Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Deanna Gave ME An Award!!!


I'm so excited! Thanks Deanna for my first award! I'm glad somebody thinks I'm funny :-) I don't remember how I found Deanna's Corner, but I read it every day now. She's a really sweet lady with an awesome family. Go check her out.

And here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.
I told y'all how I love reading other's blogs, and these are some that I enjoy. Some are new bloggers and some have been around a while, but I love reading all of them.

Whitney - Like me, she's waiting for the day when she can stay home and be a happily married mommy.

Madeline - She's a really cool chick with a beautiful baby boy.

Tassie - An awesome, really funny lady who writes about her life and family. We met when I was a student teacher in her classroom.

Lindsey - A sweet newlywed living on Pleasant Drive.

Jessica - She gave herself the PMS award today, so I figured she needed a real award. She was a student teacher in Tassie's room too.

Lisa - She makes some of the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen.

Tara - Like me, she's new to blogging. Also like me, she's trying to get organized.

I would give it to Soliloqy, cause I think she is freakin' awesome, but I know about a million people have given it to her by now.

I think some of you may have already received this award too, but oh well, you're gettin' it again!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

A good night's sleep

Yesterday morning (before doing laundry) I went to the chiropractor and since I was already out, I figured I would look for a good pillow. Y'all all know about my sleeping problems. So I was thinking that maybe a better pillow would help my neck and shoulder and keep me from waking up in pain after two hours of sleep that was hard to get to start with. Lucky for me JC Penny was having a sale. I got a great pillow for 50% off. Yay! And it really did help me sleep better. In fact, I slept from 1 am to 8 am. That's the longest I've slept at one time in at least two weeks. Of course I had only gotten about 6 hours of sleep in the 48 hours before that, but I still think the pillow helped. It better have. I spent 30 bucks on that thing.

Clean clothes

The day I hurt my back so bad was the day of my anniversary. It was also the day I was going to do laundry. Our tiny little apartment doesn't have a washer and dryer, so we still have to go the local laund-ro-mat to wash our clothes. Let me tell you, if you want to see some crazy folks, go to the University Drive laundromat, I think that's where crazy originated.

So anyway, when I hurt myself of course I couldn't drag the 50 pound bags of dirty clothes around. So it didn't get done. Until yesterday. Have you every tried going two weeks past laundry day? It was turning into a sad situation. We were down to our last pairs of underwear, you know, the ones you save for special occasions. So, since I was feeling pretty good yesterday, Mr. McHacker took off from work after lunch and we spent the remainder of the afternoon "doin' clothes." I know you envy my exciting life.

I guess the crazies don't like getting out in the middle of the day on a Monday, because it was surprisingly dull at the laund-ro-mat. That's usually not the case. I have literally had to ask a woman to stop smoking while I was folding my clothes (hello I go to there to get my clothes CLEAN), go outside to keep from feeling uncomfortable during a "domestic argument," restrain myself from saying anything to people who cuss their children, restrain myself from cussing those kids myself, and oh, the cell phone conversations I've overheard! I won't even go there. But anyway, it sure is nice to have clean underwear.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Cheddar Biscuits

Okay, so I was over at Jessica's blog tonight and she was talking about cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster. As I have told you, I am a big fan of television. It seems like I can link just about anything to something I've seen on TV. For the past couple of years, ANY time someone mentions cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster, it makes me think of the Boondocks cartoon. I don't know how many of y'all have seen this show, but like I told Jessica, it's really funny but just wrong on so many levels at the same time. I love it. So here's the clip I'm thinking of:



NO GRANDAD! DON"T FEED HER CHEDDAR BISCUITS!
I have never typed the words "cheddar biscuits" this many times in my entire life as I have today. It's on here so many times, this page is going to show up first on Google! haha j/k

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Southwest Quiche

I figured it was time to do another recipe how-to. This makes two quiches, I like to go ahead and do two when I'm making this so that I can put one in the freezer to have on one of those days when I'm really busy or don't feel like cooking.



Southwest Quiche
For the crusts you will need :
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 sticks of butter
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp. ice water
I'm going to show you can make your own pastry crust for this, but if you're not into making the crust, 2 pie shells will work just fine.

For the filling you will need:
1 can of chicken (or you can cook one chicken breast and cut it into little pieces)
1/2 an onion, chopped and sauted
1 can of cream corn
1 can of tomatoes with chilies (like Rotel)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 or 4 eggs (start with 3, if your quiche dish or pie plate is large, add another egg)
1/2 tsp. salt

We'll start with the crust.
Before you start, put some ice in water so it can get really cold. Turn your oven to 375 so it can preheat while you work.
Put the flour in a bowl and add the butter. You'll want to incorporate the butter well. You can do this with a pastry blender, or hold two knives together, or just use your (very clean) fingers.


When the butter and flour are well mixed, add the two egg yolks and 4 tbsp. of ice water.


Save the whites for later to use in the quiche filling. Use the pastry blender to mix everything together well.
Divide the dough into two equal sized balls.


This is the easiest way I have found to roll out pastry or cookie dough. Tear off a two foot long piece of waxed paper and fold it in half. Open it back up and dust it with flour. Put one of the balls of dough on the flour, smash it down a little and put a little more flour on top of it. Fold the waxed paper over the dough so the dough is sandwiched between the pieces of waxed paper; use a rolling pin or a glass to roll the dough out. It'll look like this.


Now dust the top with a little more flour, then fold the paper back over it. Pick up the two corners farthest away from you and flip the whole thing over; the bottom is now on top. Dust this side with a little flour. Now carefully pick up the dough and lay it over the top of your quiche dish. Press it down onto the bottom and up the sides, trim off the excess. Prick the bottom and the sides with a fork. It'll look like this:


Repeat the process with the other ball of dough. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. While the crusts are cooking, prepare the filling. Saute the onion, drain the can of chicken and smash it into smaller pieces, drain the tomatoes with chilies, and drain some of the liquid off of the creamed corn. Mix all of this together, then add the cheese, salt, egg whites you saved from earlier, 3 or 4 whole eggs, and a couple of ounces of milk. Pour the mixture into the crusts.


Bake the quiches for 45 minutes at 375. Let it cool for a few minutes before you cut it. Cut it into wedges to serve. I like to serve it warm but you can serve it cold as well.


When I was cooking this, I had a little bit of dough and filling left so I decided to try something a little different. I found these adorable tartlet tins at a thrift store a while back and figured they would be good for making mini quiches.
This was the first time I used these so I wasn't sure how well it would work, but I was pretty pleased with the result. I think next time I make this recipe, I'll just do one big quiche and make a bunch of mini ones.I think these would be cute for a wedding or baby shower or as appetizers when entertaining. Not that I entertain that much, but maybe I should.



Hope you enjoyed it!

100 Things About Me

I only slept 3 hours Friday night and made myself stay up all day today (Saturday) in hopes that I would be so exhausted I would fall asleep at a somewhat decent time tonight. It didn't work. It's almost 4 a.m. (Sunday) and here I am typing. I wasn't sure where to start so I think I'll do it somewhat chronologically then fill in with other random stuff I suppose.
This is going to be a long one. You may not want to read it all. That's fine. You may not want to know all of this about me. That's fine too. I feel like I need to get some of these things out though, so bear with me. I'm bearing my soul. Don't feel like you need to comment, but you can if you want. It's confessions time.

1. I am 30 years old.

2. I was born in Arizona but my parents moved back to Mississippi when I was a baby. Other than those few months in Arizona, I have lived in Mississippi my whole life.

3. My mother is one of my best friends.

4. My father and I aren't on speaking terms and I honestly don't care if I ever speak to him again.

5. I have 2 younger sisters.

6. I have 3 nephews, a niece, and a foster niece who isn't "officially" part of the family, but kind of is.

7. I was smart as a kid, had an above average IQ and was considered gifted. Not sure what happened as I got older, I seem to have lost it somewhere along the way.

8. My parents are divorced. It was a nasty one.

9. I HATED high school and didn't finish, I took the GED and went to a community college a year early.

10. I majored in business the first year I was in college, decided maybe it wasn't for me and took some time off from college to work and do other various things.

11. I worked in a bakery/ cake shop and became best friends with the owners, the wife is still a good friend of mine 12 years later.

12.I have a tattoo of a sun on my ankle.

13. My mother's father, my Papa, died of cancer. He was a smart man but was only able to go to school through the 6th grade. My education was always very important to him. When he died is when I realized I needed to go back to college. I like to think that he can look down on me and be proud that I finished college.

14. When I went back to that same community college for the second time, I majored in Elementary Education. Those were two of the best years of my life.

15. I was Baptist Student Union president and spent an entire summer in northern California on a missions trip.

16. I went to Mississippi State University to finish my degree.

17. I did not have my first kiss or my first boyfriend until I went to college.

18. I withdrew from school for a couple of semesters to take care of my Grandma. I love my Grandma more than words can say. She was one of the most godly people to ever walk the earth. I am crying as I type this because I miss her so much.

19. During the summer I was taking care of her, I was with her 24/7. At night when she went to bed, I got on the computer to chat with friends. That was the only socialization I had for a while. I met my husband online during that summer. Although I would have stayed with her and taken care of her the rest of her life, she wouldn't let me. She decided to go into a nursing home so I could have my life back. It broke my heart.

20. My husband and I met in person August 24, 2003 and got married July 17, 2004. We just knew we were supposed to be together. I know God gave him to me and I could not have chosen anyone more perfect for me than he is. He is my life.

21. I have lived in the same apartment for the last 5 years and 7 months. I am ready to move on.

22. I received my degree in December 2004, substitute taught for a semester then took a job in a nearby town teaching second grade.

23. I taught second grade for three years.

24. My Aunt Margie, one of the most important people in my life, passed away Thursday, April 5, 2007, the Thursday before Easter. We buried her on Easter Sunday. Easter was hard for me this year.

25. My Grandma passed away on December 20, 2007. She was 97. She spent Christmas with Jesus but I had to spend it without her.

26. I miss them both so much it hurts. I still cry for them almost daily. This is the first time I've told anyone that. I know the pain should be better by now but it isn't.

27. I am so thankful my Grandma lived long enough to know my husband and know that I am happily married.

28. The past year of my life has probably been the worst year of my life. But things are getting better every day and I have a lot of hope now.

29. In the past year I have these things wrong with me: depression, mood swings, anxiety attacks, an abscessed tooth, tonsillitis/bronchitis, wisdom teeth extractions, dental fillings, strep, a severe allergic reaction to penicillin I was on for strep, and most recently, the problems with my back.

30. I was on prednisone (steroids) 4 times within 4 months. They made me feel like crap.

31. I only have partial feeling in my chin and lower lip (paresthesia) due to nerve damage from the extraction of one of the wisdom teeth. It's a strange sensation. I've come to accept that this is as well as it's going to get.

32. I'm not trying to have a pity party. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. I just need to get things out. It's probably TMI for everyone else, but it's kind of like therapy for me.

33. Speaking of therapy, I go twice a month. It's helped a lot. I don't know if I would have made it through the past year if I had not had such a great counselor.

34. This one is the hardest for me. You may want to skip it, but I need to say it. I thought about suicide a lot during the early spring. Then when I had the allergic reaction, I took some medication for the hives that interacted with another medication I was on. I could hardly breathe or move, the world was spinning and I was blacking out. I thought I really was going to die. That was my turning point. I realized that I have so much to live for and that I wasn't ready to go yet. I've gotten my priorities straight now and life is a lot better.

35. Most of my mental health issues were caused by my job. I am so glad I left. It was a tough district with a lot of issues. You just don't know.

36. I think every Christian (and non-Christian) should read Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend. This book has helped me tremendously.

37. The most important thing I learned from Boundaries is that I cannot control the actions of others, but I can control MY REACTION to others and their actions.


(The rest of these will less serious and a lot more RANDOM.)
38. I hope to have my own bakery/ cake shoppe one day.

39. Some of my happiest times are during the summers when I am a housewife.

40. I love to cook and I'm pretty good at it. I think that's one of the reasons my husband married me.

41. I like to sew.

42. I am going to try to make most of the Christmas gifts I give this year myself. I am very excited about this.

43. I love to give gifts. I always try to give thoughtful gifts.

44. I like to scrapbook but haven't done one page in the past 5 years. That's about to change.

45. I can't wait to be a mom. I feel like a childless mother. Now someone give me a motherless child and things will be a little better in the world.

46. I want to homeschool my future child/children.

47. I'm a bibliophile. I collect books. I own over a thousand.

48. When I cleaned out my classroom at the end of the year, I had to rent a storage unit to store all of my personal teaching stuff.

49. I'm a pack-rat.

50. I strive to be organized but never feel that I am.

51. I love music. It is a huge part of who I am, even though I can't play an instrument.

52. I don't sing well, but I don't let that stop me. If I know the words, I'm going to sing along.

53. One of the things I want to do before I die, or I guess I should say before he dies, is to attend a Jimmy Buffet concert.

54. One of my goals in life is to learn sign language.

55. Another is to learn to play the guitar.

56. I (eventually) want to have an environmentally friendly "green" home.

57. One of my favorite things to do is look at homes for sale on the internet.

58. I (eventually) want to grow as much of my own food as possible.

59. I think I already mentioned my love/hate relationship with Wal-Mart.

60. I think I'm losing my hair. More about that in an upcoming post.

61. Aussie 3 minute miracle is the only conditioner I will use.

62. I am addicted to chocolate. I would eat it at every meal, every day, for the rest of my life. I am serious.

63. I am addicted to flip flops. The chiropractor said they didn't give enough support. I tried to tell him how comfy yellow boxes are. He didn't listen. I will cry if I have to give up my flip flops. Maybe I can just have them in small doses?

64. I hope I am being coherent. I think I may have sleep deprivation.

65. My in-laws are wonderful. My mother-in-law is one of my best friends.

66. My Grandma made the quilt that is on my bed and gave it to me 10 years ago with a baby quilt. She gave every grandchild a quilt when they got married and a baby quilt for each child they had. She knew she wouldn't be able to quilt by the time I was ready for them, so she made sure I would already have them when I needed them. I didn't start using it until after she died. It is one of my most treasured possessions.

67. I want to learn to quilt.

68. I can draw anything you want on a cake using icing, but I can't draw it on paper with a pencil.

69. I know how to make my own cookie cutters.

70. I HATE the oven in this apartment.

71. I love the ceramic tile floors though.

72. I love Vera Bradley accessories. Especially Pink Elephants.

73. I love watching movies and DVDs of TV seasons. We have several hundred DVDs.

74. One of my favorite shows is Dexter. I'm really looking forward to the next season. I feel twisted for liking it so much.

75. I like playing video games.

76. My apartment is always a mess. I haven't let anyone in the computer room in at least a year.

77. It is impossible for me to choose a favorite song, book, movie, etc. when someone asks. If it's narrowed down I do better. You know, instead of someone saying "What's your favorite movie?" they say "What's your favorite comedy movie starring Tom Hanks?" instead. I like specifics.

78. I'm always afraid of sounding like an idiot.

79. I have several really great friends that live in other cities or states, but other than my husband, I only have 1 person whom I consider a good friend living in the same city as me (and she's been gone all summer).

80. I collect Coca-Cola memorabilia.

81. I want my "dream kitchen" to be in the style of a 50s diner. Black and white checkered floors, real bar stools, stainless steel appliances. Instead of a table in the kitchen, I want a big corner booth. Red of course. I can picture it all in my mind.

82. My biggest regret in life was not being there for an old friend when her grandparents passed away.

83. I almost never talk about politics with anyone other than my husband.

84. I usually vote Democrat.

85. I don't like having to defend my views. Or having someone else's political views shoved down my throat.

86. Sometimes I have to agree to disagree.

87. I like to play board games. Scrabble is my favorite.

88. I have had to wear glasses since I was 12.

89. My husband also wears glasses. This makes me worry for the vision of our future children.

90. I worry. A lot. About a lot of things. I know I shouldn't. I repeat Matthew 6:34 over and over in my head. Maybe one day it will kick in.

91. There are literally 15 or more churches within a 5 mile radius of my home. Only one person has invited me to church in the 7 years I've lived in this city. I knew the person. Other than her, no one from any church in this city has ever reached out to me. I have not seen or heard a church here do any kind of community outreach other than putting up a sign saying "Welcome college students." It bothers me.

92. Another thing that bothers me is people who don't use turn signals. That drives me NUTS!

93. I cuss, curse, swear, whatever you want to call it, too much. I'm working on that.

94. I procrastinate way too much.

95. I need to lose 50 pounds.

96. We've been following some of Dave Ramsey's advice and it's helped us a lot.

97. The sounds of birds singing and crickets chirping gets on my nerves.

98. I have never broken a bone.

99. I sometimes smell cigarette smoke that isn't there, I think it's due to chronic post nasal drip.

100. I have not eaten at McDonald's since I saw Super Size Me.

It was hard to think of this many things about myself that others might find remotely interesting. Well, maybe now you know me a little better. It took me 4 hours to write this and now at 8 a.m. I'm finally sleepy.

Friday, July 25, 2008

35 Questions

Not feeling much like writing at the moment but Marsha posted this today so I thought I would do it too so you can learn more about ME. Since all bloggers are narcissists and all.

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse.

2. Your significant other? Sitting next to me on the couch.

3. Your hair? Falling out. That's a post for another time. I am so NOT loving my hair right now.

4. Your daughter? Yet to be born.

5. Your son? With my daughter.

6. Your favorite thing? umm...the internet? or chocolate

7. Your dream last night? I don't remember, I usually have some crazy ones though.

8. Your favorite drink? Barq's root beer. I don't drink it very often though. I try to drink only a few sodas a week.

9. Your goal? To be a good wife to my husband and eventually a good mother to my children.

10. The room you’re in? Living room.

11. Your church? I liked Marsha's answer “in my head.” I am a Christian, I just don't attend church at the moment.

12. Your fear? Lots of them. Losing my husband or mother. That I won't be able to have children when we are ready to start a family. People not taking me seriously.

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Living anywhere but this apartment (or in a box on the street, or with our parents, okay this apartment isn't sounding so bad now). Hopefully in 6 years we'll be living in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood raising a couple of kids.

14. Where were you last night? Home, watching more Flight of the Conchords and playing Animal Crossing.

15. What you’re not? Organized

16. Muffins? Yes please, I'll take whatever you have.

17. One of your wish list items? More Vera Bradley stuff.

18. Where you grew up? South Mississippi.

19. The last thing you did? Had Mexican food with my hubby.

20. What are you wearing? Jeans and a white tank top.

21. Your TV? I love watching it and playing video games on it.

22. Your pets? None :-( Not allowed to have pets in the apartment we lease. When we get a house, I want a dog and a cat and a bunny and a ferret and .......

23. Your computer? Dell Inspiron 600m laptop. I have a Dell desktop too but I don't use it much.

24. Your life? Hmm... pretty good most of the time.

25. Your mood? Hopeful

26. Missing someone? I always miss my family since I don't see them much. I lost my Aunt Margie and Grandma last year and miss them so much.

27. Your car? HA! 97 Oldsmobile Achieva with some dents and dings, but hey it's paid for.

28. Something you’re not wearing? makeup

29. Favorite store? Wal-mart. I have a love / hate relationship with Wal-Mart.

30. Your summer? Mostly great other than hurting my back.

31. Like(love) someone? My sweet husband.

32. Your favorite color? red

33. Last time you laughed? During dinner with Mr. McHacker.

34. Last time you cried? A couple of days ago when my back was hurting so badly.

35. Who will repost this? I have no idea, I hope everyone who read this will repost it.

Late Night Thoughts

It's another one of those late nights (early mornings) when I can't sleep. I realized I didn't write anything today so I thought I would type out what ever pops into my head tonight.

I'm getting better every day. Another chiropractic appointment tomorrow, then hopefully I can cut back to once a week or less. I hardly hurt today, it was good. I don't know how people live with chronic pain. My dad-in-law has rheumatoid arthritis and I just don't know how he makes through the day sometimes.

You know how I was talking about not sleeping like I should? Well, I took this circadian rhythm test, and I'm thinking about getting one of these light therapy devices. Actually, my sweet husband is looking into how to make one for me. He's real sweet like that. And good with electronics. So I'll let y'all know how that works out. I have a great husband, even though he gets on my last nerve sometimes.

I'm going to do one of those "100 Things About Me" posts sometime soon. So if there's anything anyone wants to know about me, just ask.


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Feeling Better

Just thought I'd let anyone interested know that I'm doing a lot better. I don't care what people say about chiropractors, going to one has helped me. I'm still not 100% but I'm better than I've felt in a week. In addition to what was already wrong with my back, I managed to strain a muscle in my shoulder/neck. Did you know that you use that muscle when you burp? It's true. It hurts my shoulder to burp. How weird is that?

So since I haven't been able to do much, I've been watching a LOT of movies and dvds of tv shows. Have you ever heard of Flight of the Conchords? No? I hadn't either until Mr. McHacker got the first season and started playing them. It's an HBO parody show about these two guys who are musicians from New Zealand living in New York. It's completely ridiculous, but so funny. All of the songs are in like dream sequences or something. Here's a clip: ( I wouldn't play it if there are kids around)



Why do I find this so funny? I don't know. I also don't know how they keep a straight face.

Also, I watched High Fidelity. Again. For the 5th (or more) time. I really like that movie. It made me want to do a "Top 5" favorites post. But I didn't know what to start with. Maybe I'll work on that. Any ideas? If you've seen the movie you know how this works. "All Time Top 5 Favorite _________________" Somebody help me fill in the blank.

That is all for now. Letterman is on. I can't concentrate on anything else when Letterman is on.

Monday, July 21, 2008

I always knew I was living in the wrong era

On several of the blogs I've been reading, I've noticed this test they've been doing, so I thought I would do it too. I have never been happy about making a 70 on a test ;-) but I feel pretty dang proud of myself for this for some reason.


70

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

A little better

Okay, so I went to the chiropractor yesterday and I didn't think it really helped much yesterday but today I'm thinking that maybe it did.

He did x-rays and and exam. I was in a lot of pain, and wasn't comprehending everything he said too well and didn't ask enough questions. But from what I understand and saw in the x-ray, there are a few things wrong. My spine is curved way out of whack to one side, my pelvic/hip bones are misaligned, one is higher than the other and twisted in, and there seems to be some disc thinning or disc degeneration (not sure which) in the lumbar vertebrae. Two of the lower vertebrae are touching and he said looked like they weren't far from being fused together. I'm guessing the pain is from the vertebrae touching (kind of like arthritis?).

I told him I guess I've just been living with it so long I didn't realize how bad it had gotten and he told me "well, it finally caught up with you." So he stretched me a popped me some and it helped a little.

I'm able to move around better today and I don't feel like I'm going to fall down in agony every time I take a step now. I'm going back Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more treatments and I'm going to try to ask him more questions about what is wrong and what to expect.

For now I'm just taking it easy. I'm kinda bored. I have to lie down a lot and it's hard to read or watch TV or use the computer when you're flat on your back. Sitting for more than a few minutes at a time really hurts, so I can't sit up too long. I've been trying to get up and walk around a little so I don't get so stiff. It's easier to do today than it was yesterday.

I know eventually it will all be better, but I'm a worrier. There are so many unknowns right now that I can't stop worrying about. I went to http://www.biblegateway.com/
to look up a verse and this was the verse of the day: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”- Isaiah 41:10. That was put there for me today.

Friday, July 18, 2008

(Insert catchy title here)

I just couldn't think of a good title today, I'm hurtin' too bad.

Yesterday was both good and bad. It was my 4 year anniversary. I guess I haven't told y'all how wonderful Mr. McHacker is. He is sweet, and funny, and smart, and cute, and awesome! I'm truly blessed.

Back to the hurtin' part. Y'all I have hurt my back bad. I don't know what I have done, but this is some of the worst pain I have ever had. I have a chiropractic appointment at 2:30 and I'm praying that he'll be able to give me some relief. It's been hurting for a few days and I just figured I strained it pulling on something or picking up something too heavy, so I was just kinda taking it easy. Well yesterday I had to go to Wal-Mart, by the time I left, I was barely able to walk to the car. I spent most of the rest of the day on my back on the living room floor with a pillow under my hips and my calves and feet across the ottoman, it was the only way I could get the pressure off my lower back. I looked completely ridiculous. But nobody saw me so it didn't matter.

So the nice steak and potatoes meal I planned to cook for my hubby was replaced by Barilla three cheese tortellini cooked by Mr. McHacker himself. Did I tell y'all he doesn't cook? Well...he can boil water....that's why I figured he could handle cooking pasta. I hope after I see the chiropractor that I'll be able to stand up long enough to cook the nice meal tonight, if not, maybe I'll give Mr. McHacker directions on how to do it while I lie on the floor.

The pain seems to be not quite as bad today as it was yesterday, I've actually been able to sit on the couch today for a while, which is a little bit of an improvement, but I've got a feeling it's not going to get better on its own, that's why I'm going to the chiropractor. I've never been to this one and it's been a while since I've been to one, so I'm a little nervous. I'm hoping and praying that the chiropractor will help. Please say a little prayer for me. Thanks.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Hypochondria

Okay, so I'm a hypochondriac. But I'm aware of my problem and that's the first step to recovery. Right? I use Google and Wikipedia to self diagnose. My husband hates it when I do that. I can't blame him. It would get on my nerves too if I were him. But I just can't stop myself! You wanna know what my latest self diagnosis is? Probably not, but I'm gonna tell you anyway.
I have always been a night owl and had trouble getting to sleep. Even when I went to bed early, I couldn't fall asleep. I've had bouts of insomnia here and there for the past 10 or 12 years. My mind races at night and I can't slow it down. For the past few years, I thought the mind racing and not being able to fall asleep were because of anxiety from my job. So, I had been taking a prescription to help with anxiety which also made me sleepy. (But even when I took it, I was usually still groggy in the morning). Since I quit my job (more on that later), and I'm not taking it anymore, I'm having problems sleeping again. I just can't fall asleep until about 4 or 5 in the morning, and then sleep until 11am. This has been going on for a couple of weeks. So today I started looking on wikipedia (uh oh!) about sleep cycles. And this is what I found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome
So now I'm thinking that maybe I'm not crazy and depressed after all, I just have an abnormal circadian rhythm. This article sounds just like me. Seriously.
With my newfound information - I'm off to do more Internet research.....oh, I guess I should get that housework done.....I guess my Googling will just have to wait till tonight when I can't sleep...

Sunday, July 13, 2008

More cakes

I've just spent the past two days making cakes. Two of the cakes were birthday gifts for my friend's kids (who have birthdays around the same time so they have 1 big party). The other was for a lady who wanted a cake for her husband.

The cake for the 11 year old girl is probably the most horrifically ugly cake I've ever made. I call the base color "radioactive pink." The color in the picture is actually not as bright as it was originally. I took half of the original color and added that much white icing to it to make the color shown. I had to. I was afraid it would glow in the dark and people would wonder what that strange glow coming from my window was.

This was the picture they sent me as a reference:



But she wanted a bright pink base and all buttercream (not fondant). Also she wanted lime green and turquoise on the pink. I tried the turquoise on it but it was so bad that I had to take it off and just use another color of green. So this is what the finished cake looks like:



Like I said, probably the ugliest thing I've ever made. I don't know what she thinks of it yet. I figure she'll either hate it because it's not exactly what she wanted or she'll love it cause it's so over the top, she's eleven, who knows what to expect.

But the other ones turned out pretty well. Here are the 3D sports cake and the Tennessee football field cake.





If you happen to read this, leave me a comment to let me know what you think.
Crystal

Edit: I just talked to the folks the cakes were for, they loved them.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Some of my creations

One of the things I enjoy doing is making and decorating cakes and cookies. Here are a few of them.

Hawaiian birthday cake:


This is a 3D stand-up frog cake that was for a little girl's birthday:


Here's the base it sat on. For some reason, I don't have a pic of the frog on top of the "pond."


This is a small cookie bouquet I made for a friend at Easter:


Some wedding cake shaped cookies:


There are pictures of more of my cakes and cookies on my Picasa album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/someanonymousgirl/CakesAndCookies

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Yummy soup

Writing a blog isn't as easy as I thought it would be, I guess my life's not as interesting as I thought. So I've been thinking about things I'm good at, and cooking is one of those things, I'm trying to find my niche I guess. So, I'm thinking that occasionally I'll post a recipe I like and photos of me making it. Kinda like Pioneer Woman (but the pictures won't look nearly as professional).

Here's the first recipe:
Broccoli and Cheese Soup:















1 stick of butter

1/4 cup of flour
1 can of chicken broth
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of milk
(or you can omit the cream and use 2 cups of milk)
1/2 pound
(8 oz.) of Velveeta
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
broccoli
salt to taste

Mr. McHacker (my hubby, he's a computer hacker, but don't worry he's a white hat... well...maybe more like a gray hat) and I were eating a LOT of Broccoli Cheddar soup from McAllister's and Quiznos, so I figured if I could learn to make it, it might save us a little money. I found a recipe online that I thought sounded good and modified it a little. Mr. McHacker says it's TaStE-TaCuLaR (whatever that means?)

First, melt the butter:










Then, add in 1/4 cup of flour:



Stir the flour into the butter and reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. It'll look like this:


Pour in the cream, milk, and chicken broth:



Turn the heat back up and bring it to a boil:


Add the salt:

Reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, cut the Velveeta into small chunks so it will melt easier. I'm a little bit OCD so all my cheese cubes have to be the same size :-) Steam about a half a bag of broccoli in the microwave (in a bowl) for 2 minutes, then cut it into small pieces.


Add the Velveeta
(I forgot to take a pic of putting it, but you know what it looks like), then the cup of cheddar:

Around here, we really like cheese, so I added another cup :-)

Then add the broccoli:



Mix it well and let it cook about 5 more minutes. While it's cooking, toast some of these:


If I were professional, I would have shown you a nice, new package of these, but I already had these in the pantry. I guess you can see we like these, we've eaten almost the whole package :-)

This is the finished product. It makes four servings, so Mr. McHacker and I will have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow :-)



This is a very creamy and filling soup, but if you want to make it healthier, I think it'll still taste good. This is the way I always make it, but next time I make it, I'm going to use the modified recipe with the healthier substitutions:

1 stick low fat margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 can low sodium chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
1/2 pound (8 oz.) Velveeta 2% milk
1 cup shredded reduced fat cheese
broccoli
salt to taste

Let me know if you try either version and what you think of them.

*HUGS*
Crystal



Saturday, July 5, 2008

Free Hugs

Today is International Free Hugs Day. *Hugs* to anyone reading this.
Take a minute to watch this video:

First post

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately and thinking to myself, "I should start a blog." So, here I am. I've been trying to keep a journal and thought this might be a better way to keep track of my thoughts, feelings, ideas, or whatever. This will probably be a "stream of consciousness" type thing since I'm mostly writing it for myself. But I do hope you (if anyone is reading this) will enjoy my ramblings. I can be funny at times, sarcastic at other times, and you'll probably think I'm a big hypocrite at times too (because I am), but I want to be myself and say what I think whether anyone else likes what I say or agrees with me. If you do happen along and read this (or anything else I write) leave a comment.