in New York in a couple weeks, so we had to do dinner early. It was originally supposed to be a "mom will do everything" dinner, but it turned into we did 90% of it. She bought everything, but we cooked it all.

But, here are some random pictures:
One year, my sister taught me how to brine my turkey. Basically, you soak it overnight in a bunch of stuff. The mixture was a little bit of salt (rubbed on the turkey), 2 oranges and 2 lemons cut in wedges, 1 onion cut in wedges, and whatever herbs I wanted to use (I think it was thyme, rosemary, sage, and basil). Oh, and lots of water. It sits in the bag overnight:



When it's time to cook, I do a little extra than most people. I put (clean) herbs all over the turkey - my dad says it looks like I'm camoflauging it! Plus, I squeeze some of the oranges and lemons over it to add a little juice. 3 sticks of unsweetened butter and boxed stuffing and you get:



Our 3-year old and 6 month old nephews were over as well. Dominic came over early - with Grandma - and played with puppies the whole time. They LOVED it! Jazz was the only one not too sure, but she was fine until he tried to pick her up. When the baby got here, Chewy thought he was pretty cool. Nicky didn't like it when Chewy left though, and started crying. Nobody could calm him down, but when Chewy went back over to him, he started smiling!

After everybody left, here's what the dogs were doing:

Jazz and Max were snuggling - Max is really hard to see behind Jazzy's big head!


Chewy was PASSED OUT in the office!

We all survived dinner. We had lots of yummy food and some really good wine from James Arthur Vineyard! We had Two Brothers, Snowy Egret, and Traminette (all 3 semi-sweet whites ~ so yummy!).

They get it!

Last night, we worked on training again with the puppies. They are all doing a really good job and will even sit without getting a treat. Max is doing "okay" with laying down - he doesn't like to be all the way on the floor, but gets most of the way down so we give it to him. I think it's because he's fairly dominant, and if he lays all the way down, someone might attack him? (Even though nobody else is inside at the time!). Toby loves to walk! But, now, he won't sit if he sees I have a treat. He starts walking right away instead of sitting first. Dork.

We're practicing again tonight and David said he would videotape with my camera, or at least take pics!

Ever have one of those days...

Where it seems like nothing goes right?

The kids were crazy at school. My para is upset with me because she chose to not come in until 11:00 yesterday because voting was more important. Okay, fine, whatever. BUT, when you call the office and say "I'll be a little late," they tend to notice when you walk in 2 1/2 hrs after you are supposed to be there! So, somehow that is my fault.

Class was good. We got out early.

But, then I came home and just got into a funk. My friend who is pregnant is having a tough time. She is really scared and doesn't think she can talk about stuff when her boyfriend is around (gee, a sign maybe??). And that just makes me want to scream even more!

I watched my shows - finally caught up on everything - but now I just don't feel like going to bed. I got pissy with David because he kept talking to his partner at work when he was on the phone with me. How stupid is that? He's at work - duh!

I don't want to go to bed. I hate sleeping alone. I miss David. I hate when he's gone for so many days. I haven't been sleeping very well - too much stress probably. I'm just in another funk, and frankly, I'm sick of it. When do WE get to be happy, To not live paycheck to paycheck, to see each other like "normal" married couples, to not have to work multiple jobs, to have a BABY????????????

Sometimes I wonder if I'm really ready to be a mom. Will my moods affect my baby when I'm pregnant? How about after he/she is born? Can I sacrifice the luxuries we do give ourselves if it is for our baby? Do I even deserve a baby? Maybe that's what God is telling us. We can't get pregnant because we don't deserve it. I told my friend tonight that God has plans and we don't always understand them. I swear sometimes I need to listen to my own advice. But I want to know, damn it. It's not fair that He is keeping these things away from me. Why are some of the parents of my students so much younger than me? 2 years ago, one of the parents was remembered by the secretary as being in the 5th grade - the secretary has only been there for 8 years. Do the math. Why did SHE get to have a baby, and I don't? Why do the parents who show up high or can't keep their pants up because they think it's "cool" to show off their ass crack get to have babies - multiple babies - and then make ME, as a tax payer, pay for them to raise that child? And I don't even get ONE baby that WE DESERVE, that will be loved and we will ALWAYS do what is best for that baby.

I need a drink. Bad. Thanks for letting me rant/ramble/vent.... whatever it is. Tomorrow will be better. It has to be.... right?

Night One of Dog Training!

Sorry, no pics or video. My camera was in my purse and David didn't want to get it.

So, each dog was seperated while the rest went outside.
~ Chewy went first. He did pretty well once he calmed down. I got him to sit one time without giving him a treat!
~ Allie was next. She was so excited! She is a very good dancer, but not that great of a sitter. She walked about 6 feet on her hind legs before I gave her a treat. Then, we started the "sit" word. She kind of got it. Not too bad.
~ Jazz went next because she was the only one I could get to stay inside. I didn't think she would do very well, but actually did awesome! And at bedtime, she was the first one to sit to get her treat!
~ Sam went next and did good too. The whole time, she was wagging her tail, even when she was sitting.
~ I asked David what to do with Toby because he can sit and lay down already. He wants him to walk. Toby did pretty well ~ better when his paws could touch my hand, which David agreed would be a "passing grade" on Test Day!
~ Max has to lay down because he already sits. He also handled the challenge well. He flops out like a big bear rug, and he's so furry that we both just laughed!

If I have time to work with them tonight, I will try to get pics. And when David is home this weekend I will have him do video of the most entertaining.

The Challenge

I'm weird. I'm a huge dog lover (duh!), and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the show It's Me or the Dog. So, David and I were watching it last week and he says "We need to call her and get her to train the dogs." Our dogs are NOT that badly behaved. Yeah, they bark, but what dog doesn't? The biggest thing is they are all puppies (under 2) and Toby and Max are the only two that I ever trained. So, David challenged me that I can't have them all sitting and laying down by January 1st. I upped it to they will sit, lay down, and not attack the door & people when we have visitors. And the trainer on my show will help me do it! I watch it every week and get tons of different ideas ~ she doesn't train any dog the same, soyou see different techniques. Think I can do it?

In other news... I just found out a friend of mine is pregnant. I am so happy for her! But, it hurts. She has been dating her boyfriend for about a year now. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to marry him, and definitely wasn't ready for a baby - in HER words. And now, she's pregnant. I am so excited for her, but at the same time, it kills me. Why can't we have a baby? We're married, stabilized (for the most party), and WANT a baby. Why her and not me?

It's not like I don't think people shouldn't get pregnant since I can't. But it doesn't seem fair. And that's really selfish of me. David and I are going back and forth on when we want to try to do an IUI. December? January? Or wait 6 months? We don't WANT to wait, but would that be best for the baby? I hate not having control of what's going to happen. I hate wanting and not having, wondering and guessing what will be best. And if we don't do it, was that right? If we do do it, was that right?

AHHH! Okay, enough of the rambles. Off to work I go.