Buh-bye January ... You came and went oh so fast!

WWHHOOAA! Where oh where did January go?
Seriously people, I blinked and it's the 31st?!!??

So much done this month and still 11 more to go ... weeeeee!!!

In this month we ~ celebrated the New Year on the slopes in Tahoe with amazing friends. Went to work and school every day with no sicknesses - WOOT! Hosted a fantastic game night :: Loaded Questions - Play it! Survived 5 days/nights of softball per week - Hubber loves being head coach.  Started and completed our first team fundraiser - Tamales. 205 dozen tamales sold to be exact - HOLLA! Thanks Team!  Added another listing to my belt - Who has a real estate question?  Wished some great pals a Happy Birthday.  Found and purchased a couple vintage items - boy oh boy this is exciting! Started my first knitting project of 2011. It's for my mom and she's going to love them.  And finally, we attended the Pig Bowl, tail gate and everything. It was a great time!  This was a great month.

Now let's see what February has for us.

some tips {health & life}

Hello Peeps.  I wanted to share some tips with you today.

Pretty fitting for a Thursday don'tcha think? Thursday Tip Day.

(real quick, I made this. Cute huh?)

The following tips have helped me better myself and I am proud of what I have accomplished. It feels pretty good to wake up happy and go to bed just as happy.  So, I thought I would share with you what has worked for me in hopes that you too can be happy.

This is a forever work in progress but these small easy things have helped me get started.  Seeing my results so far keep me motivated to stay on the right path. 

{Health} If you've been a follower of this blog you know I have been working towards a healthier lifestyle; eating better and exercising more.  It's really just that easy.

#1 ~ Eat less. Move more.

#2 ~ Do yoga stretches, sit-ups and push-ups for at least 7 minutes each

        morning. Thank you Dr. Oz.

#3 ~ Have at least one veggie with dinner - start with the veggie.

#4 ~ Portion control. This is tuff to get used to. Just stick with it.

#5 ~ Drink at least 32 oz of water a day. Add fresh fruit if you need to.

#6 ~ Drink at least 2 cups of green tea a day.

#7 ~ Try not to stress as much. I maintain my 'it could be worse' thinking

        anytime something challenging comes my way.

{Life} I love my life. It's complete with family, friends & challenges and triumphs.  I truly believe every thing happens for a reason.  I call the good 'blessings' and the bad 'experience'.  I don't hold grudges and I am not judgemental - anymore. :o) I've grown up.

#8 ~ Laugh often. Seriously. On top of being a feel good moment you can 

        actually burn calories.

#9 ~ repeat Try not to stress as much. I maintain my 'it could be worse'  

        thinking anytime something challenging comes my way.

#10 ~ Keep a tidy home.  If you work all day the last thing you want to do is

          sit in a dirty house.  Don't feel like you need to mass clean every day. 

          Do a few things a couple times a week.

#11 ~ Be confident. Don't worry what others think. Just be yourself.

#12 ~ Make time for family and friends.  A good get-together always get me

          laughing. :o) GAME NIGHTS are good.

#13 ~ Take $ from each paycheck and set it aside for a rainy day. We all can 

          do this if we focus.

#14 ~ Have a filing system for your bills by due date. This is good for us.

#15 ~ Share how your day went with your loved ones and ask about theirs.

          Every day.

#16 ~ Prioritze and Organize.

#17 ~ Communication is key.

Well that's it for now. Nothing too elaborate or complicated. 

Have a great day!  

What's on your plate? K is for Kabobs

My favorite things about kabobs are: 1)you can customize them to your liking; 2)they are so easy to do; 3)for this time of year they are perfect to take to a super bowl party (in my opinion).

So lets get crackin'!

You will need:

1 cup Italian salad dressing, divided

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined ->please. 

2 large onions

16 large fresh mushrooms ->I skip the fungus. Replace with artichoke  

   hearts. Now we're talking! 

2 large green peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

16 cherry tomatoes

What you'll do: 

1) In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup salad dressing and shrimp. Cut each onion into eight wedges. In another large resealable plastic bag, combine the vegetables and remaining dressing. Seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally.

2) Drain and discard marinade. On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread the shrimp and vegetables. Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn pink.

Mmm ... So delicious! Have fun and enjoy!

a couple tid bits

Hello Monday! Even though you came a little too quickly I am still thankful my peepers opened yet another day.  I am healthy.  We are healthy. 

Speaking of healthy, how do you keep the sickies away? I am not a huge fan of medicine mostly because I don't like how it makes me feel so tired, even the daytime stuff.  I will go to the doctor and take medicine as an absolute last resort.  My daily sicky blocker is green tea.  I swear by the stuff.  Seriously, I drink at least 2 cups a day at work whether I am feeling yucky or not.  In the winter I drink it warm. In the summer I drink it cold.  If I have a sweet tooth I'll add a splenda.  Mmm ... drinking a cup right now actually.  

I have made it through Hubber being sick twice and multiple co-workers, whom I have contact with every day, passing the germs around this winter season.  Aside from my scratchy throat in the morning I am feeling great!  See, this is why I swear by the stuff.

On to the next: Once a month we have game night with 3 other couples.  We take turns hosting and this month we were the hosts.  You know what this means? I cleaned my house so good. It's so sparkly. Ahhh, I love a sparkling clean home.  While I was cleaning I had the t.v. on (of course). I like to clean with background noise.  On this day I was looking for something to listen too/watch and I came across Pit Bulls & Parolees on Animal Planet, it was a marathon. WOW! That lady, Tia, is an amazing being.  She rescues pit bulls and hires parolees.  What is your initial thought when you hear that combo? I can bet yours is the same as mine was, then I watched the show and now I'm hooked.  Yes, one more show added to the DVR - dang it! Check out her web site here.  You'll be impressed.

Lastly: Sunday I stayed home from practice to do laundry. I am glad I did because I put a big dent in our rapidly growing pile.  I am wondering how 3 people dirty so many clothes so fast??!?  Anyhoo, just a few more loads then I will be done - until the next day. HA! Oh and I have to put the clean clothes away that are still in our suitcase from our New Year's trip to Tahoe. Whoops ... did I just type that?  Geesh darn it.

I hope you all had a productive weekend too. Tootles

Be My Guest! Blogging with Lizzy

Hello Peeps!

As I mentioned before I am setting up a new blog site. I am so very excited about this project.  With the new blog comes new stuff - YAY!  (who doesn't like stuff?) One of which I want to start a wee bit early because I am just so geesh darn excited about it! hee hee hee Like now! Ok, so here we go ...

Lizzy is looking for guest bloggers! That's right peeps, I want to hear from you and I want you to be heard ... he hem ... read.  So pull up a chair, get cozy and scribble down what you want your post to be about.  Write it up and send it to me via email (lizzylep@gmail.com). Include photos, links, etc. Once I get your article I will send you back a few questions - YAY for Q & As! :O) Once we have the full article then I'll post it. Woot! It's as easy as that. So let's get started!

  
~ Do you create, craft, sew, saw, clean, clean green, garden, cook, raise farm animals, always recycle, only eat/drink organic, etc?

~ Are you a busy mom, a not so busy mom, always working, finding ways to save money, a creative shopper, a photographer, a scary driver ->this is not me :o), trying something new, etc?

~ Do you have a hobby that you love and when you tell people your hobby they say, "YOOOU {dot dot dot}?" Like for me, I knit and I love to knit. When I tell people I knit they say, "YOOOU knit?!" 

You get what I am getting at right? So, I am looking for you. Nothing elaborate so don't stress. This should be a fun way for you to share what you do; what your passion is.  Who knows, there may be someone out there who doesn't know how to do or start something.  For example: start a garden but really wants to do it {me! me! me!}.  Reading your guest blog could help them out.

weeeeeee ... I'm excited and I hope you are too!

What's on your plate? {it's mouth-watering}

J is for JAMBALAYA ... Yummy!

I love this stuff!

Here ya go ...

[Prep Time: 25 Min] [Cook Time: 10 Min] [Ready In: 35 Min] [approx. 8 servings]

You'll need all of this good-ness:
1 lb fully cooked kielbasa or smoked Polish sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Hot cooked rice


You'll do:
In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, saute the sausage, chicken, onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in butter until chicken is browned.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Stir in shrimp; cover and simmer for 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

Serve over rice if desired; or cool, cover and freeze for up to 2 months.
 
Some notes:

Nutritional Analysis: 1 cup (prepared with turkey sausage and reduced-fat butter; calculated without rice) equals 220 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 101 mg cholesterol, 675 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 starch.

I told ya, it's mouth-watering. :o)

Starter week done ... Every day left to go.

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Happy back to the grind day! That is if you had MLK day off yesterday.

I did for the most part.  Just had an easy breezy listing appointment
with a nice couple. It's a short sale and really the best thing for them to do.
Beautiful house. Excellent El Dorado Hills neighborhood. Available Feb. 1st.(contact me with ?s)

Anyhoo ...
As posted last Thursday I have incoporated the Dr. Oz 7 minute stretches
into my mornings.  Week 1 complete and I'm looking forward to every
morning forever and ever. Ahhh what a feeling!

After my 7 (sometimes 10) minute stretches I feel:

• Energized
• Motivated
• Ready to tackle the day
• I've got my 'Bring it!' attitude
• like I can do anything
• I can't wait until tomorrow morning

Yep, I'd say I've had a successful week 1.  Have you tried this yet? If so,
please share.

PS, started knitting project #1 for 2011. Can't say what it is just yet
because it's for my mom and she just might be reading this. ;o) Stay tuned
though.

convo with Dr. Oz

Not really but I was listening to him talk on Ryan Seacrest the other day

and I was intrigued.

Dr. Oz said a couple things that caught my attention.

They were:

1) You must get 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night (ahh to dream) in order for you to build

muscle properly during workouts.  He said if you only get 6 hours you should

take a 20 minute nap during the day. {still dreaming}

Sure ... I think I can do this if 3 hours can be added to each day. :o)

Please and thank you.

2) Dr. Oz does 7 minutes of yoga stretches each morning.

(yoga simultaneously stretches and builds muscles)

He said he also throws in a couple push-ups and sit-ups.

Seems manageable. I did it the next morning 

(on the heels of an amazing workout)

and I felt great. I am going to start doing this every morning.

(3 mornings in ... FYI)

I am really, really, really trying to work on the 7 1/2 hours of sleep.

After listening to these couple of things I went out to his web site.

Oh my wowzers, I am in LOVE with his site. Oh! and he has a show.

Ah heck, one more on the dvr won't hurt. Right?

Give the 7 minute morning workout a try and let me know the following

after the first 2 weeks of doing it consistently:

• Do you find it easier to wake up and get out of bed each morning?
• How do you feel after your 7 minutes each day?
• Are you motivated to eat healthier?

Good luck!

Italian! it's What's on your plate? {a twofer}

Hi! Hi! Hi!

I is for Italian

and you get two today! WOOT! Lucky you!

Don't show up at that Superbowl party empty handed.  Bring these Italian Meatballs!

mmm ... they sure do sound very delicious.

[Prep Time: 1 Hr 15 Min] [Cook Time: 4 Hrs] [Ready In: 5 Hrs 15 Min]

You'll Need:

3 pounds lean ground beef turkey

5 tablespoons ground oregano

5 tablespoons dried parsley, crushed

1 clove garlic, chopped *I'd add more garlic 

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

2 cups Italian-style dry bread crumbs

3 (28 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

You'll do:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 inch jelly-roll pan. *I'd use a cooking stone.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef turkey, oregano, parsley and garlic. Mix in onion soup mix and seasoned bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly.

3) Using a 1 ounce scoop, scoop and shape the meat mixture into balls. Place in the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until meatballs are browned and cooked through.

4) In a large pot over high heat, bring the spaghetti sauce to a boil and add cooked meatballs. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours.

So easy!

[Amount Per Serving Calories: 841] [Total Fat: 45.1g] [Cholesterol: 134mg] youch! but yummy. :o)

****************************************************************************

Now if you like pork chops you must try these Italian Breaded Pork Chops. They sound amazing.
[Prep Time: 25 Min] [Cook Time: 35 Min] [Ready In: 1 Hr]  

You'll Need:

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese *wonder how shredded would be? 

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

4 pork chops

You'll do:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2) In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.

3) Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic, reserving for other uses.

4) Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet, and brown abut 5 minutes on each side.

5) Place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, and cook 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

mmm ... Add some roasted potatoes and a green veggie and voila!
per serving [Calories: 527] [Total Fat: 24.6g] [Cholesterol: 247mg]

 Have fun whipping up these couple of goodies!

do you reuse?

I love LOVE love reusable shopping bags.

They are lite weight and so convenient and not to mention

they can be a little trendy these days.

This one (below)

is my favorite so far.

Thank you Santa {wink wink}

That's right, Santa sister-in-law has a great eye for the cute stuff.

This little diddy makes me want to go to the grocery store ASAP.

But sadly I must wait until the weekend. humpf!

Sheesh, check out it's cuteness (below)

Yep, she folds up all small and pretty and fits nicely in my purse.

Genious idea! (in my opinion)

Not all of my bags are as cute as this but that's ok.

Do you have reusable shopping bags?

PS, I had an amazing workout last night ... a little over an hour's worth.

Then this morning I did a 7 minute routine that I heard about yesterday.

WOW! It made a difference this morning. I'll post more about that on Thursday.

Good night.

my infatuation with t.v. + the list

Whoa! I was recently thinking about how many shows we record.

I mean seriously, it's A LOT.

One would think we (the busiest little family) wouldn't have time to keep up with

all of the shows I am about to list but we do. Truth is it's down time for Hubber & I.

During the week, when all is said and done we like to unwind with our shows.

I can do a lot while watching t.v.  I fold the laundry. I organize my craftyness. I put pictures in frames. I knit (starting up again soon - something for my mom). Stretch. Basically, what ever can be done while sitting there I do. Remember, we are the busiest little family.  Even though this is our down time I still like to do the little things. And HELLO, keeping up on laundry is a must.

[credit]

Our watch list (includes all shows) is:

American Idol, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Real Housewives of OC, NJ, NY, Bev Hills (crazy I know, I'm hooked), Chase, Hawaii 5-O, White Collar, Castle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Big Bang Theory, Bev Hills 90210, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Desparate Housewives, Dateline, 20/20, Keeping Up with the Kardash (Miami and soon NY), Top Chef, Deadliest Catch, Alaska Wing Men (New - starts tonight), Kimora Lee: Life in the Fab Lane, Cake Boss, Dog The Bounty Hunter (don't judge), The Bachelor/Bachelorette, phew! I may be forgetting a few.

Hubber doesn't watch some of these shows which works out for me.  I watch those while

I'm working out since I don't like to watch workout videos. 

Do you have a watch list? I know you do. :O)

PS, hoping to have my sewing machine next month.



Holla! It's the weekend!

So ...

Party like it's 1999

Giggle like a child

Put on your dancing shoes & cut loose

Sleep until whenever

Take a break from the hussle & bussle

Snuggle up and watch some t.v.

Read a magazine or start a book

DON'T clean house.

Phew ... that's a lot. :o)

Enjoy!

changes are a comin'

I have newfound ideas for this little bloggy. Yep, we are

under contruction again.  This is going to be so stinkin' adorable! (in my opinion)

I've found a new host. New style. WOOT!

Posting will continue here until the new site is done.

I can't wait to show you!

Have a swell day.



H! it's What's on your plate? (Warning: Contents are not uber healthy)

Ok, ok, ok

I've got that comfort food for you, per request.

This is not only a comfort food (in my opinion) it's also

kinda sorta healthy in a look at the big veggie kind of way. Right?

Well then, here you go ...

Hash Brown Hot Dish Stuffed Bell Peppers

(see bell peppers ... veggie ... healthy) heee

[Prep Time: 10 Min] [Cook Time: 30 Min] [Ready In: 40 Min] [Servings: 4]

You'll need:

• 4 frozen hash brown patties 
• 4 bell peppers, tops cut off, seeded

• 1/2 pound ground beef turkey
• 1 (15 ounce) can green beans, drained
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced (optional) a must
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cumin
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar or less if desired

You'll do:
1. Cook the hashbrown patties according to package directions. Mash with a fork and set aside. Or make your own. Your choice.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Place the peppers in the boiling water and turn off the stove. After 10 minutes remove the peppers from the water and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, cook beef turkey over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Mix in the hashbrowns, green beans, jalapeno, salt, pepper, cumin, and cheddar cheese.

4. Loosely stuff the beef mixture into the peppers. {mouth is watering} Place peppers onto a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes in a 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven. Let cool 1 minute before serving.

[Calories: 402] [Total Fat: 23.5g] [Cholesterol: 64mg]

Enjoy!

PS, Feel free to email me your requests and I'll work them in. :o)

PSS, Tonight is workout night and I am excited about it.

PSSS, Changes are coming. one by one. Stay tuned. Wahoozie!

a shivery paradise

Hello Lake Tahoe.

This New Year's we were invited to stay in Tahoe for the holiday

with some very good friends.  They are like family really.

Us, being the snow fanatics that we are, jumped on this opportunity.

And, well, we absolutely love the Thompsons.  Our little ones

have been buddies since they were 2 years old. Pretty neat huh. (we sure think so)

3 nights in Tahoe with amazing friends, our skis and good food = GREAT TIMES.

The place we stayed was nice and cozy and it had a kitchen.  YAY! $ saver right there.

We only ate out once and

that was Thursday night when we got there.  We ate at Wolfgang Puck's pizza place

in the Heavenly Village.  It's a pay at the counter and pick up your food when

your buzzer goes off kind of place.  It was inexpensive.

No server so no tip required.  The food was really good. I'd eat there again.

On Friday we had a little mishap with our car which required

it to be on the shop for the day.  While our auto was being worked on

the Dads took the little ones skiing and Misun, Bree and I went on a walk.

Some of the things we saw were:

the cutest little house ever

 fascinating icecycles.  I love how they are perfect, like a decoration.

Mother Nature can be pretty impressive.

A view of the valley. I think that might be Gardnerville.

My friend Amber should have raced to her roof top to wave at me. :o) 

Later that night we were going to head to the strip for the family celebrations

but we were all exhausted by the time dinner was done.

So, we rang in the New Year right along with the East Coasters.

Cheers to you East Coast and thank you for the time difference.

We were all asleep by 10. Yes we were. 

Saturday we all went skiing at Diamond Peak, our fixed auto and all. :o)

I recommend this place if you have beginner to intermediate skiers.

The staff is incredible and the prices are very reasonable.

Probably the cheapest place we have been to actually.

Check them out here to see for yourself.

(Daddy & Daughter on the lift)

(Buddies enjoying hot coco before heading back down to the bottom)

(I'm impressed with how well they did)

Views on our way back to our place after a day of skiing.

The snow stopped and the sun tried to come out. 

We topped off the night with a trip to the arcade and a stop at Cold Stone.

Sunday we got up and were heading home early enough to miss

the traffic.  Yess you are reading this right ... no traffic on the

last day of a Holiday weekend. Woot!

Monday was back to work and school. Oh and back to the repair shop for our auto.

Apparently the freeze also broker the water pump. Humpf!

We were a little upset, bummed, stressed at the cost of repairs but

oh well, it could have been worse. 

We made it home safe and that's all that matters.

If you don't ski or snowboard I suggest you give it a try.  It's fun! Trust me.

Resolution update: Last night I went 1.5 miles in 32 minutes on resistance 5

on the elliptical.  This morning I got up 30 minutes early and

was able to do push ups and stretches.  WAHOOZIE!



Ready. Set. Hello 2011!

Happy New Year!

My family and I are looking forward to a wonderful 2011. We will use everything we have learned in 2010 to make us smarter and stronger and happier. Not to say we weren’t all of those things in 2010, it’s just, we believe you can always take what you have been through and what you have learned through life and use that to improve upon yourself.

We are so very thankful for our amazing family and our wonderful friends. One of the things I wanted to make happen in 2010 was to make time, outside, of the holidays to see family. We did that and enjoyed every visit and getting to know our cousins better. Another was making more time for those wonderful friends. As busy as life can be – oh my geesh, we are a busy family – I wanted to make more time for friends. We had a lot of fun get-togethers, BBQs, swim parties, GAME NIGHTS, ski trips and impromptu gatherings. They were all fantastic. This will go on. :o)

I accomplished a few of those ‘I’ll never do that’ in 2010… 1) Entered a beauty pageant. Two actually. Wowzers, what an experience. I learned so much through the process and gained so much confidence in myself. It was definitely worth the time invested. 2) I participated in the 5k Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run. This was by far the hardest form of exercise I have ever done but at the same time it was one of the best too. I strongly encourage anyone who needs a little nudge out of their comfort zone to do an ‘I’ll never do that’. You will feel so good after you do. Trust me, it’s rewarding.

This year marks the start of new things. New self-discipline.

New ideas. New adventures. New inspiration. I am ready!

The things I want will do in 2011 are:
☺Stay connected with family and friends. Like last year.

☺ Keep the momentum … workout at least 5 days a week as a family.
     (we are all on board)

☺ Cook more and like it.

☺ Change my morning routine so I have more time. This means waking up earlier.

☺ Make time to get back to my crafty self. I have a knitting project I want to start and I
     want to do a photo collage on the wall in Daughter’s play room. (Side note :: Need a
     sewing machine)

☺ Mail/deliver all of the past school photos of Daughter to all of our family. I have them
     separated and labeled. Just need to get them out.

☺ Keep blogging. Geesh, I LOVE this. Who would have thought?!?

All of my to-dos are doable. I am ready. I am excited.

Hello 2011!