Where is my cane?

So, I like to think I’m She-Hulk sometimes.  And, I learned yesterday that I am not.

At some point in the past few days (which has included a lot of lifting and moving of things and what not) I sprained my hip. Now, the sprain is minor but still OMG Painful.  The day before yesterday, I started having a dull ache around my right hip, which just felt like a little cramp so I ignored it.  By the evening it felt a bit more crampy, so I decided to try and stretch to see if it would help and all it did was make it worse.

By yesterday morning, I was in a lot of pain.  I went to sit down and immediately had to stand back up because the pain was so bad from sitting.  I had to call my doctor.  I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but a 28 year old with a random hip pain was worrisome.

So I saw my doctor (well her partner; I’ve been with the same practice since I was 8, they all know me) and felt around, checked for hernia, bursitis, tendonitis, swelling, organ involvement.  He also saw me wince in pain as I sat on the exam table. He’s like, “you moved things you shouldn’t have, didn’t you? Don’t you have someone at home that can do that for you?”

I CAN DO IT MYSELF, DANGIT!

But, I apparently, I really over did it.  The sprain isn’t major, but I am rocking a heating pad for about a week or so.  Devon’s getting a nice giggle out of my “old lady hip”, as he’s so lovingly calling it.  Butthead.  It’s okay, he’s on feeding Maya, dishwasher and bending duty until further notice.  Because I can’t/shouldn’t bend, so he can do all the bending for me.  🙂

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pack up my heating pad and my ibuprofen and go to work. And I do not carry an old lady purse.

Never a dull moment.

Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup

I know, I know.  I’ve been talking about this all week.

But you must realize…this stuff is kind of amazing.  I had to process the level of amazing before I could talk about it.

I mean, just look at it.  There’s BACON!  And a lot of it.  With potatoes.  And cheese.  And BACON!

But, I digress.

So awhile back, I found this on Red Apron Girl (via Pinterest) and thought it looked amazing, so we tried it.  And it was delicious.  We were so happy that this made so much.  We both had two big bowls when I first made it and had plenty for another night for dinner.  When we re-heated it a couple nights later, we decided to play with the original a little by adding some more spice to it (remember, we’re a spicy household) and adding shredded chicken that we had left over from a previous night.  It was even better than before.   So I tweaked it to our adjustments for this time and added our extras straight out.

Another tweak I did, was I made it ahead and let it set for the day because, while it was good straight off the heat last time, it wasn’t quite as thick as we both would have liked and it thickened nicely and to our liking when it was reheated.  So I started the base in the morning, cooled it, let it set in the fridge and finished it at dinner time.  I’m actually going to tweak it to try it in my slow cooker the next time and see if it’ll be just as good if not better in there.  I also made the bacon in the soup pot, so that I could use the drippings to saute the onions and garlic.  It just made the bacon and saltiness even better.

I also…umm…made more than the original recipe called for…because….potatoes….are amazing.  And because, I’m lazy and it’s easier to use a five pound bag of potatoes than trying to weigh out/estimate three pounds.  I promise, it doesn’t go to waste, at all.  If we weren’t finishing it for dinner tonight, I’d have a bowl for lunch today.  But I should stop myself…and save it for dinner….I think.

• Servings: 6
• Time: 30-40 minutes total cook time, several hours to chill, if desired
• Print

credit: Red Apron Girl 

Ingredients:

• 5lb bag Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 1lb bacon (I prefer/used center cut bacon), diced into bite size pieces
• 2 small onions (or 1 medium), diced
• 4-6 garlic cloves, diced or grated
• 3 tbsp flour
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups water (can use all stock, I prefer some water to cut some of the saltiness)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (we used mild)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp + 1sp McCormick Cajun seasoning (can omit, if not a spice fan)
• 4 sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast
• salt and pepper

Peel and cube the potatoes and boil them in salted water until they are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a dutch oven (or heavy pot) cook the bacon until crispy.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a plate, lined with a paper towel.  If needed, drain some of the bacon fat from the pot, reserving about 2-3 tablespoons in the pot.  Add onions, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute for about 7 minutes until they’re tender.  Add minced garlic, or grate the garlic with a microplane (which is what I did) and cook for another two minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

Add flour and cook for about 1-2 minutes until the flour is dissolved into the oil in the pan and coats the onions and garlic. Then slowly add in the chicken stock and water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon while pouring to deglaze.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add most of the cheese (reserving a little to sprinkle on top of the bowl when finished).  Stir for a minute or two and allow the cheese to melt and help thicken the soup.  Gently add the drained potatoes to the pot.  Then, add the heavy cream. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper.  Add paprika and cajun seasoning, as desired.  Stir to combine.  Bring soup to a simmer for about 5 minutes to allow everything to cook together.

Now, this is where I turned off the heat, took the pot off the stove and let it cool before refrigerating for a few hours.  If you want to eat it right away, just skip this step and continue.  If you want to cool it, take it off the stove and let sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to help cool it faster.  Refrigerate it for about 4 hours with the lid slightly off to let any residual heat escape.  Reheat on medium-low for about 20 minutes until it comes back to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Once back to a simmer, check seasonings, adding more salt and pepper or spice as needed.  Add most chopped green onions (reserve some for the bowls) and the chicken breast.  Allow to warm through and cook for about 10 minutes.

Serve and top with bacon, green onions, and cheese.  Cover the soup pot to keep it warm, because I guarantee….you’ll be back for a second bowl within about 10 minutes, maybe 15, but that’s only if you’re a slow eater like me.

Enjoy!

Hilarious.

I got this in the mail today. I left it on Devon’s easy chair for when he got home, just for funsies.

He laughed when he saw it. He’s like, “trying to tell me something?”

*winkwink*.

Weren’t not in any hurry or anything. Seriously we aren’t. I just couldn’t resist messing with him. And…..to keep the thought in his mind. :).

Potato Soup and a Caprese Sandwich

So, I’m pretty proud of myself.

By noon yesterday, I had done everything on my list that I wanted to do.  So, by the time Devon brought lunch home around 1pm (his district closed two hours early), I was completely done and able to relax.

I did everything, except actually make the soup I said I was going to for dinner.  After the heavy lunch, I wasn’t feeling a heavy dinner.  Plus, we both decided to randomly nap around 4:30pm and by the time I woke up, I really didn’t feel like making it.  I am, however, going to go make it now before I head to school for a couple hours (even though I don’t have to be there today — long story, will explain later), so that it can sit and thicken and get better by the time dinner rolls around tonight.

Instead last night I made what I’ve been making myself for lunch the past week, which is just a sandwich but an amazing one.  When I made the Spinach Pasta Salad a couple weeks ago, I bought two of the huge mozzarella balls, despite the fact that I only needed one because mozzarella is nom, so I had to do something with it before it wasn’t good to eat anymore.  So I made a sort-of Caprese style sandwich for lunch last week and it was delicious.  And simple because simple is good.

And, I mean, it just looks pretty.  Doesn’t it?

I just took one of those small french baguette rolls, halved it and took some of the center dough part out so that it wouldn’t be awkward to eat.  Then I thinly sliced a roma tomato, made thin strips of a sweet red pepper and chopped up a basil leaf and put a couple slices of the mozzarella cheese on top.

I nommed so fast.  And I’m….odd?  I’m hoping I’m not the only one, but I’m really into using salad dressing as sandwich dressings or sandwich spreads.  Mayo is just so plain and tasteless to me.  I don’t use it unless I’m mixing it into something.  So for this I drizzed some Italian dressing over the basil because it meshed well with the sort of Italian theme of the sandwich and it balanced well with all the sweet veggies on there.

I’m pretty sure I’m gonna go buy another mozzarella ball because this was too good.  I need to keep eating it.

This is making me want lunch now and it’s only 10:30.  :sigh: Life is hard.

Housewife Status

I kind of feel like I’m becoming a little…”housewifey” here.

Which is not a bad thing.  I feel like people take such a negative connotation of that word.  It’s not a bad thing.  I don’t feel I could do the stay at home thing because I like the thought of having a career and a whole different life outside of my family.  But there’s definitely a housewifey vibe happening with me.

Both Devon and I have professional development days with our mutual school districts today.  I don’t technically have to go to mine because I’m not a teacher and none of the workshops apply to me at my school, so I took a bogey and planned to call out the day.  Devon had to go to his for his workshops.  It’s also starting to snow a bit and is supposed to get nasty.  Because no kids are in our districts schools, the schools didn’t feel the need to help out the faculty and is still making everyone come in and stay all day (at least at this point) despite the beginning and impending nasty weather.  So, I’m off today (because I took it out) and Devon is at school for the forseeable future, because I get the feeling they’ll close early.

Here it is at 7:15am.  I’ve been awake for an hour because Devon is not the quietest person in the morning when he wakes up.  Normally, I would have just gone right back to sleep but I’m sitting here in front of my computer making a list.  Aside from the fact that I’ve realized I have a hard time sleeping in our room when Devon isn’t there (even when I’m sick), I’m making a list of things I want to get done today around the house while Devon isn’t home.

My list includes things like: Make soup for dinner tonight (which I might post later because we’ve had it before and it’s amazing and ridiculously easy to make), sort/do laundry, put our linen closet back together (we had a serviceman in our house last Friday and our service closet is in the linen closet and we haven’t put all the stuff back in it yet), vacuum, and go through the office closet.

None of it is a huge task (maybe the laundry is, but Devon does most of it, I’ll start it/sort it, and he’ll do it) and I’ll likely get it all done today but it’s just so…..uncharacteristic of me from prior….life.  Ordinarily, I’d be looking at a day of sleeping, watching TV, maybe going shopping or having lunch with a friend.  But here I am, at, now, 7:22am, making a list of chores around the house, not planning on going anywhere, not planning on going back to sleep, and perfectly content with that.  The weather probably has a little something to do with it.  I can’t guarantee that I’d have the same gusto for it if it was 65 degrees and sunny outside today.

But today, I’m completely content to hanging out at home, making some hot chocolate (because I don’t drink coffee), having a nice hot dinner with Devon when he comes home from having to be out in a potentially nasty snow storm and doing some straightening around the house.

Who have I become?  I don’t know.  I’m okay with it, though.

Awesome News!

You know that moment when you have amazing news but, don’t want to share yet because you feel it might be jinxed if you do?

Yeah, this is one of those times.

And no, I’m not pregnant.

More to come!!!

Progress, but not The Weighing Game

So, you guys.

I’m super proud of myself.  I’m fitting into my pants a bit better again!  I’d say I probably have about an inch (maybe a little less) off my waist since I re-committed to eating better.  YAY!   I’d say that I stayed on the good eating wagon, maybe…..85% of the time?  Which to some people doesn’t sound great, but it’s giving me the results I want, so I’m fine with it.

I’m not someone who lives by a scale or, more importantly, by the number on the scale.  I used to do that.  Back in late 2012 and early 2013, I lost about 40 pounds. Now, I was a bit overweight, not horribly but I knew I had too much poundage on me, so losing a little was good, especially health-wise.  I was in a really bad car accident in the summer of 2012 and began losing weight after (10 pounds in the two weeks immediately after because I barely ate) due to PTSD, stress, grief, etc.  Once I saw myself losing weight, I used that as something to actually look forward to and do for myself, so I started actively trying to lose weight and get myself to a certain number on the scale.  Once I reached that number if I deviated, I felt horrible.  It was a problem.

There’s a picture of Devon and I from our first date (in July 2013) and he actually said when we saw it “you look too thin, look how much your collarbone is protruding from your chest”.  I didn’t fully realize that until that picture.  I realized I was the smallest I’d ever been in my adult life and that it was a great accomplishment to go from a size 14 pant to a size 8; but I didn’t realize that it might not be wearing so well on me to lose any more weight.  So I began to concentrate more on just staying in my clothing size.  I didn’t focus on the number on the scale anymore; I just kept myself comfortable in the size clothing I was in.

And I’ve maintained my clothing size, for the most part.  I knew once Devon and I moved in together I’d likely gain a little.  It’s bound to happen.  We used to go out all the time because it was the easiest way to spend time together, but now that we don’t have to do that anymore, I  got a bit lazy, as I suspected I would.  I’m okay with being a little lazier, I’m not trying to obsess like I did a couple years ago.  But I just want to make sure I’m still as comfy in my favorite jeans as I always am.

I’m happy to see some progress.  I haven’t weighed myself and, in fact, I don’t even own a scale anymore.  I don’t see a need to.  I don’t intend to weigh myself.  I have a doctor’s appointment in a couple weeks and I know I’ll be weighed but I don’t plan on looking at it.  As long as I feel comfortable, I’m happy.  I’m not at fully comfortable yet, but I do feel better and that’s what really matters to me.

Me and my twin.

I sometimes forget how alike Devon and I are. I also sometimes forget that we both have the same reactions to things.

I got a bit upset today about something. Admittedly, I was being a little overly sensitive but still, it upset me. As a result, I shut down, which I usually do. I don’t like to overreact or speak out of pure emotion when I’m upset, so I shut down until I can get control of myself. Devon is the same way. If I get upset with him and shut down, he pretty much follows suit and does the same thing back. It’s not the most effective plan of action, but it’s us.

So the majority of today, Devon and I are home and essentially not speaking. It’s not comfortable, at all. And I’m upset and us not speaking is making me more upset. Because, again, Devon and I are alike. Neither of us will chase after someone who is upset with us, that person needs to come to us when they are ready. All day, I wasn’t ready. But finally I couldn’t take the silence anymore so I went into our room to get my thoughts together and then invited him in so we could talk.

Devon is a good listener despite the fact that he believes he isn’t. He came in and I put all the upset feelings out in the open. What happened, why it upset me, etc. He didn’t tell me I was silly for getting upset or that my feelings were unfounded. He explained his point in the whole situation, he didn’t make excuses for what happened but explained himself.

I was in a relationship a few years ago where, if this same situation had happened, all of my upset feelings would have been dismissed by saying it was silly, and that I had no reason to be upset. Nothing would have been explained and nothing changed. Devon listened, he comprehended where I was coming from, he explained and even brought up a couple good points of his own that were somewhat related on his end. There was resolution and relief.

No relationship is perfect. It’s impossible to expect something like that. But both parties have to be willing to work on their relationship for it to be successful; you both have to be willing to talk to each other, to listen to each other, to put yourself completely out there even when it’s uncomfortable and to respect each other enough to not belittle anyone else’s emotions no matter what.

I appreciate and love Devon for that. I appreciate that we can have a deep heart-to-heart conversation about our relationship without any one getting upset or any belittling. We are both trying at this every day. Everything is always a work in process, our relationship is no different.

My Kinda Saturday Night

Domestication, huh?

I don’t think you can get much more domestic than Devon in his easy chair next to me (on the couch), a sleeping cat next to me, Etsy on the iPad, Bewitched on the TV, and a glass of wine and a candle lit on the coffee table.

You couldn’t pay me to take the club scene over this.

Scrabble Pics

For the last three days I have been obsessed with this game called Scrabble Pics that I found in the Apple App Store (and it was free!).

Like…it’s bad. Pretty much all of my free time since Wednesday has been spent playing this. I’m on level 81 now. Part of me is just trying to see how high up the game goes and the other part…..might just be a little addicted.

In all honesty it doesn’t rally have THAT much to do with Scrabble; it’s more like a crossword puzzle that uses Scrabble tiles. You have to use the available tiles to match the pictures on the top and the left and some of them are tricky so your vocabulary needs to be up to par.

But then you see the finished screen and you get all excited and feel the need to go on to the next puzzle, which, of course is harder. You spend five minutes wondering why you kept going when you got your victory but you’re not a quitter so you have to keep trying until you win again and start the whole process over again. It’s frustrating but so much fun!!

Okay, I might have a small problem in my love of this game. But only a small one.