Showing up - kind of

I named this blog after Woody Allen's comment about how 80% of life is just showing up. While ideally I would like to post every day, my life just isn't exciting enough for that to happen. Realistically, I'd like to post four times a week; it looks like I'm falling short this week by only posting three times.

While not too exciting, here's what's been going on:  I am back on the workout wagon, and I have to say that it feels great. I told Dwight that when I complain about it, he needs to remind me how good I feel when I'm done. I got some endorphins on Friday; it's been awhile since I've felt that rush. I LOVE ENDORPHINS! I've been alternating running / walking with the stationary bike for cardio, and I am following the Abs Diet weight training regimen on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I have found muscles that I forgot I had, but it feels really good. And the good news? It's going to be warm enough today that the sidewalks should just be wet instead of icy, so I can go outside for a run this afternoon! I tried it earlier this week, but there was too much shuffling across frozen driveways that it was just counter-productive. Dwight gave me an actual Garmin watch for Christmas, so now I can feel official.

[A bit of a bummer on the fitness front: I was psyched to register for the Lincoln Half. Registration opened on 12/21, and while I know it's limited to the first 10,000 runners, Emily had signed up a few weeks after registration opened last year with no problem. It was nuts here around Christmas, so when I finally sat down to register on 12/27 - you guessed it. Sold out. Sad face emoticon right here. Emily has been searching for other races, and the most promising is in Kenosha, Wisconsin on 5/4. The only drawback to that - other than the long drive, but we can stay with Jeanie and Tom (right, Jeanie?!?!?) - is that the race is on a Saturday, so that would necessitate Friday travel. The good part is that we wouldn't have to leave right after the race; we could recover for the afternoon and evening and drive home on Sunday. It's still a maybe, but I want to get a spring race scheduled to force me to get the long runs in. It's just too easy to slack off otherwise. Aly and Alex told me that would be the case, and I didn't know just how right they are.]

Onto the food front:

Friday nights are date nights for us, and by date nights, I mean I don't cook. It stems back to when the kids were little and in gymnastics class on Friday afternoons at 4:30 - we always had a family dinner out on Friday night, alternating who got to choose what restaurant. I really think that's how the kids developed such eclectic palates. It could be Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, or just plain good old comfort food. But I digress. This past Friday we decided to try a new-to-us restaurant, Amsterdam Falafel in the Dundee neighborhood. For those of you in Omaha, it's on 50th just south of Underwood. But don't blink or you'll miss it. There was seating for maybe 15 inside, although it does a brisk takeout business.

This was the menu:

I chose the falafel sandwich, and Dwight chose the kabob sandwich. While both were pretty yummy, I'd order the kabob next time - only I'd have the salad. The bread was a huge bun with all the insides scooped out so it was just a shell. We got a choice of sauces - I chose herb, while Dwight chose garlic and spicy. And those curry fries? For someone who's never met a french fry she didn't like, these were pretty close to heaven.

Dwight's kabob sandwich

My falafel sandwich

I made a Costco trip on Friday and just had to buy berries. I've been missing them, as they were a staple of my summer breakfasts. While I love apples, oranges, and pears, I just wanted berries. The blackberries didn't disappoint, but you can tell the blueberries were out of season. I ended up freezing most of them and will throw them in smoothies.

You know who likes Costco runs? That's right. Pete hid in the box and scared Ernie every time he walked by. (What?! A cat in a box?!) For 13-year-old cats, they can still play like kitties.

Looking innocent. Don't let him fool you.

Breakfasts:

Oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. And coffee. Pure comfort food from my childhood.

PB bagel thin, fruit, cranberry juice, and coffee

2-egg scramble with leftover chopped asparagus and corn relish, fruit, and coffee

Lunches:

PBJ, carrots, and Special K crackers

Rotisserie chicken, seaweed salad, and some multigrain chips from Trader Joe's. And a Coke Zero.

Blackened chicken Caesar salad

Snacks:

These were an impulse buy at Trader Joe's. I was in the checkout line, it was 1:30, and I hadn't had lunch yet.

Leftover sweet potato wedges with 1 T PB

And dinner:

I took some of these...

...added to this (Christmas present from my sister-in-law)...

...and ended up with dinner

We had friends over for dinner last night but I didn't get a picture. I made an old stand-by that we had many times when the kids were growing up, mostly because it was easy and I could make it ahead of time and just bake. It was from my sister Jeanie's old parish cookbook, so you know it's good: place 4 chicken breasts in an oblong baking dish, top with sliced swiss cheese, mix 1/4 cup white wine with a can of cream of chicken soup and pour over the chicken and cheese, and top with 2 cups of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix. And then drizzle 1/4 cup butter over all and bake at 325 for an hour. Your tummy will be happy.

I served it with Cooking Light's balsamic browned butter asparagus: roast (thick) asparagus spears at 400-425 till done (about 12 minutes). In the meantime, melt 2 T butter, and cook three minutes until browned. Immediately add 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, pour over asparagus, and toss to combine.

Add a salad with pear and kiwi slices, pomegranate seeds, and Trader Joe's champagne pear vinaigrette, and you have a pretty good dinner. And dessert...oh yes...I had made a trip to Jones Bros. Cupcakes - we had cupcakes and macarons. So much for healthy eating. But if the healthy Cathy shows up 80% of the time, I'm not going to beat myself up.

Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

While not the healthiest, these girlfriend recipes are delicious

You know the kinds - the ones that you find in your grandma's church cookbook. The first is actually an appetizer recipe that my friend Polly brought to two separate gatherings this past fall / winter. Each time, I thought how good it would be over lettuce or pasta. I made it for New Year's Eve and served it on thinly sliced baguettes as the recipe called for, but it was lunch over lettuce yesterday.

Yesterday's lunch

I thought that it would be really healthy, what with it mostly being shrimp, but once I calculated the nutritional data (which may or may not be accurate!), I came up with 418 calories, 32 fat grams, 7 grams of carb, and 28 grams of protein. This is for a one-cup serving, or one-fourth of the recipe.

Here's how to make Polly's shrimp:

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked and very roughly chopped

1 lemon thinly sliced, peeled and chopped

1 medium red onion or one bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup pitted black olives (I used about a can and a half - the small ones - of sliced black olives)

2 T chopped pimientos

1/2 cup olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 T red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp cayenne

about 1/2 cup fresh parsley or 1/4 cup dried

1/4 cup capers

Mix the olive oil, garlic, dry mustard, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, basil, and cayenne in a small bowl. Combine all the other ingredients and pour the dressing over. Mix well to combine. Refrigerate. Serve over thin baguette slices as an appetizer. (And it's delicious served over lettuce as a salad).

Do you see where the calories come from? That one-half cup olive oil is a killer. I think it could be lightened up by using a light lemon vinaigrette; maybe next time.

Another delicious recipe is Santa Fe Soup from Jeanette. It is embarrassingly easy to make, and is one of the best soups I have ever eaten. And again, I thought it was healthy since it is mainly beans and veggies. Oh, and a block of Velveeta.

Dinner last night, served with some roasted veggies / sweet potatoes

Jeanette's Santa Fe Soup

1 lb hamburger, browned and drained

1 can sweet corn with liquid

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 16 oz. jar medium salsa

1 1/2 lb Mexican style Velveeta

1 14-oz can chopped or diced tomatoes

2 11.5 oz cans of V8

Mix and simmer. (See - I said it was easy!)

It makes a ton - about 10 cups. I figured for a one-cup serving, there are 390 calories, 15 fat grams, 43 grams of carb, and 27 grams of protein.

Breakfast this morning was an old familiar: Mary Lu's protein waffles. You should really make them if you haven't:  3 egg whites, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp almond extract. Whir it all in your Magic Bullet for a minute and either pour it into your waffle maker or make some pancakes. Mary Lu said that if you make pancakes, add about 1/8 tsp baking powder (or maybe it was baking soda?) to make them fluffy.

We had such a nice lazy New Year's Day. I got a good workout in - treadmill and weights. Have I mentioned how much I hate the treadmill? At least I got to watch the Rose Parade. We watched the Nebraska game (no joy in Mudville), I took a little nap, and then read some more of The Night Circus. And to top off a totally relaxing day, there was a new episode of Parenthood, one of the best dramas on TV. (Although I have to admit that I am hooked on Nashville - a nice guilty pleasure).

I woke up early today to exercise - stationary bike this time. I am watching all the Sex and the City episodes on my iPad while on the bike; for some reason I can't watch on my iPad on the treadmill. (Probably watching the timer too closely!) Then it was Inventory Day at the shop, where we have to count every single item by hand. There were so many people that it only took about four hours. Jane entices everyone with promises of free pizza and pop - and it works! Lunch was a piece of veggie and a piece of sausage / pepperoni pizza. I'm not sure my ten miles on the bike offset much of that, but dinner is going to be grilled salmon Caesar salads, so I have a little wiggle room!

TTFN

Another year

I love the feeling of fresh starts and do-overs that comes with throwing away the old calendar and opening the page to a brand new January. Although I have to say, 2012 was a pretty wonderful year. I trained for and completed my first half marathon, Alex and Aly got married, Erin and Tim got engaged, and Tony moved from LA to Des Moines to be with Emily. Right now, at this point in time, all of our children are at such good points in their personal lives and careers, and that puts my heart at ease. You know that old saying, "You're only as happy as your saddest child"? SO TRUE. Any parent out there will agree. And I continue to marvel at the fact that my husband of over 31 years - and best friend of almost 36 - is still the person I most want to be with in the whole world. And more remarkable - he wants to be with me!

We celebrated New Year's Eve as we do every year, with our next-door-neighbors. We should have been taking pictures to see the changes over the years - weight, hair styles, hair colors, fashions. But the one constant? Best neighbors and friends ever!!! As Amy said, we're the family we chose. The night began with Dennis's new beer find:

Because we're that mature

After dinner, we had games and movies planned, but we ended up sitting in the front room (which Amy designed for us - stay tuned for a future post on that subject) and just talking. The topics were all over the board, but the highlight came when, during a discussion of whether we wanted to be buried or cremated (cremated) - I warned you we talked about everything - Dwight made the comment about the cottage industry that will take your ashes and turn them into a diamond. Amy was all over that!!!! Shiny things! Instead of proposing with Grandma's diamond, you could propose with Grandma! It was way funnier last night, but that could have been the booze. As intriguing as Dennis's IPA was, I was drinking pomegranate martinis (vodka, triple sec, and pomegranate juice). But just to be on the safe side, I took Advil before bed so I feel not too awful this morning. Although a nap is definitely in my future.

We went and saw Les Miz on Sunday. I think the studio assumed everyone had some familiarity with the story because nothing was explained. Neither Dwight nor I had ever seen the play and really didn't know anything about the story. I like to think we're pretty smart people, but we were just confused. So many questions! *spoiler alert* Why was Fantine fired? Why did Russell Crowe commit suicide? Why did Hugh Jackman die? Seriously, I went to Wikipedia when we got home to read the synopsis of the book - and thank you Wikipedia, I now know the answers to those questions. So here's my review of the movie: Lots of songs you don't know, Susan Boyle's song, more singing you don't know, then everybody dies.

I just finished reading We Band of Angels, a non-fiction book about the Army and Navy nurses trapped on Bataan and Corregidor and imprisoned by the Japanese. It was recommended after I mentioned that I had read The Pacific, and found it fascinating as I knew very little about the Pacific theater during WWII. It gave me a new appreciation for women in the military. After reading about the starvation diet that was imposed on them in POW camp, it was difficult to open my pantry and fridge and see all the food. (And then I ate another Christmas cookie).

After that book, I needed something lighter, so yesterday I started The Night Circus. (Thank you, Aly!) I'm just a few chapters in, but I can't wait to continue - stay tuned for my review.

Okay, I've been writing this blog for a year now, and one of my resolutions is to be better at posting, as I was in the first part of last year. I started it to keep me accountable for the choices I made so I could be cute at the wedding last August. And that's why I'm continuing it - to be cute at the wedding this coming August. Our children are helping to keep me on the health and fitness bandwagon! But seriously, when I photograph everything I eat, it forces me to be honest with myself. So get ready for lots of pictures like this:

Today's breakfast: PB bagel thin, 2 clementines, skim milk, coffee

And now, it's time to hit the treadmill. Happy New Year to all!

Hello old friends. Where have you been? In my closet all this time?

Making sense

December has never been an easy month for me. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is and always has been my most favorite holiday. When the kids were little, it was a really stressful time because they all had school programs, class parties that required baked goods and parental guidance, scout stuff, gift exchanges, etc. Add OUR social obligations on top of all that, and I was barely hanging on by my fingernails most of the time. But it was all worth it, when on Christmas morning, all three of them were sitting at the top of the stairs waiting for 6 a.m., the time when they could run down and see what Santa brought.

Then sixteen years ago (I can't believe it's been that long), my mom, who was supposed to come to our house from Minneapolis for Christmas, suddenly fell ill on Christmas Eve, and died on New Year's Eve without ever waking up. You can see how the season that I loved took a turn. While I can't say it gets easier, there are some years that are better than others.

Fast forward to 2007, when on December 5th, a gunman walked into Von Maur, arguably our nicest department store, opened fire, and killed eight people before shooting himself. Everyone knew someone who was in the store or had a brush with closeness. A friend was hiding in the lingerie department when the shooting started, and returned later to buy the robe that saved her life. Aly and Alex were headed to the mall, and thank God Aly took a bit longer to get ready, because otherwise they would have been there. That month had me at the doctor's office for a prescription for Xanax.

And then this year, well, I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened in Connecticut. One of my favorite bloggers, Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess (who is usually pee-your-pants-funny) had a Dr. Who quote that I think bears repeating: "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things...The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things, and make them unimportant". One of the responses was from Sarah at callmequirky.com: "Life is awesome, excepting the shitty parts".

Sorry about the tone of today's post, but I know pretty much everyone in the country is feeling the same way. I'll leave you with a little bit of happy:

My friend (and boss) at the museum, Jane, brought me these today. It all stemmed from the first Easter I worked there, in 2006, and she brought Peeps for everyone who had to work that day. I told her how much I LOVED Peeps, and there hasn't been an Easter where she hasn't brought me some. Her husband, Michael saw these and said to get them, but when Jane told him I only ate the Easter-themed ones, he said to get them anyway because they're cute!

I'm sitting home, waiting for Dwight to get here. We're anticipating our first snowfall of the year, and they're forecasting nine inches of snow and blizzard conditions. The presents are wrapped, mailed if they needed to be, we have plenty of food, and I'm about to go put on my comfy sweatpants (the Walmart ones with the pockets. Pockets in sweatpants? Really?) I believe there will be an open bottle of wine awaiting Dwight.

I hope everyone is home and warm, safe, and dry. Happy blizzard!

Just a shopgirl at heart

A few weeks ago, when Jane asked me if I would work some extra days in December to cover for one of the staff who was having surgery, it seemed like a good idea. I guess I forgot how busy Decembers are - both mine and the museum shop. Although I have to say it has been fun; the shop has been particularly busy. We're very popular in December as we provide free wrapping. (Insert clip of Rowan Atkinson wrapping the package in Love Actually).  I would insert several photos of our beautiful shop, but apparently I have used all my free Picasa storage space and don't really want to pay a monthly fee.

After a fun-filled weekend with two other couples in Vegas (insert over-the-top photos while I make you guess where I was, ending with the Bellagio fountains), I finally was able to set up our Christmas trees. We have a pretty gold and silver big one, but my favorite is my Barbie tree. Dwight has been giving me two Barbie ornaments a year since 1994, so you can do the math. Add to that Erin's Barbies of the World, and Emily's Marilyn Monroe ornaments, and it is a pretty cool tree. One of Emily's Marilyn's is lonely this year, though; her boyfriend, Jerry Rice, went to Michigan when we gave Alex and Aly all of Alex's ornaments. (Poor Aly - they will have a boy tree). Marilyn became Jerry's girlfriend when the kids started putting them in compromising positions. But Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise (insert photo of ornament) is lobbying pretty hard for Jerry's spot - he is such a womanizer. All of this would be hilarious if only I had the accompanying pictures.

So I guess this is how Google makes money off of Blogspot - give 1G free, which takes about 11.5 months, then charge. We'll see.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and joyous whatever else. I love this season!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

But only just beginning. I haven't put up and decorated the trees yet (we do two), but I have all the other stuff done. Oh, and I may have a small Christmas tree collection...

The mantle

The reindeer's face cracks me up!

Dining room table

Foyer

I'm glad that Thanksgiving was early this year, because I am not going to get to the big trees for a few days. At least I waited until after Thanksgiving, unlike the stores.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, we had such a nice time! Emily and Tony came over on Tuesday in time for dinner, and had to leave on Thursday afternoon, but we crammed tons-o-fun into the few hours we had. Emily and I were planning on doing a turkey trot run on Thursday morning, but Wednesday night was just a bit too much fun - sleeping on the couch for several hours after waking up and taking some Advil was in order for one of us...

I hate it when this happens

I would post a picture of our Thanksgiving feast, but I bet it was pretty much what you had: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, corn, sauteed shredded Brussels sprouts (okay, maybe you didn't have those), pumpkin pie, and blueberry pie.

With the holiday season upon us, I counted up the number of days where we have events or are out of town, and it amounts to seven. Well, six-and-a-half. I know I will indulge on those days, but I can be in control the rest of the month, so here goes. Lunch yesterday:

Two-egg scramble with leftover Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and a side of seaweed salad

I had a handful of almonds for a snack:

Dinner was a Big Salad with red leaf lettuce, krab-with-a-k, pomegranate arils, purple cabbage, and radishes. And toast.

Breakfast today:

Mmmmm.....raisin bran......

Lunch today was a reprise of last night's dinner, only I added two tablespoons of Trader Joe's corn salsa (love that stuff). I used a splash of balsamic vinegar as my dressing.

Dinner tonight was an I-give-up. I spent the morning decorating, the afternoon Christmas shopping, and Dwight had a dinner meeting, so I just opened the freezer:

And added an apple

So my goal for this holiday season is to get four days of exercise in each week, eat more veggies, and drink more water. All doable. Wish me luck!

Time to organize

When we went to Michigan the other week and saw Alex's and Aly's brand new house stocked with their brand new wedding gifts, I was motivated to come home and organized all the tired old sh*t we have around here. Is there anyone else who thinks that after you've been married for several years decades you should be able to get all new stuff? Don't get me wrong - I want the same husband, and I'll keep my Kitchenaid, Cuisinart, Calphalon, and - well, that's about it. Just donate it all and start over with a new toothbrush holder, sheets, Tupperware, placemats; things that match - you know what I'm talking about.

Aly wrote about how she is organizing her life (check it out; she's pretty amazing), and one thing that really struck me is she talks about doing the little things that take less than a minute but will make your life so much happier. For me, it is coming down to a clean kitchen every morning. I am the worst about leaving stuff scattered about surfaces - there are magazines, mail, the calendar, and 2-3 pens on the kitchen table most of the time. I've made the effort to clear all the surfaces, wipe down the countertops, and empty the dishwasher before bed, and it really has made a difference. (Another bad habit is that I don't put my shoes away, but that's for another post).

Step one to organizing my life was to fix the pantry. It's just a little 24" (I measured) closet pantry, and I clean it out every six months or so. By cleaning it out, I mean doing one shelf at a time and hoping there is a food drive coming up because really, how many cans of refried beans does one family need? This time, I took everything out and rearranged items in a way that made sense. (Which means I'll probably never find them). For example, I have about seven different kinds of rice - arborio, sushi, regular, white, basmati, red, and a few packets of 90-second rice - which are now on the same part of the same shelf. (I swear that I was Asian in a previous life. I can do without pasta, but I LOVE rice). In addition to reorganizing, I took some of the staples that had been in ziplocs or boxes and put them in labeled containers. (A + A have all nice new matching containers; I just used what I had).

Next step was the Tupperware cupboard. I took everything out and made sure that each bottom had a matching top and vice versa. Any part that didn't have a mate went into recycling.

Then it was on to the island, the repository for bowls, small appliances, and baking stuff like muffin tins, springform pan, angel food cake pan, tart pan, etc. You'd think I do a lot of baking, but I don't. I just have the stuff.

Why yes, those ARE two waffle irons on the upper left. You never know when you'll be in the mood for Belgian or regular waffles.

My spice cupboard and drawer were next. My friend Debbie laughs that I have my spices alphabetized, but seriously, how can you not? While they've been alphabetized forever, they were not easily accessible; now they are, thanks to the two little baskets I've had since the early '90's, when that color was popular. 

The herbs and small bottles get their own drawer

So that's what I've been doing the last few days because I didn't want to be seen in public with this eye. The worst part is the scab on the underside of my eyelid from the cauterization. We found that the semi-cure is to put a daily contact in so that it protects my cornea. It is actually way better (Dwight doesn't recoil in horror anymore), although I carry around a kleenex in my sleeve like a grandma because I keep having to dab the tears. My favorite optometrist has been checking in frequently. If you're in Omaha and need someone to take care of your eyes, go see Steve. In addition to Steve, these guys have been taking care of me:

My lap was full!

Okay, now for some food. Breakfasts:

Oatmeal with golden raisins, almond-coconut milk, and PB. Coffee was also involved

PB bagel thin, strawberries, 1/2 diet cranberry juice and 1/2 Trop 50, and of course, coffee

Lunches:
This hot and sour soup is so good. I do love me some carbs. By the time I was done with the bowl, my nose was running, just as it should with a good hot and sour soup.

Because I felt like I needed some protein

Basmati rice, grilled tofu, and leftover roasted B. sprouts

I haven't cooked much lately; Dwight has had meeting this week, so last night was the first time I didn't have popcorn for dinner. I had made a Costco run, which means rotisserie chicken:

And grapes and Brussels sprouts as well....

Now for some finds. You know how I said I needed to eat yogurt while I'm on an antibiotic? Emmy reminded me of probiotics in pill form, and while I was looking for them at Target, look what I saw:

Probiotics in CANDY FORM!!!!!

Yogurt and the best almonds ever for a snack

I'm on to my next organizing project: the cupboards in the basement where I store all the serving pieces. I bet there will be pictures!

TTFN