Local "Yum" Review: West Crust Pizza

Today I'm going to do a local food review. Because I can and you can't stop me.

You know it's almost Christmas when you have no self control and could eat Krispy Kreme every minute of every day. Or maybe I'm just talking for myself here.... ?

Today I had one of those days and Jacob did too.

Perfect!  Misery does love company.

 It also loves sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.

So my better half got my favorite pizza for me and.... thumbprint cookies and sparkling water.

*Sigh*.

You know it's love. I'm such a simple, simple woman.

Don't let the plain white box full you.

Or the insanely yellow hue... It's the best pizza ever.

West Crust Pizza  rocks my world.

That's right. I said it.

If you live in the Lubbock area I highly recommend you get the Veggiepotomous. Mozerella, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, black olives, spinach and red sauce...

So. Good.

Anomaly

Well... I'm an anomaly. A big, fat, makes-no-sense anomaly. Are you?

My better half went hunting so I had some serious alone time. What else should I do?

First I bought magazines...

Then I bought a little snack...s...

With lots and lots of food coloring.. And you know what that means... (if you don't then go buy a dozen green thumbprint cookies and call me in the morning).

Why oh why do I torture myself?!

Am I alone in this madness?!

Blog Award

I've never gotten a blog award... Ever.. Never ever ever. Until now!

A friend "gave" me The Lemonade Stand Award!!  Thanks to Amy!You'll love her heartfelt thoughts on parenting and God's hand in her life.

Of course a blog award is a small thing... to people who don't blog!!  
Here are the rules attatched to the award: I have to pass on the Lemonade Stand Award to 10 other amazing blogs and link back to the blog that gave me the award. Then, I’ve gotta leave comments on all the 10 blogs informing them about the award

10 blogs only??  Oh dear.... I have several categories of blogs I follow: friends, missions/overseas (friends of course!), foodies, photography, running, fitness and random (craft etc.).

I'm pulling from my "friend roll" first.

I am passing on the "Lemonade Stand Award" to....
1. Emily at Itty Bitty Smithy
2. Jennifer at Adventures of Charley and Molly
3. Carla at Life's a Hardy Party
4. Ashley at Miss Grace Sinclair
5. Abby at Storytelling
6. Jordan at The Remkes
7. Kristin at Your Life My Passion
8. Danica at McAden Messenger
9. Jennie at JennieO
10.  April at Brandon, April, Eden and Salem
 and because I get fed up with rules at school...More than 10!
11.  Jill at Jackson 4 (I'm so glad you're blogging!)
12. Carrie at Littles+2
13. Lindsey at Adventures and Otherwise
14.  Misti at Sheltons in Uganda

Whew! I have several friends who blog but may be taking a little hiatus, or who like their blog to be private. So I'm drawing the line at 14. I think you're all AWESOME And love following your blogs!!!

I leave you with a picture of me from the past looking like I may in the future.. Go girl!

All you with kids- what a fun idea was this? A friend of mine had a birthday party when we were kids in which we were all supposed to dress up like little old women!! 

My only question is: Why do I look drugged? And while we're at it... Where are my eyebrows?! Maybe these were my "subdued" years...

Pink Gloves- Breast Cancer Awareness

An early apology to friends in Africa and other areas with spotty connection!!

This is just too much fun!! I wish I worked here!

 I saw this video today and thought it was wonderful.

These people put together this video to bring awareness to breast cancer. I think my favorite is the older man dancing in the hall with a broom...

Watch this, and if you don't feel better, then I just don't know what to say!

Crazy Post Transliteration!

Wowza!! I began to type a post and saw this. I couldn't make it stop!
Then I began to panic.
So I went to settings and disabled this.

How did this happen? From one day to the next and "Whoop!" it was changed.

Have you ever had something wonky happen with your blog?

On to other TOTALLY UNIMPORTANT things that I think you need to know...

For example: Our Christmas tree rocks.  And it looks very much like a poor young couple with no kids' tree should look... "Just" hunky dory. Nothing more. Nothing less.

An ornament from where we met:

And an ornament from the time we got engaged.. in Africa.. 'Rawwwrrrr'.

And LOTS of little gold balls that look like this... Only without a weird lady in the reflection.

Do you see the reflection of that most awesome coral jumper in the background?

That's my "marble gift" to myself! Remember this and this? 50 marbles (1 for each time of exercise) and I get a treat...

I'm coming back home! See you soon family!!

Do you have any special Christmas traditions or ornaments?? Speak!!

Out-a-towner....

Hi-d-ho guys and gals!

I'm outta town for a school conference. So I get a little break from this:
Those are essays and stacks of grading waiting for me.. I know you're jealous but I have to tell you, envy is a sin- so get over it.

I thought I would blog today about what's at home.

The sweetest man in the world...

And the most spoilt rotten little babies around.

And we love 'em.

When we walk in everyday- it is "play time". And please, don't get in the way of play time. It's a serious thing. Fuzz doesn't really know what's going on.. But he runs in circles and jumps up and down.

And scoots backwards on his "half legs".

But this one... Oh this one means business.

I mean check out that face!

You know what they say, there's no place like home!

Yum! Yum for Stuffed Mushrooms!

Weight Watchers Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

I wanted to share this recipe with you all. Yum!

Forgive the fuzzy pictures... I'm no Pioneer Woman. But you'll get the picture. (har har!)

We got a new Weight Watchers Cookbook. I REALLY recommend this cookbook (or any of theirs actually).

Here's the recipe:

Makes 4 servings

1 (10-ounce) bag triple-washed spinach, rinsed (do not dry)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 large white mushrooms, stem removed

1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 Go ahead and preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

_________________________

Take your little darling mushrooms... Hello darling rooms.... Come into my parlor.... (Too weird?)

Scrape out the little darling's guts.. That's right, and enjoy it. 

Turn them over and cook for 5 minutes.

A Tablespoon of fat free milk, mixed with bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and egg.

Put fresh spinach in skillet and wilt... We actually prefer this with less spinach. And let me tell you, I'm a spinach machine. A spinach NUT. But seriously take it easy on the spinach here.

Chop up fresh oregano. 

Mix it all together.

Stuff your mushrooms.

Sprinkle with cheese.

And cook for 15 minutes (or longer)...

Double.. Yum...

 2 points each.

Fashion Wreck: Awkward and then some.

Hi,

I was born in this century. Yet there have been times where I dressed like this. And of my own accord.

That's me on the left, in the bonnet and too small elephant jumper.

I thought I rocked.  Clearly.

When this picture surfaced the other day, like a dormant wart seeking sunlight, I asked my mom what the dealio was with the bonnet dilemma.

My mom turned to me and calmly said, "It was sunny outside. You had to keep the sun off your face."

Yes.

It all makes sense now.

This next picture is fuzzy, and I can't rotate it. But.. I think it serves its purpose.

I present to you: Exhibit B.

A true beauty with a natural flare for talent... or something.

Maybe the bonnet was because I was trying to tame this hair do. Call it Little Orphan Annie or whatever you may... I'm just amazed that I found a picture of me subdued.. Hey!!! (Reckon I was on Benadryl?)

Just to show you that my relationship with awkward goes WAY back, and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of my awkward puberty.. Awesome.

Today: 3 painful and slow miles and weight lifting. That is the real purpose of this post.

An awkward farewell to you all!!

Stepping up: Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Plan- VERY Novice

Today I peeled myself off of the couch and went for a jog and thus begins the half marathon training.

Here's my inspirational photo.

I know I'm WAY behind schedule and am expecting to walk A LOT in the actual half marathon. But I still plan on going through with this run.

I have a lot of doubts and fears about this. Can I do it? Am I strong enough? Will I just collapse?

I slowly ran 3 miles (and walked 3/4 of a mile of that).  But I got started! Here's week one of Hal's plan and what I've done circled.

It was great to be outside- in some beautiful weather.  Now I have really sore hip flexors.... But I won't be giving up!

If I had been on schedule I would need 12 weeks on Hal Higdon's novice plan. I'll have 11.

Starting from today.  Each great journey begins with a step right?

Turkey Day!

Happy the end of Thanksgiving!!

We went south for Thanksgiving to visit my family.

There were no turkeys to be seen, but plenty of deer and goats.

My grandmother and grandfather take in stray goats and sheep.

I sure am glad they "took each other in".

Check them out "back in the day". They were crazy for each other! I snuck a snapshot of this old photo in their home. I love it! :) 

They had a baby ("kid") boom right before we came. In one night one goat birthed triplets and another twins.

Too close for comfort! This little guy fogged up my lens before backing up.



The Boppsy Twins. Check out the umbilical cords. So precious.

The wimpiest of the triplets getting bottle fed.

I was oh so happy to help out.

I would like to end this post with a little post-holiday inspiration to shake your groove thing and exercise.

I leave you with...

LARD and congealed turkey juices..

mmmmm.... Thanksgiving.

Now go shake your groove thang!

Anniversary Gift

Remember our third anniversary?

I wanted to share my gift to Jacob with you. I loved this gift!

I tried blurb and found that actually it had more options for resizing pictures etc.

In the end I went with iphot on my mac and apple.com to make my book. It was easier to work from my school computer (during the summer that is!).
I made a book of all our highlights since we've been together.

 I got a hard cover book with a cover and an inside flap.

I like this option A LOT. Now I have ALL of my pictures digitally and never find a good time to print them all. This way I have our "highlights" printed off in an "album".  I would highly recommend doing one of these for a grandparent or family as you can get discounts for printing multiples. 


It covers our dating, engagement, traveling to see each other, our wedding and then Uganda!

The colors and quality will blow you away...

What an amazing way to showcase memories you love. And PHOTOS you love!
Like this one. This is one of my all time favorite pictures. Can't you just see the fun these girls are having? I LOVE it!!

All of the way up to our time back in the States.
I uploaded pictures. Arranged them. Ordered the book and it was delivered to our doorstep.

This will be a special keepsake for us.

How to Roast a Turkey

Last year was my first turkey to roast. It turned out beyond our wildest expectations. It was juicy, brown and just plain wonderful.

So this year for Thanksgiving we're bringing the turkey.

I thawed out that Tom overnight in the fridge and then left it in cool water in the sink.

My strategy? I put water in the base of the pan, covered the turkey loosely with aluminum (shiny side down), rubbed that baby up with olive oil, and put an onion and apple in the center. That poor Tom barely fit in our pan.

Then upon looking at the "Butterball cooking instructions" I saw this.
"DO NOT ADD WATER TO PAN.
DO NOT COVER TURKEY OR PAN."

Great.
Which called for an emergency call to mom.

Then I stuck with my plan.

Washed the turkey. Patted it dry.

Smeared it with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Last year I sprayed it with Pam. This year I rubbed it with olive oil BY HAND.

Should I be concerned that my hand is as white as a plucked dead turkey??? Hmm...

Put some onion and apple in the cavity. Put a quarter of an inch of water in the base of the pan and lightly cover with foil... Take the foil off about 30 minutes before it's done so it will brown nicely.

And voila! I LOVE this turkey!

(I forgot to do something with the wings..oops!)

And you will have A LOT of juice to use for gravy etc. afterward.. Try to ignore the fat...

That's how I do it. But don't tell Butterball. ;)

Oh no I di'int!!

But oh yes I did.

I've gone for a whole week without a diet coke. Jacob even looked up articles about how really there isn't formaldehyde in those sweeteners but rather your body breaks it down into formaldehyde etc. But.. When I look at those beautiful diet cokes I can't even see them in the same light.. Our love has been tainted.

And I think that's a good thing. Don't you?

For awhile I was doing a "Confession Friday". So this is a Confession Wednesday.

Ahem.

I have a confession to make. I am that woman at the Krispy Kreme drive through ordering a dozen of your chubbiest filled donuts and acting like I'm on my way to share them with other people. BUT I'M NOT.

There.

I think I feel better, though that may just be the sugar high talking. So though I've kicked the Diet Coke habit (for now) I'm definitely replacing them with other stress releivers.

Not good.


As Jacob was cooking fish last night and arranging salad neatly on our plates he said, "I'm really proud of us for eating so healthy!"

Then he turned and saw me there- with a New York Cheesecake filled donut stuffed in my mouth.

Yep. We're a team.
And to celebrate not having to go to school today- I went out to an old college haunt to hang out with a friend, Danica! Check out her latest project! So no more Diet Coke- Krispy Kreme +Decaf Mint Tea= a negated health attempt.
Gotta go! Right now I'm watching the Bonnie Hunt show to see Pioneer Woman work her magic on there. I am LOVING the holidays!!

Jiggers

Set your ICK factors aside y'all!!

Jiggers. Not Chiggers (though similar in ways!).

A chigger is a little annoyance that you can get out in the grass here in West Texas.

Now a jigger is another story. Jiggers lay their eggs in your feet mainly and these eggs lead to more jiggers and... well, you get the picture.

When I go to the "webtools/webstats" it shows that hands down my highest "google query" to this little corner of the blog world is... You guessed it ... JIGGERS. Wha?? 

Doubt me? I'll prove it... Check this out:

I posted about jiggers mainly once. Mainly because I was at a loss. For the most part- I lived off of "Where There is No Doctor: African Village" but even their information for "jiggers" was, to put it mildly, lacking.

 But oh "Where There Is No Doctor" how I love you SO!

How was I supposed to help people from local villages when there was a huge break out?

In the end, I "found out" (and felt oh so clever) that water (for me warm water with epsolm salt) brings out the little string looking worms... Ick.

Have you ever checked out your "webstats" and been surprised by what you found?? 

**Never been to your webstats? Go to My Account (top right). Go to WebMaster Tools. 

Add your site, verify it and Voila! You have the bizarre things people WISH your blog was about. Ha! Sorry Jigger searchers..I actually have very little to offer you...**

Eat clean.. Or else!

Hellos peeps and creeps!

Just kidding. I know none of you are creeps. I just couldn't pass the rhyme up.

This past Wednesday at the end of small group I had a very unfortunate talk with a friend, which ended with me learning about the evils of aspartame (conspiracy theory or not.. it's gross!), diet coke and my beloved low fat ice creams and frozen meals... 

All of this on the tale end of a massage last week where the massage therapist was berating me for letting my back get so bad. I asked her what could lead to me getting such big knots and she said..."not enough water and lots of caffeine".. Bummer.. Bad week for EVERYTHING I love to put in my mouth!!

So here's the dealio... I know I'm not insanely healthy... Edit: I'm not very healthy at all. 

My question is: can eating healthy ( you know, staying hydrated and eating crazy things like vegetables and fruit EVERY DAY) make me feel better?

I'm kinda starting to think it might effect how I feel.

I'm not ready to go extreme.. But I am ready to try!

And if you come here often, like it or not, you're going to hear my thoughts and reflections on a "diet Coke"les life with no more low cat ice creams for an after dinner snack...

Just sayin'. 

:)

What do you do that you feel is "healthy"?