There will be SOUP!

Decided I would try to cook for the beaux tonight. I hope he doesn't die or get sick! I have been craving taco soup lately! I haven't had it in awhile. Alabama's playing football, R is late so now my apartment smells so good! The smell is making me very hungry!

I put a pot up this morning on what I should dare to cook. A couple of people were interested in my Taco Soup recipe so I thought I would post it for you while I watch Alabama play Miss St.

1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can ranch style beans
1 onion chopped
packet of ranch dressing
packet of taco seasoning
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can rotel
1 can cream style corn
1 lb cooked ground sirloin/beef

Brown the beef, chop the onions, and pour everything into a crock pot. Put it on low for the whole day and come home to a yummy supper. I put sour cream, cheese, and Tostitos scoops in my soup for extra yumminess.

Fireworks

What a crazy week and weekend it's been!! Hope everyone had a great fourth! Mine was spent on the lake with all of my friends and their children - food and beer included. It was awesome! Until I lost my house keys!! That didn't ruin my weekend, though! The fireworks were great, the water was awesome and I had a blast! Thanks to Dee Ann for having us all over!!

Met a couple of potential roommates as well this weekend. Oh the decisions I will have to make -- but more on that later!!

I have come to a conclusion that I need a list! I have attracted too many weirdos. I'm just a magnet for them. So I'm going to make a list - a big, long, picky list of requirements that a guy has to meet before I can go out on a date with him. Certainly that should nip some of this in the bud!!

Burned. Out.

If you have anything Pampered Chef, then you know what a Micro Cooker is. If you don't, let me define it.

Micro Cooker: God's gift to the cooking impaired.
Cooking Impaired: Me!

I cook everything in my micro cooker! EVERYTHING! Chicken, rice, you name it! It's the cooker to end all cookers!!
And it's dirty.

This morning, I was in a rush and didn't really have to thoroughly clean my micro cooker but I really wanted chicken to go on my salad for lunch. It was a quarrel amongst myself. Clean the micro cooker or bake the chicken; and both took too long!

Last night, I marinated my chicken, I tenderized my chicken. I had it ready to go!! And all I had to do was put it in the micro cooker. It's just this black plastic bowl with a lid - I thought surely my corningwear would substitute just fine!

So, into the microwave it went. I shut the door and punched in the buttons; 10-12 minutes should do. I'll check on it at the 11 mark.

I ran back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for work. My hair dryer has been sparky lately and my hair takes a lot longer to dry than it has before, so I never knew it when I was way past minute 12...until I smelled the smoke.

By now I was dressed for work and running late. I saw the smoke billowing from the microwave. Not again I thought. I pulled open the black machine to find the entire inside of my microwave caked in marinade. Lying on the now crusty glass was my chicken, not a third the size it used to be, charcoal black.

Lesson I learned? I only catch things on fire at my apartment. Evidence that it's not me - it's the apartment!!!

And for all of you who asked on my Twitter and Facebook pages, THAT is how you set chicken on fire!

Buffalo Hot Wing Dip

This is some of the best dip I've ever had - and I can't have any more of it till afer February 15...

It's so easy to make and is great on some Scoops! Warning to those who don't like spicy: This stuff is hott!!

What you'll need:

2 bricks softened cream cheese
1 bottle Frank Buffalo Hot Wing Sauce
1 package of Ranch dip mix
2 cans chicken
1 small package of bacon bits
1 package/2cups shredded sharp chedder cheese

What to do:

Heat oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to separate the chicken chunks or put mixture in a food processor. Pour mixture into a baking pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until light brown on top. Serve warm with chips.

I left my coffee up front

It's the end of 2008 and every body is getting ready to diet and exercise again. Haha! Good luck with that resolution, it will be nice working out with you new people for one or two days. Let me know how it works out for you!

Here's a great reason to get started now rather than cheat today: I gained 10 pounds on Christmas. Don't say it's just muscle, either, because I've already lost it again but - holy crow - TEN POUNDS in one day!

I weighed in on December 22, 2008. I register XXX on the scale. I ate perfect until Christmas Day, when I hate two peanut butter balls and some corn casserole. I weighed in again on December 26, 2008 and registered XXX+10.

I ran my tootie off! Drank lots of water and have religiously followed my diet with the exception of December 28, 2008 when I had another Christmas party. I now weigh XXX again. Sigh

I just hope that now after I got rid of what was probably a bunch of water weight and hormone side effects (nasty, mean ole aunt!) I won't be gaining it back again while I take the next two days off from my training regime. Hopefully, this pain in my hip will go away soon; or I'll be running with a bottle of Advil. I'm not missing this race.

Seriously, people, if you really want to get fit in 2009, don't wait until you've finished all of your cheating. Don't go buy new work out clothes just so you're motivated. Just go do it! It's not that hard! Start with walking a little bit every day, then walk some more, then jog. Lift a few weights but don't kill yourself or you will burn yourself out!

I am on the crash diet from hell, if you haven't noticed. Fortunately, I've been hitting the gym for awhile now so changing everything for my half-marathon goal wasn't as difficult as if I'd just started my first day on a treadmill after eating six Big Macs and a biggie fry the previous day! If you don't go to the gym now, your body's not accustomed to the tough stuff you think you have to do to succeed. Take your time, start slow and push yourself but don't kill yourself!

Weight loss and good health takes time. It's not like how the Democrats perceive our economy; it won't get better overnight. Your body is a machine and you have to keep it well oiled and spend some time and effort on it to get running properly. Take your time.

Here's my advice on how to succeed in the gym in 2009:

• Make a goal. I want to be able to run 1 mile without stopping. That's a great goal to start, then move to two miles and so on..
• Give yourself a cheat day. Once a week, go to Los Torascos and eat a chicken chimichanga for me, and dip it in a lot of that cheese sauce...oh, my mouth is watering...
• Schedule gym time. Find 20-30 minutes in the day and make that your gym time no matter what. Treat it like an appointment.
• Push yourself but don't kill yourself. Every work out needs to be a challenge but if you are seeing spots in your eyes when you are doing cardio, you are working too hard! Work on the Perceived exertion scale of 1-10, 10 being the hardest and feeling like you are about to die! Try to keep it between 5-8.
• Get a partner. Nothing helps more than having someone meet you at the gym and push you when you can get one more rep. You don't want to stand them up, either. Bad form.
• Reward yourself for the small things. Weight loss will never happen overnight. When you lose your first five pounds, go buy a shirt or jewelry or something. Give yourself a pat on the back for the hard work. Five pounds really is a lot to lose considering one pound = 3500 calories (or a lot of time running on the treadmill) and the average amount of weight lost in a week is about 1-2 lbs!
• Don't make your diet too hard! Plan ahead, meal plan, but don't limit yourself to salads only. Actually, most salads have more calories and sodium than other foods which means you not only have more to burn but more salt to store water! Add fruit to your breakfast plan. Grill chicken for the week in advance and use a tasty marinade for flavor! There are tons of healthy recipes you can make yourself with little effort! It just takes a little creativity!
• Have fun. If you aren't doing something you like, you won't go back. Find a fun spinning class, go to a karate class; don't be afraid to try new things or you won't find what's fun! Keeping it fun keeps you going!
• Just Nike it! Just go to the gym and do it. Stop procrastinating and go. Actually, quit reading this and go to the gym or park or somewhere and get active. Just go do it!!

Success is not eating the leftovers

Oh! I am still so full from lunch today! Everything was delicious! Everybody who brought something did a great job! The smoked chicken was e.x.c.e.l.l.e.n.t!!!!!

Unfortunately, not all the Peanut Butter Balls got eaten so I'm taking some home with me. Looking on the bright side of that, there are enough left that I won't have to make another batch for my Mum's Christmas after all. I can just stick these in the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator! Another reason for me not to eat them!

I did get some left over BBQ and some left over smoked chicken to eat. That will be a big help in getting back on the bandwagon. I didn't get any sauce but the chicken didn't need the sauce! It fell right off of the bone! It was perrrrfect! And my dear, sweet husband can have the BBQ; I'll even make him some white BBQ sauce to go with it.

Also, I have some, maybe a serving, of my casserole left. Trey can eat that for lunch one day this week if I can keep him out of the fast food line. Not a lot of people are brave enough to try my cooking and what I can cook is limited. That means Trey's menu from Restaurant Stephanie is limited to about....oh....5 items? Chicken and rice casserole, chicken tacos, pork and rice casserole, ham wraps and...and...um....OK 4 items are on my menu!

Needless to say, he gets a little tired of redundancy and is scared to try my food when I experiment. In my defense, I haven't burnt anything in at least a month and I haven't technically set anything on fire in two years! So I am getting better!!

Just to let you know, I only had one piece of the big "O" cake-- come think of it, I don't think I even ate the whole piece! I'm still stuffed though! What I missed in caloric intake from the cake I made up for with the chicken and rice casserole, hash brown casserole, dip, chips, bite of brownie, bite of peanut butter cake and peanut butter balls. I lost count with the peanut butter balls.

Soooo...I have some running to do Friday...

The Full Spread

Look at all the goodness! The tinfoil is BBQ. The blue top is mash potatoes. The end of the table has an assortment of pies and the big O cake.

And that's not all the food!

Now do you see why it's better for me to cave today??

Honesty

con-fes-sion   /kənˈfɛʃən/ Show
Spelled Pronunciation [kuhn-fesh-uhn] Show IPA
Pronunciation
–noun
1.acknowledgment; avowal; admission: a confession of incompetence.
2.acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, esp. to a priest to
obtain absolution.
3.something that is confessed.
4.a formal, usually written, acknowledgment of guilt by a person accused of a crime.
5.Also called confession of faith. a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to church membership.
6.the tomb of a martyr or confessor or the altar or shrine connected with it.

7. I deviated from my diet plan last night and plan to do it again today.

So I have to admit something. I had the Shrimp Cypress Inn at Cypress Inn last night. I know, I know! How horrible! I've done so good! But I thought, "I have done so good! I need a reward!" so I ordered it! And I enjoyed it!!!


I had a really bad run this morning. I got very frustrated and just quit. I know, I know! I shouldn't quit! I'm blaming the bad run on the Shrimp Cypress Inn. Excuses! Excuses! The real reason I got frustrated was because I couldn't get my breathing in a rhythm and when I did, I'd have other problems. Plus, my iPod is out of juice and I'm already bored enough on the treadmill. I think I'm going to have to move my runs outside sooner than I thought. I'm going to have to find a running partner, too. The epiphany of running outside by myself doesn't sound that great.

In the meantime, today is our Christmas dinner at the dealership. All that gooey, yummy goodness. I had already planned on allowing myself to splurge today. It's really tough to ignore the BBQ, the potato salads, mashed potatoes, hash brown casseroles (I'm noticing a potato theme, here), slaw, the Orgasm cake from Thanksgiving, the peanut butter balls I made, my chicken casserole (Thanks, Paula!!), the pies, the macaroni and cheese, the dips, the chips - Oh! There is so much stuff to tempt me!

Don't chide me! I don't plan on eating everything! Moderation is key! I know that! I won't have the sauce, I won't have the potatoes, probably - well maybe the hash brown casserole - I'm only sticking to a piece AND I MEAN A PIECE of the Orgasm cake. I'll be a good cheater! Just consider my diet for the last three weeks: salad, sweet potatoes - no butter, chicken, chicken, salad, chicken, oranges, bananas, oatmeal, chicken, egg whites, chicken, protein shakes, chicken, salad and chicken!

I think this will be good for me. Help strengthen my resolve, maybe move me over this boredom hump AND give me some more incentive to push myself harder in the gym!

At the end of the day...

All good things must come to an end. That includes my day off. But I can't say that I haven't enjoyed it!

Supper Club tonight was a blast. I'm sure that with all 10 of us ladies there, we had to have been loud enough for all to hear but I hope that we were fun to listen to! I mean, with three pregnant women, six moms, three women who haven't had children yet and one who's not even married, I'm sure there were some great conversations to overhear! I was in such a good mood, I even got Trey a piece of Key Lime pie as a surprise.

Now that I'm home, I'm watching the Biggest Loser Finale and putting the chocolate on the peanut butter balls. Unfortunately Amy hasn't won the money but maybe Phil will...or his wife.

Now here's a recipe for the family:

Peanut Butter Balls

1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 stick melted butter

2 cups confectioners sugar (plus extra during rolling the balls)

2 bags chocolate chips

1/4 stick parafin wax

Add the first three ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Pinch off the pieces of the peanut butter mixture and roll into small balls (larger than a marble but smaller than a golf ball). Place on sheet and refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

Melt chocolate with the wax. (I like to double boil it.) Using a toothpick, dip balls into the chocolate. Refridgerate until hard. Serve, Eat and Enjoy!

Mental Health Day

I am so excited today! I have the day off from work! While it doesn't take my mind off of some of the stresses there, it does help me relax in a big way. I already have a packed schedule this evening and work on top of it was pulling me thin. So yesterday, when I asked if I could have the afternoon off a little early, I was very surprised when Clint said, "Just take Tuesday off."

That means I have a whole day to get stuff done today! Here's a little why I was getting stressed about this evening. Every month, my girlfriends and I have our Supper Club. Usually it's the second week of the month but with the holidays and all, it was much easier for all of us to get together the third week of December. We are having an ornament swap and eating dinner at a nice restaurant. We'll catch up with each other, ask how the babies and husbands are and then we'll laugh, cut up, relax and enjoy each others' company with no husbands or children around. I look forward to this every month! Especially since I work around 11 men all day, every day! That's not even counting my husband!

Tomorrow is our Christmas at the dealership. Not that I've been procrastinating at all, I haven't, I just need to get the ingredients to make my dish. I wasn't able to get to the store on Sunday and I have gotten to where I refuse to go to Walmart or Food World by myself at night over here. There was a mugging not too long ago and I don't particularly want to be the next victim. That being said, tonight, I would have to go to the store tonight to get the stuff I need for my dish. That's why I asked Clint if I could leave a little early: I wanted to be able to leave before it was dark, get my ingredients, go to Supper Club and come home to mix it together. Plus, tonight is the Biggest Loser Finale so I didn't want to be up late watching it or make my dish - a Paula Dean dish, no less - while watching people tell me how dishes like mine made the fat! Go Michelle!!

That being said, my schedule today is as follows:

• Call the radio station check
• Eat oatmeal check
• Play on the internet while oatmeal digests checking
• Go run three miles Maybe I'll run outside today, weather permitting...
• Circuit train Or maybe I'll run four miles outside today and say I had a good enough workout
• Eat egg whites Breakfast of champions!
• Grocery Shop Home and Holidays shopping!
• Cook But don't eat!
• Eat chicken and salad lunch of champions...
• Play on the internet some more
• Go to Supper Club
• Watch Michelle win the Biggest Loser! Or Ed - not Heba or Vicky! BTW, I voted for Ed!

When you give yourself lemons and you can't drink the lemonade...

Training is hard. It's very hard work.

When I first started talking about doing this half-marathon with my husband, he said, "Whatever." I tried to explain to him how much I was going to need his support, I knew in the back of my head that this would be hard. Little did I know how hard this really was going to be!

When you think of training to run, you think, "Oh, it's just running! You add miles everyday! You'll get conditioned to running that far!"

The thing is, it's not just the running. I'm not a very fast runner, never have been and don't really care if I ever become one. I just enjoy running. It's not just being conditioned to running miles and miles at a time. My body will get there no matter how hard I have to push myself! There are other parts to this training.

Every morning, I wake up at 5:00 am, get up at 5:15, dress and head to the gym. I run my assignment and then circuit train for at least another 30-45 minutes. In total, I'm working out almost 2 hours straight a day.

Then there is the wear and tear on my body. My ankle has a very mild sprain . It's not inhibiting me but it is annoying. When I get home at night, it's very sore, especially if I stand flat-footed. I have to be super-careful when I walk and stand as I don't want to get a serious injury. The blame for that is the bad shoes I was wearing. Not only did I get the sore ankle, I also have quarter-sized blisters on my feet still healing up. Fortunately, those don't hurt anymore! Thank God for my new shoes!

Now to the mental portion of this training. I am on a treadmill, staring at a monitor telling me how far I've run while I, the OCD one, start counting backwards to see how much further I have to go! After twenty minutes of this, my mind is bored and I need something else for my gaze. Thing is, when I look straight ahead, there is a clock straight directly in my line of site like a bull's eye. The TVs in the cardio theatre, as wonderful as they are for helping me zone out, are fixed from the ceiling, so I have to crane my neck slightly upward to see them. Not always the most comfortable stance while running. So to solve a few of these problems as best I know how, I take a magazine and place it over the monitor and turn my iPod up as loud as I can stand it. That lasts until my ears get so sweaty the earphones won't stay in anymore. I have to go get some more ear buds! I'm literally pushing myself through some of these long runs. It's not fun when you're bored.

Last on this list, and most certainly not least, is my diet. Any trainer will tell you that it doesn't matter how much work you do in the gym, how much activity you get, how many calories you burn; none of the effort is worth it if you don't eat right. I've had to change my diet a bit and it's very frustrating. I feel like I don't know what's OK to eat anymore! Used to be easy: no breads unless wheat, sweet potatoes, lean proteins, egg yolks were OK, protein, protein, protein! I could eat a few sweets in moderation, and I mean moderation! I could enjoy my breakfast of eggs, bacon and grits from the Texaco station!

Now? Egg whites, carbs closer to long run days, protein shakes after runs (and these protein shakes are N.A.S.T.Y!), bananas (no trots, please!), oranges for the vitamin C, supplements for more fat loss. Chicken on a salad is OK, but I really need to be eating the dressings I can't stand, like vinaigrette's! Tuna for more protein. Flavorless, bland food.

I have lean up quick so I don't have to run with so much weight on me in February! I'm chunky! I'm strong, but I'm chunky! - And I have to lose it! It's so hard to eat right when you're hungry all the time! I feel like a weight trainer that's allowed to eat carbs.

Let's just top that off with Ed's mama baking brownies and bringing them to the dealership. The delicious, moist, chocolate treat is oh so good. Jessica, I hoped you really enjoyed them. The sweet tarts in my pocket that I want to choke down but can't. I didn't buy them, so don't be disappointed. I only had, maybe, 4 of them. Brooke didn't like them and gave them to me. I love sour! I'm sticking them in my desk drawer as a reward after race day! And never forget that my Reese's Pieces are sitting in a plastic container in the storage closet waiting for me to drop my $.50 in the change box so I can claim them as mine. Oh...so tempting...

Not all of my days are hard. I have moments like this morning, when my easy run felt super easy. It was one of those moments where a week ago, I had to push myself. I think of how hard it was and feel so proud to see that it's getting easier and easier the harder I work. I have days where I'm not hungry every minute of every day. That's not today, by the way! I am hearing more people compliment me on how much better I'm starting to look, how they can tell I'm losing weight. I'm hearing people say they wished they could try to do what I'm doing. Little do they know that I wish they would so I wouldn't be so alone in this!

So, no, not every day is a hard day. But the harder days are getting closer and closer together. That's why I when I talked to Trey about this, I wanted him to understand why this was so important, so big, so far-reaching. I wanted him to understand this, I wanted my friends to understand, I wanted my family to understand. Its imperative to understand in order to support. I'm so grateful that I have my husband, friends and family and their support. That doesn't mean you can eat Ed's Mama's brownies in front of me.

If you wondered why this was such a big deal before, now I hope you understand, too, that this is foremost the most challenging thing I've ever done. I believe in myself that I can finish this but I also have to know that I have my friends and family cheering me along as I go.

The Great Thanksgiving

Let's face it. My cooking skills have never been steller. I think that's why Mum gave me the "appetizers" category this year; something I can't screw up (but I can burn water!).

This morning, I got up at the crack of dawn to start my Thanksgiving. I was excited to get to participate in the cooking festivities this year. So I got showered and dressed and headed to the kitchen. I can't cook but I never said that I don't like to pretend!

This morning, I've made meatballs (actually something Trey said he was going to make) and chicken wrapped in bacon and dredged in brown sugar and spice. Ooohh those loook sooo goood!! Thank you, Paula Dean!!! They are baking right now. The meatballs are ready to be eaten.

Trey has made his peanut butter balls. AKA Recipe for Weight Gain - Jenny Craig's favorite!

I made a dip, a bacon chedder dip. I bought some Triscuits to go with them and have been fighting to keep my husband away from the box all week long! I'm thankful it's Thanksgiving so that he can eat them now!

I may not can cook but in my land of pretend, all of the food sounds delicious! I can't wait to try it!

Now, Trey is getting ready, I'm waiting for the chicken to finish and then we are headed to my hometown to eat at my Mum's house. I'm never gonna lose enough weight for this half-marathon now!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy every bite you eat today and worry about it later!!

Not good: Chicken Veg Parmesian

Prep Time:
5 minTotal Time:
18 minMakes:
4 servings

What You Need
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing
2 cloves garlic
minced 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
divided 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 pkg.
(10 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables
thawed 2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It
MIX dressing and garlic in large skillet. Cook on medium heat 1 min. Add chicken; season with 3/4 tsp. of the basil and the pepper. Cook 4 to 5 min. on each side or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

ADD vegetables to skillet; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. basil. Cook 2 to 3 min. or until vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally.

SPRINKLE with the cheese.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Special ExtraFor a spicier flavor, substitute crushed red pepper flakes for the black pepper.ShortcutTo quickly thaw the mixed vegetables, put them in a colander and run warm tap water over them.

Saucy Honey Mustard Chicken

Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 20 min
Makes: 4 servings, one topped chicken breast each

What You Need
1 Tbsp. oil
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/4 cup PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Savory Honey Mustard
1 Tbsp. honey

Make It
HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until chicken is cooked through (165°F).
MIX remaining ingredients; spoon over chicken.
COOK 2 min. or until sauce is heated through, stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestion
Serve with hot cooked rice and steamed broccoli

See more Kraft Recipes here.

When you think you are, you aren't

Five mornings of the week, I get up and go to the gym before work. I wake up, comb my hair into some semblance of normal, put on my gym clothes and sneakers, grab my gym bag and head on my way.

My boss, the Fitness Nazi - he knows that's his name - is the picture definition of "Gym Rat." He eats right, most of the time, stares at his muscles in the mirror more often than he'll admit, knows what every muscle does and knows every exercise and what it works. In short, he'll kick your ass in the gym. Just for fun, he's learn jiu-jitsu. He enjoys pushing his body to its limit more than the normal person.

We both have corporate gym memberships and take advantage of it. Since he goes in the morning and I go in the morning, naturally, we just work out together and work the same muscle groups. Usually, I can keep up. Usually, he pushes me further than I would push myself but I always feel competitive - I have to be able to prove to him that I can do what I or he thinks I can't. I always try! Also, we both try to eat right - or as close to right as possible. We're both at work 10-12 hours a day and work 6 days of the week. Sometimes pizza's just convenient.

So when we had our company Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday, we were both giving ourselves cheating rights. He can eat more than I can anyway. He doesn't have to lose weight like I do. We had all that delicious food...and cake.

Oh, the cake. The cake, with it's delicious whipped topping, it's chocolate flakes on top. It was so tall and so beautiful and so...tasty! It was the most moist cake you've ever tasted. More so than your own wedding cake, I guarantee. It stood two feet tall almost! The cake was already sliced and ready to go in my mouth. The individual servings were huge! Really big enough for two or three people!

I'd already filled my plate and eaten every last bit. The dinner - all the food - it was perfect! I wanted seconds. But I wanted the cake more. It beckoned me.

"Trey," I begged, "Please bring me a piece of that big chocolate cake! I have to try that!"

My husband, who always comes to our holiday dinners along with everybody elses spouse, gladly got up and brought me a piece. He grabbed him some other dessert that I can't remember because this cake trumped his!

The size of the piece on the small Styrofoam plate alarmed me. I asked a few people to share it with me because I jut knew I wouldn't have enough room.

I was very wrong!

I took a bite. It was over. I took another bite, and another. Before I knew it, the whole piece was in my stomach. I thought surely I'd regret it later. Clint knew I felt bad. I think he did, too.

"Clint, I'm going to have to do some serious cardio after this cake!" I declared.

"We'll do some circuit training in the gym on Friday," he mentioned between bites, "gets some cardio in to get all this food off of us!"

Later came, I had another piece! I actually, kind of, sort of, verbally compared it to the act of procreating without the risk of actually reproducing to one work associate or two, or all...sorry, Mum!

When the day was over, I was glad to be away from that evil, sinful food. I felt like I had ruined my day in the gym, even though I had allowed myself this cheat!

The following day, I hadn't planned on going to the gym. I actually had to do the radio show for the dealership and just got up early as usual and piddled around the house until it was time to advertise for Tuscaloosa Hyundai. I came to work knowing that our collision center was going to have its Thanksgiving dinner and that none of that food was coming to us. Thank, God! That's why I was flabbergasted when Lori came in with what she called "a gift." Of course I knew it was leftovers! I had to go see! Who can turn down free food?

I walked over to where she stood to see the white bakery box before her. I didn't think good thoughts that my mother should read and I definitely did not resist the temptation that was in that box.

Inside was the glorious cake. Larger this time, yelling at me to indulge!

"Stephanie, do you want piece?" somebody asked. I can't tell you who it was - I was in a trance.

"Definitely!" There was no doubt I wanted more of it's goodness, despite the little angel on my shoulder whispering about the work I would have to do in the gym the next morning. There was a question of how big a piece I wanted. How big a piece? Ha!

"Why don't you just cut yourself a small piece and give me the box?" I was so greedy! And the cake was that good that I could have eaten the whole thing and never lived to regret it! Lori cut me a piece while laughing at the comment she must of thought was a joke, even though I was serious! It was the power of the cake!




Lori, that was not "a gift!"



In several swift moves, the square slab with it's delicious frosting was in my stomach. I felt peace - peace that lasted an hour until I had to have another piece. And I squeaked 'Oink'! Oh, the angel on my shoulder scolded me.

Yesterday morning, I paid my penance.

I woke up at 5:45 am, as usual. I brushed my teeth, combed out my hair, dressed warm for the cold weather. I was so sleepy. I really didn't want to go to the gym. Usually when I feel that way, I get motivated because I have the best workouts, but today, this morning, it was different. I felt like the cake had sucked out all my energy.

I was at the gym by 6:45 am. Lori was there, getting ready for work already. She was her normal chipper self, bobbing her red head around the locker room.

"We've still got some of that cake left, Stephanie!" She putting her make-up on in the mirror and I don't think she could see my reaction. I quickly put my eyes back in there socket before she looked up.

"Oh, Lori! Keep that away from me today! That cakes so good! I wish it was already gone!"

I put my gym bag up and walked out to the floor. Clint was already there and waiting. It was like the Fitness Nazi possessed him today.

"Circuit train?" he asked.

"Sure!" I said, ignorant.

He kicked my as for an hour. I'm not sure, I think we did 9 or 12 exercises in that hour. Weights, reps, all over exercises - ass-whoopin' as us Southerners put it. Despite the months of gym time I've spent with the Fitness Nazi, I was not in shape enough for Friday morning's workout.

I just remember sitting on the floor and thinking I see Jesus! No, I'm just dizzy...

When I got to work, barely able to move, I still had to deal with hearing about this cake. The cake that got my ass kicked. The cake that made me ache. The cake that had Tylenol for dessert. It wasn't just a small portion of the cake left either. It was a rather large slab in a large Tupperware bowl with aluminum foil on top. Everybody had a piece and raved about how good it was. I heard about it all day. Looked at it all day. I got so busy at work I didn't get to eat my lunch and in the meantime watched as my co-workers indulged in the sinful treat.

At 5:30, I couldn't take it anymore. There was only a small sliver left. I went to the small working fridge, took out the devil and said, "I'm taking my lunch!"

Food...and boys at the daycare

Tuscaloosa Hyundai had its annual Thanksgiving Day dinner today, complete with turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, sweet potatoe casserole, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, crockpot mac and cheese, a cake that was to D.I.E. for and pumpkin pie - Oh it was all so good! I was in food heaven!! My favorites were the chocolate cake and Brooke's crockpot mac and cheese.

Let me explain something: I am the only female on the sales staff. There are ten other people besides me in my department. So that's ten people with XY chromosomes. Needless to say, I feel like a maid, a mother and a sister all at the same time.

Right now, I feel like I'm a teacher in preschool after all these guys ate their lunch! They are running around pulling pranks, touching everything on my desk while I'm working, being loud and obnoxious.

I feel like I need a whistle to call everybody to order! When will the sugar from all the carbs expire so they all crash??

The First Supper (Will lightening strike for that title?)

When we first moved to Tuscaloosa, our first meal in our new home was a bucket of chicken fingers from Guthries.

The first time we lived at the Palisade's, our first meal in our new apartment was a bucket of chicken from Guthries.

When we moved to the lake, our first meal in the lakehouse was a chicken box from Guthries.

Our first meal after moving back to the Palisade's was a chicken box from Guthries.

Damn! I want some Taco Casa!