it's snowing!

Last night was our MOPS Moms' Nite Out at mentor mom Jeannie's house, and it was fun! There were 7 of us in all, and we just sat around eating, playing games, eating, and eating. I am, once again, SO ashamed. :) Susie made this amazing focaccia bread, and Leigh Ann came by with another of her decadent cakes. I was helpless to resist their power.

I ended up not getting to bed until 12:30, which just does NOT fly with me anymore. I slept until 9, and I'm still feeling groggy and draggy. I have absolutely NO motivation to do any of the things I should, like dust, mop, fill Xmas tubs, etc. Furthermore, we're getting quite the snowstorm, and that always makes me just want to sit there staring out the window and drinking hot cocoa. I'm pretty sure that today will not be a day of much accomplishment for me. But, I guess that's OK. I do plan on calling some of my peeps and catching up, and that is certainly not without value! Enjoy your snow day, my local peeps...

my man's a good daddy

Brian came home from a week-long Army Band trip to Chicago on Wednesday, and he brought Nick one of these. It's awesome! The concept is great, and they are so well-made. And if we were to get him one or two more, he could take them all apart and mix and match the pieces. I highly recommend this toy, for girls and boys. Brian also visited the Chicago Symphony gift shop and got Nick a t-shirt that says "treble maker." :) He brought me a couple of neat magnets and some musical notecards. What a thoughtful husband and dad!

btw

I forgot to mention that Brian did really well in yoga class, and enjoyed it! For a beginner, he was markedly non-dorky, and did most of the poses really well. He plans to keep coming every week, so yay! It'll be something we can do and enjoy together, and Nick loves going to the childcare room at the gym, so it's a win-win-win.

the end of an era

As you may have noticed, I decided that the time had come to retire my weight-loss ticker. Since I've basically reached my goal, there didn't seem to be much point in keeping it any longer. I will, however, keep posting my weekly weigh-in on the sidebar, for two reasons. First, it will be a black-and-white reminder of how far I've come, and second, it will continue to hold me accountable as I work to maintain my weight and keep it from creeping back the wrong way. Retiring the ticker seems like such a small thing, but in a way, it's a pretty big deal to me!

finally!

You were probably beginning to wonder if I'd ever post again, weren't you? I was, too! I just hadn't been inspired until today, and like trying on clothes or cleaning your house, ya gotta be inspired!

We had the MOPS baby shower this morning. About 1/2 (seriously) of my MOPS group is currently prego, so we thought it fitting to throw them a shower. It was really nice! Our mentor moms did wonderful decorations and punch, and came up with really fun games for us to play, and the food was scrumptious. Leigh Ann, who is our coordinator and also happens to be a dessert caterer, made this amazing two-layer cake. The top was chocolate and the bottom was white/chocolate marble, and it was so gorgeously decorated that I hated to see it cut apart. Between all the hors d'oeuvres and the cake, I was a disgusting pig. I'm pretty ashamed. But, tomorrow's a new day, I guess. My spinach balls turned out really yummy, so here's that recipe:

Spinach-Stuffing Balls

2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Use fresh if you can!)
1 large onion, finely chopped (I used dried minced onion.)
2 cups herb stuffing mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp. salt
10 Tbsp. butter (1 stick + 2 Tbsp.), melted

Squeeze water out of spinach through colander until it's just about dry. Beat eggs in large bowl, then add spinach and rest of ingredients. Mix well with hands, then cover bowl and refrigerate until mixture holds together (at least an hour)*. Preheat oven to 350. Shape mixture into roughly 1-inch balls and bake on lightly greased cookie sheet until just browned and crispy, about 30-35 mins. Sprinkle with some more salt if desired.

*When I started forming the balls, I was concerned, because the mixture didn't seem to be adhering very well, and it was hard to make the balls. I pressed on, though, and they came out just fine. So, don't worry if it doesn't seem "sticky" enough.

After the MOPS meeting, I headed to the DMV to transfer my plates and pay the title fee and sales tax on the new car. It was about $600 - ouch! I hate that part of buying a car. Speaking of the car - I know I haven't shared pics yet. I really want to wait until I can wash the car (it's currently filthy), but it keeps raining. So, be patient! I'm still really enjoying it, and am quite pleased with my purchase.

It's very gloomy outside right now - it seems like a storm might be blowing in. Blech! It makes me want to crawl in bed and take a nap.

This evening, Brian is actually going to come with me to yoga for the first time ever! I'm not sure how he'll do, but it's great that he wants to come and give it a try.

That's all for now...

off to springfield again, tally ho

Nick and I are going to head out in a couple of hours to spend the weekend in Springfield. I'm looking forward to taking the new wheels on the road and showing them to my Springfield peeps! I'm going to try to get 'er washed and take some pics to share with you. So far, I'm really enjoying the car! I was somewhat aghast to note, though, that it has 17" tires, which are going to be significantly more expensive to replace than the 15" ones on my Malibu. Oh, well. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it...

Still haven't had a chance to employ the sunroof, between the rain, gloom, and cold, but I'm hoping for a nice, sunny, warmish day soon. Can't wait to enjoy that!

This weekend, I'm going to be taking care of some shopping, as I had exactly zero time for that when we were in Springfield last weekend. Tomorrow night, Tim and I are going to see The Music Man, and Sunday morning, I'm joining him to sing with the church choir at Christ Episcopal. He used to be employed in the choir at NACC, but has recently moved to CEC, following our college choir director there after he switched churches. It'll be great to sing with Tim and under the direction of "Big Al" again. :)

After church, we're heading to my new fave restaurant, Arris' Pizza, for their lunch buffet. They have the most amazing pizza crust! OMG. I love it love it love it.

That pretty much sums up my weekend. I'll catch you next week, hopefully with car pics! Have a great weekend, everyone!

mama got a new car!

I got a new car yesterday - a 2008 Dodge Caliber SXT. It's light silver, and has a sunroof! I really like it, and we got a good deal. I'll share pics eventually.

friday the 13th

Well, I guess it's only fitting that on Friday the 13th I have gained weight for the second week in a row. Harrumph. :( Even though I'm just quibbling with a few pounds at this point, that sort of alarms me, because it's literally the first time in my entire weight-loss endeavor that I have gained two weeks in a row. As you can see from my sidebar, I've just been dinking around with my weight lately, and I'm now right where I was back at the end of October, with nothing to show for the past 3.5 months! Don't get me wrong - I'm thrilled with my body and my progress, but at this point, it's just mental. It's the principle of the thing, you know? I want to weigh 140, dangit! So, I've decided that after Nick's birthday party in mid-March, I'm really going to buckle down and count calories again and see if I can't do just that.

Gearing up for a very busy weekend. I have all manner of chores to do today, and then tonight, I'm going out for dessert and chatting with Rebecca. Tomorrow morning, it's more domesticity, and then I'm heading to the gym for the aerobathon. Later tomorrow, we're heading to Springfield and attending a little soiree at Tim's house. Then, it's early to bed since I have to get up so early for my marathon day on Sunday - singing at church, birthday party, and concert later. Whew!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!...

what is up with all this excess?

Since when did Valentine's Day turn into Halloween? Nick's class had their VDay party today, and he came home with a ridiculous haul of candy, given to him by his classmates. I mean, when did VDay become like that? When I was a kid, you made your box and you brought your Valentines, which were made of paper and had no candy involved. Then, you exchanged your Valentines and called it a day. There was no candy, no treat bags (or entire plastic treat cups, full to the brim with different temptations). You would not believe what he brought home - two plastic cups full of stuff, several of those cellophane treat bags full of stuff - candy, lollipops, Cheetos, you name it! In addition to all the candy, he got little toys, like a top, pencils, etc. I guess I'm a complete slacker mom, because I didn't send any treats at all for the other kids - just paper Valentines. What are all these moms thinking? Do they really think it's necessary to do this on Halloween, Christmas, AND VDay? Doesn't anyone else find this all rather excessive? When Nick came home, he was on such a sugar high that he ended up being totally rude to me and then having a complete meltdown when I disciplined him. Sorry to go on so much, but I just think this whole thing of making elaborate treat bags for kids for every possible occasion has gotten way out of hand. What do you think?

a gloomy, rainy, blah day

It's totally yucky outside today! I'm planning to go to the evening strength class at the gym, and it's going to take every ounce of fortitude I have to force myself to leave my cozy, warm house. But, I must go. Let's just say that in the process of baking Valentine cookies today, ten a couple of them made it into my mouth. I'm telling you, cookies are my major weakness, above all other foods. I am completely powerless when faced with them. It's pathetic, I know, but true. And you'd think I would have had my fill today, but I'm sure I'll be powerless once again at my MOPS meeting. Alas. I've been fairly good this week otherwise, though, which gives me some solace. Perhaps after Nick's birthday party next month, I'll finally buckle down again and start counting calories so that I can lose those last few pounds. How happy I'd be!

a very enlightening day

I learned a lot and expanded my horizons today! There's a little yoga/dance/martial arts studio in Rolla called andFLEW!, and they offer a free community class on the first Saturday of every month. Today, the class was yoga - specifically, the entire class was devoted to fine-tuning one's sun salutation, which is a particular "flow," or series of poses. I've done lots of sun salutations, but never had it broken down and "nitpicked" so much before, and it was actually really great! I learned a lot, and feel like I can really do a proper salutation now, with a much greater understanding of the key points of each pose. And it was really quite a workout - anyone who has ever held plank or hover for any length of time knows that doing them over and over really works out one's core and arms. After the yoga class was over, some teachers and students of bluegrass music were going to "jam" in the studio. I chose not to stay for that, because I was hungry, so I went around the corner to a neat pizza/Greek join and enjoyed a chicken gyro for lunch. I then returned to the studio, where I caught the end of the bluegrass (not really my kind of music, though I certainly appreciate its toe-tapping appeal) before participating in a......are you ready?.........LINE DANCING class. Yes, that's right, folks. If you know me at all, you know that "Amy Jane" and "line dancing" aren't two phrases that would normally be paired. I didn't even know that there was going to be a line dancing class until the end of yoga, when the instructor asked me "Are you going to do the line dancing class?" I thought about it for a second and said "Why not?" It's not something I ever in a million years would have thought to do, but I'm always up for learning something new. And now I finally know what my sister has been up to on so many Saturday nights. :) It was actually pretty fun! We learned the electric slide and the achy breaky heart, and I picked them up really quickly. So, I can now hold my own in line dancing - well, those two dances, at least. The studio offers ballroom workshops, and I'm hoping to be able to participate in the next one, which will start at the end of March. It's not Brian's thing, but the instructor told me that I can come alone. I'm totally pumped about it! I love ballroom dancing - especially the Latin ones like rumba and salsa. And I seem to be able to pick up the steps quickly, so it's fun for me. So, today was pretty great, all-in-all! How is your weekend going so far?

my little sage

After our visit to the commissary, I was bemoaning the fact that they were out of several things I needed, and Nick said "Mommy, when they don't have what you need, you just have to face it, because if you don't face it, it'll just make it worse."

busy day!

Whew! I left the house this morning at 8:15, and didn't get home until 2:15 - it was one of those days. I took Nick to preschool, and then headed to the gym for step class. It was the first class in the new location, and it's so nice! It's a huge improvement over our old place. I love it! Class was really good today - I got a good workout. Then, I stayed to attend a free tutorial given by one of the personal trainers - he's showing people all the different ways to use the various weight machines. He really knows his stuff, and it's nice to learn my way around the machines. Right now, I only have a class membership (no access to the equipment), but I'm thinking of expanding my membership so that I can go use the machines there for strength-training. We shall see. Then, I ran to Walmart for a quick return and purchase, then got Nick from school. We then headed to Brigitte's house for one of her famous, food-laden soirees. Nick was actually really well-behaved, and we had a good time. I ate way too much, but as always, I had a great time visiting with all the women from various countries, and there was some piano-playing and singing, as usual. And now, we're home and Nick is napping. That's my day so far! The rest of it should be pretty tame in comparison. When Brian gets home, I'm going to run to Hallmark for some upcoming greeting card needs, and then it's going to be a pretty lazy evening around here. I'm looking forward to it! Then, tomorrow, it's back to the grind with preschool, kickboxing, etc.