Mother's Day

Yes, I realize that Mother's Day was on the 10th of May, but I'm still working on my gift for my mom (who's reading this so I have to be discreet until she's received the gift). It's homemade and around my home I don't have a lot of time so it's been slow-going and quite a process. But the end result will be beautiful and I can't wait to give it to her. I know that she'll appreciate all the time and hard work I put into her gift (hint, hint mom). So stay tuned to see the finished product! Should be great!

Macaroni Salad

This is another recipe that I grew up with. My mom usually has everything on hand (especially in the spring/summer) in the pantry and freezer which made it a "quick" side. Sometimes we didn't even wait for it to chill in the fridge, we'd just dig right in. But I'm a fan of having it chilled.


Macaroni Salad

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 cups mayo (can use less)
1 lg green pepper, chopped fine
1 cup carrots, chopped fine
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 (12 oz) pkg macaroni (I used regular macaroni, my mom uses shells)

Cook noodles until tender. Mix first 4 ingredients and pour over veggies and noodles. Mix well and chill several hours or overnight for best flavor.

This makes an ice cream bucket full of salad. It's not easy to cut in half because of the sweetened condensed milk, but if you have another use for the other half of sweetened condensed milk go ahead and halve this recipe. And enjoy. We've been eating it all week and it still tastes great!

Weighing In

Well, I'm not able to weigh in. Our scale stinks. We're getting a new one tomorrow. There's a little dial on the front to change the calibration of the scale. I had it set to where it needs to be and my husband reset it to what he thought was zero, but zero is actually about 8lbs off. Then my dear children played with it so now it's off by about 25lbs. So, we're going to get a new scale.

I haven't measured myself again because my Shredding has been sketchy. I did it for three days in a row. Skipped days 4 and 6. So, I'll just say that I'm easing into it. Next week Wednesday The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans is starting a new summer challenge so don't forget to sign-up and weigh in!! Then I'm going to kick it into high gear. I also might have a workout buddy and that will help hold me accountable.

Hopefully this next week will be better for getting my Shred on. I'm getting used to Jillian yelling at encouraging me.

The Shred - Day 2

I've been procrastinating all day. I've cleaned out my sweatshirt drawer, sock drawer, changed all the sheets in the house, attempted to mop the kitchen floor, decluttered for our garage sale, anything to keep me "too busy" to Shred. But the evening is coming to a close and I have to get my Shred on. And I'm not looking forward to it. As the day has gone on, I've gotten more sore: shoulders, pecs, armpits, knees, and thighs. Yikes. I'm dreading the Shred but I know that if I quit now (on day 2) I'm a big loser and not the good kind of Loser. So, I'm going to pop in the DVD and I'll let you know how I finished.

** Update: Ok, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I realized that I'm poor at jumping rope. That will take some time to improve. I've been doing the modified version of most of the exercises except the abs. I don't feel like I'm getting much out of the modified version of the abs, so that's where I go all out. I think my cardio is the worst and my abs the best (which if you look at me, you wouldn't be able to tell that there were abs under there). ;) But soon, you'll be able to see those hard-working abs...

Now is a great time to join The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants. I hear that there's a new challenge starting on June 3rd. Are you up for it?

Finger Jell-O

There are a few different recipes for Finger Jell-O: the Jell-O Brand finger jell-o and the Knox Brand finger jell-o. I combine them both to make the BEST finger jell-o!!

Finger Jell-O

4 pkg Knox plain gelatin
3 boxes Jell-O (any flavor)
4 cups boiling water

Mix the Knox and Jell-O in a medium bowl. Stir in boiling water until all gelatin is dissolved. Pour into a 9x13 pan and let set in fridge for a minimum of 5 hours. And then enjoy!!

I think it's the best recipe because it's the most firm and it's very flavorful!

30 Day Shred

That's right, people. I've joined The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants!! I'm not quite sure what I've gotten myself into, but I definitely need this!

The Sisterhood is finishing up their Shrink Into Summer Challenge and I've completely missed the boat on that one. But now, they're on their second round of The 30 Day Shred. They started last Wednesday, but today is my first day! I'm nervous and excited because I'm scared of Jillian I haven't worked out regularly and this accountability with the Sisterhood will be really good for me.

I took my "before" picture and my "before" measurements/weight. I popped in the 30 Day Shred DVD (which boasts of losing up to 20 pounds in 30 days), and I'm off. I'll let you know how it goes!!


** Update: I was about ready to quit after the second set of push-ups. And then Jillian said that there are 400 pound people who do this so I better keep up. That's why she's so scary motivating. I made it through. Only 6 more days 'til I weigh in and if I think about it in those terms (instead of 30 days in a row) it makes it easier. Plus it's only a 20 minute circuit workout...I just try to remind myself of that fact. ;)

Macaroni and Cheese Mix-Ins

Macaroni and Cheese is a treat around our house. I don't usually buy it because for what you get, it's not really worth it. But my boys like it and so do my husband an I so I make it for lunch occasionally.

But I rarely make just mac'n'cheese. I grew up with some fun mix-ins and have recently added to my repertoire. All you need is a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and add these combos or make-up your own:

meat option: 1 lb ground beef
mix-ins: 1 can tomato soup
* kind of bland, but my boys like it

meat option: 2 small chicken breasts, shredded (about 1 cup)
mix-ins: 1 can corn and peppers, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1/2 tbsp chili powder
* my boys didn't really care for the tomatoes, but I did

meat option: can tuna
mix-ins: can peas
*I grew up with this one

meat option: pepperoni slices, quartered
mix-ins: 1 cup chopped green peppers, 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes
* my husband likes this one (mostly because of the pepperoni)

If any of your family likes mac'n'cheese plain, you can always set some aside before adding the mix-ins. I hope you try to spice up your mac'n'cheese soon!! ;)

For more Kraft-inspired mix-ins click here.

Praying for Alex

I have been struggling with how to pray for baby Alex. He's not even a year old and has a heart defect that will require a heart transplant. He's been in the hospital since before Christmas 2008 and he, and his family, are still waiting for a heart.

Now, at first I thought this was simple: pray for healing and a heart for baby Alex. But every time I pray for him, I get sad. A new heart for Alex means a death of another baby. There are parents out there that will have to lose their young child and have to decide to donate organs. Another has to die for this one to live. It's vexing to me. It makes me terribly sad.

I'm just thankful that my God is a powerful all-knowing God who "in all things works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). I'm glad to know that I don't have to make the choice of who lives and who dies.

So I've just been praying for God's will on little Alex and I pray that if tragedy comes to another family that they are willing to give hope to other families by way of organ donation.


For more information on organ donation:

• OrganDoner.Gov: access to US government organ and tissue donation and transplantation
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
• Donate Life America
• Iowa Donor Network