A Challenge Just For Me

Everything I do has undercurrents of wanting to make other people happy.

Cooking and doing a recipe binder? Well, I am providing healthy, yummy food for my family.

Going back to school?  Trying to provide a better life for Whimzy and a happy life for me and Ty.

Granted, I love cooking and school, but the reasons that I am doing them are not completely selfish.

 

I decided to do something that has no impact on anybody besides me.

I took a reading challenge on GoodReads.com.

One of my bridesmaids decided to do it, so I decided to go ahead and do it, too.

My goal is super ambitious, 200 books in 1 year.  It equals out to a book every other day.

I don't think I am going to make it.  I am already 25 books behind schedule.

Still going to try, though.  And you know what? It feels amazing to do something that is just for me.

Instead of crawling back into bed with Ty when Whimzy goes to school, I will read.  Instead of playing games on Facebook, I will read.

I will keep a book in my purse at all times. 

 

I am going to do this, and I am going to enjoy doing it.

Finally, a challenge that is not going to stress me out.

Unlike the challenge of keeping up with laundry, dishes, and vacuuming....

Feeling A Bit Bi-Polar

Whimzy started school today.

She ran off after saying "bye" without a glance backwards.

I cried.

It was bittersweet watching her gain her independence and not need us.

I cried all of the way to the grocery store.

Then, a wonderful thing happened.  Ty and I were in and out of the store in less than a half hour.  We got to eat lunch and enjoy talking to each other.  We got to come home and relax in a quiet apartment.

 

I miss my Whimzy.  I am sad that she is growing up.

I wish she could still be my little baby.

But since she has to grow up, I am going to enjoy my extra Whimzy-free time and try to appreciate her more when she is home. 

 

 

And now we get to go pick her up and hopefully she runs up to us with a big hug and missed us :)

 

 

<3

Moments

Those important moments that make life worth it....

That moment when....

I get to teach my daughter how to cook in the pot that my Nana taught me how to cook in

 I completely forget what I was in the middle of doing because he kissed me.

I looked up and saw Whimzy pushing her baby doll around in its stroller and it is wearing a pair of Whimzy's flip-flops. 

I realized that my wedding dress is in Whimzy's favorite color.

I am completely capable of forgiveness, and I realized it in a single conversation.

I missed a party to stay home, and I don't regret it.

I realize that people have requested to be in classes with me so that they can work with me.

I am planning my wedding bouqet with my aunt.

I get a long hug from my uncle.

I still have a drawn elephant on my door because it reminds me of a good night.

I get to dive into a new book that I have been looking for for years.

It finally sunk in that I get not only my Ty, but two brothers and a sister out of my marriage.

 

 

Just wanted to share some of the positive moments I have experienced in my life lately

 

<3



A Recipe of My Very Own!!

I made a few recipes this past week, but none of them pretty or good enough to share.  I put their pictures up on my Facebook in my recipes folder if anybody still wants to check them out.

 

But, the one that I am really proud of at the minute is my homemade chicken nuggets!  I have made chicken nuggets before, using cut up chicken breasts and they were mediocre.  They just did not satisfy my craving for chicken nuggets because they just tasted like breaded chicken breasts. 

I had a pound of ground chicken that I bought for second phase of my diet, but I figured that I needed to do something productive on our snowy day, so I took it out and kinda' winged it. 

 

So, here they are!  (And it is going to have a recipe, my very own recipe!)

 

Look good?  Well they are!  I used a different breading for mine because of my strict diet, but Whimzy is loving hers with the regular panko breading!

 

Chicken Nuggets with Ground Chicken

1 lbs. ground chicken

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)

non-stick spray

Seasonings (I used sea salt, garlic, and pepper)

 

• Pre-heat oven to 375*.
• Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.
• Coat bits of ground chicken in flour, then eggs, then the bread crumbs.
• (I ended up with about 16-20 nuggets)
• Place on baking sheet.
• Repeat until the pound of chicken is finished.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Flip the nuggets over.
• Bake another 15 minutes.

It is a bit tedious, and the chicken does tend to fall apart a bit, but totally worth it.  I ran the recipe through my nutrition tracker and it ended up with a "B" (not too shabby), and 227 calories per serving.  I figured the recipe made about 5 servings. 

Whimzy totally scarfed them down and they satisfied my craving for chicken nuggets! 

Hopefully I will be posting some more of my own recipes soon.  I am going to make salmon in a couple weeks, and we are trying cod this week.

I am also planning on making some bread and a few other recipes. 

 

If anybody tries these, leave a comment!  I want to know if the recipe works for anybody else.  Not exactly a pro at writing recipes.

 

<3

 

 



Tuxes, Men, and Feeling Like a Girl

We picked out the tuxes for the wedding this past weekend!  They are pretty epic, if I may say so myself.

Ty's is a super dark purple with a green (matches my dress!) shirt and bow-tie.

The groomsmen tuxes are a light grey with an emerald colored shirt and a lavender bow-tie!

 Ty and his tux!

The guys' tux!

The shirt and bow-tie!

 

When I picked out my dress, it took 3 trips to 2 different bridal stores, and each trip lasted at least an hour.  When we went for my bridesmaids' dresses, it took us 2 hours and a trip up to Milwaukee.  I tried on at least 20 different dresses and my ladies tried on at least 5 each.

When we picked out tuxes, we went to a single place, and it took us less than 45 minutes to pick out not only Ty's, but the guys' tuxes!  He tried on a single suit and it fit him almost perfectly.

What the heck? Why is that so unfair? I see a similar thing happening on the morning of the wedding while we spend 7 hours getting ready and the guys take a half hour.

 

In other news, I feel like such a girl right now.  All I want to do is curl up with a cheesy romance novel, comfy pants, and cry at soup commercials.  I have no idea where this sudden bout of estrogen is coming from, but it is making me less productive because I am getting emotional over everything.  Hoping it is gone soon, I don't have time for this! 

 

<3



A Nothing Day

I am taking a day off of my 7 to-do lists.  Other than dinner, I have nothing that HAS to get done today.  In fact, I am consciously not doing anything that requires me crossing something off of a  list. 

I am laying on the couch and watching TV all day.

Tonight, I am going to put on comfy pj's, and watch movies with Ty. 

I am not going to clean anything.

I am not going to make Whimzy wear matching clothes.

I am not going to worry about school.

I am not going to care that the kitchen needs a good wiping down.

I am not going to look at my calendar.

I am not going to order anything for the wedding or Whimzy's birthday.

I am not going to run errands.

I am not going to take the "Pin the Poop on the Elephant" game off of my door. 

I am not going to worry about what I could be doing.

I am not going to think of today as wasted. 

I am not going to do anything that requires brain power.

 

I am going to enjoy not worrying.

I am going to enjoy how comfortable my couch is.

I am going to enjoy the heck out of the steak that is waiting for our dinner.

I am going to fill my head with useless knowledge that only TV can provide.

 

And you know what? 

It feels amazing.

Tomorrow, I have a game plan.  Tomorrow, I will finish my to-do list.  Tomorrow, I will cook and clean.

But not today. 

 

<3