Season's Greetings!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

I am currently sitting at my Mom's kitchen table watching her prepare home-made potato soup. It smells incredible and I'm anxious to devour it. I was lucky to get some of her mashed potatoes for lunch too.

I had a very pleasant Christmas and it was very nice to come up to Waukon (avoiding the snowstorm) and see family finally. I had actually forgotten that I had birthday presents waiting for me and received plenty of Peanuts items. Nicole also created a fabulous blanket for me. It's been used both nights since it's freezing in my old bedroom (in the basement).

I once again realized this year that I really enjoy watching other people open their gifts rather than focus on mine. I got some nice stuff and I do appreciate receiving it but it truly is more fun to give than to receive. Kudos to LeAnn for giving me a couple books with the craziest postcards in them that I've ever seen. Mom and I read through them earlier tonight and were laughing so hard we cried.

Our family made four batches of popcorn balls this year and had some nice assembly line action going on since we all have our duties for that process. We also attended the candlelight service at church last night and watched some Christmas movies. The family got Farkle (a game that requires luck and a good roll of the dice) and we played that a bit today. Gavin got the new Scrabble Flash and I think I've played that more than anyone today.

I hope everyone else has had a great holiday today. Nicole- I hope you have good weather as you continue to travel around Iowa and Minnesota throughout the week. And thank god you have been working out since I almost got my car stuck on Thursday night. Not sure what I would have done if you weren't there to push me out.

I'm very grateful to have all my friends and family in my life. (those are the best gifts of all)

Who wouldn't want cookie dough dip?

Hello, I could come on here and talk in detail of how I've lost 34 pounds (just stepped on the scale this morning)in just over 3 months but I've decided instead to share a recipe with you for a very easy, incredibly tasty and horribly bad for you treat. I suppose there is the one stipulation that you like chocolate chip cookie dough. I was at work yesterday browsing cnn.com and an article on their food blog caught my attention. I love dipping things and I love cookie dough so I had to click on the article about chocolate chip cookie dough dip. I read the article and then I read the recipe and I decided that the recipe was walking the fine line nestled between being really good or really gross. Naturally, I decided to make it and find out for myself. I had all of the ingredients for the recipe at home with the exception of the cream cheese and the Nilla Wafers to dip with so it seemed like a great idea. After a quick stop at Meijer, I was home and ready to begin.

The recipe is incredibly simple to make. Most people will probably have a majority of the ingredients in their fridges and/or cupboards. All it takes is 1 bowl, 1 pot and a whisk. After whipping up this new treat I first tried it with a pretzel. It was OK. Then, I grabbed a Nilla Wafer and dug in. It was delicious! I might even make some more for my family Christmas. I brought it into work today but I haven't heard any reviews back. I'm anxious to see what people will think.

Anyway, here is the recipe. If you're looking for something new and easy give it a shot!


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip:

1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. chocolate chips

In a 2 qt. sauce pot, over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar. Cook and whisk until sugar is mostly dissolved (I don't feel like it ever fully dissolved). Remove from heat to cool. Whisk in vanilla. In a separate bowl blend cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add sugar/vanilla sauce and mix thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips last. Put in fridge to cool completely. Serve with whatever you want for dipping. I bet graham crackers would be as good as Nilla Wafers!

Tis the season....to watch my students take a final exam

Hey ladies:

My blog title rings true....my Fundamentals of Outdoor Team Sport students are currently taking their final exam while I proctor and write on our blog. In theory I should be grading some papers and unit plans but I decided to catch up on this and cruise through some email instead. I'm not 100% awake yet (even though it's 10am) so grading papers is dangerous. I stayed up to 3am to finish grading unit plans for the previously mentioned class because I wanted to hand them back their work today after their final. Students never come back to pick up their projects if they aren't mandated to see you before the end of the semester.

I also made good headway into my Christmas cards yesterday. I still have plenty to finish but I think I've mailed 20-25 already. Fortunately a lot of the remaining cards don't require postage since I can put them in people's mailboxes at work. It was really odd not writing my Grandma Smith a Christmas letter and sending her a picture of Gavin.

I want to do some baking this weekend. I'm going to make peanut butter balls, cornflake wreaths, and dip stuff in almond bark. I'm not a fan of the latter but Jon keeps requesting it (the white almond bark not chocolate). I think I'll make those Ritz cracker peanut butter sandwiches and dip them in almond bark too. I've also had a craving for the no-bake cookies that involve mixing chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal into clumps and letting them cool on wax paper.

I think my Christmas shopping is somewhat complete but I still don't have everything wrapped yet. I need to make one more trip to Game Stop to get Gavin a couple games and I'm still pondering what to get my Dad for his birthday. Despite the chaos in my life lately, I've kept Christmas somewhat organized. Now that I said that, I'll probably forget to pack things to bring to Waukon when we travel.

Jon is making improvements as well. His staples were removed and the incision from his surgery continues to heal nicely. He was diagnosed with a blood clot last Thursday but was told to stick to his regimen of baby asprin and leg elevation. The pain in his calf and foot have gone away so that hopefully means the clot has broken apart (in small pieces) and been reabsorbed into the body. I've been helping him buy gifts for his family too since you can't find everything online for a decent price.

I went back to the doctor on Friday since my joint pain and discomfort reared its ugly head again. I'm on a generic form of Reflen now since my body was not enjoying the ibprofen I was taking constantly. Sadly the new med isn't working. I'm going to call again next week (giving that new med more time to try and work) and the doctor is going to refer me to an osteoarthritis specialist assuming my recent bloodwork does not show anything. They did a full work up on the possibility of Lyme's Disease so I have to wait for that panel to be processed.

I am hopeful that the Red Cross does not need me the week after Christmas. A babysitting "camp" is scheduled Monday-Friday that week and I'm the instructor assigned to it. I'd much rather spend some extra time in Waukon and relax that week. Enrollment is low and if it stays that way, the "camp" will be canceled. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I agreed to do that class. I agreed to it back at the end of the summer and I was oblivious to the fact that I'd probably need some down time between semesters. I didn't anticipate Jon being out of commission too. The Red Cross needs to hire more people that want those extra hours and money.

I think that's long enough of an update. It saddens me that I'm not checking this blog and writing entries as much as I truly want. I certainly need more "me time" so that's a possibility for a New Year's Resolution.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Balls

Hello! I don't know how you all feel about peanut butter but I LOVE IT!!! I could probably eat a whole jar by myself. I have a peanut butter ball that my grandma Roepke used to make. I've never made them myself but this year I tried my hand at it. They were as good as I remembered! These are so easy and damn tasty! I do have one tip though. Work fast. Once you mix everything together the batter starts to set really fast and it makes scooping them a bit tricky. I think if I make more I'll put my bowl of batter over a big bowl of hot water to keep it from setting as fast. Anyway, bon appetit!

peanut butter balls:

1 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1.5 c. peanut butter
4 c. rice krispies

Over medium heat bring sugar and syrup to a full boil. Mix well and remove from heat. Pour hot mix over peanut butter...be careful it will be very hot. Mix thoroughly. Quickly add rice krispies and mix well. Spoon 1 table spoon of mixture onto wax paper. When all balls are scooped you can go back and roll them so they are more round. Let cool and set. Store is a sealed dry container.


These freeze really well. Also, I use a 1 tbs. cookie scoop to make my PB balls so they are all of similar size. Like I said, these are super easy and everyone will love them.

Goodies, jogging and sales oh my...

Hello ladies. I was hoping to blog over the weekend however, my operating system decided to crash on Saturday night and I had to deal with that yesterday. Reinstalling the OS wasn't so bad, the 103 critical updates on the other hand are taking longer than I'd like. Oh well, that's what I get for having a system that's over 4 years old. Fortunately I had all of my documents, photos and music backed up so I didn't really lose much. I did sadly, lose almost all of the audio books that I had ripped from CDs I checked out at the library. I don't have enough space on my iPod for all of my photos music and audio books so I usually just add the books that I'm currently listening to at work. I guess I have to check some out again and get them back. Bother. Anyway, all's well that ends well and now I have a shiny new install of my operating system. Go me!

I had a really nice Thanksgiving with Jessica here. I forget how easy it is for us to just hang out. We never feel like we need to entertain one another yet we always have fun. I miss having girlfriends around to just hang out with. While she was here we did lots of cooking, black Friday shopping and we even got a little bit crafty. JoAnn's had really good deals on Friday so I got yarn and made Rishy some hats and she got some fleece, it was dirt cheap, and made a tie blanket. While it was on sale I picked up fleece and made both Taylor and Jackson tie blankets for Christmas. At $2.99 a yard you can't hardly beat the price. I also hit up a really good sale at Lanebryant. They had everything in the store buy 1 get 1 free. I got 2new cardigans and 2 bras. Both of the cardigans are really girly but I like them a lot! I've gotten a lot of compliments on them.

Each day I get a little closer to being ready for Christmas. I have all of the kids homemade gifts done with the exception of Jada's hat which I hope to whip up tonight. I've also purchased all of their other gifts too. I thought this year, instead of books I would get them all DVDs of movies that I love. I hope they enjoy Beauty and the Beast, The Great Mouse Detective and How to Train Your Dragon as much as I do! I've even started on some of my Christmas goodies. My first batch of caramel corn turned out amazingly well and will soon be shipped over to Afghanistan along with covered pretzels and peanut butter balls. I just hope they don't melt in the heat. I think this coming weekend I'm going to bake sugar cookies. The first day I'm back for Christmas Taylor and I are going to have a Harry Potter marathon and frost cookies for our family festivities. He actually called me this weekend to make sure that I hadn't forgotten my promise. I'm glad he's as excited as I am.

I've been trying to do well with my fitness goals. It's so hard this time of year with all of the sweets and other rich foods that seem to be around. I didn't really gain anything over Thanksgiving but I didn't really lose either. I've been very faithful to my exercising and I'm still minding myself when it comes to diet, however, I have to admit that it's hard to be as strict when you're making goodies. I mean, you have to sample to make sure everything turns out well :) I'm enjoying everything in moderating and I think that's the most important part. I do have some exciting news to share with you. It might not seem like much but I'm pretty pumped. This weekend when I was working out I jogged for 10 minutes! I don't think I've been able to jog for 10 minutes in years, maybe decades. And the best part, I didn't feel like a giant pile of crap afterwards. I actually felt really good. Yes, I was breathing hard and sweating like a pig (yes, I do know pigs don't actually sweat...I didn't come up with the saying I just use it)at the end of my 60 minutes on the treadmill but I felt great! I think part of my new years resolution is going to be getting back into the walk/jog protocol and see where it takes me!

Anyway, I should go. It's lunch time and I am quite hungry today. I hope you ladies have a great week!

p.s. Jenny, once I get all of my updates taken care of on my computer I'll reinstall messenger and finally get a chance to chat with you!

I've got the itch...

it's that time of year and I want to bake lots and lots of really unhealthy, sweet things! I've been thinking about all of the things that I need to make and all of the things that I want to make for this holiday season. I know I have to make my caramel corn because people at work are demanding it. I also have to make sugar cookies because it just wouldn't be Christmas without sugar cookies. I've been searching for fun new recipes and I think I've come up with some good ideas. I have these no bake peanut butter bars and salty peanut brittle bars that I want to make. Also, nobody in Michigan knows what almond bark is so I'm definitely going to have to make some covered pretzels. It's a good thing I've been practicing being good the last few months :)

Anyway, I don't really know anything else. If any of my new recipes turn out well I'll share them with you! Have a great day!

Update #186

Ok, it's probably the 3rd or 4th update I've shared lately but it does feel like I've sent over a hundred to people via email, text, phone call, or through this blog. Today was a good day though and Jon is doing well. Here's a play-by-play of what happened the past few days and why I was stressing so much.

Wednesday 1:15pm: I walk back with Jon in the prep area before his surgery so he can change into one of those lovely gowns and get an IV started. His surgeon stops by (surgeons are not very personable by the way) and his anesthesiologist comes by to discuss his part in the surgery

Wednesday 2:50pm: Jon is taken back into surgery

Wednesday 4:45pm: The surgeon comes out and lets us know that the surgery went well. They were able to use Jon's actual tendon and not donor tissue from a cadaver. Jon's patella tendon actually ruptured in the middle and the surgeon was able to layer the top layer onto the bottom layer and weave them together again. He has two anchor points on the bottom of his knee that are holding the tendon onto his knee cap. They also did work with the tendons on both side his knee since they were damaged and they are also anchored onto the knee cap. They created a 6 inch incision down his knee and it's being held together with about 25 staples. I saw it today when I changed his dressing for the first time and it looks good (no infection).

Wednesday 6pm: We are called back to the recovery area because Jon is not feeling well. His surgery was designed to be same day....they wanted him discharged after an hour in recovery and taken home immediately. Jon had issues with anesthesia in the past too (feeling ill and nauseated afterwards). The nurses could not get his nausea under control and he was too light-headed and dizzy to get dressed or use crutches. After 7pm they decide it's best to admit him to Mercy Hospital (across the street) for a 23 hour observation. He's taken over by ambulance and I move the Jeep to the hospital parking lot.

Wednesday 7:45pm: Jon is admitted onto the Ortho floor and they keep giving him IV meds to try and make him feel less ill. Due to his nausea he's not given any pain meds. Fortunately he didn't feel hardly any pain that night because the anesthesiologist gave him a fermoral block (nerve block) after the surgery that's supposed to numb his leg for 18 hours.

The nurses are in continuously during the night for vitals and med administrations.

Thursday 8am: Jon is in horrible pain because the femoral block wore off quicker than anticipated. Since he wasn't given any pain meds the day before or during the night, he's not ahead of the pain and his really strong narcotics aren't working. Fortunately a doctor does allow for some morphine to be given and that cuts through the edge a little bit. Unfortunately right when it starts working, physical therapy shows up and makes him walk on his crutches since that's protocol that day after knee surgery. All the movement and handling of his leg cause the pain to sky-rocket again and he's even worse. Sadly they can't give him anything else for pain for hours since he's had a lot of narcotics already. He's a very miserable man. I understand the nurses cannot disobey doctor's orders but they were rather rude and not sympathetic at all. It was extremely disappointing.

Thursday early afternoon: A different doctor comes to check on his nausea from the night before and decides to order more morphine for him. That morphine was a godsend because it helped him calm down and get some sleep. He started making headway with his pain after that and in my opinion was "caught up" with his pain management. They did decide to keep him one more night though just to make sure he was in better shape for a discharge home. He did well overnight.

Friday morning: Physical therapy comes again and works with him on stairs to ensure he's using his crutches correctly. The walking and stair practice goes very well. They decide that he's more than ready to go home and he's discharged around noon. They change his pain meds again becuase they found something different that works better.

Friday early afternoon: I drove him home and his friend Dave met us here with his parents to help get him inside since he gets weak easily with his crutches. We got him into the house through the front door and got him settled. I took off for awhile to get Gavin and do some things in Ames. I returned later and spent the night with him since he has to get up every 3 hours for a dose of pain meds. I'm staying tonight too (Saturday) and tomorrow night (Sunday). I'll stay a few nights during the work week too but will take nights off of course since I don't need my parenting to suffer or work performance. I just hope the weather continues to hold out since the commmute could really become a pain if the roads are icy.

That's the low down. It was stressful and unpredictable but he's home now and settled. He goes back to the doc on Friday the 3rd. The main recovery is 6 months but I can tell he's going to succeed and make great progress.

I didn't really have a Thanksgiving. I did bop down to the hospital cafeteria Thursday night and got a couple scoops of stuffing since they were still serving Thanksgiving foods. Jon's mom brought leftovers from their meal so we have turkey, mashed potatoes, and other goodies to eat. I already ate the stuffing and some of the green bean casserole.

I hope you all had a good holiday and thanks for the support. It was actually lonely at times when he was sleeping or occupied so I appreciated the texts and phone calls.

I did a lot of thinking so I will have some profound lifestyle-based blog entries soon. It's amazing how much a person thinks about their health when they are staying at a hospital ha ha.

FYI...Mercy Hospital has a McDonald's in their facility! Sadly I did eat there Friday night since the cafeteria was closed but it shocks me that a fastfood joint is promoted at a hospital.

More Updates!

Hey everyone:

I'm taking a break from my disorganized night. I've been cleaning primarily since my apartment is driving me nuts. Fortunately we have Gavin's winter wardrobe out and ready for use. His winter coat from last year still fits! So do his snow boots!! Happy Day! We also spent some time on his closet so he's now a boy with hanging shirts that are less wrinkled. I've also been sorting through things on my desk. Next I need to sort through the Christmas gifts I've purchased since they've been haphazardly put in my closet over the past months. I'm scared I'll forget to wrap something and I'll find it in July next year.

After I deliver Gavin to school tomorrow morning, I'm going to head to Ankeny and help Jon prepare for his surgery. It's supposed to be a same day surgery (which still surprises me). I think I'd feel better if he spent at least one night in the hospital. I'm nervous about bringing him home because I have no idea how mobile (or conscious) he'll be. Both entries into his home have stairs so I'm sure it will be a challenge. Fortunately his boss is willing to come over and help if we need more manpower.

Jon's patella tendon ruptured in the middle instead of the insertion point so he's getting a new one...well technically it's a used one from a donor that has passed away. They anticipate a six month recovery and it will actually take a year to get him closer to "normal" function. I just hope his pain will be managed appropriately. I will be less available starting Monday because ISU will be back in session (as well as DMACC) but I should be able to go down many evenings and spend nights.

It's very frustrating that I can't help further. My personality is severely kicking in and causing frustration. In most parts of my life, I strive for perfection and to do my best. I feel like I'm not being the best girlfriend right now because I'm getting frustrated at times and my schedule and other responsiblities are not allowing me to give 100%. I'm just worried that I'll continue to feel frustrated during the next 6 months and that certainly won't help Jon's frame of mind. Sigh.

I just needed to vent. I'm also scared about invading Jon's parent's turf. I don't want the situation to cause any tension. Anywho....every day is a new day. Thanks for listening.

30...what a lovely number!

Hey ladies I just wanted to share a major milestone with you. I stepped on the scale this morning to get a pre-thanksgiving weight and was shocked to see that I had dropped 30.6 pounds!!! I am so freaking excited. I never quite made it to the 30 pound milestone the last time I was losing weight and I am thrilled. Sadly, I gained more weight back than I lost last time so I'm still not at the lightest I've been in the last 2 years but I'm getting close.

Anyway, I need to go. Have a great thanksgiving!!!

More knee updates

Jon had his first appointment today in Des Moines. His parents took him since I had a meeting this morning and needed to be in Ames. The tendon that connects his patella is ruptured. They are planning on a surgery on Wednesday. I'm trying to make arrangements for Gavin so I'm available in the morning...Murphy's Law tells me the surgery would be bright and early in the morning. The back of his knee is quite black and blue but his pain has been better. I'll be heading there later tonight so I'm sure he'll have more information me then.

Thanks for thinking of him (and me) during this tough time. Yes, I'm stressed but it's been rather exhilarating knowing that I can accomplish all these tasks lately. Yesterday and today were very productive. I got a nice treat yesterday and since Gregg & Tiffany stopped by and visited.

It's so easy to be bad...

when it tastes SO GOOD! Ladies I am in trouble. I LOVE dark chocolate and I love mint. I love them even better when they are combined. Well, the fine chocolatiers at Lindt and Ghirardelli have decided to come up with festive, dark chocolate-mint candies for the holiday season. A few years ago I found Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares. They were excellent but they were milk chocolate so I could resist. This year they are also making them in dark chocolate. Sheer bliss! I bought a bag a while ago and I'm doing very well at rationing them...I'm actually kind of proud of myself. However, today when I went to the store to pick up a few items that I forgot yesterday I had to walk by the Christmas candy display to get to the pecans. As I walked by I happened to notice that Lindt now has a dark peppermint truffle. I had to get them. I ate one after my lunch today and they are divine! The worst part is that the truffles distracted me and I still didn't get my damn pecans for my sweet potato casserole that I'm making for Thanksgiving so I have to go back to the store again!! GAHH!!

Anywho, if you're looking for a really tasty treat and you like dark chocolate I would recommend either of the sweets mentioned above. The Ghirardelli peppermint bark squares are a little less sharp and are sweeter so if you don't like really dark chocolate I would go with those, however, if you're like me and think the darker the better I would go with the Lindt truffles. Either way you won't be sorry!

It's time for an update....

Well both you have made the commment that you've looked at this blog but not written entries often and I am in the same boat. I'm currently sitting at Jon's watching the last ISU football game of the season. Sadly we are losing so our bowl eligibility is going out the window.

The big news was Jon's major injury on Tuesday. He's still laid up and homebound. Sadly they weren't able to get him in for an MRI until Monday so we're still not exactly sure what is wrong with his knee, we just know it's bad. Surgery is expected but it's hard to say if they'll get him in for surgery before the holiday. My schedule is more flexible since ISU is closed next week for Thanksgiving Break so I'm able to come down here and help. Gavin and I have started spending the night here so I can help in the night and give his Mom and Dad a break too.

Work is going decently. My classes are on schedule and finals week will be here in 4 weeks. I still have one more meeting to plan for the teaching assistants (grad students) for the end of the semester. I'm also designing a structured meeting for them right before the next semester starts too. I signed up for extra Red Cross work in December that I know regret if I'm needed at Jon's. DMACC is DMACC. Student performance is disappointing but they are on the same schedule as ISU. I won't see those students again after 4 weeks. I teach the same class again in January but not in Ames. I'll have to commute to Ankeny.

My apartment is an absolute disster since I've been busy with work and Jon's new injury. I'm not where I want to be with Christmas shopping or decorating. I'm considering putting my tree up at Jon's house instead of my apartment.

Eating has been not under control or very healthy. My exercise levels are still below par too. I'll keep this one short since I need to leave soon Gavin will be done at the IMAX Theater. He went there with friends (who's mother was willing to get him in Ankeny on their way to Des Moines) so they are meeting me again at Culver's to drop him off with me.

Since I will be hanging around a lot indoors, I hope to post more entries next week!

I love turkey humor!

Broken record...

Hey ladies. I can't tell you how many times I've come here to blog over the last week and didn't. It's not that I don't want to but I really have nothing to share, at least nothing new. I fear that I'm starting to sound like a broken record, I'm working out at 5:00 a.m., I'm eating well, I'm working out at 5:00 a.m., I'm eating well... So, to save you all from wasting time reading the SAME thing over and over again and to keep my from droning on and on I've decided that I'm just going share some random holiday fluff with you over the next week. If you don't want to read it you don't have to. But if you're bored and looking for a momentary distraction check it out! Thats all I have today! Cheers!!

News from Afghanistan and really bad hummus

Happy Wednesday all. I'm sitting in here letting my lunch digest a bit and thought I'd jot down a few things. First, I am loving this whole fall back thing for daylight savings. Yes, it's dark at night when I leave work and I get sleepy earlier but it's helping me to wake earlier and stay motivated for and be faithful to my 5 a.m. workouts. It's been really quite beautiful these last few mornings with the sun coming up, frost on the grass and lots of fog billowing about. I also have to say that I'm really enjoying the luxury of having a garage now...NO MORE SCRAPING!!! With the temps hitting the 60s each day this week it's hard to believe that it's almost the middle of November. I was looking at my calendar this morning before work and Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, which means that in 14 days Jessica will be at my place for her first visit to Michigan!!

I am so looking forward to her trip out here. Since I've moved to Michigan she and I haven't had a chance to just send time with the two of us so this bonding time is long overdue. Not only am I super excited to see Rishy but I am crazy excited to get to cook Thanksgiving dinner! Even though it's just the two of us we're going to have the whole feast: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberries, rolls, pumpkin pie!!! I cannot wait. And, as an added bonus, because there will be so much food we won't have to cook the rest of the weekend! I'm going to have to make sure I work in a few extra workouts that week and weekend to help offset the over consumption of calories.

While I know that my Thanksgiving feast will turn out splendidly, I wish I could say the same thing for my many attempts at making hummus. I don't know if you've ever had hummus but it's a garlicky chickpea spread that is a staple in Mediterranean cuisine. I had never had it and then at a potluck here at work someone brought it in. I figured I'd try it and when I did it was so good. I've tried many store bought brands and haven't really cared for them so I thought I'd try to make some at home. Every time I have high hopes and every time they are dashed. I simply just do not like them. I don't know if my taster was off the day I had it and liked it so much or if I just can't recreate the hummus the chick at work made but it just doesn't work. I attempted to e-mail the girl and ask her for her recipe but she no longer works at the hospital so it's a no go. I'm sad but maybe I'm just not meant to eat hummus. I know, I know, if this is my big tragedy in life I really shouldn't be complaining :)

The last thing I want to share with you is some news from Afghanistan. I haven't had a chance to talk to him but Dean has been calling his wife and much as he can while he's over seas and he's had a chance to be on Facebook too (it's crazy how much war has changed). While this news is disheartening to Dean and his fellow soldiers it's making everybody back home rest a little more soundly. When Deans unit got to Afghanistan there was a special op that they needed more men for. It was an active duty very high risk type op. Dean and some of his fellow soldiers were selected. They were trained and then left for this mission. Two weeks in, they sent the most recently acquired soldiers back to their bases. Basically they had recruited too many bodies for this op. Dean was in the group cut. It's very hard for him because he feels like the time he's over there now is going to be a waste. It's very exciting for us as family members because he is a lot more safe now than he would have been. I love him and I'm so proud of him but I'm not going to say that a part of me doesn't love the fact that he's going to be doing less over there. Especially considering the fact that one of the Marine battalions that is stationed near him are doing something similar to what he would have been doing and they lost 9 soldiers in 4 days. I don't care what he does over there as long as he comes home to us. Anyway, if you could keep him, his fellow soldiers and especially the families of those who have been lost in your prayers I would greatly appreciate it!

Alright, my lunch is almost over. Have a great week!

I never though I'd say this...

But I think I really love 5:00 a.m. workouts! I feel pretty darn good after my workout this morning and now I'm just waiting to cool down a bit so I'm not still sweating when I get out of the shower. I wish I had a more accurate way to estimate calories burned during exercise. The treadmill told me I burned 826 calories this morning which is not correct. I think they are over estimating my caloric expenditure because of my weight. Yes, I'm going to burn way more calories than a female who is my age and weighs 150 pounds but I still don't think it's in the 800 calorie range. Oh well, I suppose calories don't matter all that much. I know I was working in my target heart range of the greater part of the workout and I just feel good. What else really matters.

OK, I think I might have some breakfast and then shower. I know you're busy and don't have a lot of time to sit and read a bunch of lengthy blogs so I'm just going to leave you with a little workout humor!

http://www.fritzcartoons.com/2009/04/14/treadmill-of-life/

I love the Minnesota/Norwegian treadmill! :)

Fitness Magazine: a pleasant surprise!

Happy November 3rd! This is officially my favorite day of the month. No offense to all of my fantastic friends and family who have birthdays this month or to the girl(s) who are coming to see me later this month but I am just loving this day. NO MORE POLITICAL ADS!!!! It might seem like a small thing to get so excited about but I am thrilled that I no longer have to hear about the fact that regardless of who we put in office they will cheat, lie, steal, kick puppies and pinch babies. I'm not going to lie, I don't know that anybody that I voted for was actually elected into office but I am keeping my hopes high that whoever is making decisions will embrace a moderate attitude and do what's best for the state and the country. As someone who doesn't have a lot of money having republicans in control always makes me a little nervous, they're not known for supporting the lower and middle classes, but I'm going to put my negative opinions aside and hope for the best!

November has started off pretty well for me, especially in contrast to the end of October. I was terrible over the weekend. I didn't work out at all and I ate like crap. I don't feel too guilty about it but I need to get back in gear. I've started working out in the mornings again. I've attempted this many times and never really get into the habit. However, I've decided that if I really want to reach the goals that I set for myself, in the timeline that I want, I need to get more vigorous cardio during the week. Don't get me wrong, I've been doing cardio throughout the week but I cannot accomplish in my apartment what I can on a treadmill. So, it was either workout late in the evenings, meaning after 9:00, or get up at 5:00 a few mornings a week. I wouldn't mind working out at night but I already have issues sleeping and I fear that getting an energy boost that late in the evening will just escalate those problems. Right now I've decided that Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings are my treadmill days. The rest of the week I will fill in with resistance, flexibility and balance training. I really want to push myself. When I lost weight last in the late winter and early spring of 2009 I got to around 30 pounds off and then I lost focus. I not only gained back everything I lost but about 15 pounds more. I cannot keep doing this. Anyway, I'm doing really well right now and I keep adding monthly goals and have been pretty successful.

OK, do you remember last year when signed up to do Lighten Up Iowa we got a free years subscription to a magazine? Well, I ended up getting Fitness Magazine. I wasn't sure if I'd like it or if there would be anything in the magazine geared towards someone like me. When I got my first issues I browsed through it quickly and didn't pay much attention to anything. I saw a lot of half naked thin, fit women and workout pants for over $100. After that first issue I don't think that I looked at them again. Recently I started pulling them out again. I figure that if I look beyond the cover and thumb through them more carefully I might just find some interesting things. You know what...I did!

First, I like that there are healthy recipes in each issues. I've only tried one but I have intentions of trying more. I like that they often times have reviews of products for your everyday life. From shoes, to healthy frozen foods, to face creams. I like that they have real experts in areas of diet, fitness and weight loss who contribute to each article. I think some of the information that they share is definitely geared more towards the already fit population but they have things for beginners as well. I really, really like that they have success stories from people like us in EVERY issue. In each issue they have three women who have gone through the same struggles as us talk about their success. They are short snippets but they're there. It was in one such snippet that I found a motto that I think would work well for anybody who wants to lose weight and get healthier: eat clean, exercise dirty! I think the woman in question had lost 70 pounds and she said she did it mostly by eliminating highly processed foods and by doing her cardio. She ate well and sweat a lot! As busy women, it's not always possible to cut out processed foods completely but by cutting back we can certainly make a difference in our overall fitness, especially when paired with regular exercise. There have been other items of interest from the magazine...did you know that canola oil is actually better for you that olive oil (not to mention way cheaper) and I have actually enjoyed reading it. I don't know that I would be interested in subscribing once the free trial is over but it has been a very pleasant surprise.

I should go because I don't have much more to say. I hope that November is treating you well so far!

Sigh, It's Almost November

Hey everyone:

I'm trying to get settled and go to bed early (umm it's already 11:45pm) so I thought I'd sit and write a blog entry. I'll start with the good news first. I'm feeling better! I've had a couple "normal" days so the week has started off nicely for me. I'm not sure if I jinxed anything but I went ahead and got my flu shot. ISU employees get them for free for a period of time and that period of time ends on Friday. Since I won't be in town on Friday, today was the best day for me. My arm isn't even sore so I'm hoping that stays the same when I wake up in the morning.

Gavin and I will be traveling to Waukon on Friday for my aunt's funeral. They are actually calling it a "celebration of life". Gavin is being very understanding about the situation since it will cancel out his trick-or-treating in Ames. Fortunately he'll have an opportunity on Saturday in Ankeny. He's going to be a Steelers football player. He's either going to wear my jersey or one that we have in his toy box that is adult sized. We're still brainstorming how to bulk him up. It's a strong possibility that I'll be duct taping a pillow around him and maybe some towels for his upper arms so he fills out the jersey and looks buff. I was hoping Waukon would have trick-or-treating on Friday night but no such luck. We haven't created our jack-o-lanterns yet either. Anyone have any super duper pumpkin seed recipes? Someone on Facebook made cinnamon pumpkin seeds. I've never heard of that flavor. We always had seeds made with butter and salty seasonings.

I caved in tonight and the heat is running in my apartment. I'm really hoping the wind dies down as I'm scheduled to have class outside tomorrow. Supposedly there were flurries up by Mason City tonight and ice pellets down by Ankeny. I'm not ready for anything but rain to fall from the sky yet. Snow, ice, sleet, etc all need to wait until after Thanksgiving.

That's all I have for now!

OK, I promise I'll stop posting after this...

I don't know if you've heard about the show Mike and Molly. It's a new comedy on CBS about two overweight individuals who meet at an over eaters anonymous meeting. I watched an episode and it was a bit rough (but what show isn't rough in its first few episodes) but it was interesting and I adore Melissa McCarthy, she played Sookie in Gilmore Girls. Anyway, I haven't been able to catch it since I saw that one episode but a friend of mine posted something on FB yesterday that I found interesting. It was an article about the show and it was very unkind, not only to the actors who portray Mike and Molly but to men and women everywhere who are overweight. I've linked the article below.

Anyway, in response to this article Nicole made a post on her blog that I wanted to share with you. If you have time I would recommend not only reading the Marie Claire article but also Nicole's post.

Marie Claire article:


Nicole's post:

Recipe: the monster who ate New York

This recipe will make 8 servings of about 355 calories each (not too shabby!)

Ingredients:
2 tbs. canola oil
1-2 c. sliced white mushrooms
1 lb. lean ground turkey or 93% lean ground beef
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans cut green beans
about 5 cups of mashed potatoes**
2/3 c. 2% milk fat shredded cheese (any variety will work)
1/3 c. reduced fat sour scream (or you could use a chip dip if want a little more flavor).

heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Turn heat to medium and add the meat. Cook until browned. Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Mix in the 2 cans of green beans and then the 2 cans of soup. Pour into and evenly spread across bottom of sprayed 9x13 cake pan.

Mix mashed potatoes (made as directed if you used instant), cheese and sour cream. Even spread over green bean/meat mixture. Bake in oven for 35 minutes at 350 degrees or until top is lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes and serve.

**I usually cheat and use the Betty Crocker Home style creamy butter instant potatoes). 2 pouches is perfect for a 9x13 casserole. They're 80 calories per serving and very tasty. Not to mention all you have to add is water.

20 pounds and 'the monster who ate New York'

Happy Wednesday all. I haven't had a chance to blog in a while because I've been busy at work (yay) and just haven't been able to find the time to do so at home. Things have been going pretty well here in Michigan. I won't pretend that the roller coaster weather hasn't been just a teensy bit annoying, it's wreaking havoc on my thermoregulation, but if that's my major complaint in life right now things are good.

I had a great weekend. Saturday was the Young ICD (internal cardioverter defibrillator...they're the ones that shock people when they need it)Conference and it was a rocking good time as always. This is the 2nd year I've volunteered and it really is a lot of fun. The department basically rents out the entire event center at the Marriott and they have food, speakers, entertainment, therapaws etc. It is literally a full day devoted to young men and women, along with their friends and families, to hang out with people who have gone through the same thing that they have. After my shift was over, I went out to lunch with a group of women from work to celebrate my birthday. I had an amazing burger and fries and washed it down with pumpkin ice cream (which was divine)! I felt kind of bad about eating so poorly, especially considering the fact that I missed my Saturday morning workout because I was at the conference. However, when I stepped on the scale Sunday morning (very nervously I might add) I was pleasantly surprised. I have hit the 20 pound mark!!

I'm surprised with how quickly it has come off but when I think about what I've been doing it makes sense. Other than for my birthday I haven't eaten out since Labor Day weekend and I don't drink hardly any pop these days. I bought a 12 pack of ginger ale back at the end of September and I still have 6 or 7 cans left in the fridge. I know I don't always eat the best homemade foods ( I somehow doubt tater tot casserole will ever make the list of health foods) but it's still better than eating out and everything is OK in moderation. I have also been really faithful to my exercise schedule. I try and do something most days of the week. I will alternate between in-home cardio and resistance training during the week and then Saturday mornings I hit up the mini-gym at my apartment and get in a really good workout there. I'm definitely able to get in a much better cardio workout there than home. It's just impossible to get in there after work. There are 2 treadmills and they are always being used. I honestly think when I'm done making my crazy student loan payments in May I'm going to get a pass to a real fitness facility, if I could swing it financially now I would it's just no feasible. I have a co-worker who joined the Y and they have a lot of class options which I like. We'll just have to see.

Finally, I was talking to Tasha last week and she was unpacking her groceries. She was telling me all about the good deals she got at the store and then told me her dinner plans for the week. I was totally surprised and thrilled when she told me she was making 'the monster who ate New York' for the kids. Now, I realize that we are probably the only people who have a dinner that is called 'the monster who ate New York' and that saddens me greatly because it is so amazing. People always ask where the name came from. Honestly, I can't tell you. My first memory of eating this dish is back when my parents were married and we were living in Sumner (which was before I started school). Imagine Shepherd's pie and tator tot casserole mating and having a baby. That baby would be 'the monster who ate New York.' I'll post the recipe and you'll have to give it a try. I highly recommend it! Anyway, as I was describing this dish to the girls at work they were all flummoxed when I compared it to tator tot casserole. Not a single person that I work with has ever heard of tator tot casserole...how is that even possible?!?!? Don't get me wrong, I realize that there are foods that tend to be region specific but I didn't think Michigan was so far removed from Iowa that they wouldn't know what tator tot casserole was. Anyway, Julie made it and loved it...I have one convert! Sheena was looking up recipes the other day so I think there might be another convert on the way. Maybe this is why I was supposed to be in Michigan. Maybe my whole purpose was to share the joys of tator tot casserole with the Michiganders (yes, that's what they call themselves).

OK, I should wrap up. I'll add another post with the casserole recipe. Have a great day and rest of the week!

28 and counting!

Well, it's official...I'm 28. I've been getting stumped the last few days when people at work ask me how old I am. I've had to resort to doing math to make sure that I was 27 going on 28 as opposed to 26 going on 27. Anyway, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that 28 is how old I am (despite my unsettling desire to type 29...let's not rush things)! I know that as I approach the awful 3-0! getting older should freak me out but I always like getting older. I'm like good wine, I get better with age!

As a whole, I enjoyed my 27th year. While there were moments of heartache and tragedy there were also a lot of wonderful moments filled with love and happiness. I will never forget the look on my mom's face when I surprised her on New Years Eve. It's priceless and I will treasure that moment forever. I will never forget welcoming Brooklyn into our family and I will always love the day that Dean married Alecia and she became part of our crazy family. I will always remember my 27th year as the year that my sister met the love of her life and he decided to become part of our family as well. And, while it's not a happy moment, I will remember forever holding my mom's hand as she left this world and joined those we've lost before. In all of my years past and ahead I don't know how a moment could ever be more tender or filled with more love than that moment was.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to starting off a wonderful 28th year. I hope that there is even more happiness and love than 27. I have some goals for the next year regarding my life and I hope to see them pan out. It's a fresh start and I'm really excited to see what unfolds!

Update on Health

Hey everyone:

I went to the doctor this morning...sadly my regular doctor is out of town so I saw a different one with an open appointment. I didn't want to wait until Thursday to see my usual female doctor. Unfortunately I didn't learn much today. The doctor was not interested in hearing about my fibromyalgia theory. He was certain I have mono or something viral. Mind you, I don't want to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia but it disappointed me that he wouldn't listen to me. My pain was much less today except in my knees. Holy cow they hurt for most of the day but ice and Aleve seemed to help a bunch.

Anyway, they drew blood (a lot of blood) and we got some immediate results back. Once again I'm not diabetic and the mono test was negative. I have to wait until the end of the week for the tests they did for arthritis. The blood draw really made me ill because it hurt when they stuck me with the needle and they took 6 viles of blood. I couldn't distract myself since it hurt and I felt very weak afterward. I walked back to the examination room and ended up on the floor due to feeling faint and sick to my stomach. Thank goodness nurses have good ears and quick reflexes.

Anyway, that's all I know. After 2 sick days, I am more than ready to go back to work tomorrow so I hope I don't wake up stiff or sick. That's all I have for an update....I anticipate hearing that I don't have arthritis on Thursday or Friday. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes.

These old bones....

HURT!!! I guess my bones aren't old but they are certainly acting like it!

Hey ladies:

My lack of blogging last week makes me a liar! I kept bring up this site at work during some breaks but it never materialized into a meaningful blog entry. I've had a week filled with peaks and downfalls. I'll start off with the positives since I don't want to be all whiny and full of complaints right off the bat. We had a low-key weekend with a lot of leisure. I didn't have any work hanging over my head or stressing me out. We also got to bop down to Des Moines on Friday night and see LeAnn & Jason. Gavin enjoyed swimming at their hotel pool and we had a great meal at Taki Japanese Steakhouse. I'll never get sick of that place or their orange dipping sauce. I also got to watch Gavin play one of his last 5th grade flag football games. Sadly they lost but it's relaxing to sit and watch him play on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Onto the sucky part of the week and weekend...my body has felt like hell. I felt somewhat achey and out of sorts on Friday and took a sick day. It's hard to explain but I didn't feel right and didn't feel comfortable driving. I never felt dizzy or nauseated but something felt "off". My appetite went back to normal later in the day (thank goodness) so I was able to eat and enjoy my meal at Taki.

Saturday was a different story. I could not get out of bed on Saturday morning. It was really disappointing because I had a goal to go back to Des Moines to do some shopping for Gavin and see LeAnn & Jason again. I continued to rest throughout the morning but did not improve. It felt like every bone in my body hurt and that every muscle in my body was strained. Sitting up or walking to the bathroom was agonizing. I took Ibuprofen throughout the day until I reached my daily limit. Nothing made a dent on the pain.

Today was slightly better but I still dealt with pain off and on. Fortunately it only seemed to affect my lower body and not my whole body. It got really bad right before Gavin's football game but I made myself go to the game so Gavin wouldn't miss out.

I've been in contact with my Mom about my odd symptoms these last weeks and Jon has been researching my symptoms. He sent me a link today about fibromyalgia. I had never considered that disorder before...but the link opened my eyes. In the past I've kind of rolled my eyes at the disorder because it didn't make sense that people would be in so much pain but not have any proof about the disorder in blood work or medical exams. I really hope I don't have it but as of today, it fits my symptoms in a scary way.

Here's information from WebMD in case you're curious.

http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/default.htm

I spoke to a family member today that suffers from it and she told me the best way to prevent the onset of body soreness and pain is exercise. My question is...how the heck do you perform quality exercise if your body is out of whack and sore consistently? I guess you really have to utilize the "good" days you have when your body cooperates.

On a different note, I've finished a book this weekend. I read "Madame Bovary". I read it back in high school for extra credit in my AP English class and wanted to revisit it again. It was considered controversial back in the day because the story is set around extramarital affairs by a woman. Thanks to the content we are subjected to today, the story doesn't seem controversial at all. Sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. I remember loving the story back in the 90s so I was disappointed. I got my biography of Judy Garland back from my dad in September so I'm starting up with that book again.

Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts this week. I hope to see the doctor today (Monday) so I can figure out what the heck is going on with my body. I'm going to immediately bring up my concerns about fibromyalgia and see what she thinks. I was surprised that my Aunt Patty passed away this weekend. I knew she was declining but still thought she would make it closer to Thanksgiving. I'm just relieved she isn't suffering anymore. It's another realization that life is too short and you need to treasure and love the things most important to your life.

Have a good start to your week!

Mums and broiled tomatoes

Happy Monday! I hope that you all had a great weekend and are recharged for the new week. I had a pretty slow Sunday. My friends bailed on me yesterday so I didn't end up going to the Appleumpkin festival. I would have gone by myself but seems how gas jumped up to $3.00/gallon I decided to not spend the money to drive that far by myself. After church I decided to check out some of the local places that had seasonal attractions. At one such place I bought a potted mum. I love mums but I have never been very good at keeping potted flowers, or any plants for that matter, alive. Anyway, I've been reading up on how to care for mums online so hopefully I'll be able to keep it thriving. When I got home I transplanted it right away, along with another plant that needed to be repot. Other than making a big mess on my patio I rather enjoyed playing in the dirt!

After playing farmer Nicole I contemplated working out but I was actually pretty sore in the legs from my workout on Saturday so I gave myself the day off. So I settled myself down with a glass of water and watched some football. I caught the 2nd half of the Lions' slaughter of the Rams and the 1st half of the Cowboys vs. the Titans. I have been eating really well but I haven't done any serious cooking in the last week so last night I thought I would. I made garlic-herb pork chops, scalloped corn and broiled tomatoes. It was excellent. I've seen recipes for broiled tomatoes in cookbooks hundreds of times and I've never tried them before. OMG...they were great! Yes, I just OMG'd you! Not only was dinner last night yummy, I have leftovers!


I haven't read anything new in a while so I haven't had much to share. However, I have recently started working on Bram Stoker's Dracula, I figured it's a very appropriate read for the current season. I just hope I can finish it by Halloween. It's very interesting so far but it's been hard to get a good pace going. So far it's all been written as journal entries (I think the whole thing might by written in this fashion)and it's all been about Jonathan Harker's initial stay at the Count's castle in Transylvania. The dialect doesn't lend itself to quick reading. I sometimes have to read a sentence two or three times just to make sure I'm getting it right. It's funny how word reversal can change perception and comprehension so much. Anyway, I'm really enjoying it and I hope to be able to give you a real review before Halloween!

Alright, I think that's about it. Have a great day and week!

A very delayed update

Hey Everyone:

I've had time tonight to catch up on blogger.com and read everyone's entries over the past week or so. Sorry for not commenting on them sooner. I have a rule with this site....if I cannot sit and give my full attention to reading and writing entries, then I don't bother. Thanks to my recent busy week, I didn't sit down and try to read or write but this upcoming week looks less strenuous so I hope to blog again later in the week :)

I was able to take it easy tonight which helped me accomplish some things around my apartment. Gavin and I rented movies this week so I watched Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". It was our first official scary movie for the Halloween season. I hope to catch the countdown to the scariest movies on a cable channel in the next couple weeks. We've also been watching shows about the top haunted attractions in the USA. I'm not sure if I get to visit any haunted houses this season because my youngest sister won't be visiting Ames this year around Halloween. I'm a pansy and won't go to any by myself. Gavin isn't comfortable with the idea yet so I won't make him go with me. I decorated the apartment finally and used the Halloween lights I bought a couple years ago for the first time. The orange and purple lights are making my living room very eerie and I love it. We also watched "Sister Wives" on TLC and I'm hooked on that show. They only have one episode left in the series. It is such a controversial show and I know most religions are up in arms about how popular the show has become. I may not agree with all parts of the show but the amount of love that all parties have for one another is impressive. Sadly, there are families that practice monogamy that don't prioritize love or value what family offers.

Onto the lifestyle aspects of this entry....I'm not exercising enough. I could be exercising more and I'm not. I wish money grew on trees because the idea of setting up appointments with a personal trainer is appealing. Appealing but expensive. It's become apparent that I need someone to encourage me or work out with me. I know Jon would work out with me but we don't see each other very often during the week. I might consider it after I pay off the debt associated with my recent dental work...but that won't be until 2011. My eating is still out of whack too. I have some good days filled with good choices and other days that involve poor nutrition choices. I think journaling will become a strong possibility in my near future. I'm still very impulsive when it comes to making health-based choices and I need to switch that type of thinking. I'm feeling somewhat better and my mystery illness was more kind to me at the end of last week and over the weekend.

I'll be adding more interesting content to the blog later in the week :) I hope everyone has a good start to the week. I'm ready for the temperature to go down a little bit because I was very sweaty today while watching flag football. I also had to use my AC a little bit this weekend and I wanted to keep it shut off for the rest of the year when I stopped using it in September. Oh well. Have a good one!

What a gorgeous day...

Happy Saturday morning all! What an absolutely spectacular day so far. The sun is bright, it's cool and breezy and me thinks it's going to turn into a lovely day! Don't get me wrong, I would prefer that once October sets in the day's highs are not over 65 but I think I can handle 73. I got up this morning and was lying in bed debating whether or not I should get up and workout. I hemmed and hawed for a while thinking, I can just do one of my weekday workouts and then thought, no I should go do more. When 8:00 rolled around I hauled my butt out of bed, got dressed, filled my water bottle and ventured to the mini-gym at the clubhouse. I am so glad I did!

I got in an excellent workout today...the treadmill told me I burned 456 calories and yes, I know those numbers aren't totally accurate but it still made me feel really good. I just did some flat, brisk walking, then spent 10 minutes walking up a hill and then did some jog-walking (you know, jog a little, walk a little). My only complaint is that the treadmill was acting up this morning and would just all of the sudden stop out of nowhere. Thankfully it didn't happen when I was jogging but it was still a bit unsettling when I was walking. After my 45 minutes on the treadmill I did some upper body lifting and some lower body stuff and then finished off with some stretching. Ladies, I have a confession, my balance sucks. As such, squatting and lunges were just a bit embarrassing in front of strangers. I didn't do to bad and nobody pointed and laughed so that's good. Maybe I should work on this. I used to have really good balance because I did a ton of balance activities when I was teaching in the exercise clinic. I should dust off some of that knowledge and put it to use for myself! Anyway, I felt great during my workout and I feel even better now (well, I will once I shower)! So glad I made myself workout. On a slightly unrelated note, I decided instead of eating Captain Crunch for breakfast this morning I should eat something less loaded in sugar (don't want to undo the workout) so I went for the Raisin Bran, which I love. However, just in case you didn't know you should always eat Raisin Bran by the best if used by date. The flakes weren't stale so I dove in but, the flakes weren't the issue. The raisins were hard, and chewy and I think I might have lost a filling :S OK, maybe not a filling but I thought I might. I either need to pitch the cereal or just pick out the raisins....ponder.

I need to find something to do today. I have to clean my kitchen and tonight I'll probably work on a blanket but I feel like I should take advantage of the gorgeous weather. I'm going to the Appleumpkin festival in Tecumseh tomorrow but I need something to do today. I'm going to have to think on this. Anyway, I should go and get cleaned up. Have an excellent weekend ladies!

Tuesday totally sucked...

I don't know if it was just me but yesterday sucked...big time! Work sucked. Julie was gone which means that her workload (4 exercise tests) fell on me. Because of this I didn't get to eat anything during the day and let me tell you, a hungry Nicole is not a happy Nicole. If I had known I wasn't going to get lunch or even get a break yesterday I would have eaten more than an egg and a piece of toast at breakfast. I wouldn't have been so crabby except for the fact that while I was in my tests, 2 of my remaining co-workers did nothing to help out which means the other girl in the lab was running around like a crazy woman trying to cover 3 full clinic by herself. So, when I got back to the lab things were crazy and nothing was done. I got as much done by 5 as I could but I decided seems how I already had an hour of overtime because I worked through my lunch I would just leave some of my data entry for today.

On my drive home from work, which was actually very nice as it was cool, breezy and sunny Tasha called me from the cemetery. She and Karla were out putting a Halloween decoration at Mom's grave. She was crying when she called me and that got me going. I managed to A) not get into an accident and B) collect myself before I got home but I was sort of touch and go for the rest of the night. After working out and eating supper I sat down to watch Glee which was a huge mistake last night. One of the character's dad had a funky heart rhythm which lead to a heart attack and coma that they didn't know if he could recover from. The whole show was about death and God and they were in the ICU and it was just all too familiar. I was sitting there, working on a blanket bawling my eyes out. I literally didn't stop crying the rest of the night. I'm not going to lie, while I was never much of a crier before, since everything with Mom it doesn't take a lot to get me going but I haven't been like this in a while. I seriously cried for 3 hours straight last night. Let me tell you, I was quite a sight with smeared mascara, blood shot and puffy eyes, red splotches all over my face and snot coming out of my nose. Anyway, I got myself under control around 11 and went to bed. However, when I got in bed I couldn't sleep...at all. I spent a lot of time tossing and turning last night. The 5:35 alarm came really early this morning. So, instead of getting up, I shut it off and got an extra 45 minutes of sleep.

Anyway, my eyes are still a bit red this morning and I still feel a little off but so far my Wednesday is better. One of our doctors brought in some fabulous pastries and I figure my lack of calories yesterday totally justified my splurging today! I've also managed to finish up my data entry from yesterday and I have 3 of my 4 exercise tests written up. I'd have all 4 done but Dr. Bradley hasn't given me the last one back yet. Oh well, I can't be too mad at him, if it weren't for him I wouldn't have had the almond-cinnamony goodness of my danish this morning!

Seven Pounds...

and no, I'm not talking about the Will Smith movie. I am talking about the seven pounds that I lost during the month of September! I am super excited and can't wait to keep moving forward. Now, I know enough about physiology and weight loss to realize that at some of this weight is most likely water weight fluctuation but I feel pretty confident that I met my five pound goal of lost weight for the month.

I feel pretty happy about September as a whole. I didn't eat out at all, go me! And I think I might have had 3 maybe 4 pops. I thought it would be hard to not eat out but it hasn't been bad. I've just found that I need to have quick cooking meals for the nights that I get home really late and don't want to take the time and energy to make a really nice meal. I've found that some of the healthier frozen dinners (Smart Ones, Healthy Choice etc.) are actually quite tasty, and if you make the entree and pair it up with a salad with lots of veggies on it you get a very satisfying and balanced meal. I've also taken to eating some of the veggie burger type things. I really like the Morning Star spicy black bean burger and they have a tomato basil burger that's pretty tasty. I haven't tried their chik'n products made from chickpeas but my sister and brother really like them. They take all of 90 seconds to heat up in the microwave and they are very healthy for you. I have a really hard time eating things that I don't like. I just figure if it's not good why waste the calories, right? So I'm glad that I've been able to find things that I can cook quickly that are good and good for me.

My exercise schedule is going well. I've been working out 4 nights a week after work and then making sure I do something at least on day over the weekend. I am really happy with how things are progressing. When I first did my new lower body workout I was fairly sore the next day, however, I have gotten past that point and now my muscles feel really good after doing those exercises. I've decided for October to try and get in some work in the mornings and in the evenings. I figure if I alternate between upper, lower and core resistance training in the mornings (it takes much less time than the cardio) and get my aerobic exercise in the evening I'll be able to really balance what I'm doing. I have my exercise schedule for the month created already. Now I just need to stick to it.

I don't know if I've told you or not but my sister Karla has decided to lose weight the same way my brother did. She is taking Phentermine and limiting caloric intake and increasing her light aerobic exercise. She met with the doctor at the beginning of September to do the pre-therapy physical and consultation. She didn't start taking the pill until the 13th because she wanted to be able to celebrate her birthday without worrying about calories. Well, she went back to the doctor on Wednesday and she had lost 26 pounds...in two weeks! My inner physiologist cringes when I think about losing weight that fast but I also know that it's done in a controlled and reasonably safe manner. Anybody who who takes this pill and follows that plan has to go in for monthly physicals with EKGs and blood work to make sure everything is OK.

I am really happy for Karla and I know that by losing this weight, it will make it a lot easier for her to do the things that she needs to do in order to keep losing. Even if she loses 120 pounds she'll probably have another 70 pounds before she reaches her target weight. While I'm happy for her I'm also a little jealous. I will never be able to lose weight that quickly and my 7 pounds in a month seem pretty flimsy when compared to her 26 in two weeks. However, you better believe that this is some extreme motivation for me to keep doing what I'm doing. If I keep plugging away and lose around 5 pounds a month I will eventually catch up with her and Cody. I told them both that I can't be the only fatty left in the family :)

Anyway, I think that's all I have to say for now. I hope that you ladies are having an excellent Friday and have a great weekend!

Recpie: Honey Lime Chicken

Hey ladies. I don't know about you but I eat a lot of chicken. It's cheap, it's healthy and it's fairly easy to prepare well. However, I tend to cook chicken the same way and I get bored pretty easily. I recently went to the grocery store and got a really good price on split chicken breasts and chicken drumsticks. I decided that I wanted to roast them but I had never roasted chicken before. Well, when I was searching around I found an excellent recipe, which technically wasn't for roasting but it turned out really well.

Take whatever chicken you want (I used 1 bone-in, skinned chicken breast and 2 drumsticks) and soak in a salt-water brine. To make the brine boil 6-8 c. water and dissolve 1/4 c. table salt in it. Let cool completely before you pour over chicken. Soak chicken in brine for 5-8 hours. Rinse and pat dry before cooking.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

If you're going to eat the chicken skin on you'll want to rub the surface of the chicken with a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter. You can sprinkle it with black pepper if you like. You need to roast chicken with the skin on. You can always remove it after it cooks. This will lock the moisture in.

Bake chicken at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven baste with honey lime glaze. Turn heat down to 325 and bake for 15 minutes. Reapply glaze and bake another 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 160 degrees in the thickest portion of the breast. The white and dark meat will cook at the same speed. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Honey Lime Glaze:
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 Tbs. soy sauce
the juice of 1 can of pineapple rings
a dash of cayanne pepper (optional)

Heat all ingredients together, slowly bring to a boil and thicken with 1-2 Tbs. cornstarch. Strain to make sure there are no lumps.


You can also make this in a crock pot. Remove chicken from the brine and toss into bottom of your crockpot with pineapple slices. Make glaze the same way and pour over chicken. Bake on low for 5-8 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Review: Beginner Pilates for Dummies

Hello all. I finally decided to bite the bullet and try the Pilates for Dummies DVD that I bought. I'd been waiting because it is 71 minutes long but I figured that seems how I had to bake my squash last night for an hour I would give it a try. Turns out that it was only about 35 minutes. There are 2 workouts on the DVD, one basic and one intermediate. Needless to say that I tried the basic workout.

During the introduction the instructor stressed the importance of quality over quantity which I thought was helpful because so many of the exercises stress the core muscules and as someone who needs to work on her core, my muscles fatigue faster than I would like. The instructor also suggested starting with 4 or 5 of the 18 exercises and then gradually add more. I did the whole workout last night but I can totally see the benefit of learning a few of the moves and then adding more.

The workout consisted of 18 basic Pilates exercises. The time devoted to each exercise was around 2 minutes. There was a brief tutorial on position, movement and breathing for each exercise and then the instructor would go through the full set. The intensity of the exercise is mostly appropriate for a beginner. There are certainly moves that I felt like I was unable to do, however, she did offer suggestions to make the move less challenging and she frequently reminded participants to do only what they could safely do. I did what I was able to and felt like I had a really good workout by the end. In all fairness, I think if someone, who was not as heavy as I am, tried to do the basic workout they probably would have been able to accomplish most of the exercises.

Anyway, I would recommend this DVD for anybody interested in Pilates. It was a good core workout and I like that it has 2 difficulty levels so there is somewhere to progress to.

Tips and secrets from the Stefanovic women...

Hey ladies, here are the responses from the women in my family. My aunt Sonija only asked the aunts and the first generation of cousins. She hasn't been able to get a hold of all of them but here are the responses she's collected so far. Some are practical, some are fun and some are pretty awesome. Enjoy! I especially like Amanda and Tasha's final responses...they are so them!

Ingeborg age 69
*Wash your face every day and night, no matter what time you get home.
*Use baby lotion on your face to ward off wrinkles
*Apply body lotion every morning and night
*Color your hair when it needs it
*Be active everyday

Krsmanjia age 63
*Love is the most important thing
*Only be involved in happy relationships, helps keep you optimistic
*Get 8 hours of sleep every night
*Take time to relax and do something special for yourself, like having a muffin or glass of wine
*Get your spider veins zapped periodically

Peladija age 54
*Get some kind of exercise every day, take a walk, work out, just get some exercise
*Go outdoors everyday and take in the fresh air
*Always protect your skin from the sun with sunscreen or by wearing clothing that covers your skin
*Eat healthy daily and stop eating as soon as your full
*Wear facial and body cream daily

Sonija age 46
*Pick a partner that adores your good and bad qualities
*Snuggle every day and get a kiss as soon as your together after a long day apart
*Take short naps when you need them, I like to nap everyday after work for 20-30minutes
*Take hot baths and get a massage routinely

Sabra age 40
*Get enough sleep at night, at least 8 hours
*Don’t compromise your exercise, it should hold as much importance as anything else you do. I exercise 5 times a week.
*Food is your friend, allow yourself to eat whatever you want in measured amounts.
*Have a healthy sexual relationship

Jeanie age 33
*I like to dress fashionably everyday and accessorize
*Wear make-up everyday
*Use face and body lotions every night
*Exercise every other day for 30to 45minutes

Jill age 32
*I exercise 4 days a week for 30 to 40 minutes
*I make my hair every day and wear make-up
*Buy sexy nighty’s and wear them
*Whitening teeth makes you feel good

Trisha age 31
*Wearing high heels makes me feel hot
*Get out, go dancing
*Wear make-up most days, and shiney lip gloss every day
*Play a sport or exercise 3 times a week

Amanda age 31
*Stop smoking for your health
*Wear some pretty smelling body lotion
*Buy and wear perfume
*paint your toenails
*Drink a beer or two then have sex

Karla age 29
*Get a pedicure and manicure, they make you feel good
*Buy sexy underware and bras
*Buy the name brand facial and body lotions
*Go to the gymn

Liz age 29
*Run 3 times a week
*Walk to work, that really gets your blood flowing
*Yoga
*Lavender everywhere in bath oil, candles, cleaning supplies, it’s very soothing

Nicole age 28
*I love getting my eyebrows and lips waxed. I don’t like the pain so much but sometimes a little pain is necessary for beauty. Once the redness goes away I love how good my brows and clean lips look.
*Never ever feel guilty about spending extra money to get a truly fabulous bra. A bra should not only be comfortable but it should do the job it is intended for:support! Always remember…when girls are happy, your happy! Also having a sexy bra is better than a boring bra. A sexy bra is confidence boosting even if you’re the only one who sees it.
*Take time every once in a while to really make yourself up: hair, make-up, nice outfit, matching bra and panties, stylish accessories, sexy shoes…
*Stretch! On your days off from the really aggressive work outs and take 15-20 minutes, put on some relaxing music and do some good stretching.

Tasha age 28
*Get a new hair do
*Buy something new like a new shirt
*Cook healthy
*Get sleep, that makes me nice again

Health conscious beauties...

Happy Monday ladies. I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend and are refreshed and ready to start a new week. The first weekend of fall was fabulous here. It was cool and overcast on Saturday and cool and sunny yesterday. On Saturday my friend Chris and I went to Grist Cider Mill in Parashville, Michigan. I had never been to a cider mill before so I didn't know what to expect. First of all, the apple cider was the best I have ever had. I don't know if I liked the cider or the cinnamon sugar donuts better. They make everything on site and the donuts are made to order. After Chris and I got our goodies we sat outside for about 2 hours just chatting and enjoying the day. I think she and I are going to go to a few more mills as the season continues. Yesterday was devoted to cleaning, football and I started a new blanket. It's a new pattern and I wasn't sure if I liked it when I first started but now that I'm a ways into it I'm really starting to like it. My one concern is that it's a very dense pattern because of the way the stitches lay so it will take a lot of time and a lot of yarn to make a full sized afghan. Oh well, it will be worth it in the end!

I had a good week last week. I did really well with my scheduled work outs and stuck to my planned menu. I am really trying to work on cleaning some of the stuff out of my cupboards because I buy certain things for recipes and then never make them. I always use the perishables but the dry stock tends to sit there and then I end up with a cupboard full of things like great northern beans, sauerkraut, boxed red beans and rice and creamed corn. I've been going through and trying to pull at least two things out of the cupboard each week and plan a meal around them. When I was organizing I found all of the cupboard items for chili so I think I'm going to be making that in the next week or so. I have noticed that I have been snacking too much so I really need to work on that. I think that will most likely be addressed when I set my goal for October.

On a different but related topic, one of my aunts is writing a book and she has asked that my cousin Jessica and I help her edit. Now, I'm no editor but it has been fun to read through what she's written. I feel that I should mention that as much as I love my aunt she is no writer. She actually started working on her manuscript when her son was in Afghanistan. She had a hard time sleeping at night and instead of just sitting up and fretting about him, she decided to put pen to paper and start writing. Her book is called Straight Talk from a Fat Chick and it chronicles her most recent, and only successful weight loss attempt. It's highly unscientific and there are some things that I don't really agree with but, as she states in her disclaimer, it's not meant to be scientific. If you want you can buy hundreds, probably thousands of scientific weight loss books. Instead, her book is about her struggles with being over weight all of her adult life and the trial and error that lead to her weight loss. Anyway, the book itself is not nearly long enough to publish, even as a thin paperback so she's trying to add more content. Last week, she called all of the adult women in our family and asked them to share their beauty secrets. She wanted us to share 4-5 things that we do to make us feel healthy and/or sexy. The goal was for us to realize that no matter what size we are or where we are in our lives that we can and should do things that make us feel beautiful. So, I'm requesting audence participation today. Can you think of 4 or 5 things that you do, not necessarily every day, to make yourself feel beautiful or healthy? I'll post my contributions but if you'd like to see what the other women in my family had to say just let me know. Anyway, think about it and let me know what you do for yourself!

I've Missed the Blog!

Hey all-

I am so happy that I am blogging. I've thought about the blog a lot lately. If I had $1 for every time I've wanted to hop online and blog, I'd have a significant amount of money. Luckily I was able to come home tonight after Swim & Gym and relax and lay low for the most part. Since my Wednesdays are less strenuous I can get a fair amount of work done during the day tomorrow.

I very anxious for October for numerous reasons. My workload will drop a little bit because I'll be done assessing TAs at the end of the month. Do you remember being assessed Tiffany or Nicole? I remember Michael watching me teach HS 105 once but that was it. I'm trying to institute a process where TAs are assessed early in each semester and later in the semester. It really eats away at my time though trying to watch 15 graduate students teach a full class in a two week span of time.

I'm also anxious for October because fall weather will officially set in. We had taste of cool weather but it's been hot and uncomfortable this week. The humidity was killer today. I want to officially shut off my air conditioner and keep my windows open for cool nights. I am anxious to pull out my Halloween decorations too. Gavin hasn't figured out his costume for this year yet but I'm happy that he's leaning towards scary.

I've been having health problems for about a month and I've been pretty private about it. I've been to the doctor numerous times and had a lot of blood drawn. My last visit included a neurological exam too. I've been nauseated and dizzy off and on for about a month now. My energy levels have been an issue the last two weeks too. Last week was especially bad and I have symptoms almost every day that would influence my ability to work and/or drive. My doctor has been unable to find a source of my problems though. My blood work is not indicating diabetic tendencies, infection, or thyroid problems. My liver and kidney function are ok too. I passed the neurological exam with flying colors. I think it may just be my stress level that is wearing my body down from time to time. Weight loss may help alleviate my issues too.

My classes have been going very well at ISU. I am on schedule or a little bit ahead with my lectures and activities in all classes. I'm a little behind with my DMACC lectures. It's tough to cover 1-2 chapters in my once-a-week lecture on Wednesdays. It's tough to leave content out so I can be efficient with my time. It doesn't help that many of my students treat my health and wellness lectures like rocket science. Half of the class at DMACC has dropped the class so I only have 10 students. The motivation and passion for learning are so much different than the atmosphere I see at ISU.

My main stressor this week is a lecture I'm completing for a coaching clinic at DMACC. I have to help lecture for periodic coaching clinics since it's part of my contract. I have to teach for 5 hours on Friday night. Who wants to attend a class on Friday night?!?!? I know the timing of the class is going to reduce the motivation of the participants greatly. They are going to be anxious to leave all night. I have to lecture on basic human development, some sport psychology content, and common issues with coaching. Sadly I still need to create my Power Point for that evening and generate any handouts that could be useful. I'm going to do a lot of group activities and active discussion because that's a lot more interesting.

Exercise has been at a standstill for me. My weight has been steady though. I was worried that I have gained since the end of August but I think my busy lifestyle helps me burn some calories each day. My diet has been awful. There has been a lot of eating out and convenience foods in my life. My energy in the evenings is often very low and I really don't want to cook. I want to make some casseroles this weekend so I can have them ready to go and bake. Or I'll bake some ahead of time and have a nice amount of leftovers to eat from throughout the week. I need to start making weekly goals so I can make the necessary baby steps to a healthier way of living. I priorities are on work again and I need to redirect my energy.

Ok, I'm ending this before it becomes a novel. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Recipe: chicken and zucchini bake

Happy Monday ladies! I tried a new recipe over the weekend and I think it's wonderful. I'm sharing the recipe as I made it which was a little different that the actual recipe. I hope you enjoy!


1 tube reduced fat crescent rolls
1-2 tbs honey mustard
1-2 c. cooked, shredded chicken (I used the breast of a smaller rotisserie chicken and it was perfect)
3 c. shredded or sliced zucchini
1/2 medium onion diced
1 c. sliced white mushroom
1 tb. butter
2 eggs
1 c. shredded mozzorella cheese (I used reduced fat but you could probably leave this out or change to a different type of cheese)
2 tb. Italian seasoning
1/2 tb. garlic powder
salt to taste (I salted my veggies to taste and I think there was plenty of salt in the dish)


In a pan, melt butter and a few tb. of olive oil. Over medium heat add onions and cook about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook over medium heat until onions are tender and translucent. Add zucchini and cook until tender. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes to cool.

In casserole dish layer crescent rolls, press into corners and up sides to create a shallow crust. Spread honey mustard in an even layer over crust. Sprinkle in chicken and then layer veggies over it.

In a bowl combine 2 eggs, cheese, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Pour over veggies.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until egg layer is firm and cheese is browned. Remove from oven. Let sit and cool for 5 minutes, but and serve.


I made this in a small Pyrex baking dish. I ended up using only 5 crescent rolls. You can easily adjust this recipe for the size of casserole that you make.

Review: Shaping Up with Weights For Dummies

Happy Sunday all! In my last blog I wrote that I had ordered some DVDs from Amazon.com and promised reviews once I got them and had a chance to try them out. Well, I got one of them in the mail yesterday and popped it in this morning and gave it a shot. I have to say, I think it was a solid purchase, which was a pleasant surprise. If you remember, I hadn't really planned on buying this DVD and only did so when the I found a combined disc of the other two that I wanted. I had hopes and reservations for this program but in the end, all is well!

First, I was very happy to discover that it wasn't just upper body exercises. There was no description about the program itself on Amazon and I thought it might not have a total body focus. I was wrong. The disc consists of a short but rather good warm-up and then breaks the work out into what Tracy York (the instructor) calls the daily-dozen. Of the 12 exercises, there are 3 lower body, 7 upper body and 2 abdominal exercises. While these numbers might suggest that there is a much higher concentration on the upper body than the lower, after completing the exercises I feel that there is an even focus on all major muscle groups. The 3 lower body exercises all focus on multiple muscle groups while the upper body lifts are predominately for isolated areas. My one caveat is that there are only 2 strictly core exercises which is probably not a sufficient amount. However, there are plenty of programs out there that focus on nothing but the core region and would easily be able to supplement this disc.

Lower Body:
Squat, lunges, plie squat.

Upper Body:
One-arm row, triceps-extension, overhead press, biceps curl, shoulder raises, bent-over fly, push-up

Abdominals:
Crunch, oblique crunch

Each exercise has it's own chapter where she describes not only proper form and technique but she also gives good cues to make sure that while you're doing the exercise you maintain good posture. She does a few slow reps to make sure that the audience feels good with the procedure and then she proceeds with 1 set of 12 reps. After each set, she does a brief stretch of the area being used and then proceeds to the next set. I personally felt that she used good pacing for the sets and I felt very comfortable with her exercise choices.

I was surprised at how good of a work out I felt I got. I will admit, I haven't done a lot of resistance training because I don't really have access to a gym with a good set up for resistance training. The warm-up got my heart going and the exercises were not all overly easy. It's probably more of a sign that I'm out of shape than anything else but I feel like this is a good intensity level for me right now. The leg exercises were especially tiring and I realized that I cannot do a good push-up to save my life. While I liked the DVD, I did have a few concerns. Not so much for myself or for people who have had experience in the past with this type of exercise, but more so for true novices.

One concern is that as she was going through and describing and demonstrating the motions for the lower body exercises she never once said that if you can't get down to the 90 degree knee position that you could stop short. I would like to think that true beginners would have the common sense to stop short if they need to but I don't think that is the kind of assumption a trained professional should make. In the same breath, I was more than halfway through the DVD before she mentioned that if you get really tired or you can no longer do the exercises with good form that it's OK to stop and take a break before you continue on. I was always taught that it should always be quality over quantity when you're working with weights because if you're fatigued and can't maintain good form you are more likely to injure yourself. She eventually stated that you can stop but it should have been said before the first exercise began.

Anyway, I am overall very happy with my $5.41 purchase from Amazon and would recommend it to anybody who is interested in doing some resistance/toning work at home. I won't lie, nothing that I learned in this DVD is new but it's nice to have a program to follow and it's always good to get a refresher course on form and technique.

Amazon.com for the win...

Don't worry ladies, I don't have another really long blog entry for you. This should be short and sweet. First of all I want to toot my own horn...a girl has to do it every now and again. I got off work late and was in the process of justifying not working out when I made up my mind to suck it up and get my daily work out in. Of course it felt great while I was doing it and I felt even better once it was done. It's funny how the act of starting the work out is the hardest part. Once I'm going I'm really glad I did. I just need to remember that when I hem and haw in the future.

Anyway, as I was working out last night I realized that I need to add variety to my exercise routine. Normally I do a 20-30 minute cardio DVD (I have 3 that I like), I stretch after and then sometimes I will do some arm exercises with hand weights that I have. I think I hit the major components well but I get bored pretty easily and need to make some changes. I also would like to add a little more structure to my weight program. I was browsing through some fitness DVD reviews and I found that a lot of people really liked the Pilates for Dummies and Beginners Yoga for Dummies DVDs. I was pricing them on Amazon and each DVD sold for about $9...not too bad. However, as I was looking I found a single DVD that had both Pilates and Beginners Yoga for Dummies for $8.49! Naturally, I scooped that up. Seems how I got such a deal on that I decided that I would also get the Shaping up with Hand Weights for Dummies DVD too.

I really like the for Dummies fitness DVDs. The ones that I have used in the past are a really good way for you to learn something new and in the privacy in your own home. It's nice because the instruction is very detailed. Once you know the basics they offer higher intensity options. I will mention that there was a universal complaint about the Yoga DVD. Most people felt that after you used the DVD for a while you know the poses and don't need the instructions. I feel that this is probably a legitimate complaint, however, once you learn the poses you can probably do them on your own and at your own pace. All you need to do is provide the relaxing music.

Anyway, once I get them and get a chance to try them out I'll review them for you! Hope you're all having a great day.