One of those DATES

We all have those odd dates that stick out for some reason or another.  The day we met so and so, did such and such or discovered whatever.  For me, January 28, is the 17th anniversary of the day I started dating my ex-husband.  Random, huh?  But it is a date that is permanently etched in my brain.  Half my lifetime ago I started dating the guy who I thought was my Prince Charming.  It took me 4.5 years and a failed 11 month marriage to figure out that he was just another frog in the pond.  The damage he did along the way is still with me in a lot of ways.

When you're 17 going on 18 the world has so much potential.  You are so sure of yourself that you can't imagine that someone who loves you would want to change you...control you.  He was a close friend, a year older and the guy that my Mom kept saying "why don't you date??"  (She regrets that to this day, I'm sad to say.)  I wasn't interested until he wasn't around for a bit.  After not seeing each other for a couple months he showed up at a basketball game to watch his brother play and the next thing you know we were inseparable.  He'd leave me love notes on my car windshield or have his brother pass them to me in school and I'd send my responses back the same way.  We spent every spare moment we had together and I was sure it would be forever. 

After high school I got a job at the same place as him.  Not the same hours all the time but we got to check in with each other and sometimes go on break together.  We went to the same junior college together in the fall and managed to take a couple classes together.  I performed in the traveling theater show that first year. Only that once though because it cut into the amount of time we could spend together.  I am sure he would tell you, even now, that he never told me to not do it again but his...disappointment...in us not being able to spend time together was evident.  If only I had seen it then...  We chose a University to go to...well, I chose it and, this one time, gave him the choice to either be there with me or not.  I wish I could say that that was my idea but my parents decided that for me (not the actual school but that I had to move on from a 2 year college after 2 years.)

It was a spring day when he proposed, I can't even give you a date because it didn't stick in my head.  I can say that I knew what my ring looked like because we picked it out together.  I had had a fight with my sister about who knows what and was upset. We went for a walk and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I said yes.  Then he took the ring back, saying it had to be sized and that he would give it back to me when the time was right...when I deserved it.  (I know, RED FLAG!!)  I wasn't happy about that but I accepted it.  It was several months before I ever wore that ring...

I spent breaks from school planning our wedding for the following summer.  We went to school 9 hours away from home so everything had to be condensed into the short time we were home for breaks.  That first semester I was part of 2 theater shows, had a part time job and went to school full time.  I didn't do another show until after my divorce.  I was made aware of the fact that it cut into our time together.  Not said outright or anything...more like "you seem so stressed out and we never get to just hang out together anymore" or "you aren't' going to stay late after rehearsal tonight are you; you know I get worried about you being out late."

I wasn't allowed to drive his car.  Not because it was anything special.  Heck, it was a Tempo for crying out loud.  But I was not allowed to drive it.  Ever.  Oh & I wasn't allowed to drive in traffic of any kind because traffic made me nervous.  Not that I ever recalled being nervous in traffic but when someone tells you that often enough, guess what, traffic will make you nervous.

There were so many red flags that I am amazed that I ever went through with the wedding.  To be truthful, every once in a while I would have a nagging doubt but I though that his insecurity would vanish when we got married.  Only it didn't.  What did happen was that I was get ting more involved in my theater and speech classes which required me to have rehearsal time and he started hanging out with a friend of his.  A female friend of his.  Even this didn't faze me as his best friend from school was female and it just never occurred to me to be worried.  We were living off student loans so we didn't have a lot of money and I can remember going out with my sister for her birthday meal in early May.  We went to her favorite Mexican joint.  I left for rehearsal for a class project and he left to take his "friend" miniature golfing.  We didn't have money for us to go but he had money to take her...  Yes, I was clueless.

He left me not long after.  I was lost without him and desperate to get him back.  I, pathetically, tried to get him back by turning myself into a Stepford wife.  I begged him to give me another chance, go to counseling, honor our vows... He felt it was too little, too late.  I had given up having a life outside of him for 4 years but it was still too little, too late.  It got ugly fast and I count myself lucky to have people in my life who held me up when I would have curled up in a ball and given up. 

I am not proud of how that summer started but I will hold my head high on how it ended.  Everything clicked in the middle of July as I was getting ready to visit a dear friend.  I realized, quite simply, that I liked who I was without him more than I ever liked who I was with him.

Yet, every January when the 28th rolls around I can't help but remember the girl I was who was so excited to have found her Prince Charming.  The things I wish I could tell her.  Most importantly, the stuff I would remind her not to lose.  Like herself.

The Salad Challenge

I have been trying to lose my baby weight from the twins.  It has not been easy but I have lost almost half of it.  Now I am impatient to lose the other half.

I have several friends who are vegan and are participating in "The great salad challenge" by Engine 2 Diet and I was inspired by them to start my own salad challenge. (If you are interested in a vegan lifestyle check them out, lots of information.)  I know that a vegan lifestyle is not what I want right now but I also like to try and fit more veggies in my diet whenever possible.  So, I decided to challenge myself to eat a salad a day.  From now until whenever (why limit myself) I will either eat a salad for lunch or a salad for dinner.

Oh, and I have managed to con...uummm....I mean, convince Mae over at Mae's Got This to join me.  (Haha! Now she can't back out!!!)

What do I hope to gain?  With any luck I'll lose a couple pounds and discover a few delicious salad recipes.  So...  Who's in?  Who wants to join me & Mae in The Salad Challenge???  Oh & feel free to share some recipes.  I'll start, seriously, how yummy does this salad look? I can't wait to try it!:

Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad



Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad*

 *I got the photo from allrecipes.com

Turning off the noise

One day a few weeks back I forgot to turn cartoons on for Mini in the morning.  It was a school morning and we were busy and instead of clicking the TV on as we usually do we got busy doing other things.  When we got home from school it was nap time and after nap time we played for a bit and then had dinner.  After dinner we played for a bit more and before we knew it it was time to get ready for bed!  I suppose at some point I realized that we hadn't turned the TV on but I never consciously made the decision to not turn it on.

The next day I didn't turn it on and nothing was said.  Again it wasn't that I made the decision to not let the kids watch TV and, had Madi asked, I would have tuned it on for her.  She just never asked.  I began to enjoy the quietness and so began to make the choice not to have the TV on.  This is not to say that we don't watch TV any more.  Some mornings I turn it on; when we aren't going anywhere or Madi specifically asks for a cartoon.  And every night I watch my show so I don't see us getting rid of our TVs just yet.  :-)  But I like the lack of noise and I'm going to to my best to have the TV off more than it is on.  :-D

Keeping Baby WARM!

There are a lot of products out there that I LOVE!  Many of which I will soon blog about.  But first there is one I want to get out there ASAP!!  Why?  Because it will help your babies stay WARM this winter.  How do I know?  Because we have been using it for our daughter, Mini, and are now using it for our boys, Big, Little Man & Little, Little Man.

What is this oh so important product you ask.  The bed warmer from PerfectlySafe.com.  Go ahead click on it!!  I'll wait for you...

(Insert the music from Jeopardy here.)

I know, say what?!?  But it is only $8 (for a crib/toddler bed size!)  This cannot be true.  TRUST ME!!!  It is simply amazing!  We bought one for each of the kiddos (and 2 extra for Squidgy, her cousin, & Mini's beds at my sister's house- yes, Mini has her own bed there...lol...)  The house we were renting at the time was quite drafty (we were spending a small fortune every month to get the house to 68 degrees!) and we needed something on Mini's bed to help her stay warm when she lost her covers.  We figured that they were worth the cost even if they only made her a couple of degrees warmer.  We could tell the difference right away.  When we would check on Mini at night her hands and feet were no longer ice cold.  YAY!!!

Since the twins were either sleeping with us, in their swings or next to each other in their crib we didn't worry about them too much.  Plus, we moved to an energy efficient house & winter ended.  Well winter took me by surprise and when the first big heating bill hit I realized that something had to change.  Then I checked on Little, Little Man and realized that he was sleeping ON his blanket instead of UNDER his blanket because his crib mattress was ice cold.  Got to change that ASAP!  Luckily, I knew right where I had tucked my PerfectlySafe.com bed warmers (yes, I put the links in there AGAIN, just in case you didn't look the first time!)  I put them on today and I can already see the difference.  I just checked on all 3 of my beautiful sleeping babies and every single one of them has warm fingers and toes and Little, Little Man is still under his blanket.  :-D

So PLEASE check them out!!!  I cannot express enough how something that doesn't cost a whole lot will make a difference in your child's life (hey, I'm passionate!) 

Too Smart For Me!

So my Mini is an early riser.  She gets up between 6:30a-7:00a.  Shut up, it is early to me!!  I am more of a night owl than a morning bird.  I was talking about this with a friend of mine, Mae over at Mae's Got This, and she told me about this awesome thing she came up with for her Munchkin, she talks about it here.  I had heard from other parents that they used the same trick so I thought 'why not!'  Then I got lazy and so I never posted a picture of 7:00, I just talked to Mini about how she needs to stay in her room until her clock starts with a 7.  I didn't really expect much, fully taking the blame on myself cause I hadn't posted anything.  Well, she figured it out herself!  And will tell you all about how she doesn't come out of her room until there's a 7.  :-)  Go me, right!!!  Um, no.  Well... partially no anyways.  Every morning around 6:45a I hear thumping in her room (which is right above mine, YAY!)  Then at no later than 7:02a she is "sneaking" into my room.  Seriously?!  So I asked her this morning "do you wait for the clock to turn 7:00a?"  Her answer, with the cutest little grin "yep!"  So much for sleeping in.  :-)

Lumps of Coal

I'll start by saying thank goodness this is a holiday cookie.  By holiday cookie I mean there is really no reason to make it any other time of year (unless, of course, it is to hide in your closet and inhale the entire batch!)  This cookie gets it's name solely from the fact that it looks like a lump of coal, though I have heard it called a cookies & cream bar but what fun is that??? 

The recipe is pretty simple:

1 - 16 oz. package of Oreo Cookies (30 cookies)

4 Cups of Large Marshmallows well packed

(about 38 to 40 marshmallows)

1/4 Cup of Butter

Prepare a buttered cookie sheet.

Grind up the Oreo cookies in a blender or place the cookies in a plastic freezer bag and beat them to bits with a rolling pin.  You want a crumb like consistency.

Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave, when butter is melted add the marshmallows and microwave for another minute to minute and a half (just until the marshmallows are melted.) Stir the butter and marshmallows together until full incorporated working quickly so it doesn't cool.

Quickly add in the cookie crumbs and stir til they are completely coated.  Using a greased cookie scoop or a tablespoon drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the cookie sheet to set into lumps of coal; place the sheet into the refrigerator to make them a bit more firm.  These cookies are soft and yummy!

For larger lumps of coal you can press the mixture into a buttered 8x8 pan, allow it to set for 20 minutes and then soften the edges to make it look more coal like.

Store in an airtight container.  For giving away put several lumps in a bag and tie closed tightly with a ribbon.
 

Here's a tag you can use to label them:

There really isn't much else to say about these except that if you eat an entire batch it is soooo not my fault.  :-)  ENJOY!!!!

Garlicious Roast w/Potatoes & Carrots

After buying this for hubby the other day I figured I'd better find uses for all of it before it goes bad. So I grabbed the round roast I had purchased and came up with a game plan.  I usually just throw the roast in the crockpot with a packet of onion soup mix and some water.  This time I resolved to work a little harder.  I had heard of cutting slits in meat and stuffing garlic into it to season so I just went for it.  Amazing!  Here is how I did it:

First, I turned my oven on to preheat it to 525 degrees.  I then cut my garlic cloves into big slivers.  After that I cut pockets into my meat and shoved the garlic slivers in.  I suggest doing this to your own taste.  We are huge garlic fans so I used 5 cloves all over the roast.  Honestly, I think I could have used even more.  It came out looking like this:

I then mixed up a little rub to put on it.  I used approximately 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 tablespoon dried onion.  I sprinkled the rub allover the roast:

I then flipped the roast over so that the fat side was facing up onto a roasting pan that had been coated in nonstick cooking spray.  I halved my new potatoes and circled the roast with them and some baby carrots.  I then halved more garlic cloves and sprinkled them around with the veggies.  I could have put more potatoes, carrots and garlic.  I sprinkled some salt, black pepper and white pepper over the veggies:

I put the whole thing in the oven for 6 minutes per pound for a medium rare roast (5 minutes per pound for rare and 7 minutes per pound for well.)  So for my roast, which was a little over 4 pounds, I cooked it for 24 minutes at 525 degrees.  Now comes the most important part!  Once the cook time is over TURN THE OVEN OFF & DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!!!!  Leave it alone for 2 hours.  After the 2 hours are up you have 2 choices.  You can either take it out and eat it as is, it will be lukewarm or you can turn the oven on to 325 degrees and let it cook for 10 minutes.  This will warm it up without overcooking it, which is what I did:

I sliced it up and it was a perfect medium rare.

PERFECTION!!!!!!!!



I will definitely use this method again, only next time I will be using even more garlic.  :-D

Garlicious Roast w/Potatoes & Carrots

1 round roast approx 4 pounds

15 cloves of garlic (5 in slivers & 10 halved)

6 new potatoes halved

20-ish baby carrots

Salt, black pepper & white pepper to season vegetables

Rub Mix:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried onion

Preheat oven to 525 degrees.  Cut slits in the roast and stuff with slivers of garlic.  Sprinkle rub mix over the entire roast.  Place roast fatty side up on roasting pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Surround evenly with new potatoes, baby carrots and garlic halves.  Bake in oven for 24 minutes.  Then turn oven off and allow to continue cooking with the oven door closed for 2 more hours.  It is imperative that you do not open the oven door during these 2 hours.  Once the 2 hours is over either serve as is (it will be lukewarm) or turn oven on to 325 degrees and allow to reheat for 10 minutes.  Enjoy.

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