I love my guys -- wordless wednesday

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semi-homemade cookie cake

I think it is quite funny how yesterday I posted about losing weight and a low calorie fajita recipe and today I'm posting about making a cake.  See the problem here.  I just love to cook and eat!  The kitchen is my happy place!

I always make a big deal about birthdays around here.  I love making my people feel special on and around their birthday.  One thing I so is make/buy their favorite cake.  This year Gary wanted a cookie cake.  We don't have "The Great American Cookie Company" here in our new town, or anywhere near us.  I decided to make the cookie cake myself.

The recipe I found on pinterest was very simple, but I was still nervous about making it.  I am not the best baker.  I used a 32 oz package of chocolate chip cookie dough from the dairy case.  I topped the dough with about 1/3 cup of light corn syrup and mixed it up.  

I smashed it onto a Pam sprayed cookie sheet with wet fingers, just like recommended.

I baked it in a 325 degree pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes.  I really watched it though.  I was so worried I'd burn it, and all ovens are different.  Anyway, it turned out just fine. Some of the cookie poured over the cookie sheet, but I just trimmed it off.  Once it cooled I decorated it with store bought icing.  I think the writing looks very silly, but it tasted good and the kids loved it.

  

I was very happy with everything about this recipe.  BUTTTTT I had to throw the pan and left over cookie away.  Seriously ...  it stuck to the pan so bad.  I tried to scrape it off, but it was just stuck.  Next time I bake a cookie I will use parchment paper.  Hopefully that will solve the sticky problem!  I have to say I was greatly pleased with this pinterest pin.  The cookie cake was a huge hit for Gary's birthday.

fajitas and a weight loss goal

I had a really bad weekend in the eating department.  I was really hard on myself about it.  I'm a little obsessed with My Fitness Pal and I was embarrassed about every single item I logged.  But for some crazy reason I couldn't stop eating.  I think I just needed to do all that pigging out to get it out of my system.  Sunday we ordered pizza and I over indulged knowing Monday it was back to the 1200 calorie + exercise lifestyle.

Today on the dinner menu was beef fajitas.  I had to make it slim and trim, but still delicious. 

So this is what I did....

I filled an 80 calorie tortilla with 1/8th of a cup of re-fried beans.  I like my fajitas light on the meat anyway so 3 little slivers of beef was perfect for me.  I topped the tortillas with tons of sauted onions and bell peppers and salsa too.  I topped the whole fajita with a few sprinkles of cheese before I devoured two fajitas.  Typically I would have had sour cream and guacamole and a few chips too, but I'm paying for a rough weekend and I have the food diary to prove it.

I had a goal in December of 2011.  My goal was to lose 10 pounds.  I did that last year.  I did it slowly, but comfortably and I lost the weight and then decided I wanted to lose 5 more pounds because I new I could.  Between packing up our Texas home, traveling here and living in our new environment I have gained about 4 pounds back.  

I now want to lose 9 pounds to be at my new goal weight.  I think I can tackle the 4 pounds, but the last 5 may be tough.  I have to do this.  I want to do this for myself.  I don't feel like I need to impress anyone, but I know what my body is capable of and I know I would feel great at my goal weight!  

I do love to cook and eat, so my motto is everything in moderation.  If you have any great low calorie meals you love please share with me!

white flakes of goodness

Our last few days have been consumed with cold and snow. And snow and cold. It has been fun!

Thursday was a snow day and Friday ended up being a snow day too. NO SCHOOL!!  When we woke up Friday morning up there was no snow falling. We knew it was coming, and about the time the kids and I got in the car to go meet Gary for lunch it started dumping buckets of snow!

I drove in snow and slush for the first time. Even when it snowed in Texas I never felt the need to drive. I was excited to put my Jeep in 4 wheel drive.

Since dad was working I took the kids to friends house and Layla did some sledding. The boys decided to play Wii, but the girls had a fun time playing in the snow.

Brandy and Jeff have a fun hill behind their house and the girls decided to sled down the hill as many times as they could.  They were laughing and giggling and building snowmen on top of tree stumps.  

We had a pretty late night Friday night, so we had a very low key day today.  The kids took naps and we did a little grocery shopping.  It snowed even snowed a little more today.  I'm glad the kids got to experience a few snow days, but I am also hoping to get back into our routine Monday.  I feel like being off routine makes me eat horribly.  I am starving lately and have really been giving in and eating everything I see.  Here's to cleaning up my act! 

snow day!

This morning when I woke up I had a missed call from the school.  I listened to the message, but there wasn't one.  I knew today must be a snow day, but I had to flip on the TV to be sure.

Layla was expecting a 2 hour delay, but instead we had a full blown snow day.  The snow was so pretty and white and powdery.  I swept the back stairs and the snow just flew right off the steps.  It wasn't good 'snowman' snow, but it was still awesome and fun snow!

Our street is so pretty covered in snow!

The kids sadly said goodbye to daddy as he headed off to work and we proceeded to have a pajama day!  Layla begged daddy to stay home, but the roads really weren't that bad.

 

I love a good snow day here and there, but my kids drove me to drink whiskey today.  They are precious and sweet, but holy moly they fight and argue like crazy.   They were full of wild energy and once when they were running in the house Hayden fell and bruised up his legs.  Layla hugged me and knocked me over in the kitchen.  It was a wild afternoon and the witching hour that used to be fierce when Layla was three and Hayden was a newborn...well that was back today.  It was wild and caused me some major scary flashbacks.

Oh don't let this picture fool you.  They look so sweet and peaceful, but they didn't sleep a wink.  They were jumping on my bed just a few seconds prior to me taking this picture.  I wouldn't trade these wild monkeys for the world though.  I'll just have an other cocktail. haha!

We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow. Oh me oh my!  I'd love to spend another day with these kids, but I really need the mommy lunch I have planned.  So ...  let the snow fall right after I finish my lunch!

a puppy check-up and pizza night

Daisy Mae is a legal Ohio dog.  She visited the vet today!  She is all set on shots for another year.  Next stop is the groomer.  Poor pup.  She hasn't been groomed since we moved here.  She looks like a furry mess.

The kids had a fun time listening to the veterinarian talk about Daisy and her health.  They were so cute listening closely and watching her get an exam.  Daisy was great until the doctor tried to look at her hiney area.  Daisy didn't want anyone in her business.   The kids giggled like crazy and the doctor laughed when Daisy gave her a warning growl.

We had create your own pizza night!  The kids think it is big fun to make their own designs with pizza toppings.  I enjoyed topping my pizza with tons of artichoke hearts and black olives.  Gary covered his pizza in jalapenos.  I don't know how he even ate it without his eyes watering.  The man likes things spicy!

And now I am going to snuggle with my fur-ball and watch last nights series finale of Private Practice.  I am so sad it is over forever. Sob Sob sigh.  It is one of my favorite shows.

one year until 40

Happy Birthday to the best husband and father ever!!!!!

Thank you so much for loving us and being such an amazing provider for our family.   We are so happy to support you as you pursue your dream job here in Ohio!   We are thrilled to be part of the adventure and couldn't be more proud of you. The kids and I love you to the moon and back. 

 Happy Birthday!

XOXO

the end of a four day weekend

Our weekend was wonderful and fun.  We celebrated Daddy!  Tomorrow is his birthday and we did all the things he likes!  We ate steaks and ribs and I made a cookie cake.  We played Wii and watched golf.  It was a great weekend.

We had donuts at Tim Horton's and the they were delicious!

The do-nut holes are apple fritter flavored.  OMMMGGGG...they were so good!

This morning we ate bacon, eggs and left over potato casserole. 

The kids wanted to get Gary a new coffee mug, so they were giggling while he opened his gifts!  Hayden's excited face makes me laugh. 

Can you imagine how excited their faces will be in the morning when they hear the schools are on a 2 hour delay?  Apparently it is going to be 8 degrees in the morning and so the schools decided they will start late.  It is going to be super frigid in the morning!!!!!  Brrrrrr!

steak night was a hit

We started our weekend with steaks, potato casserole and roasted asparagus.  Gary got a new cast iron grill pan for his birthday (his birthday is Tuesday the 22nd) from the kids and I.  I couldn't wait to see how we liked grilling on it.  The steaks turned out amazing.  I'm just happy we did good picking out one of his gifts!  The grill pan is so awesome.   It was pre-seasoned and super duper heavy duty.  I think we will love cooking all kinds of fun things on it.  Having a gas range has defiantly changed the way week cook some foods.  I am loving it!

she got a trimmy trim

My sweet girl got a much needed trim today and of course I have to document this for future reference! She isn't a fan of getting her hair cut and I'm not sure why.  I'm just glad she was a champ and got an inch or so trimmed off.  Hopefully this will help with some of the tangles we've been having lately!

Easy 253 calorie breakfast

I love this breakfast and often I think of making it for lunch too.  Or dinner. Or a snack. 

The ingredients are shown above with calories to the right.  If you aren't familiar with the app, My Fitness Pal is great for logging calories each day.  I am slightly addicted to it {mfp} and I love keeping track of what I put into my body.  I may eat more than my required calories for the day, but I can look back and see why I may have lost or gained weight.  I can also get meal ideas from previous weeks.  So, back to breakfast...

I start out by toasting a multi-grain English muffin.

Then I top the toasted muffin with a slice of cheese and three thin slices of deli ham.  I pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to melt the cheese a tad.

I crack a raw egg into a small bowl and break the yolk. (you could save calories by using only the egg white, 17 cals vs. 70 cals) Then I microwave it for 30 seconds and then again for another 30 seconds.  If you do it all at once in my microwave it will pop and make a mess.  A dirty microwave is one of my pet peeves, so I like to make sure I don't make a mess.

Once the egg is done and still hot I put it on top of the ham and close the sandwich.  It is on fire hot, but this way it melts the cheese.  

Mmmmmm!

And then I devour the breakfast sandwich.  

My favorite part is the melted cheese and the fact that is is low calorie.

What is your favorite breakfast?

Mr. Attitude with a new hat

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Dinner with friends

Tonight the kids and I went to dinner with friends. We had the best time laughing and having fun. Halfway through dinner we looked outside and saw sleet and freezing rain. The older girls started hoping for a snow day tomorrow. They were squealing with excitement at the thought! We are under a Winter Weather Advisory, so maybe, just maybe we will have a snow day tomorrow!  I'll keep you posted! ;)

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we gotta take the bad with the good

I posted yesterday about how much we are loving our new town here in Ohio.  It seems like everything is really great here and mostly things are great, but I'm not a fan of this house.

It seems like every single day something new breaks or messes up.

The day we moved in there was no gas, so we couldn't use the heater for 4 days.  Finally the gas was turned on, but the heater still wouldn't work.  A coworker of Gary's came to fix it and finally we had heat in our new rent house.  For one week.  Then the heater went out again.  And it got fixed for a few days and then it was messed up again.  It was cold for this Texas girl, but we discovered space heaters and since the heater was fixed the last time we are good. (knock on wood)

The sink in the kids bathroom wouldn't drain for the first week we lived here.  The dishwasher doesn't clean the dishes very well.  The oven stopped working and I almost passed out as gas was pouring from it.  The toilets makes weird noises when we flush them, as if they are gurgling into the bathroom sinks.  The fridge had water leaking from underneath it.  Both of the kids ceiling fans are jacked up and they are loud and awkward.  The kitchen is missing trim between the cabinet and the counter tops. The heating system is zoned heating and we still don't know which thermostats control what heaters.  Tonight some crazy funky methane smell was coming from the bathroom.  I give up!

So, while some things are going great, other things are going haywire!  And you know me.  I am real.  I'm not posting this to complain, I am to the point where I just have to laugh it off.  I do realize it is all part of the plan.  I am okay with all these things knowing this rent house is temporary.  I do good as long as I don't let my mind wonder too much.  What if our house in Texas doesn't sell?  I don't want to own two homes.  What if we have to live here in this house longer?

What if?

What if?

See.  I just can't {what if} myself to death.  I am the kind of person who thrives off of the positives.  I must stay positive and know that it will all work out the way it is supposed to!  Gary and I have always done great in every situation thrown our way.  This one is no different.

For now I will enjoy our friends, neighbors and the beautiful scenery and try not to dwell on the house worries I have.

And I'll be spending every waking moment driving around looking at houses to purchase and searching Realtor.com!!  :)

bowling and a little sap

This happened again today.  

Two weeks in a row we have been bowling with friends on Sunday.

A Sunday with minimal football games on TV requires other activities.  

The kids love bowling and it is even fun for the adults too!  I bowled horribly today and I was not happy about it.  My competitive side came out and I was mad at myself for bowling so badly.

I love Layla. Duhhhh.

  Today, she told me how much she loves Ohio.  I know moving to another state can be so hard on kiddos.  Layla has done so well with the move.  Her social calendar is full and she couldn't be happier about it.  She is my little 'people person' and she enjoys being busy every day.

I took this picture with my phone tonight.

At one of the highest points in the area you can see the whole town.  The views are breathtaking.  I think I enjoy the view so much because I haven't lived in a hilly area.  Back in Texas everything was flat. flat. flat.  This area of Ohio is pretty to me even if it is grey and there aren't any leaves on the trees.  I am so excited for spring and summer.  I just know it will be beautiful!

Saturday night Gary and I got a babysitter and we went out to dinner with friends.  We had THE BEST time.  I seriously think my abs were sore from laughing.  Gary and I are so lucky to have met such an awesome group of people.  We are thankful.  Everyone I have met here in our new town is so nice.  I've met neighbors and people from the kids school(s). I've met coworkers of Gary's and coworkers of friends.  Everyone knows everyone and I think because I grew up in a small town, that feels good to me.   One of my really good friends lives a few houses down from ours.  It is meant to be.  We are supposed to be here and I am thankful for this opportunity to live in this small town.  I think it will be a great place to raise our kids.  I thought Texas was home for us and I know we may not live here forever, but for now this is where we are supposed to be and I couldn't be happier.  I am excited for all the fun adventures to come!