Blech

Today I feel like crap. Kathy and I have started working out twice a day (yeah we are total freaks). I totally love it. I feel so good and I don't even think about it any more. I just do it. Well last week at WW I gained a pound. WTH?? I chalked that up to not tracking. Swore I would get my butt back in gear and put my nose down, and I did. I have tracked every bite, even pre-planned some of my meals. Every single day I have watched the scale climb higher and higher. Today was the last straw, the scale is now up to what I weighed THREE WEEKS AGO. How is this possible? Excuse me mister that sucker is moving the WRONG WAY! I know I shouldn't be on the damn thing every day, but its in the bathroom. It SCREAMS my name. I promised myself I wouldn't go near it until weigh in, but of course my stupid ass had to step on it this morning. So I cried all the way home from Curves at 6:00 am this morning. Blech.

Today is Micheal's 13th Birthday. Yup, I am officially a mother of TWO teenagers. That scares the bejeebers outta me I tell you. Let me just give you a peek into who my son is. Last week we told him we would take him any where he wanted for his birthday dinner. I joked and said I just know you will want Sushi tho. (he doesn't care for it much) He laughed and said Noooo. And that was the end of it. So this morning I rushed home to catch him before he left for school so I could tell him Happy Birthday. And I asked him where he wanted to eat tonight his choice. He asked me if that place with the green pea's had other food too. I said the sushi place? He said yeah, and told him that he could get all sorts of other things, and so he said that's where I want to go, and I asked him why and he was like because that's your favorite place to eat mom. You can't see me but I am smiling ear to ear and every time I think about it, I get a lump in my throat and my eyes start to well up. I could not be prouder to be his mom.

Happy Birthday Buddy, I love you so much.

It's a Bird....It's a Plane

.....It's Super Bad Blogger. Good Lord has it been that long? Sunny Beaches. Well you all will be pleased to know that I am STILL on the right track!! I know right, previous attempts would have found me eating a Whopper with Cheese, Xtra Pickles, Xtra Mayo around week 5. (I said that like I was a pro huh). Well I am happy to report that I have NOT done that. And just wait to found out how much I have lost total. Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down. 29.4 lbs! I am so close to 30 lbs down I can almost taste it. I know I will make it this following week. I know I could not have made it as far as I have now, without Kathy. It has been so much FUN being on this journey with her. When I have a crappy day, she is there, when I have a great day, she is there. I hope that I inspire her, and carry her on her down days too. That reminds me, I finally did it. I twisted her arm until she joined Curves with me. Yippie! Now we have become freaks. We work out 6 days a week. OMG! Did I just type that, I think I did. Who would have every thought that I would go that far. I really enjoy it. I look forward to it every single day. And I even go on those days when I would rather been ANYWHERE in the world than there. I enjoy chatting with the other ladies and laughing and cutting up. It truly is a Girl Power Half Hour.

This week is close out and we have been doing the 5:30 AM session. Yeah, its official I have lost my ever loving mind. As of today I've only slept 8 of the last 72. And it's only Tuesday. For the love of biscuits!

Thursday David has to go back into the hospital for another procedure. They are going to fill his tummy with air and then go in endoscopiclly (yeah that's what it sounds like) and see what is causing his bleeding. When he spent a week in the hospital a month ago for the same think they never could find the source. It went away until yesterday. I feel so bad for him. He HATES that he is not able to do every day things that he is used too. He tightened the belts on Kayla's car last week and was in pain for 2 days. I think he feels like his man hood is slipping away from him. That has gotta suck.

This year for Thanksgiving we have decided to go 'home' and spend it with our families. We will spent half the day with David's sister and her family, then drop by mom's and see what they are going to be up too. I really missed 'family' last year. I just put in for a couple of day's vacation, I plan on cooking up a storm before we go. I want to make sure there are plenty of healthy choices for me. Anyone know how to make a fried turkey fat free? I need to figure that one out.
Okay I need to go for now. I promise to be keep this up a little better. Now that I figured out how to post from my email it should be a little easier, I can just write and click send, and it just magically shows up here. How cool is that? I still haven't taken and photos, I will try and get some this weekend, I am DYING to see a side by side so far. My work pants are falling off of me. So it's gotta be some what noticeable. I can't personally see it, but David and the kids say they do. (I don't think they really count tho).

In other news Facebook has totally taken over my life. Remember back in the day when I would say oh I don't have time for that? Well I was do freaking right, between the plowing and the cooking and running my own amusement park, I am tapped for time. (if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about..you might be lucky) If you want to add me to your Facebook by all means go ahead. rachel.donald08@gmail.com.

Oh I almost forgot! Look what David ordered for me. Isn't it beautiful!!! My current set is one that I bought for myself. My original ring was lost in a house fire many moons ago, and I just picked this one up a few years back. But he picked his out all my himself and everything. I can't wait to put it on my finger. It means so much to me that he picked this out. After 18 years I love him more and more every single day.

Quote for the Day:Failure is not important unless it's the last time you try.

Sushi, Pizza, and Toilet Paper

Happy Friday everyone. Hope you're week went by smoothly. Mine was just GREAT! Last Sunday Kayla and I had the pleasure of spending the day with Kathy and her beautiful daughter Liz. We started off the day with a sushi lunch (OMG I love that stuff), after that we went to the movies. We seen that movie All about Steve. It was pretty good, I'm not sure what was more funny, the movie itself, or the lady that was sitting behind us, she was REALLY enjoying the movie. Her laugh reminded me of Nancy. So loud and full of life. Kayla and I cracked up the whole movie. After the movie we headed to Sam's. I have been there once when I was in Indiana getting ready for a camping trip (the BEST vacation I have ever had). Wow the place is HUGE. This was Kayla's first time there and she was FREAKING out over the huge box's of candy and stuff. She would walk down the isle and say OMG I could sell this stuff! She was hooked. I think we are going to get a membership for us. They have so much MORE than food there. And there produce was really pretty and very reasonably priced.

I mentioned last time how I was just TIRED of chicken. Well I went to grab a book off of my book case and noticed that I OWN 4 Weight Watchers cookbooks! Hello new foods, good-bye boredom! One book that I have that I fell in love with is titled 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook. How much more easy could that get?? Okay the first recipe I tried was a HIT. EVERYONE liked it. Its nice to find something that we ALL can east rather than just making it for me and everyone else looking at me like I have a third eye.

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

-1lb of ground round (I used the 95/5 ground)
-1 (15oz) Can of Italian style tomato sauce (I used the Italian style tomatoes and one can of paste)
-1 can of Refrigerated pizza crust dough
-1 1/2 cups pre-shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Brown meat (I added copped onions, etc and a shake of Tony's)
3. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Press crust into bottom and halfway up sides of pan. Top bottom with meat mixture.
Here I added a layer of Turkey Pepperoni to give it an even pizza-ier taste)
4. Bake uncovered at 425 for 12 minutes. Top with cheese, and bake 5 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese melts. Cook 5 minutes before serving.
Cut into 6 servings. Points per serving 6.5 with the Pepperoni and 6 without.
It was so easy to make. 30 minutes from start to finish.
Kayla even liked it! Score, something I can make that is EASY and good for me too. And something that is NOT chicken. Even freaking better.

It is HomeComing at Morgan City High this week. And you can tell just by driving through the neighborhood. It's a big thing around here to TP houses of your fellow classmates. It's even a tradition believe it or not. Most parents even take part. I had no idea. Well that was until last night. There I was sitting on the couch watching Grey's, and I hear something outside. I run to the front door and swing it open to this.

And a mom at the mailbox saying 'SMILE RACHEL'. I have no clue who it was. So if this mom is reading this, please let me preview the photo before you put it anywhere. I'm sure I was looking at little funky for photos. I'm just saying, you could have warned me I would have posed or something. :) Kayla wasn't home when this happened. She was at the pep rally. When she came home you would have thought the child had won the lottery! She ran in the door screaming, 'I FINALLY GOT GOT! I FINALLY GOT GOT!'. Four years of high school, has brought us to this moment. THIS means you have arrived. So she asked if she could go back out and repay the favor. I'm thinking I may need to pick up some toilet paper before I go home tonight, just a hunch though.

Last night was weight in at Weight Watchers (you thought I forgot huh?). After last weeks .6 gain. (never ever ever eat boiled shrimp the night before weigh in). I was determined to get that off and get myself another 5lb star. I went to Curves Mon-Tue-Wen this week. This is the first time I have went 3 days in a row. And I have to admit I am totally lovin' it. I think my body is too. In other Curves new, Kathy is going to join Curves with me! Yeay!! I am so excited. I know she will love it as much as I do. And it will be nice to have someone that I know there when I am. Just know if we can talk to each other Kathy we are NOT working hard enough :) So I got to WW last night and weighed in *drum roll please* -3.4 Oh yeah! I was sooooooo excited! That brings my total to 20.8!!!!!! I am freaking amazed! I am so extremely proud of myself. This week totally renewed me. I know that I am doing what I should, even when I don't want to. I am NEVER going to give back this 20 lbs! NEVER. I also realized the shirt I wore to WW last night, should never been worn in public again. It's HUGE on me. I don't think I have ever been able to say that something is HUGE on me. It was a great night!

Oh I almost forgot (as I sit hear eating a Fiber One Bar...OMG so good). My sweet friend Kathy brought me the sweetest gift last night. She brought me one of those super cute Go Green bags so I could carry my grocery's back and forth to work in style, and inside was a pack of the 1 point hamburger buns that I have not been able to find ANYWHERE, a pack of yummy looking Egg Rolls (brought them for lunch today) and a couple Fiber One Bars. Thank you so much Kathy! I smiled and thought of you this morning packing my new bag. I totally love it and I can't wait for lunch!

Quote for the Day: If you want what you do not have, you must do what you have not done.

New Wheels

Happy Hump Day Yall! Hope your week has been going good. Its close out week again here, I am not sure how the heck that happened so flipping fast! Hopefully this week won't drag on and on, we are pretty close to goal going in.

I wasn't able to get any new recipe's made this weekend, I was still recovering from the 2 weeks before. But I do have something to share. For my reward for reaching my 5% David bought me a bike! Ain't she a purty! I had to buy a new seat for her before I even brought her home, the original seat violated me to say the least! She is just missing a few things, for those of you who have me on your Christmas list you should get a pen and paper our now. I was informed by Kathy, that I am in need of some streamers, and a bell or some sort of horn. I would like BOTH, because some days you know you just feel like honkin' and some days you feel like ringin'. I do have a rear view mirror on it now, but the problem is I'm wider than the handle bars, so that poses a slight problem seeing AROUND myself. So I will be needing some of those extender bars, you know the ones I am talking about. You see them on U-hauls and stuff when they are pulling trailers behind them. One about 4 foot long should work like a charm. I also would like a basket to put on the front. When it cools off some, David and I plan on riding our bikes back and forth to work. I take way to much crap with me every day NOT to have a way to carry it around. Plus I think it would make it look cute!

This is where I would put some inspirational quote but since the powers a be at work have decided that we are no longer in need of having internet access what so ever, not even freaking Google, I do not have one handy for you. I will just leave you with the one that means the most to me:

IF NOTHING CHANGES, NOTHING CHANGES.

What you all have been waiting for!

Well as most of you know David spent last week in the hospital. Blech. Nothing like a week of stress and worry to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. He ending up having surgery last Friday morning. He has scar tissue removed from his lower intestine and bowels. And then a synthetic covering placed over them so that it would not adhere to there again. If you remember he had this same surgery last June. Here is where my freak out comes in. The DR said that some people just produce scar tissue, so I asked what the chances of it adhering to a different place and he said oh its already growing on his liver and spleen. Oh M Gee! Are you kidding me? We go back to the DR today to get his staples out. He had 9 staples, and from the looks of it they gave him an outtie belly button. LOL

Okay I now have two weeks worth of weigh in's to catch up on. Last week I went and was feeling kinda ewwy, I had spent 3 nights in the hospital with David and was not feeling very good about going to weight watchers at all. I wasn't eating much at all, for the fear of making the wrong choices. I wasn't able to make it to Curves all week either. I weighed in, and lost 1.8! I was totally happy with that, and glad to have that week behind me. After the weigh in I am down a total of 13.8 lbs not to shabby!

Let's fast forward to this week. David came home on Saturday and things were kinda sorta getting back to kinda normal. Monday was my weight and measure day at Curves, and let me just start out by saying THAT I LOATH THAT YOUNG CHIC AT THE DOOR. Tell me this, how can I GAIN 2 inches in my waist??? Did she not get the message that I LOST 13.8 lbs. Get this then she trys and to tell me that maybe its muscle. Baby, do you see this mass of JIGGLE? What on earth makes you think that muscle is squishy?? Show me your muscles. Do they squish too? So according to her WONKY measurements I have lost a total of 4 inches off of my body. I totally love the sound of that but think its totally wrong. I think she needs a doughnut, she would probably think much clearer with a doughnut in her belly. Ugg.

Wednesday was my official year anniversary at Cummins. We have a monthly luncheon and this time I decided to go. I got a 10kt gold bracelet with a gold Cummins C on it. I was very surprised. I love my job for the most part. I love the people that I work with, and enjoy the friendships, as unlikely as they seem that I have gained. Of course I have STRESS that comes with my job too. Between David being sick, some new changes at work and regular every day life, I have been having chest pains for a couple of days. It was so bad that I left work on Thursday to go see my DR. I had an Echo and a EKG and they both seemed normal. They are thinking I may have an ulcer. Oh joy! I go for a CAT scan today. They started me on Nexium to get me feeling better. Okay can I just say that I feel freaking OLD! I have never in my life had heart burn. I mean look at me, does it look like I have a real problem with ANY kind of food? Oy!

Okay NOW for the super exciting part of this whole dang post! I went to WW last night for another WI. I was really NOT wanting to go, I felt like crap, but I do not want to MISS anything. Every bit of information I get I feel I need. Well I approached the scale and told the lady that I wasn't expecting anything much, my tracking had been horrible the past couple of weeks, and she said, are you sure? Are you ready for this? -4.2 lbs!!!!!!! Holy batman! I almost cried! That's when I realized that I had reached my 5% goal! Are you kidding me?? In 6 short weeks I have lost a total of 18 lbs!!! I am so freaking proud of myself. I can totally feel the difference in myself on most days. My clothes are fitting looser. I have a couple shirts that I bought for our cruise this past June that are really too big to wear outside of the house! To celebrate I bought myself a prize last night, I purchased the fancy WW scale! Man this thing is amazing! When I got home to tell David you should have seen the smile on his face! After the DR's office today we are going to get my new bike! So if you see a fat chic riding around town on a shiney new pink bike that would be ME!

Now for what I promised you all. A couple weeks ago before my life went totally nuts-o I was telling you guys how I love to make new recipes and take pics of them. I told you guys about the YUMMY egg roll recipe. Egg Rolls I try and make them once a week. I love them that much. The last time I made them I took pictures of them. Here are the yummmmmmmmy photos!
While I was making these I was thinking what else I can make with the egg roll wrappers. You know those things at the Chinese restaurant with the cream cheese and the crab meat in them? You know the ones that I can normally eat 74 of? Yeah those? Well I made my own version of them too. I made 4 of them just to test them out. They ending up being 3 points for the 4 of them. I don't think that's too bad at all. And they were SOOOOO good. The next time I make them I will mix the cream cheese and stuff together and let the flavors mix together more. Here is what I used.

4 Wonton Wrappers
1 oz tub of Weight Watchers cream cheese-cut in 4 parts
1 oz of imitation crab meat
1 green onion
Canola cooking spray

This is what they looked like before I baked them:

And here they are right before they went into my belly!!


I have a couple more recipes I would like to try this weekend. I love trying new things and I love finding foods that I love that are healthy and that they fit into my new lifestyle.

Okay I think I have killed you all enough. I promise it wont be this long between posts any longer. As long as life stays the hell outta my way! I want to thank the people who have been so supportive of me since I have started this journey. I really feel that I can do this, this time. I am also thankful for the new friends I have met because of WW (*waving at K), and all the others that I don't know that I bond with every Thursday. Thanks beautiful people!

Quote for the day: "Forget mistakes. Forget failure. Forget everything except what you're going to do now, and do it."

Quickie

You know you love a good quickie! Just letting you all know that I am still here. Been one crazy week. I will be posting the big long ordeal tonight. As well and a new recipe, and some pics of those kick ass egg rolls I made last week. Oh and an update on my weight loss. Oh man I bet you are on the edge of your seat aren't yah? See yah after Curves!

Mmmmm...Pumpkin Pie

Happy Sunday. My weekend is going pretty good. We are getting ready to go the Shrimp and Petroleum festival. Micheal is marching in the parade today. I hope I don't see any of those damn vendors selling that stuff that I LOVE. I plan on bringing a bag of frozen grapes with me so I'll stick to those. Will Power!

I got a Prevention magazine in the mail yesterday. I have been getting them for about a year and never really looked at it until this time. Dang it! It's full of interesting facts and articles about getting healthy. I'm really upset to find out that this is the last month I'll be getting it. Who would have thought that I would find a HEALTH magazine the least bit interesting! Whodathunkit! I even found a recipe in there and tried it last night. It was for Pumpkin Pies. I plugged the recipe into the recipe builder on E-tools and it calculated up to 2 points per serving. You make them in muffin pans, so they are portion controlled too! Whats not to love. Here is what they looked like.




And boy were they GOOD! I love trying new recipes and then taking pics of the results. So if you enjoy that sort of thing be on the look out for more of those type of photos. Here is the recipe if you are wanting to try these.

Pumpkin Pie Cups
WW Points: 2 per Cup

3 Tbsp Wheat Germ
2 Tbsp Ground Flax seed
2 1/2 Graham Cracker Sheets, crushed (I used low fat)
2 Eggs (could have used egg beaters to make lower in points)
15oz Can of Pumpkin (not the pie mix, just plain)
12oz Can Fat-Free Evaporated Milk
2/3 Cups Brown Sugar(could have used the brown sugar Splenda for lower points)
1 1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 12 Cup Muffin Pan with Canola Oil Cooking spray. In small bowl, combine wheat germ, ground flax seed and graham crackers. Add one heaping teaspoon of the mixture to each muffin cup. Whisk 2 eggs and stir in plain pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Pour evenly into cups. Bake 30-35 minutes or until sides are set and filling jiggles slightly. Serve with a dollop of Fat Free Cool Whip.

These will be made for Thanksgiving here at my house for sure. No one will know the difference I promise. They are so yummy. And according to the article, flax seed adds heart and brain healthy omega-3's, and the wheat germ boost vitamin E, which helps control blood sugar. How flipping cool is that?

I am totally loving my new healthy lifestyle. And that leads me into my quote for the day: “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher