MAD Monday

MAD Monday.

Sounds like something bad, doesn't it?  As if all the anger and angst from the weekend ending have boiled over and created mayhem.  But, no.  Not this "MAD Monday". 

What in the world am I talking about?  If you are a listener to KLOVE radio, you already know that MAD Monday stands for "Make A Difference Monday." Chances are, you have participated in it at least once.  Paying it forward, giving someone that good feeling, an unexpected smile, on anyday, but especially on a Monday. 

I have heard about it for quite a while, but never thought about doing it.  I'm usually in a rush and self absorbed.  Quite honestly, all I am thinking about on most Monday mornings is how soon can I get my coffee and how quickly can everyone get to where they need to be so I can have a little peace and quiet. 

Wow... I think of myself as a nice person, usually, but the above paragraph tells a different story.  I may need to work on that a bit. 

Anyway, a couple weeks ago, on a bright and early Monday morning, I was taking Patrick to Band Camp.  We woke up late and were in a rush.  In lieu of breakfast, Patrick requested a trip through the local Starbucks drive through.  This is my kind of request.  I immediately agreed.  The drive through line was long, but the line inside was longer so we decided up on the drive through.

When we pulled up to the window, the barista was beaming.  She informed us that the car ahead of us had paid for our coffee and pastries.  Wow.  And, we were listening to KLOVE on the radio.  Patrick and I looked at each other and grinned.  "Make A Difference Monday!" I exclaimed.  I had always wondered what it felt like.  Now I knew.  It was the ultimate warm, fuzzy feeling.  My heart was overflowing with goodwill and happiness.  Joy abounded. 

I chatted with the barista for a few minutes about how awesome it felt...and then I handed her my card and said, "Why wait to pay it forward?  I want to pay for the car behind me."  Another huge beaming smile.  Especially when she looked at the total of his order.  It was within pennies of my own order. 

I don't know how the teenager behind me (whom I suspect was on his way to Band Camp also) felt when he found out his order had been paid for, but I know that the feeling I felt upon paying it forward was even better than the feeling of finding out someone had paid for mine. 

Has this ever happened to you?  How did you feel?  Have you paid for a strangers meal, coffee, etc?  What did that do to your heart?  All I know is, I am looking for another opportunity to pass along the blessing to another person.  Not only to bless them, but to bless me too.  Giving truly is better than receiving. 

Try it.  The world will be a better place, one coffee at a time. 

Written under the influence of Community Coffee Hotel Blend.  Try it too.  :)

Daily Dinner Party!

I love food.


I do. I really, really do.

I love cooking it. I love eating it. And, here comes my "big confession", I love watching tv shows about food. Yes, Food Network is one of my favorite channels on tv. Cooking Channel comes in a close second.

So, tonight I am watching cooking shows I have DVRed and wondering if I am alone in my food television addiction. Do you emulate the cooks on tv? Do you try their recipes? Do you get inspiration from them? Do you want to have your own cooking show after you have cooked an excellent meal and gotten rave reviews? Do you sometimes think "I should write a cookbook that real people can use?" Am I the only person who can say a resounding "YES!" to all the above?

I watch an eclectic mix of cooking shows. Recently I discovered "French Food at Home with Laura Calder." If you haven't caught this show, find it. DVR it. Watch it. I haven't tried any of her recipes, yet. But, her show is so much fun to watch. Her laid back approach to food and entertaining is so relaxing. The faces she makes and the way she expresses herself are so refreshing. I also love that she wears a dress in the kitchen. I do that too! I am not alone. Maybe I am more "French" than I thought. :)

What else do I enjoy watching? Paula Deen. Any Paula show. Bring on the butter! And Mayo. And, cheese. And, while you are at it, bring on her sons. I enjoy their shows too. "Not My Mama's Meals" is a favorite as he lghtens classic Paula recipes. Of course, I have been doing the same thing for years. But it's nice to see the numbers on the changes. Very interesting. I hope both the boys shows stay on the air for a long time.

Italian food is a favorite, so obviously I watch Giada. Funny, I haven't made many of her recipes. The ones I have made were excellent. I think the best one is a tomato soup recipe. We love it with grilled cheese sandwiches in the fall and winter. Patrick asked for it last weekend, but I didn't make it. Maybe soon.

Rachel Ray is another favorite to watch. She has such a fun show! And, her recipes are so easy to make and quite "delish". I love the way she gives tips on how to modify the recipes to fit what your family likes and what you have in your fridge.

Another one I watch, but rarely make any of her recipes, is the Barefoot Contessa. But, her technique is so.... je ne sais quais. (I don't think I spelled that correctly. French class was a LONG time ago.) Whatever. I can't put my finger on it, but I love the way she explains things. I find myself using her techniques if not her recipes.

Several others are on my list to catch if they are making something interesting. Or, if I'm in the mood for their personalities. Guy Fieri, Sunny Anderson, the Neelys, and the 5 ingredient Fix girl, what is her name?? Guy is so much fun to watch. I've made several of his recipes with great success. Same with the Neely's.

OH...can't forget Semi Homemade. I have made several of Sandra's recipes with great success. She makes me laugh too. I'm not sure why, but she does.

Who do you watch? Why? Do you try their recipes? Do you use their techniques?

How do you view food? Do you live to eat or eat to live? Do you feel food is an experience to savor and enjoy? Do you use it as a way to gather with friends and family? Is it a way to celebrate? To grieve? To heal and comfort? All the above?

These questions make me think about how I think and feel about food. Sometimes, it's utilitarian. I need to eat to live. Therefore I eat. But, I believe, more and more, I as I grow older and wiser, I consider our family meals as an experience. You know, when I "feel like Italian food" I want it to be Italian - as authentic as I can get it. I want to speak Italian as I cook and eat it. I can't, but I want to do so. I want the food to be fresh and satisfying. I want to converse with my family and friends as I savor each and every bite, from the salad with creamy homemade dressing all the way through to the dessert and coffee.

Too bad my teen boys don't have the same need to savor as they devour the meal and rush away to whatever activity is next, whether it be a band practice, homework, tv or a video game. At least my hubby enjoys a good meal and conversation with me.

It is still hot in TX, but I am eagerly awaiting cooler temperatures so we can eat al fresco on our new patio dining set. Thanks to the recent rain our backyard is a wonderland of greenery and wildflowers. It's also why my allergies are in high gear, but I am not going to let that fact diminish my enjoyment of nature.

Bon appetit ma amis!!

Update X 7

I blinked and suddenly it is two weeks later, the kids are back in school and college football season is upon us.  Wow...  A lot happens when you blink. 

So, to update you on my very normal, often boring, life.  

Update #1:  It works. You know, that "exercise" thing everyone talks about.  Well, it works.  Proof?  My size 12s are loose.  Two weeks ago they were a little tight.  No longer!  I've managed to lose 6 pounds since I began walking.  I hate exercising, but taking my loving doggie for a morning walk doesn't seem like exercise.

Going to the Y with Matthew, my second son, does seem like it.  I prefer walking with Sam.  But, in the interest of my health and mental well being, I am doing both.  Just started back at the Y a couple days ago.  We made it one day so far.  Maybe this week will be better.

Update #2:  School is back in session.  The two youngest are getting back into their routine as am I.  I think I dislike "Back to School" more than the kids.  I hate getting up early.  Nuff said!

Update #3:  Being a Band Mom is awesome.  Our high school had their first game Friday night and won.  34-7.  It was awesome.  And, the half time show?  Very nice!  My son did a great job!  It was awesome to watch him having so much fun.  The band sounded great.  Really great.  No, I'm not prejudiced.  They are good. 

Update #4:  I worked on my book this week! Only one day, but for someone who hasn't written since MAY, that's pretty good.  It may take a while to get back into the habit again.  But, I am working on it. 

Update #5:  My allergies are in high gear.  Same time last year, I asked for a referral to an allergist.  While I am not feeling well, I am not "that sick" this year.  WHEW.  Oil pulling is definitely helping.  Having a vaporizer in my room at night helps too.  As does Vicks Vapo-Rub after a hot shower.  Thinking of trying a detox bath with epsom salts and baking powder.  When I feel bad, I am willing to try almost anything to feel better.  Well, within reason.

Update #6:  It's FOOTBALL SEASON!!!  My high school team won.  My favorite SEC team (Tennessee Volunteers, baby!) won.  My son's high school won.  And, tonight, Alabama (hubby's favorite SEC team) is ahead at half time.  If my, oops "our" - hubby and I met while students there - college team, The University of North Alabama, wins tomorrow, it will be a perfect football weekend.  I will think about professional football later.  Like Wednesday, when I will be making another football buffet for dinner.

Speaking of football buffet, I made my first one of the fall tonight.  My youngest said the sweetest thing.  As he was going to refill his plate again - I thought he was finished, but he was going for thirds - he says very seriously "Mom, you should open a restaurant."  Isn't that awesome? 

What did I make?  The buffet consisted of my version of Bold Chex Mix, Fried Cheese Sticks, Mock Chick-fil-a nuggets, Mini Pizzas, and Chips and Dip.  The dip was made from cream cheese, bacon, a little chopped onion and some Roasted Red Pepper and Onion sauce from HEB - forgot the brand name.  Chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Yum-O!!  I have pictures....

Don't these look scrumptious?  If you make them, flatten the dough as thin as you possibly can.

Otherwise, you have more crust than anything else. 

The good news is, it's a tasty crust.

The recipe is on my Pinterest "Football Foods" board.   

Chex Mix. 

I use an entire stick of margarine and add extra spices to up the flavor factor.

It's just better.

They look like the "real thing" right?

The family consensus was they aren't "just like" the fast food ones, but they are good.

I will make them again, but next time I will use different spices.

The recipe called for flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in the breading.

Next time, I will use a "House Blend" that has salt, pepper and garlic in it. 

I think that will give it the extra something that it needs to go from good to "awesome!"

This recipe is also on my Pinterest "Football Food" board.

Update #7:  The kids and I have been out and about and we have discovered this local eatery.  Actually, we have been driving past it for a year and only recently stopped in to sample their wares.  Oh, my goodness.  Why did we wait so long?  This is now one of our favorite places. 

I know. 

Strange name. 

No clue why.  Must ask....

But, talk about tasty burgers!!! 

Their fries are delish too. 

This is their Junior Burger, all the way, with cheese and bacon added.

Quite tasty. 

I helped Matthew with his fries. 

He didn't need ALL of them, right? 

That's it from my corner of the world for today.  I had ideas about special things to write...and totally forgot all of them.  Maybe next time.  And, hopefully, next time won't be two weeks or more away. 

Coffee:  Yes, I had some today.  Community Coffee Hotel Blend.  My "go to" daily coffee. This post, however, was written under the influence of Dr Pepper.  Another Waco original.  I love this place. 

It's a 4X2 letter word, no doubt about it!

Exercise. Yes, exercise.  8 letters = 4 x 2.  Two four letter words combined into one.  Exer and size. 

Which brings me to why I am doing the dreaded deplored exercising:  my increasing size.  *sigh*

Since moving to Waco, I feel like I Texas sized. Slowly, the pounds have added up to the point that this summer, I can't wear any of my cute summer clothes.  The ones I do wear are being stretched to their limit.  I had to buy a couple new things just to feel comfortable.  And, the necessary size did not make me happy.

Shall I be honest?  Last year I comfortably wore size 8.  This year, I need size 12.  WHAT? 

HOW?  Simple, my activity level dropped when I stopped walking the dogs. My eating habits haven't changed. Plus, I know it is wrong, but I am hoping my thyroid medication needs to be changed (should hear back from the doctor by tomorrow about this). And, I haven't taken my vitamins the way I should this past year which could be an additional factor.

The solution:  Community!  Accountability!!  At the beginning of the summer, I joined a "10x10 challenge" in an attempt to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.  Totally doable.  Or, so I thought.  I started logging all food intake averaging about 1100 calories per day.  I started taking my vitamins again on a much more regular basis.  I did NOT start exercising at this point.  Over the 10 weeks I lost, drumroll please, 1 pound. 

Not a smashing success by any means.  But, I did get back into previous good habits which had helped keep the weight off.  And, it showed me the regain wasn't totally food related.  I needed to begin exercising again. 

The challenge ended, but not my determination to lose the weight. I started walking every morning (except Sunday) and at night if I can get a family member to walk with me.  It's VERY dark at night in my neighborhood, so even though it is safe here, I want company.  The weight is slowly dropping and the size 12s are slightly loose.  Steps in the right direction.

Speaking of steps, Saturday I walked on this lovely trail.

It's part of the River Trail at Cameron Park.  Lovely trail.  Lovely morning walk. I probably won't be back.  I ended up walking over 3.5 miles that morning.  Ouch. Was not prepared for that.  

My plans for losing weight also include lots of lovely food, some of it purchased at the local Farmers Market.  Like this:

These peaches and veggies cost a grand total of $19.

The best news is they are all locally grown, were picked ripe and fresh the day prior and are lasting in my refrigerator, which is something they NEVER do when I buy at the local grocery store.

This is incredible salsa, sold by the Texas Cheese House. When I HAVE to have a snack, a couple tablespoons of this and a few tortilla chips are a great snack.  Just not too late at night.  :)

We all know if there is coffee nearby I am going to try it.  And, the local Farmers Market did not disappoint.  Dichotomy, set to open this fall, is there every weekend making coffees, lattes, espressos, etc.  They are knowledgable, friendly, have great customer service and brew a fabulous cup of coffee.  This is their booth.

  Here they are working on my coffee.

This is my coffee after I added raw sugar and cream.  Yummy.

And, somehow, they got my order mixed up and I ended up with a free latte.

Aren't the swirls lovely?

Actually, even though the coffee was exceptional, I have to say, I liked the latte even better.  It was rich, creamy and positively delightful. I will get another my next trip. 

I plan to check out their competition and see who has the better cup of coffee and/or latte.  There were also several booths selling crepes, burritos, hamburgers and much more. Might have to sample their wares also. With all that coffee, I need some food.  Right?  Right! :)  Afterwards, I may be heading to the park to walk off all the calories!  Another 3.5 miles, here I come.  *sigh*

And So It Begins - Again

I am sad.

Why?

Because, as of this morning, sleeping in is now a thing of the past. 

Please note, I am not saying I am sad because my baby, my youngest, the last in the line of our off spring is beginning high school and Marching Band Camp begins today.  Nope.  Not at all.  I am sad because I have to get up at 6:00 am to cook breakfast and drive him to school.  I miss sleeping in.  I really do. *sigh*

However, I am working hard to be positive about this.  Really.  I am sipping my second huge cup of coffee.  The house is blissfully quiet as the two remaining offspring are sleeping and hubby just left to go to the park to (ICK) exercise.

Side note:  Can we declare "exercise" a "four letter word??"  Pretty please? Yes, I'm saying this because I desperately need to haul my backside to the Y and get back on the treadmill and/or elliptical again and again and again.  WAH!!!!

Back to being positive.  Or the attempt thereof.  Getting up early has some advantages.  Sort of.  In the land of extreme heat, aka Texas, it is slightly cooler in the early hours.  It was a mere 78 when we left the house.  Not bad.  And, when you consider the forecast is 102 this afternoon, it seems positively chilly!  I do not envy my son and all the other kids being out in the heat all day.  They are required to have water bottles so they stay hydrated.  Safety is number 1!

Son #4 didn't give me a chance to snap a pic this morning.  But, I do have this one from yesterday.

 We bought new shoes for camp and for their casual uniform.  Early games will be played wearing khaki shorts, band t-shirts and running shoes. Sounds much cooler and safer than wearing the complete uniform.

Now, for a quick update since April. 

In early June, our second son graduated high school.  He now has a part time job at McDonalds.  Not glamorous, but it's a job.  He's still waiting to go to bootcamp.  No definite date yet as we are waiting for his orders/job.  I am okay with this.  The waiting, I mean.  It's that much longer he will be home. :)

During May and June we looked for a new place to rent.  It wasn't until mid June that we found one.  WHEW!  Our lease ended on July 31, so we had to find a place and move. 

A few days after #2 graduated from high school, our eldest graduated Air Force Tech School as a Distinguished Graduate. So proud.  So very proud!!  I was there for it with son #3.  We helped him move from MS to SC.  It was quite a week.  Lots of driving, eating out and shopping.  I discovered I do not want to spend the night in Meridian, Mississippi again.  Ever.  Don't ask me about it. I am trying to forget the experience.

After I got back from SC, I was relaxing and watching Food Network.  That channel is evil. I know this because it has caused me to gain weight.  Just putting that out there.  Call it my public service announcement for the day. 

Anyway, Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, made an incredible cake for her husband's birthday.  It was so mind boggling, I had to show it to my hubby who suggested I make this culinary masterpiece.  So, I did.

Go to FoodNetwork.com and find this recipe.  I think it's called Ladd's Birthday Cake or something similar.  It is HUGE.  She made four layers.  I halved the recipe for us.  Incredible.  One of our new favorite chocolate cake recipes.  Simply delicious.  Beware overbeating the frosting.  Don't ask....

Then, vacation.  Or what we call vacation.  Being a former military family, our vacations have been home to see family.  Now that we are technically civilians again, but living far away from home, we still vacation to visit family.  It was a wonderful time together with both families.

Once we returned, we started moving to the new house.  The first few days we moved all the little things one trip at a time in the van.  As we unloaded, we unpacked.  By the end of the week, we were eating from paper plates and/or eating out most meals. 

Last Monday, we rented a truck and moved the furniture over.  Since we had all the little stuff here and mostly unpacked, it was a fairly quick day.  All that remained was to clean the old place, have the carpets cleaned and turn in the keys.  Oh, and continue to unpack and decorate here. 

We have tons of boxes to unpack.  Lack of storage here is presenting a problem.  I am thinking plastic storage bins in the garage for things we want to keep but can't store inside.   Eh, it will work.  At this point, I am all about what will work. 

OH...and yesterday was my birthday!  I am now 45.  Or, as I like to say, 25 with 20 years experience.  :)  It's all about attitude, right?  Got some great presents.  This is what my youngest gave me.  Isn't it pretty? 

Hope you enjoyed this very long catch up. Pour yourself another cup of coffee.  I believe I will.  Btw, it's Community Coffee Hotel Blend with a splash of real half and half and sweetener.  :)