Old and New Traditions

My favorite holiday tradition is a mandatory thing for me. I can't imagine, at this point in my life, not seeing these few things done. I know at some point there will come a Christmas where I won't be with my mom and dad for a number of reasons, but at this point it's essential.

The first part is the best. My mom has to watch "A Christmas Carol." None of the new versions, though; Specifically the one with Alastair Sim as Scrooge. And not even in color, though one of my sisters bought her that set when they came out with it a few years ago. There is something magical and a little spooky about watching it in black and white. So Christmas Eve, (or at some point just before Christmas) we snuggle up on the couch and watch "A Christmas Carol."

The second part is what happens Christmas morning. We wake up to my mom yelling up the stairs that it's Christmas and we shouldn't be sleeping in. Some people may mistake her enthusiasm as impatience, but I know the truth. Then I hop on downstairs where she has made delicious ham rolls for me as well as a pot of cocoa. And that's it. Christmas breakfast, for me, has always been Ham Rolls and Stove-Top Cocoa.

Stove top cocoa?!

Don't knock it 'til you try it. It baffles me when people say lets make cocoa and don't use Hershey's Cocoa Powder and a stove top burner, okay? It's just how I was raised. And, truth be told, I have never tasted cocoa as rich as the stuff you whip up in a big pot.

I say all of this to say this:

This weekend, I got to break into another tradition. My aunt always spends at least one full day whipping up a bunch of Christmas treats with two of her friends. They make a ton of stuff. A ton. This year they had two separate days of baking. I'm pretty sure they made two hundred cookies, peanut butter balls and Oreo balls that day. Not to mention a hundred of all of the other things they touched. And that was just the beginning.

I got the awesome task of Oreo balls. I should also say that my friend Megan and I got together three days before this to try and whip up some of these babies, and we did good work. But if I had known that I could have consulted with the pros and got all of this done easier, well... That would have been a different story.

I'll post a few photos and a step by step tutorial soon. I may even let you guys in on the secret to ham rolls and yes, stove top cocoa.

But all of that being said; another tradition is probably the most important one to me. And that's getting together with my church family. Spending time in God's word, hearing the nativity story. And truly spending time being thankful for his Son.

It's the reason for the season, yes?

If I don't hop back on here before Christmas day, (and let's face it; I probably won't), Merry Christmas and God Bless.

-Katy

PS:  What's you're favorite tradition?

Day One, or "Still Pumped!"

I hate breakfast.

Don't get me wrong. I like breakfast foods. I could kill a chicken biscuit or some bacon if you let me. But waking up early in the morning and actually sitting down to eat breakfast: not my thing.

This summer my wonderful mother bought me a blender. And it's basically a life saver. Everyone says you ought to start off with breakfast. It gets your metabolism going. I've heard this in every single weight loss program I've ever begun. So I know the importance, and now I know how I'll get some breakfast in.

Smoothies.

Throwing some ingredients into a blender: I can manage that.

I thought I'd be bummed this morning actually having to measure what I was throwing into the blender, but it really wasn't all that time consuming. I'll post my little recipe at the end of this.

At the end of day one, I'm not really hungry. I'm not starving myself, I'm just monitoring what I'm fueling up with a little better. Dividing up snacks and meals properly actually let me last a little longer between meal times today, so that's a very big plus.

I did notice that Starburst went on sale at my work today. Don't fret: I said no.

I did NOT work out. (For shame.) I figure if I can get 5 good workouts in this week I'll still be a step ahead of where I was, you know, yesterday.

I did have a quiet time. Just a few minutes. A couple of chapters in a few different books. It amazes me how one little thing out of what I read was just what I needed to hear. I'll have to find an actual devotional to follow. Help me focus a little.

Let's make today a "win" day, yes?
-Katy

RECIPE:

SMOOTHIE
1/2 Cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt - 60 calories
8 oz Orange Juice - 100 Calories
1 Medium Banana - 105 Calories
5 Strawberries - 18? Calories*
2 Sliced Pineapple - 60 Calories**
TOTAL: 343 Calories
* I had to google the calorie count for strawberries. Seems to get to be true but like 4 different websites fed me that info.
**I bought a can of pineapple rather than any kind of fresh pineapple. This can had the pineapple rings as opposed to the chunks or bits. I hate the word chunk and bits seemed to messy to measure. What can I say?

6 Whole Months?!

Hello, bloggosphere!

It, unfortunately, has been nearly six whole months since my last blog. Yikes!

And what a crazy six months it's been. There have been dates (or just one date but who is counting

?), there have been trips, there have been visits from amazing friends and cousins and man oh man have there been weddings.

In the past six months God has blessed me with a job closer to home, with new friends and closer relationships. He has opened my eyes to how wonderful His love for me feels and that's always amazing to remember.

Six months ago I blogged about how I was going to change. Physically, mostly. That... was a dud. The plan lasted for a hot minute or two and then I remembered how good Krystal Chicks' tasted and how awesome Mountain Dew was.

The past few weeks though I've really been working on getting back on track. It's been about three weeks since my last Mountain Dew. I did have one half a can of grape soda about a week ago and man did I feel crazy bloated afterward. Maybe that's a good reminder of how icky they are? I don't know.

I have tried Weight Watchers a few times in the past with little results each time. I always do good at first and then I just stop trying. I stop planning. This, my friends, is because I hate pre-planning when it comes to food. But today I made a trip to the grocery store and planned out my calorie intake for every day this upcoming week.

So here we go. Another week long experiment of sorts. And I will, I will, I WILL be bugging the bloggosphere every day this week with a short entry of how it's going. So heads up: look out for the ranting of a hungry girl.

I also picked a heck of a week to attempt to start working out. I already have two days where I'm subbing and then going to work at my night job. But I've got to find time to get it done. It's got to become a priority. The truth of the matter is, it's never been about looking good. It's about being healthy. Sometimes I forget that.

My other goal for the week is a little more personal, but probably more important to me than either of the other two. For a while now I've stepped away from having a daily relationship with God. Don't get me wrong: I'm in a relationship with God every single day. And I'm so thankful He loves me.

But the thing is: Relationships go two ways. And I simply haven't been putting in my share like I should. I worship a jealous God, and sometimes it's easy to overlook that crazy fact because He is so loving and so SO great to me. But, what kind of child am I when I'm not doing my part to speak to Him?

Trust: If I don't call my momma, I hear about it. I think, for a little while now, I've been hearing about it from God, but I've been using excuses of not having enough time or whatever to practice my selective hearing with that. Time to cut that out, right?

Three goals: Watch those calories. Walk that mile or two. Walk with Him.

I think I feel a good week coming on.

-Katy

I think I feel a change in the wind, says I.

Go back, if you will, with me to the month of January. A month of new starts and new goals. I felt good when I wasn't eating fast food and when I was attempting to work out. Accomplished even. But, the quitter in me won it.

Or so it would seem.

But there is hope! As of tomorrow, there will be 60 days until I go to Texas. In those sixty days I hope to make a better me. I'm not looking for a drastic change or to lost 100 lbs, just to be healthier. Feel better. Fit on a roller-coaster when I drag my friends to Six Flags, that would be nice.

"But, Katy. How do you plan to turn things around?!"

And that, my friends, is where I present to you my plan. For all intents and purposes of this blog we will call it the "Sixty Day Re-Boost!" During this 60 days I will exercise more, eat better, work on my tan and growing out this mess on top of my head. During this 60 days I will shy away from the bad foods, the drive thrus, the waffle fries, the ice-dream and the Krispy Kremes. Am I totally delusional to expect to cut these things cold turkey? Probably not. However, I have a visual tool to help me this time around.

I constructed a list of do and do nots I will be working on during my re-boost. And then turned that list into a visual check-able graph/chart/thing. At the end of the first thirty days, I will take a picture of the completed first chart to share with you all. (A good way to keep myself accountable, I think.)

And so as I sit here drinking my last sweet peach tea, I can honestly say that this (like any change of pace) will be tough, but I've got this.

-Katy


"Do or do not. There is no try."

And so another month passes.

I'd like to start this blog off by saying that is has been seven whole months since I moved to Tennessee.

And in those seven months, I feel like I'm growing up a little bit at a time. -insert drama theme music here-

However, let's face facts- I'm me. Growing up is just not an option.

It's been a good month! A lengthy visit from the "Soul Mate," a lot of touristy things finally done in Nashville, trying new recipes and figuring out a few things made the first bits of March a really good time for me. My nephew turned 4, FOUR. Time flies with that kid. I've never experienced being a good Aunt from 800 miles away, so hopefully my attempt at spoiling him paid off. The kids asked for me when Aunt A was Skyping with them. Bonus.

I have a few pictures of an attempted recipe I'll be posting next. Next being as soon as I'm feeling productive enough to find my camera and upload the pictures.

In other news, I think I shall establish Sunday as mandatory cleaning day. I'm not sure if this happens to other people or just to me, but every now and again I look around and go... ... Has my house always been this dirty? Not to be confused with the moments where I go ... Oh. What's that new smell? Just when I think I've burnt through enough candles to eliminate the odors we first had a problem with all those months ago, there's a new stench waiting to be discovered.

That all being said - I'm really not a dirty person. Which brings me to the cleaning thing. I've been reading these cleaning schedules online and I just have to wonder: Do people really follow something like that? Now I might never make my bed every single day, and throughout the week I may not mop the floors... But reading those lists made me feel like I was just gross. Did you know some Martha Stewart Mom out there washes her curtains once a week? Once a week. Le sigh, right? If only cleaning was some funky second nature to me.

So Sundays shall be dedicated to church, first. Then coming home after the typical errands I run with my Nana and sweeping, straightening, vacuuming, wiping counters, wiping surfaces, trash, recycling. Actually finishing laundry, like hanging up clothes and all of that. I'll admit it, sometimes I just put my clean clothes in a hamper and live out of it. Sue me. But you get it - all of those things that maybe should be done more than once a week. Guesa and I do a pretty good job of basic cleaning after ourselves. So Sunday- the deep stuff.

Now, as I sit here and write this there is a clean kitchen floor... But a few dishes in the sink. That, my friends, is because we currently don't have hot water. For a few days now, we have been without. I know there are worse things in life. I could be diseased or have no running water at all. So hopefully within a few days this can be fixed. I had to buy a part from Lowe's today and I was almost sure the sales fellow thought I was insane. But the parts in hand- now to drain the hot water heater, replace the element, call the water company and complain and then get back to going through my nightly routine with hot water to rinse my face.

In the mean time, Guesa will have to keep warming her hair washing water through the coffee machine. She did smell like a delicious morning brew, if I could say that in a non-creeper way.

Februa-recipe time!

For this post, I'm going to skip all the nonsensical negative nancy things I could write about. Instead, I bring you a recipe!

I found this recipe through Pinterest at www.dinnerordessert.com .

I volunteered to make breakfast for my Sunday School class, the young adults of greatness as I refer to them in my head, for this past Sunday. Then, I got home and thought to myself, "Self. What do you think you're doing? You don't know good breakfasty things." And so like any good volunteer would do, I took to the Facebook. And my Pastor told me to make a casserole. So that took me to Pinterest.

If I could just say, I adore Pinterest. And I've pinned several things. But never once have I actually made/created something from it. So I found this recipe for "Breakfast Casserole Muffins" and decided that's what I was doing. The beauty of this whole thing is it only calls for five ingredients and only takes about thirty minutes to make. So without further a-do, I present to you:

All-Breakfast "Muffins"

Yields: 2 Dozen

Ingredients
1 lb of sausage. --- I used regular but for those with braver taste-buds I'm sure hot would be awesome.
Velveeta Cheese --- I didn't use a lot of Velveeta. If you got the smaller block I'm sure you could use half.
Crescent Roll Dough --- Two Small/Regular Tubes in the frozen section
8 Eggs --- The original recipe called for 6 and I had doubled the original recipe, but only used 8 eggs total and it worked out perfectly.


1/4 Cup of Milk

** Pam/Cooking Spray - I imagine it would have been horribly messy without this lifesaver.

Preheat oven to 375.

Once you've sprayed the muffin pan you'll be using, take the crescent dough and bust the first of the two open. I found that each pre-cut triangle they're nice enough to provide can be the base for each muffin. Take your dough and press it into the bottom of each muffin... .... thing? It should be flat on the bottom, not curved or cupped or anything crazy.

Broooown your sausage. No, I'm serious. Once your sausage is browned and drained from all grease, (I didn't drain but I was careful to keep most of the grease out of the actual muffin) take a spoon (I used a table spoon) and spoon sausage into each of the already placed dough bases.




Now's the fun part. I cut slices of Velveeta and then tore those into smaller chunks, strategically placing those around the sausage. Easy enough, right? So so far we have dough, sausage and cheese.

Next - in a bowl, combine milk and eggs. Beat those together and then pour a little into each hole. (We're going with that term for now.) Don't fill it all the way to the top! They rise and it will get messy for you if you're not careful. I found that when pouring the egg/milk mixture it would find all the holes around the cheese chunks so be patient and don't over do it.


Put that tray of muffiny goodness in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Mine took 30 on the nose. If they look delicious and golden brown at 25 minutes, go on and take them out.

I'm sure the more seasoned chef out there won't have this problem, but mine rose and burnt ever so slightly and stuck so I had to get crafty and use a knife to cut some of them out. If they don't come out easily, don't lose faith! They're worth it!

When you're ready to eat them, pat yourself on the back and then sit down somewhere and enjoy. It goes great with coffee or orange juice, by the way. Make sense since it's all the good things about breakfast, right?

One month, a few extra lbs.

Day One

This is me. For those of you who know me personally, I don't need to tell you I'm Katy. Now, I know this may be egotistical, but I think I'm a very pretty girl. :]

That being said, there's something about this picture that needs to change and, you may have guessed it, it is my weight. Now a lot of people over the span of my years of being over-weight have told me I was beautiful the way I was. If you'll look in the first paragraph, you'll know even I think that's true.

But let's not kid ourselves, America. I am the face of the unhealthy. I am the very portrait of obesity and the health problems that come with it. All of that being said...

 

It's time for a real change. So.

For the next week I am eating better. No fried Chick Fil A, heart be still... No more sodas, had my last one this afternoon after stopping for a while last year. I invested in some of those maybe awful for you "lean" frozen dinners and instead of eating two at one sitting only plan on eating one. I will work out every day. I will eat more greens, more fruits and vegetables and less oatmeal cream pies and snack-packs. I will drink water, water with lemon, water with ice and hold the sweet tea.

For one week I am not cheating, I am not bending my own rules... I'm doing this thing.

So these pictures, this is day one. I'll take another one day 7, next Sunday. I can't promise there will be a physical difference and really that's not even what I'm looking for.

I want to feel better. Feel healthier. Feel accomplished.

In one week I will have an update and then, you know, probably get back to talking about Christmas and New Years and Mission Trip and all the fun stuff.

So bloggers, wish me luck!

Say Goodbye, Bloggers.