New Life

Hello Friends!
My blogging has been a sad sad tale this last year.  In fact, if the records are correct, I have not posted since 2011!  My apologies.  2012 has brought some delightful changes to my life- including the expectation of a new life this coming September.  With that has come the growing physical changes- physical exhaustion and morning sickness followed by a lovely pregnancy high in the 'babymoon' phase, and now a waddling hot finale! With that has been a change in address- we bought our first home!  Of course there have been numerous other life events for myself and my extended family these past 8 months all of which I will not reflect on.  I also can't promise these next few months will be much better as I prepare for maternity leave and adjust to a newborn baby, but needless to say I hope my blogging will pick up a bit at least by 2013! :) I'm not sure what form the blog will take- it might include some photos and personal stories, but I also hope to write down reflections on life, faith, work, movies, etc.  Thanks for sticking with me-- even through the lull!

Checkers Chump

It's Christmas time and that means an inordinate amount of game playing at the ol' home with my siblings.  It began with Wii- archery & bowling (my favorite), we gave a go at Yahtzee, SET, Dutch Blitz, Apples to Apples, and we're rounding out the morning with good ol' fashioned CHECKERS.

And to be honest, it's a little sad that my ten year old sister beats me every time. I mean, I'm nearing 30 (in a few years) you'd think I could handle this basic game.  I was the one who taught her!  Sigh... But I'm still a checkers chump.  I will still play and get stomped.  I did much better when I made her follow the rules of actually jumping someone if you can.  Something about her not jumping produced a killing spree on her end. Partially because it allowed her to not move out of the 'king' spot.  

As mentioned in a previous post long ago "Bringing Back the Board", I have a soft spot for board games.  And with the help of my in-laws am learning to enjoy playing cards.  Games that I rarely get to play anymore, but love are the act-it-out, draw, sing and dance silly melody games.  And since I'm paying tribute to board games, I feel I must give a shout out to the KING of Best Games (in my humble opinion), one that I remember playing with aunts, uncles, and cousins and laughing til we cried-- BALDERDASH!  Hands down, one of the most enjoyable games among quick-witted people.  However, one that combines the quick wit and creative drawing is Scribblish or it's twin Telestrations.  

It's crazy that I ended up played both of these games in a span of one month, and I quickly wondered how both games so similar could be released in span of one year.  Actually Telestrations (USAopoly 2009) was released first and Scribblish (by Hasbro the same people who created Cranium) was released 2010.  Scribblish appears to be geared towards a bit younger age listing 8 and up, where Telestration lists 13 and up.  But what really weirded me out was to see these games listed as a board game to begin with!  I remember playing this game in 2008- maybe early spring 2009 while in grad school under the guise of 'Word/Pictionary'.  It was a laugh-so-hard-you-cry-party-game that merely required 10 pieces of paper and pens.  I love how such basic games somehow get snatched up and now required $20+ to play because they provide for you 5 cheap pencils and a basic sand timer.  I can't find in my online research who created Telestrations and I can't help wonder if it was a party game craze on the West Coast and someone 'picked it up'...?  Someone needs to write a wiki article and let me know! :)

Seasons Change

Wow, I just had a serious flashback to one of my favorite Boltz songs-- Season's Change.  I think I even sang it for a special number back in my Bethel days.  **Side Note-- What happened to 'special music'?  Was it merely a fad of the 90's church culture?  I suppose just because the churches I have attended of late no longer do special numbers, that maybe they're not extinct completely... but I have feeling they've gone 'out of style'.  Maybe not an entirely bad thing, although it was a blessing to see laymen use their gifts, rather than just the 'pro' musicians on stage.

The season is certainly changing- we woke up to a mere 42 degrees outside! I hope our pepper plants survived. Officially Autumn begins next week on the 23rd, but it certainly 'feels' like fall already.  The weather isn't the only thing reminding me the season is a changing-- the flashing red lights on a yellow school bus, back to school coupons, and need for slippers around the house are all clear indicators. 

Personally, my 'career' season is changing as I say goodbye to "Master D" and my one year of service.  The "nanny fam" will be shortly moving to TN, and I'm moving on to a new job.  No longer will I be taking care of one little one, but working on managing a classroom of teens as I teach in the area schools.  I'm serving as a "Creating Positive Relationships" teacher, an Abstinence Program, as well as subbing on the side.

I figured it might be nice to post on something other than my health/food of the day discussions, but it's hard not to post about my excitement of the season of SMORES, cider & burnt hot dogs. Yum!

Ciao Carb Counter, I've got Cream of Tatar!

So as of late I've been, ahem, complaining a bit about the diet I was supposed to be on to maintain health.  Which I really really tried to do for at least 4 months.  I hate to admit it but I've pretty much tossed in the towel.  While still trying to choose those whole wheats, more vegetables and meats please, I've stopped fretting about the occasional pasta and (not so occassional) cookie. 

Part of my relief is finding that "Cream of Tatar" if taken (a tablespoon a day with water) can also alleviate the 'ickies'.  As if I needed another thing to add to my concoction of vitamins... but this one promises that you don't have to follow the diet in order to have effectiveness.  Which my tummy and taste buds sounds a loud 'hoorah' too.

 

So bring on the milk (responsibly), and pass me that banana because I'm ready for a little bit of wholesome sugar back in my diet. ;)

Bread, Carbs, Cookies and all things Filling

Another top favorite food of choice, which is on the BAN list-- BREAD!  Seriously, I thought, do these people not know scripture? I know man cannot live on bread alone, but Jesus is the bread of life, communion, manna in the OT, I thought-- they don't get it! Eating bread is SCRIPTURAL!  Okay, Okay, so there is also a lot of the NT also warns against the yeast of the pharisees etc, and the whole practice of the Passover in the OT involved eating unleavened bread... so I guess I can't scripturalize my diet ban away. 

Again, as you might imagine, it's a tough one for me.  I was made fun of by my best friend for sometimes snacking on a hot dog bun. Strange, I know... but it was the only white bread my family kept in the house.

In these stipulations one major thing to avoid is YEAST- what seems to be infiltrating my body and kicking my digestive system in the face.  So, I've come up with occasionally making whole wheat flat bread.  Whole wheat they say is much better than white flour, because it's more complex and doesn't break down as quickly into sugar--- which is what the yeasties delight in.

I'm learning a lot about food in the process, and am just flabbergasted at all things which contain yeast & white flour.  Bye bye pasta dishes, sayonara pastries, cereals, buns, and sigh.... cookies. 

I really do love bread!! My first job was at a bakery.  Good thing I don't have that job any more, those broken cookies and the smell of fresh baked bread would send me into a temptation of a carb eating frenzy.

Do I do this perfectly?  Man, sometimes I try really hard, but in a season of hot dogs & burgers eating the meat plain it sure has been hard to say no to those buns.  I try to give in only on occasion and feel much less guilty when I can have a whole wheat bun.  Whole wheat pasta is available at stores, but the guilty pleasure of spirals of fury our version of Mac&Cheese hasn't been kicked to the curb quite yet.

MiiiiiiiiiiiiiiILK

My mom grew up on a dairy farm and my father was also raised on a quaint little farm in central IL.  This means I have milk in my bones.  Wait, I have calcium in my bones, but I think its entirely from all the milk I drank.

And I drank a lot of milk.
Breakfast. check
Lunch. check
Dinner. check  
Late Night Snack (Ice cream!!) double check

My family didn't just 'pick up a gallon' at the store. We picked up 3 or 4.  I have gotten my husband in the lovely habit of the need for milk as well.  However, we graduated up a class from 2 % drinkers to WHOLE.  It's so good you never want to go back.

However, dietary guidelines for my health concern suggest no dairy products. REALLY? no dairy? Between my normal breakfast cereal (also outlawed) with milk, chocolate mixed drinks, cottage cheese, yogurts, etc... this is going to be a hard one to kick.  I don't mind Soy or Almond, but man, the stuff from the udder sure is better!

In fact, I don't think I'm giving this one up!  I'll minimize my milk, and maybe go organic to get rid of lots of those pesky antibiotics, but NO MILK? Come on!

Fruit Please :(

So I've had some health problems and the 'diet' prescribed is a little insane.  Perhaps they're right that these foods are causing my craziness because the ones they list are pretty much EVERYTHING I LOVE TO EAT.

So, rather than eating these tasty edibles, I'm just going to have a lovely little 'ode' to them.  That way I can partake in their juicy delights without putting them on my taste buds and swallowing a load of guilt.

Today the first 'ode' is to Fruit!

FRUIT---all that is good and right in the world
tempter of woman from the beginning of time
seeded and filled with sugar you delight the mouth
refreshing thirst on a cool day
munching, crunching, colorful bunching
you bring a delight to the eye with your rainbow of colors
strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and apple
you'll forever remain my friends though estranged
no bananas for breakfast
I must end this madness
but I must say goodbye for today, for today,
yes I must say goodbye for today


(except that I am still thinking I'm going to eat a banana, I figure I'll wean myself off slowly?)