We've had the best summer! The weather has made it so that we've got tons of use out of our pool. Griffin has really surprised us with how great he's doing at learning how to swim. He stopped using the life jacket, and went to the arm floaties. Now he'll even take those off and practice swimming on his own. I'm so proud of him. He's fearless in the water and enjoys it so much.

Our annual family camping trip to Moosehead Lake was a couple of weeks ago, and it was fantastic. The weather was perfect for camping. Not too hot, not too cold, and barely any rain. Griffin actually cried on Sunday night when vacation was over. He has no idea how much I wanted to cry at the thought of going back to work!

I'm also trying to plan a trip or visit to somewhere different for any free days that we have. So far we've taken a ride on a train at the lake, gone to a science center, and checked out a play in the park. It's not a long list so far, but I figure that we have most of the fall to do some of the things on the list. I have a really cool coupon book that gets Griffin admission into most of the places for free. So I've got a few great ideas of things to do from that.

So the greatest thing for me about this summer is how great I've been feeling lately. It's taking a while to get used to the whole gluten free thing, but slowly but surely I'm noticing changes in my health, and it's fantastic. I have noticed a HUGE difference in my energy level. I can't even believe the difference. It's very encouraging!

Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th! I had a really nice day hanging out here at home with my 2 favorite guys. I know that sounds pretty corny, but it really was just a great day. My sweet hubby let me sleep in, and I really needed that. When I got up, I fiddled around with a few things like laundry, but by noon the three of us were outside enjoying the beautiful day. We swam, layed out in the sun, swam some more, and just hung out. It was real quality family time.

I'm hoping that by the end of the summer, Griffin will be swimming on his own. He's moved from wearing the life jacket to wearing the arm floaties. He is so fearless that he scares me a little, so I push him to practice swimming without the floaties. It's just safer if he can swim on his own. He's doing a great job. I wanted to get him into swimming lessons but I was a week late when I started looking them up. So we'll just see how the summer goes.

My GF diet is going well, or atleast I think it is. If it's not, then I'm completely clueless of where I could be messing up. I haven't noticed a huge difference in how I feel though. I am definitely not as tired as normal. My mood seems to be a lot lighter...that could be because I'm not so damn tired though. I'm still getting the body pain, which is making me think that I have Fibromyalgia, and not just pain from the Celiac. However, without the exhaustion it seems a lot more manageable. So I'm staying optimistic, and continue to take it day at a time.

I met with a nutritionist today. I have to say that because it was my first visit, a lot of time went to getting my health info and background. So I didn't get as much information as I had hoped. I did find out though that feeling worse in the beginning is totally normal, and that I shouldn't expect to start feeling better for about a month. Good to know.

Well, I started feeling even worse. By Wednesday, I was having horrible stomach cramps, and everything that goes along with that. Luckily, it only lasted 2 days because I wasn't even able to eat a popsicle. I'm sure that it's a combination of things, but I'm also having terrible anxiety and depression. It's some of the worst that I've ever had.

Don't get me wrong, I know that I could certainly have things a lot worse. I do have the ability to recognize that. I think that I just have sooo many questions. How long have I had this?  is this the cause of my "unexplained" infertility? I think about all the time that has passed by and all the tests that I've had done. I wonder if I'll ever feel better, and how long will it take. It's all so very overwhelming. If you've ever experienced depression, you know that none of your logical thoughts stop you from feeling so down. I have even started having bad dreams, including one that involved Griffin getting taken by a bear. It's awful.

I'm feeling better today, and I'm really hoping that it continues to get better. I have an appointment with my Dr tomorrow to go over everything. I also have an appointment on Wed with a nutritionist. I'm really looking forward to that, and have a list of questions all ready for her.

On the plus side, I went to Walmart yesterday because I was running out of food that I could eat. I was pleasantly surprised by their selection of gluten free. It was an unmarked section and I just happened to stumble upon it while looking for anything I could find that was GF. They had a few things that my grocery store didn't have, and it's nice to know that between the two I have a decent selection to choose from. Mostly, I need to get back to cooking and start adapting recipes to be GF. I have enough stuff on hand to eat when I'm in a hurry, but I need to start making meals. Tonight we grilled some steak tips, and I baked one of the GF corn bread mixes (Gluten Free Pantry brand) that I picked up. I was shocked....it was actually one of the best corn breads that I've ever had. I expected it to be crumbly and flavorless, but instead it was delicious. It was a tad crumbly/crunchy like a lot of the GF stuff, but not enough for anyone to think it was any different from a gluten filled corn bread. I have a second mix from Bob's Red Mill, and I can't wait to make it and compare.

I'd like to know why I feel worse since removing gluten from my diet. Seriously worse. My body aches horribly, headaches and I'm so exhausted that I can barely move. This really sucks. I'm supposed to be having an optimistic outlook and looking forward to my new life, but I'm finding that kind of hard. What I'm also finding very odd is that I'm always hungry. So hungry that my stomach is constantly growling. I'm eating though. I'm certainly not starving myself, so what's the deal?

The other thing I'm having a hard time with is the cost of gluten free food. My grocery bill was ridiculous before, now it's downright outrageous. I'm currently frustrated....so welcome to my pity party.

My word of the day: cross contamination

In the world of Celiac, this is apparently a huge problem. Today I found out first hand. My friend picked me up a McFlurry at McDonalds. An M&M McFlurry, which should be gluten free, unless you find a chunk of an oreo in it.........which I did.

Sounds pretty minor, right? It was just a small piece. WRONG!! It contaminated my otherwise gluten free treat. The gluten free diet for a Celiac is really strict. So strict in fact that I have to actually get my own toaster. I can't toast my gluten free bread in the same toaster as the bad, evil, horrible wheat bread.

Cross contamination.

Just when I thought that I wasn't busy enough, something else comes along that seems insurmountable. Yesterday I found out that I tested positive for Celiac Disease. Seriously.

On one hand, it explains a lot. The headaches, body aches, and possibly even infertility. It's good to know that all the symptoms weren't all in my head. I have an actual explanation, and in some ways it's a relief. Plus, it's not a fatal or crippling disease. It definitely could be a LOT worse.

However, all that positivity isn't stopping me from being totally overwhelmed, depressed and irritated. All I can think about is all the stuff that I will have to give up. Oh fresh, warm, crusty bread how I love you so! It's like a break up, and I'm devastated. Not to mention the total and complete freedom to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. It's now gone, and I am sentenced to a life of planning ahead, checking every single label, and being that annoying customer at the restaurant that asks for special food. I can no longer wander in to a bakery and savor a delicious, gooey pastry. I will never be able to order the roast beef asiago sandwich (my favorite!) at Panera again.

I'm sad. Seriously sad.

This is my new life though, and I don't have much of a choice in this. So I know that I have to get over it and forge ahead. It will be my own personal challenge to cook, and bake delicious gluten free goods. I look forward to the day when I feel so fantastic that I look back and realize that I spent way too long feeling like crap. Today is not that day though. Today I am still wallowing in my own self pity while I check all my antidepressants for gluten. Yup, even medications can contain gluten- who knew?!

I have to post these things because I never want to forget how funny and damn cute my son is. I seriously find myself laughing at something he says or does just about every day.

This morning I got up to Griffin begging Ryan to play Lego's with him. I mean this kid was pleading as if his life depended on it. Finally in complete desperation, Griffin says " I'll let you have the log skidder, and I promise not to take your trucks from you". That is a HUGE promise coming from a 4 year old! Ryan couldn't resist the log skidder offer, and finally went upstairs to play Lego's.

Then last night as Griffin was getting ready for bed, I was in the bathroom washing my face. He comes running in, completely naked, because he had to pee. He finishes and then turns to me and shakes his wanker at me. When I asked him what he was doing, he replied "it's the pickle show". Seriously. I didn't know if should die laughing or just die from shock. Lord, I hope he doesn't say stuff like that at school....

I am a human pin cushion. In an attempt to draw blood from my veins today, the nurse stuck me, not once, not twice, not even three times, but FOUR! Seriously, FOUR!! Bless her heart, she was nice and all, and I could tell that she felt bad. But seriously, FOUR?! It's funny, I don't mind the needle much. What I do mind though is the tapping of my inner arm in search of a "good one". I'm also not a fan of fishing around inside my arm with the needle in search of it. To me, it's like nails down a chalk board and it grosses me out. Finally, oil was struck and it flowed beautifully! Two sore arms and a couple of bruises later.

Lucky for me, I have a nice long weekend off from work to celebrate the holiday. That's plenty of time of time to get over it!

Griffin: How come you don't feel good?

Me: I don't know bud, I just don't

Griffin: Is it because your old?


............OUCH!..................................................

It's been a fun and interesting week. Tuesday was my 8th wedding anniversary. Ryan and I had plans to go out to dinner last Saturday, but wouldn't you know that he got sick with the stomach bug! We don't get a lot of grown up time alone, and I was really looking forward to it. So needless to say, I was disappointed. Yes, I felt bad for him to.



I had a great day on Mother's Day. Ryan was still sick and stayed home, but Griffin and I went with my mother and Ryan's parents to the beach. It was such a gorgeous day, and so perfect for just relaxing. The water was frigid, but the kids didn't care and went right in! Crazy!

On Wednesday, our family welcomed it's newest addition. Here's Griffin checking out his new 2nd cousin, Brysen Matthew. My nephew Matt and his wife Brittani are happy and proud new parents. Griffin and I went to the hospital to meet the sweet little peanut. Ohhhh he's a cute one! Just a sweet little snugly nugget. I totally got my baby fix and enjoyed every second of it.

I love living in the country. I really do. It's nice to not deal with asshole neighbors, traffic, noise, and all that stuff.

There is a drawback though................................................................................

ASSHOLE PORCUPINES!!

Lately, there is at least one porcupine in the yard at night, usually there are 2 though. My breaking point was a couple of weeks ago when there were 4!  Really, the porcupines wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have dogs. Homer got quilled once years ago, and that seemed to have taught him a lesson. Reuben is another story though. I don't know if he'll ever learn, so having porcupines in our yard is an issue.

Here's how it works. Once it gets dark out, if the dogs need to go outside, I have to go out and check the yard first. If there are any of the rodents out there, I have to chase them off. This can take a little time. Bet you didn't know that they are kind of slow, clumsy and bumbling. They do not throw their quills and they won't chase you. When they get scared, they put their quills up and turn their backs to you. You would actually have to walk up to one and touch the quills to get any stuck in you. Reuben has done this.....more than once.

So I finally asked Ryan if he thought that I could shoot them. Take in mind, I've never shot anything in my life. I actually have never even fired a gun. He laughed at me. Doesn't matter though, because as I started looking online all about porcupines and ways to get rid of them, I realized how cute their little faces are. They are also peaceful animals and that just did it for me right there. I can't shoot them.

Ryan can shoot them though, and that he did! Another porcupine fact- they sleep in trees and can be hard to spot. Ryan did find one though. Yes he shot it, and it fell from the tree, and yes I felt soooo bad. Not so bad though that I don't want him to shoot the rest of the little bastards and get them out of my yard. Next time, I won't be watching though.

So the stomach bug missed Ryan and I again. BUT, I've been sick anyway. I probably haven't mentioned it on here, because I don't want to complain about it, but I have fibromyalgia. For anyone not familiar with fibromyalgia- it SUCKS!! I currently take 2 anti-depressants and Lyrica to try to keep it under control. I also supplement with a daily multi-vitamin, Vitamin D, and magnesium. Then there are the actual pain medications. When I'm not popping pills, I am at my Dr's office and then at the chiropractors once a week. I try anything I can to find relief, including massage and acupuncture. Jealous yet?! Oh, did I forget to mention the migraines?

With all of that, I am fortunate enough that I don't spend every day in pain. I seem to be in a cycle right now of every couple of weeks. If it's not the migraines, then it's the pain and extreme fatigue. This past week has been a combination of both. It started with a migraine on Sunday. Then it evolved into the horrible fatigue. Trust me, this isn't the kind of tired that taking a little nap will take care of. I can sleep all day. Doing a load of laundry is hard work

Right now, I'm just really frustrated and venting. I apologize if this whole post is depressing. It just sucks so much when my 4 year old son says "Mommy, you never feel good". Seriously heartbreaking for me.

The stomach bug has entered the building...AGAIN!! This is getting old. Griffin woke up last night just before midnight after throwing up.....in his bed. About 1/2 hour after getting everything cleaned up and his bed changed, he did it again. The bed was spared this time, the carpet, not so much. Luckily for him, that was the end of it. He has been quiet all day and resting, but no more throwing up. Of course, he couldn't go to daycare and no one else wants a sick kid, so I had to stay home with him. Guess who is feeling a little funky now? I am praying that it's just coincidence and that I'll be fine. My friend is having a St Patty's party tomorrow night and I have been looking forward to it all week. Even going as far as spending $50 on completely obnoxious party wear. I will be extremely disappointed if I don't get to wear the shamrock headband and suspenders!

My new Birchbox came in the other day. I haven't had a whole lot of time to dive into it, but it looks like there a few interesting things in there. I'm still using stuff from the last 2, including the Vichy products. Still love them and highly recommend them.

This month I got a bonus box from Birchbox. No extra charge- totally free! LOVE!! Usually the samples are pretty random. Different types of things from different companies. This one though is a selection of products from Vichy. There is a face wash, eye makeup remover, face lotion, night cream and cellulite lotion. They are fantastic! Very gentle, great for sensitive skin, and my face feels fabulous. This box was a total win. I just bought the Dermalogica lotion, but I may have to buy the Vichy face wash and the night lotion.

I just finished crocheting a blanket that I've been slowly working on for the last couple of months. I found the pattern on Pinterest, of course, and I really wanted to try it. It was originally going to be a baby/toddler blanket. I figured that I'd find someone to gift it to. Then it sort of got bigger, so I turned it into a throw blanket. Not sure yet what I'll be doing with it.

If you're interested in the pattern, this should bring you right to the blog where I got it from. http://thelazyhobbyhopper.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-crochet-granny-ripple.html

We dodged the bullet, and neither Ryan or I got the stomach bug! Yeah! Griffin is past it and feeling so much better now. Everything is back to normal in the Karcher house.

Ryan's cousin hosted a family gathering/potluck on Saturday. I was so glad that Griff was better and that we were able to go. There was so much delicious food, and of course lots of wine. For my part, I made homemade Cheez-its and a loaf of beer bread. I was hoping that Griffin would just love the homemade Cheez-its and never want to touch the other ones again. Nope. He hated them. However, they were a big hit with the adults, and I received lots of compliments. My personal favorite of the night though was the chocolate chip cheddar. Yup, you read that right. Chocolate AND cheese, c'mon how could it possible be bad. I need to find out where they got it, and stock up on this stuff. Seriously, what a great PMS food!

On Sunday, my friend Angela and I had our "chick-flick date". Her and I usually get together to see movies that neither of our husbands would be caught dead seeing. This time it was "The Vow".  Now, Angela can be pretty emotional during movies, so we brought a couple of tissues in preparation. She should have brought in the whole damn box. I am not kidding when I say that she cried through the WHOLE thing. Luckily, I grabbed tons of napkins for my popcorn because she was out of tissues before we got half way through it. It was good though, not Oscar worth or anything, but in terms of totally indulgent chick flicks it rates right up there.

Ladies and gentlemen, the stomach bug has hit the building. Oh yeah! Griffin was up all night, throwing up. Today he was much better, so I let him eat a few Cheez-its. Big mistake. He barfed all over the backseat of my car. That was a fun time. So far, both Ryan and I feel fine, but Ryan keeps telling me that it's just a matter of time. I am praying for mercy.

I went to the Chiropractor today and got adjusted for the very first time. I've wanted to go for so long and try it, but just have never taken the leap. Well, I finally did it. She starts out really slow, so I had a very small adjustment today. I was surprised, there was no major cracking or discomfort. No scary neck cracking. I'm excited to go back and see how and if this makes a difference for me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hopefully everyone is spending it doing something a little more "fun" than me. Since I have a fabulous head cold and my sinuses hurt so bad that my teeth feel like they are falling out, there will be no romance in my foreseeable future. Seriously, sinus medication is barely even touching this pain and pressure. I'm miserable.

I try not to be beauty obsessed. You know what I mean, and we all know those people who are. I don't even know if I have a "style", and if I did, I wouldn't even know what to call it. I think my biggest prerequisite is that it's comfortable and it doesn't take much effort! This isn't just my clothes style, it goes for makeup and hair as well.

However,  I will admit that I am slightly obsessed with my face. As in keeping lines and wrinkles off of it! Seriously, I get spray tans instead of sitting in the sun. I suppose that does me good in warding off skin cancer as well, but you get the point. I started taking care of my face back when I was a teenager. So far, I think I've done a pretty good job of minimizing the lines.

The biggest thing for me is moisturizer. I have combination skin- sometimes oily, sometimes dry. and sometimes both at the same time. I've been using the Mary Kay Timewise set for years now, and I like it, but it was time to try something else. So I went to my favorite spa and got some recommendations, and ended up with the Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery. So far, I love it! My face feels so smooth and soft. I won't lie, it is on the pricey side. But since it has an SPF, I can use it during the day and opt for something less expensive for the night. The wonderful esthetician at the spa gave me a handful of samples to try out, so I'm still deciding on the night moisturizers. So far, it's a tough choice.

So in my non-expert opinion, I give the Dynamic Skin Recovery a 2 thumbs up rating.

                                                             

  

Griffin's no good, terrible, very bad hair cut. Needless to say, we will not be going back to that salon! No worries though, I fixed it and my child can go back out in public now.

Such a busy week. Griffin has been fighting a cold all week, and tonight my throat is really sore. Ugh! One thing after another.

Griff and I ran a bunch of errands yesterday together. I decided that I had had enough of his hair and it needed to be cut. So I made a last minute appointment. Big mistake! It was one of the worst hair cuts that I've ever seen. She cut his hair dry. I thought that was odd, but I went with it. So by the time she was done, it was really kind of staticy and messy, and I couldn't tell how bad it was. I ended up having to fix it today. There was no way that I was letting him go anywhere like that! It's pretty bad when I can cut hair better than the person that I just paid.

Last night we went to my nieces wedding. It was one of the prettiest, most touching weddings that I've ever been to. I don't usually cry at weddings, but found myself very choked up at a couple different times last night. I think because my niece, Fawn hasn't always had it so easy in her life. It didn't matter though, and she made a good life for herself. When she met Erin, she wasn't out yet and I know it was very hard for her to admit it and tell everyone. Since then, she's really been happier than I've ever seen her. They are a very cute couple, and obviously very much in love. They compliment each other well. It sort of felt like she had come full circle last night. I couldn't be more proud.

My favorite part of this whole week though had to be when Griff and I were grocery shopping, and right there in the meat department, he said "Mommy, I love you more than a hundred rocks". He knows how to melt my heart!

First things first, I love, love, love my new blow dryer. It actually does what it says it's going to do. It cuts down the drying time, and it makes my hair smoother. If you're looking for a fabulous blow dryer, check out the Rusk, Speed Freak. It's awesome.

So, I ended up ordering the outfit that I had posted on here from Eloquii. I was so excited to get it, and then........I got an email confirming the shipment. The email only had 5 of the 7 items that I ordered. It was missing the purple shell and a pair of earrings. There was no mention of them at all. So I called customer service. The earrings were back ordered and the shirt, well tough luck, they don't have any more and they cancelled it! Seriously, it took me calling THEM to find that out. I still haven't got any notice that it was cancelled and it's been a week.

Not very impressed. I realize it's just a stupid shirt, but it was the basis of my outfit. I got the jacket to go over it, and I got jewelry with purple stones to match it. I've looked all over and can't find a purple shirt that I like to take it's place. So I have no idea what I'm wearing to the wedding now.

Griffin had me cracking up yesterday. He's a little boy (just don't tell  him that!) with huge personality. He was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and washing his face, and as he walked out he looked at me  and said "peace out"! I don't even know where he gets this stuff half the time, but I think it's hilarious. 

We had a little birthday celebration at work last night, and the birthday girl requested Mexican for her dinner.Yum! Who doesn't love Mexican?  So all of us pitched in and brought a dish. My contribution was this Guacamole salad. It's an awesome side to Mexican or South West dishes, and actually I think it would make a great lunch. It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe (Oh, how I just love Ina!), but of course I make changes to it. The biggest change is that I buy bottled dressing and doctor it up a bit, but if you can't find the Newmans Own Light Lime, then follow the Barefoot recipe. I also add a can of corn to mine.

Guacamole Salad    Barefoot Contessa

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 yellow pepper, seeded & ½ in diced.

1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup small diced red onion

2 TBSP minced jalapeno peppers, seeded

½ tsp freshly grated lime zest

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)

¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe Haas avocados, seeded, peeled and ½ inch diced

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whish together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well. Just before you’re ready to serve, fold the avocados into the salad. Check seasonings and serve.

 

Here’s my version:

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 orange or red bell pepper, seeded and ½ in diced (I use orange or red to add more color, because I add the corn) 

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

½ cup red onion, small diced

2 TBSP jarred pickled jalapeno, diced (can find in Mexican food isle, I usually get Old El Paso)

4 TBSP Newmans Own Lime salad dressing

Juice of 1 lime

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 Haas avocados, seeded, peeled and ½ in diced

   

Padon the sideways view- I took it from my phone and couldn't turn it. Boo!

I don't really have a bucket list. I'm too ADD to remember anything long enough to put it on a list! However, I have always wanted to learn German. My mother is from Germany, and moved to the US when she was 17. She actually had to teach herself to speak English when she got here! Funny though, she never taught any of us kids to speak German at all. When I was a kid, it would drive me crazy when she'd be on the phone or we'd be visiting one of her friends and the conversation was in German. I just knew she was telling them something important, and I wanted to know!

Recently I came across a deal on Groupon for language lessons, and I thought that I would take the opportunity. It was only $25 for 6 months of online lessons from LiveMocha.com. I've never heard of the website, and I don't know how well it's going to go, but if I walk away with some basics, then it would be worth the $25. So I started it last night, and honestly it took me a little bit to navigate the site. Once I got into my first lesson though, I really enjoyed it.

I was going to surprise my mom, and when I got at least a little bit proficient, I was going to knock out some funny sentence. But, I couldn't wait and told her this morning! I figure that I'll need to practice and who better to do it with?! I'm going to try to get Griffin to work on some of the words with me as well......wish me luck!

So here's a good use for the scraps of beef that you trim from a roast. If you haven't trimmed a roast lately, try asking the butchers at the grocery store for theirs. I've done it before and they were more than happy to bag some up for me.

I honestly don't know what makes it "French" and if there is an authentic way of making French Onion Soup, so I like to call this Sweet Onion Soup. It's another one of my own recipes. I call for a small bottle of wine because I use one of the small bottles that comes in a 4 pack from the grocery store. I don't like most red wines for drinking but love them for cooking. So I buy the 4 pack and that way I don't have to waste most of the large bottle.

Sweet Onion Soup

Trimmings from the beef roast

Olive oil

1 TBSP salt

2 sweet onions, cut in half and then sliced

Small bottle of red wine- I used Cabernet Sauvignon

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP brown sugar

4 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

6 cups of beef broth

1 cup of water

Over med-high heat, use a heavy bottom pot and heat olive oil. Add the beef trimmings and salt, and let brown. Lower heat to medium, and let cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the beef (if there is a lot of grease, drain it off) add the onions, and let them cook down for about 20 minutes. They should be very soft and translucent. Turn heat up to med-high and add the wine. Let the wine reduce to about ½, about 10 minutes. Add the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, broth and water. Cover and lower temp again to low. Let simmer for 2-3 hours.

To serve, cut chunks of French bread into crouton size and heat in the oven on 400* for 3-5 minutes until crispy. Ladle soup into an oven proof crock, add croutons, and layer cheese over the top. You can use Gruyere, Swiss, provolone or whatever you like. Put under the broiler, and watch closely- until the cheese melts.

What better during a cold wintry week than a bowl of chili? Plus, the Super Bowl is coming up, and it's a perfect time to get the chili making skills down!  This is actually my recipe. I don't particularly like hamburger in my chili, I prefer nice chunks of beef instead. I also don't like it so spicy that you can't actually taste the food. I find that this has a "kick", but doesn't bring tears to your eyes. If you are really sensitive to spice, I'd leave out or just put in half of the cayenne and red pepper flakes. You can always add them towards the end.
I would have posted some pics but I took them all from my phone and of course my phone wasn't cooperating with me. Boo.

Chili

1-1 1/2 lbs stew beef

2 TBSP olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped (I prefer sweet onions)

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP oregano

1 ½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 ½ tsp. cocoa powder

1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (4oz) can of chopped green chilis

2     (15 oz. each) cans of kidney beans. If you like black beans, substitute one of the cans of kidney beans for the black beans.

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. While that’s heating, season the beef with the salt & pepper. Add the beef to the pot, and let it brown, approx. 3 minutes. Make sure that you turn it so that all sides get browned. Add the onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes before lowering the temp to medium. Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and cocoa powder. Let it cook for another minute (it will be sort of thick and kind of pasty). Add the diced tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to low, cover and let simmer for an hour. The beef should be good and tender by now, if not, let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium and add the chilis, kidney beans, and the tomato paste. Leave uncovered, and bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings. It also freezes really well. So if you’re like me and you’re 4 year old won’t touch it, and you don’t want to eat leftovers for more than a day- go ahead and freeze the leftovers.

Helpful tips: Instead of buying the actual stew beef already chopped up at the grocery store. I bought a chuck shoulder roast, and cut it myself. I bought almost 2 ½ lbs. of beef for the same price that I would have paid for a pound of the stew beef. I froze the other half of the meat to use later for a beef stew. If you need a big batch of chili go ahead and use it all, just double all the other ingredients as well.

 If you buy the roast, you’ll most likely have to trim a little bit of fat from it. Do not throw this away! Use it to make some yummy onion soup- I'll post a recipe for that next. If you’re not ready to make the soup, freeze the scraps for later.  

My nieces wedding is in a couple of weeks and I have been scouring the internet for something to wear. I have this desire to wear a dress. Very odd for me, since I never wear dresses. I think it goes back to being the only girl out of 7 kids, and to prove that she finally had a girl, my mother made me wear dresses ALL THE TIME! That's another story though.

The dilemma is that I hate to spend the money on a dress that I'll probably never wear again, since I never wear dresses! It would be easier if I hadn't found a bunch of really cute ones, but of course I found tons that I love.

Ohhh, if only all of my lifes dilemmas could be this dilemma-ish!

I did find my new favorite plus size clothing website though. Yeah Me! It's from The Limited and it's http://www.eloquii.com   Seriously, finding affordable plus size clothes that aren't made for grammy can be tough. I didn't find any grammy clothes here, so if I don't go the dress route, this is what I'll be getting. Like it?

I'm thinking I like it in the purple color

 

 

 

I'm woman enough to admit that I wear plus size. Haha! "Woman enough" get it? Ok, seriously though, I don't have a lot of weird hang ups about my body. I don't spend my days crying over it or being disgusted by the mirror. I spent way too much time in my teens and twenties worried about how "fat" I was (I totally wasn't fat!) and letting it hold me back. I'm not sure what changed my thinking, but it's changed, and let me tell you that it's liberating to be comfortable in your own skin.

 That being said, I have some weight that needs to come off. It's not about looks, it's about health. I need all the energy that I can get. We're doing another Biggest Loser competition at work starting this week, and I'm pretty excited for it. I lost 16lbs during our last one. Of course it ended right before the holidays, and I gained about 4 of it back. That's ok though, it means that I'm still down 12lbs. My goal is to get under 200 lbs. Yup, I said it! My name is Shannon, and I weigh over 200 lbs. Anyway, I'm generally a healthy eater, but I have definitely been indulging in the sweets since the holidays and I look forward to getting back on track. The sweets taste ohh so good, but boy do they make you feel ohhhh so bad. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel a huge difference in my health when I make sure that I eat a balanced diet and get in all my veggies and fruit.

So what's my point in all of this? Well, since I am getting back on the wagon, that means I'll be making the effort to cook a lot more. I love to cook, but really it's very time consuming for a busy mom. It beats takeout though, and usually my cooking is better anyway. So be prepared for me to post some of my favorite recipes or new recipes that I'll be trying out. I recently got a few new cookbooks, and have spied some yummy stuff in them. Can't wait to get started!

It's a season of trying new things for me. So recently I signed up for Birchbox. For $10 a month, they send you 4-5 deluxe beauty samples every month. I was so excited when I got home from work and saw my first box sitting on the counter. It was like Christmas all over again! Couldn't wait to see what goodies were hiding in there. I can honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. I got some lip gloss, and some nail polish (not sold on the color of the polish though). A small Larabar- love those! A sample of Juicy Couture perfume which I'm considering buying now. I really like it! Then there was a small bottle of eye firming cream. I'm not calling that a sample- I'm calling it a small bottle, since it's going to last me forever. If you love beauty products, and really what girl doesn't, I recommend trying Birchbox. So much fun!

BUT, my big recommendation in the beauty product department is Blinc mascara. Holy crap is this stuff awesome! I spotted it at a spa that I went to for a Thai massage (oh, there's something else that I recommend!), and the massage therapist couldn't stop raving about it. It's on the pricey side, I won't lie, but it's so worth every one of those 25 dollars.

What makes it different from other mascaras is that it forms tubes around each of your lashes. You apply it just like a normal mascara. That being said, it does take a little bit of practice to get it right. The mascara is wetter than other mascaras that I've used, so I have to be careful because the tips of my lashes hit the top of my eye near my eyebrow and leave mascara smudges. The brush also separates the lashes a bit, and I tend to like the fuller look- I have found that if I put the layers on very lightly I can achieve the fullness that I like. So yes, I recommend more than one coat, but each coat also adds length- noticeable length! The instructions are included, but make sure that the lashes don't dry in between each layer.

Once it's dry and the tubes have formed, it doesn't come off. Meaning you can rub your eyes, you can go swimming or work out, and it doesn't flake. It only comes off with the combination of warm water and slight pressure. Then they slide right off! It looks like your lashes coming off, but it's just the tubes. So cool. I'm kind of like a kid and honestly find that taking them off is part of the fun of using the mascara. Well that and the fact that they make my eyelashes look a mile long......

I have to thank my friend Kelly for getting me totally addicted to the Pinterest website. Seriously addicted. Checking my iPhone app multiple times a day kind of addicted! Never heard of it, neither had I until Kelly brought it to my attention. It's basically an online pinboard, a place to collect and organize all the things you love. Come across a cute craft- pin it, an awesome recipe- pin it! The cool thing is that it's not just your pinboards, you get to view everybodys pins. So the website is loaded with awesome ideas, recipes, fashions, crafts, you name it.

Now, a lot of people spend a lot of time just pinning and looking at the site, but I'm proud to say that I've actually made some of the crafts that I pinned. So much fun. I'm feeling newly inspired and very crafty lately. There are also a bunch of very yummy looking recipes that I plan on trying out very soon as well.

Yesterday I went to my nieces bridal shower, and it's the first time that I've ever been excited about my gift. I couldn't wait for her to see it. I copied these ideas, and made them my own. With a little help from a friend, I did the framed picture. I thought it would be nice with a pretty quote, so I added that to mine. With the wedding invite, I put hers in a small glass bottle instead of the ornament. I couldn't find any ornaments at the craft stores and I didn't have time to order them online. The bottle actually worked nicely, and I also tied the matching bow around the top. That is one of the quickest and easiest gifts I've done, but it got a ton of ooohs and ahhhhhhs.




Right now I'm working on Valentines for Griffins class. It's another easy, but very cute craft involving crayons. You could use, the broken loose ones that are just laying all around the house. If you don't have those, it's still cheap enough to buy a new pack. Aren't these adorable? I did ours star shaped instead- more appropriate for my boy.

Happy New Year!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Ours was great. This is the first year that Griffin REALLY understood the whole thing, and boy was he excited. It just made the whole thing so awesome for us. Of course all 3 of us got totally spoiled. Usually Ryan and I don't get each other gifts, but this year I thought it would be good to get each other a little something. I set a limit (no more than 100-150) and I think that we both got some great goodies! I'm actually kind of sad that the holidays are over. I'm totally dragging my feet taking my tree down. I want to enjoy it for as long a possible.

The holiday eating needs to stop though. The food was just soooo yummy this year. Maybe it was just my imagination, but oh, it was just so good. My favorite was the coconut cream pie that my mother-in-law made for Christmas. I scooped that recipe right up! If I get a chance, I'll post it. I gained back 3 lbs of the 16 that I lost before the holidays. I know it could be worse, but I worked hard for that 16. So, we're starting up our Biggest Loser challenge at work, and I'm getting right back on that wagon!

Speaking of work, this year I'm hitting my 15 year anniversary. That means, I gain another week of vacation, which I chose to take this week. Everyone thinks I'm odd for taking a winter vacation, but I'm really excited for it. I scheduled a facial on Thursday. On Friday, it's an hour long Thai massage, with a 20 minute foot massage. Who wouldn't want to start out their year this way??