Happier Me

Sean fixed my car. It was running poorly and he changed the coolant temp sensor and the oil twice (yes, it was that bad). Now, my baby starts okay and it actually purrs like a kitten! It was the best valentine's present I could have ever asked for!

I have gone to the gym - Anytime Fitness - at least 9 times over the last two and a half weeks. I know that isn't a ton, but for a very unfit me...it is a vast improvement. I have lost some weight already, but the best part is that I FEEL better overall. I am going to keep this up. My goal is 3x per week at the gym, but I think I might up it to 4 or 5 since I actually (I know this is strange to come from me) ENJOY it! I do 35 minutes on the elliptical and 10-15 minutes of upper body weight lifting every time! And yesterday, I actually went so fast on the elliptical that I had sweat dripping from my chin...I heard that is a good sign! :P

3 (almost 4)

Hi, my name is Emily.

I have exercised like crazy for 30 minutes a day for the last three days. I will be exercising again this afternoon AND officially joining a gym tomorrow morning.

This is like AA to me...something I have needed to do for a long time and am finally getting the courage to do.

No need for kudos, I just needed it to be said...for ME. If anyone else wants to join me: T/R 12:45 and F 9:30 is my official work-out schedule.

"I'm Having Fish for Dinner!"

(a quote from Nemo)

Talapia w/a garlic butter & pepper sauce.
Served w/leftover scalloped potatoes (recipe if requested)

Happy week everyone. I have been busy and trying to work my butt off to get all caught up at home and work. I am also trying a new routine...I will explain this later (but wish me luck).

Meatloaf

Meatloaf for dinner yesterday. It consisted of ground beef, a seasoning mix from the store, and some water. In the oven for 1 hour and then tasty...or not so tasty, depending on who in our family you ask. Dom, Sean, and I ate all of our meals w/out complaining (we had mashed red potatoes and beef gravy with it). Sean had seconds and said, that for meatloaf, it tasted good. Alli screamed the entire time because she stated very loudly that she would prefer to eat APPLESAUCE (which was a side dish, but can not replace the rest of the meal). She screamed and screamed and we did our best to ignore the ear-drum piercing screams! We decided yelling at her wasn't the best option, so we tried whispering (which was an idea I got from a friend). It did work for a while...she would stop screaming so she could hear us! After dinner, daddy fed her (like an infant) the meat and most of the potatoes before he handed over (with my blessing) the all too desired applesauce. Super Daddy to the Rescue! :P

As for tonight, we are going to have Chicken Parmigiana from the Crock Pot over egg noodles. Alli loves this so the screaming should be minimal...thank goodness because I not sure I could survive another dinner like yesterday! The joys of motherhood! :D

Wah, Wah, Poor Me...I need an attitude adjustment!

Why am I so negative?

I need an attitude adjustment! So, here is my go at it:

Alli is a stinker. She reminds me of me. She torments her older brother to tears and then acts like she has never done anything wrong in her life and bats her eyelashes so adorably. Though she is a stinker, she is the most wonderful daughter in the world. She hugs me for hours when she knows I am having a rough day. She won't let me out of her sight because she adores the ground I walk on. She is perfect.

Dom is an angel. First born in every aspect of the stereotype. He is kind to everyone, even if they don't deserve it. He is very thoughtful of others and thinks of them before himself. He snuggles and hugs and loves me all the time. He loves to cook and bake and just be with me doing things that I love. He is super-coordinated (way more than I could dream of being) on the wii games. He can build towers and robots out of weird objects and they are way cool. He loves to dance and shake his booty and sing right along with any song...just like me. We love hanging with each other. He is awesome.

Sean is my friend and lover. How can one get any better? We can talk for hours about nothing. We fight over meaningful things sometimes, but we also can argue over how to pronounce a word. We get so competitive that sometimes we both have to quit for the sanctity of our marriage (but I always check to make sure I am right/wrong on the internet or in the dictionary...just to see). We can watch stupid shows together and laugh. We can play the wii together and compete equally (he usually wins). We can play card/board games together and enjoy them. He mows the lawn and plows the snow. He works hard to provide money for the family so we can survive. He is my man.

Leone is my mom. She is my best friend. We have had our rough years, but she is always there. When I have a rough day, she cries with me. When I laugh, she laughs with me. She is the best grandma I could ever ask her to be. She visits whenever she can and actually seems to enjoy the time spent with us almost as much as we enjoy her being here. She is independent and I love that about her. She is a great sister to her sisters (or so I am lead to believe). She is a great aunt to my cousins (or so I am lead to believe or they wouldn't enjoy hanging out with her). She is awesome and I am blessed that I was born to such a wonderful lady.

As for the rest of you. I am sure I will get to you. But, this has been enough of an attitude adjustment for today. :D

Ah POO!

Question #1 - Do we have a new septic tank?
Answer #1 - Nope. Too much ground water - like putting a bucket into a pond...

Question #2 - Does our leach/drain field work properly?
Answer #2 - Nope. It is screwed.

Question #3 - How much does it cost for a new drain field?
Answer #3 - Not sure yet. But, please hope for us that the insurance will cover most of it. We are thinking $10-$15K. (puking at the thought)

Question #4 - When will this all be fixed?
Answer #4 - When the ground water receeds...hmmm...not so clear for Ms. Planner (me)...timeline unsure.

Question #5 - How bad is it?
Answer #5 - It could be worse. We don't have back-up into the house (thank god!).

Question #6 - How is everyone dealing with it?
Answer #6 - Everyone seems unaffected...that is except the crazy planner lady in the house...she has small freak outs, but she is doing okay otherwise! She keeps seeing $$$ and ickies when she closes her eyes!

Toasted Roast Beef on French Rolls

Toasted Roast Beef on French Rolls

4 French Rolls
1 lb Deli Roast Beef Slices
6 Slices Swiss Cheese
4-6 Thin Slices Red Onion
1 T Stick Butter
Mayo

Cook onion slices (cut in half to make semi-circles) in the butter in a saucepan until semi tender, but not too browned.

Put Mayo on inside (both slices) of the rolls. Place them open faced on a cookie sheet. Put approximately 4 slices of roast beef spread between both sides of each roll. Top with onion slices and then cheese.

Broil on High for approximately 5-8 minutes until the cheese in nicely melted and slightly browned...not too brown or it will be crunchy.

Take off cookie sheet, fold together, slice in half, and enjoy.

I served mine with Applesauce and Corn. I forgot to buy the packet of Au Jus as the store, but it would have been a great addition to this meal...