Oatmeal Queen & Something Green: Day 5

Sunnyside Garlic Oatmeal
1/4 c quick oats
1/3 c water
Dash Garlic Powder
1/8 tsp soy sauce
1 egg, sunny side up
Dash Pepper
shredded cheese to top

Ok, so I want to try some savory oatmeal recipes during the month. This may seem gross to some, but I'm willing to give savory a try. Josh was really grossed out for sure:) I didn't mix as much water with my oats so that they would be a big thicker. It just seemed better to have a thicker consistency for a savory dish. It actually didn't turn out that bad, but it seemed like it needed something else...butter? I made a second egg and a piece of toast to eat as well (mostly in case I hated it and threw it out:) So I thought that the oatmeal dish was kind of like my egg on wheat bread that tasted especially yummy. So maybe it was the butter I spread on the toast. It added a little cream and a tiny bit of sweet on my toast so maybe it would do the same in oatmeal. I'll have to try it again.

I've been in high creative mode. Last night I started 2 new crochet projects (with a 3rd already in the works). I ran out of yarn for one of them. So today I went to a craft store that is closing in that I bought yarn at on Wed. Unfortunately, they did not have the yarn I needed, much less many other colors/types of yarn. But out of what they did have I was inspired to make two other crochet projects. So after getting some yarn, a yard of fabric and some felt pieces I returned home to start crocheting. Just before I began my craftiness our poor plant caught my attention:(

This plant was in a get well plant basket when I had my thyroid surgery in January 2009. I can't keep plants alive even when I think I am doing everything right. However, this little guy is like the energizer bunny. It can look wilted and awful like this and I give it a little water and by tomorrow it will be all perky again. This is my kind of plant. Thank you special friend for bringing us life and joy despite how we treat you!

Oatmeal Queen &Something Green: Day 4

 Berry Blast Oatmeal
1/2 c quick oats
1 c water
1 packet of Splenda
1/2 c frozen berries (thawed)
1/4 c yogurt

This was a delicious oatmeal recipe! I used a frozen berry mix (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries). I thawed them just a bit in the microwave before mixing with the oatmeal. I love blueberries by themselves, not a bit fan of them in my food, but mixed with other berries it was great.

It was a rainy, wet winter day. I did some job hunting that was a bit discouraging. I may need to get a part-time job while I continue to look for a full-time job. Called a handful of places in our small town to see if they needed any part-time help. NOT HIRING was the common response. I did send out a resume for a Records Retention Specialist. I am hoping that one has more promise since it is very similar to my previous job. In the evening I enjoyed working on some crochet projects. The couch was a mess of various yarns, crochet needles, scissors, patterns and a box of paper clips. I use the clips for stitch markers and at one point I was trying to get a dark green one and a whole bunch came out:)

Oatmeal Queen & Something Green: Day 3

 Honey Nut Oatmeal
1/2 c quick oats
1 c water
2 tbsp milk
1 packet of Splenda
1/2 tsp finely chopped almonds
1/2 tsp finely chopped walnuts
Dash of nutmeg
Drizzling of honey

This was another yummy oatmeal recipe! Mixed everything together after heating with the water.

Today was mostly a relaxing day. I did go grocery shopping and stopped at the library and picked up two books by Dee Henderson and Karen Kingsbury. I watched American Idol for the revealing of the top 13 and had a warm cup of tea. This is one of my fun tea bag holders!

Josh has been studying hard and long this week with a couple of exams, a quiz and some projects. I'm so proud of him for his hard work:) I know that it is very intense for him and he feels like he doesn't have much time to do anything else. His dedication and perseverance is admirable and just two of the reasons I love him so much!

Oatmeal Queen & Something Green: Day 2

 Dole Fruit Cup Oatmeal (pears)
1/4 c quick oats
1/2 c water
1 tsp milled flaxseed
1 packet Splenda
1 Dole Fruit Cup (only 1/2 the juice from the cup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

I wasn't feeling too well this morning so I went for half my usual size of oatmeal and it fit nice and cozy in my favorite mug:) We are also in the need of groceries so I didn't have many fresh options to add to my oatmeal. So the Dole fruit cup it was! I buy the fruit cups in juice not syrup, so much better.

It turned out delicious, I LOVED IT!

So I couldn't find anything really good and green to take a close up of today. So we'll see how this works. Guess the three things...but probably too easy. Today was laundry day. We only have one washer/dryer in our building and it takes a long time to dry and it costs more than the laundry mat. So typically every other Wednesday, I load up our two laundry baskets and get it all done at once rather than going back and forth to the garage/basement all day. I have a good system figured out. 1)Sort clothes before we leave 2)Josh usually helps me carry one basket to the car when we leave in the am so I can drop him off at school, then I carry the other basket down after I come back home to sleep a bit longer since the laundry mat isn't open yet 3)Put the laundry soap, borax (for sheets and towels), dryer sheets and a book in my reusable Target bag 4)Stop at CVS to buy one item that we need and get cash to use on the quarter machine 5)Start wash cycles and sometimes I go run another errand while the clothes are washing (ex. today I went to a craft store that is closing and got some goodies! I will have to check back when things are marked down to 70%) 6)Transfer clothes to the dryers 7)Pull out clothes that I know dry faster than others and get a head start on the folding 8)Load all my stuff back up in the car and head home 9) (This is the part I hate doing) Put the clothes away!
AND THAT IS LAUNDRY DAY!

Oatmeal Queen & Something Green: Day 1

Strawberry Almond Crunch Oatmeal
1/2 c dry quick oats
1 c water
1/2 c frozen strawberries
1 tbsp milled flaxseed

2 packets Splenda

1/8 c chopped almonds

I mixed everything but the almonds in the bowl before heating. I used the almonds to top the hot oatmeal.  YUMMY!

The weather was beautiful today. It felt way warmer than 41 degrees. I thought a good walk would cheer me up from a funk...even more so than I thought. The sunshine is a given cheerer upper. A little girl waved at me from a daycare window:) Then I came across this "Elm Street." We lived on an Elm Street once. That began a whirlwind of thoughts about places that I have lived, things I enjoyed doing, friends that I had in each place. Since the street sign is green it made a perfect pic for my post. I also contemplated taking a picture of one of those big green transformer boxes. Why you ask? It reminded me of when I lived in California on base housing there was a green transformer box about 4x4x4 at the playground of all places. My friends and I would play on it more than the playground equipment I think. I would often jump off of it pretending that I might be able to fly:) Thinking of so many memories is great. I really need to invite that kind of joy and imagination back into my life. Worry-less, unashamed, spontaneous! When I got back from my walk I got on the computer to write this post and checked facebook real quick. Funny think was that I had a friend request from an old friend in California! Crazy:) This year as I move closer and closer towards 30 (which I don't really think is going to be so bad) I have been finding myself reflecting a lot on my life, memories, friends, family, God's love, transitions and how it all added up to who I am today. I really hope that each day I can be a better person...wife, daughter, sister, friend, niece, cousin, neighbor...and enjoy many more memories, friends, times with family, God's new blessings and even transitions:)

Oatmeal Queen & Something Green

My original goal for March is to make a duvet cover, which I very well still intend to do. The duvet cover may end up being plain white though, because I really like the look of our clean white comforter with color from the pillows and quilt. So that being said, the project won't be very eventful or difficult. So in order to add a little spice to the month I have added two small tasks that I am going to complete each day of March.

1. Eat Oatmeal Everyday: Every morning I am going to make a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. I have been reading and learning a lot about nutrition and healthy eating and one of the biggest things I have taken away is that FIBER is very important to eating healthy and losing/maintaining weight. Fiber helps you to feel full and when you feel full you are less likely to overeat or eat what you shouldn't. I really do like oatmeal (Josh doesn't see how I can eat that stuff:) So I am going to eat a new recipe of oatmeal each morning so that I can expand my bowl beyond just brown sugar or apples and cinnamon (one of my current favorites).

So each day I will make one serving (1/2 c dry oats) of an oatmeal recipe that I either throw together or read online. I will have to make up names for any recipes I make up for later reference. I like to use quick oats (still 100% whole grain) and heat them in the microwave because it is quick and easy, which are my two favorite words when it comes to making food. I will also be sweetening with Splenda to keep the calories and sugar content down.

(Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a Queen in any sense related to food, knowledge of food or ability to make food. I used the word "Queen" because it was all I could think of that rhymed with "Green" to make a snappy title that made sense for the March postings)

2. Something Green: I enjoy holidays because I can decorate or wear something to celebrate the day just because it is fun. So with St. Patrick's day being in March I am going to take a photo of something GREEN (specifically the color not the environmentally friendly term) each day relating to something I did or saw that day. Think of it as a daily journal of sorts. On Wednesdays each week I am going to try to take one of the pictures close up so that you have to guess what the green item is:)

Join me tomorrow for Day 1 of Oatmeal Queen & Something Green!

February Goal & Locks of Love

February's goal was to give Josh a foot massage every weekend this month. I am proud (and Josh is very happy) to say that I successfully completed this goal. I know that Josh wishes this goal would go on much longer. I'm sure that I can still rub his feet for him occasionally, but I'll save the foot soak, pedicure like experience and massage for special occasions. The little yellow thing is a Pluto shaped massager (like the plastic four prong ones you can buy at Bath & Body Works). I bought it for Josh at Disney World when we were in college. Who knew that Pluto would save the day for me now when Josh wants a massage. He loves his feet and back rubbed, but sometimes my hands just can't do it...but thanks to Pluto I just use his paws and nose to roll over Josh's feet and back and it does the job:) I also like how one of Josh's textbooks made it in to the picture. He has been studding while I give him his foot massage. I don't know how he does it, I would fall asleep!

In addition to my February goal I also accomplished something that I have been wanting to do for awhile, but I had to wait until I had at least 10" of hair to do it. I got a hair cut and donated it to Locks of Love!!!

This is the third time that I have been able to donate hair. I have been blessed with hair that grows like crazy so I figure I should bless others with it. Locks of Love makes hair pieces for children with diseases that cause hair loss. I have never lost my hair, but I imagine that it is a difficult and humbling experience. I can only hope that if someone has the option to wear a wig, they would want it to look as real as possible. So they could get the 10" needed I got an angled cut with a bit of a wedge in the back. Ended up a bit shorter than I had thought it would be, but very well worth it:) For more information visit http://www.locksoflove.org/