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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Tracks of My Tears

I am NOT big into American Idol. It is not that I don't like it...It just hasn't really ever hooked my interest. But this song was actually really good! I think I like this guy! So right now Adam Lambert has my vote for the next American Idol. I guess I'll have to see if he can hang on to it for the rest of the season...

Update: Well apparently they took down the video of the song I had posted. But you can find others if you search for it. I just can't post them.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Quick Update

At this moment in time...I am well. At least for the most part. Now don't hold your breath because at the rate I'm going about 10 minutes from now I could be in bed with my next disabling disease. I last posted on Sunday while I was still getting worse. By Monday I was so sick and half crazy with pain that I got up and drove myself back to the clinic and told my doctor that he hadn't done anything but made me worse. Long story short...I had strep throat and "something else" to quote the doctor. He wasn't sure what the "something else" was but he gave me a shot in the rear end, a really high powered antibiotic (4 pills a day), and a pain med called hydrocodone (which was really, really good!). The pain meds made me a little loopy so at one point I told Kevin and my parents that it looked like a bird had pooped in my throat because of all the swelling and puss on my tonsils.

Finally starting feeling a little better on Thursday which was good because that was my adorable husband's 28th birthday!

Happy 28th Birthday Kevin Allen Johnson! You are more handsome and loved than ever!

I managed to finally get out a little that day. My mom drove me around since I wasn't tip top shape yet and we went and bought Kevin birthday cards, a lemon meringue pie, and a small cake to share. We ate lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings with my parents and Kevin's co-workers. I managed to do ok during lunch but didn't eat much. I felt bad since we didn't get to go to Haskell due to my illness so I wanted to give Kevin some kind of celebration. By Thursday night I was feeling much better. We went over to Lacy and Dusty's house for a little while and had a nice visit.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday flew by with me trying to finish all the things I didn't get done while I was sick. I didn't even get started on my assignments for grad school I wanted to work on. I'm still working on 3rd quarter grades. The latest I should turn them in to the teachers is Wednesday so I'm trying to get them done. I'm going to work on them tomorrow along with grocery shopping and turning in my updated application for SAISD and an application for the new charter school Texas Leadership Charter Academy. It'll be a busy day. Took my last antibiotic today so hopefully I'll stay well for a while. Back to my grades now...
Love,
Katy

Menu Plan Monday 3/23/09



These posts will be quick because I have grading to get back to...

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by I Am An Organizing Junkie.

Monday-A version of Breakfast for Dinner: Toast and Scrambled eggs with Ham & Cheese.
Tuesday-Crock Pot Roast
Wednesday-Tortilla Chicken Soup (I'm trying a different version than last time! I think I'll like this one better!)
Thursday-Rachel Ray's Bean Burrito Turkey Burgers
Friday-Leftovers or out to eat!!!

I'm also going to attempt a Lemon Meringue Pie sometime this week! I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

I'm just gonna come right out and say it...

This totally SUCKS!!! About 5 minutes after I wrote my post for spring break I went to get a drink and noticed my throat was a little sore. Nothing terrible just annoying like I swallowed a chip wrong. I tried to go to bed a few hours later and was up all night long! I went to the walk-in clinic on saturday and was told I have strep throat!!! I'm absolutely miserable! On top of the strep throat I'm having congestion in my nose & ears and drainage running down my throat making it worse! I just finished my last antibiotics a week ago! I had so much planned to get accomplished this weekend and now I can't do anything. I haven't had strep in years but I never remember it being this bad. My temperature stayed at 102.0 for a very long time and I've barely slept. Pray for me cause I'm miserable and pray for Kevin so he won't get it. I love my students but dang I wish they wouldn't get me sick!

Friday, March 13, 2009

It's Spring Break!!!

Yay!!! I'm very excited! Today started Spring Break with short day at work. I don't go in until 9:30 on Fridays and then school was released at noon. I was able to eat lunch at Mr. T's with Kevin, my dad, and Justin today! That is a nice treat when I usually only have 30 minutes for lunch. What is even better is that I don't have any grad school assignments due anytime soon so I don't have homework I have to do! If I choose to work on some when I have time, then I can, but they aren't due immediately.

We don't have any big plans for this week really. I'm going to work on our business's webpage and do some spring cleaning on my house. It has gotten disorganized during during the last couple of months. I'm in the mood to throw a bunch of stuff away. One of my main goals is to get my cookbooks back in order and organized. I have a lot a new recipes that I like since I've been menu planning and I want to get them all put in a binder.

My brother came over to visit us last night! I really enjoyed it! I had made the Chicken Tortilla Soup in my crockpot that day so we ate dinner, visited, watched TV, and I made Lemon Bars! They were the ready make box kind but were really good! Justin loved the soup but I thought it was a little bland. If you put cheese and sour cream on top it was good but not fantastic. I liked being able to put it all together ahead of time and then it cooking while I was subbing at Crockett but I think I'm going to look for a new recipe for that soup.

I'd like to go on a 1 night overnight trip this week to either San Marcos or maybe Dallas or even to Lane Bryant in Abilene but we'll see. I doubt it will happen.

The Tropical Island pork I cooked earlier this week was pretty good. I think I would like the sauce better on pork chops than pork loin roast. It would be good shredded up in a tortilla. The cheeseburger pie would've been REALLY good if...I hadn't overcooked the bacon. I got it too crisp in the pan and then when I put it in the pie it got a little burned. I'm giving up on cooking bacon because I always get it too done or just plain burned. Kevin will have to cook the bacon from now on because I give up! I have been all over Wal-Mart and Albertsons and at this point cannot find any Orzo pasta for that casserole I want to make. I think I might call HEB or IGA to see if they have it before I go look for it. So I don't know if that casserole will get made.

Well I've rambled on for long enough with no real news...

Love,
Katy

Monday, March 9, 2009

Menu Plan Monday 3/9/09



Still menu planning...I'm going to list this week's menu and then...I'm gonna review last week's menu.

Monday-Subway Subs

Tuesday-Tropical Island Pork
This calls for something called "kitchen bouquet". Since I didn't know what this was I found a substitute recipe for that ingredient...
-Put 1/4 cup brown sugar and in a heavy pan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is very dark brown but not burned. Add water slowly, stirring constantly. Let cool. Store in refrigerator.

Wednesday-Cheeseburger Pie
-I think I'm going to add some crispy crumbled bacon to this recipe before I bake it. Kevin LOVES bacon!

Thursday-Chicken Tortilla Soup

Friday-Leftovers or hopefully we'll get to go out to dinner somewhere!

Saturday/Sunday-Ham & Cheese Orzo Casserole
-This one looks like it could be a doozy..."mornay sauce, roux, Bechamel" but it sounds good. It will definately be an experiment. That is why this is a weekend recipe. (I'm also hoping my Mom will show up to help with this one! lol)

So that is the adventure I'm going to attempt this week. I also have a big assingment for grad school due tomorrow night and I'm subbing at Crockett Elementary on Thursday so hopefully this will all get done.

Last week I got several of the things cooked that I planned. (That doesn't normally happen.) The tortellini soup turned out TERRIBLE! I know it had to be something I did. I'm pretty sure that I burned the garlic or it was just bad. I tried a few bites and could get more than that down. Chalk it up to experience I guess. The Parmesan-Crusted porkchops were wonderful! I got the oil too hot on the first two so the outside got a little too done but the flavor was great! I ended up making the Hoison & Honey sauce and putting it on meatballs instead of the porkloin. The sauce was very good.

I did make it to the gym today and I've been writing my points in my three month journal really well! I've always used the electronic tracker but I stopped doing that so I decided maybe I needed to change things up. Not subbing in Eden tomorrow. I was going to but that assignment for Grad school is taking MUCH longer than expected. I'll get my grocery shopping and some other things done tomorrow as well.

I'm done rambling for today...
Love,
Katy

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Shame on me...

Well I just remembered that I forgot to post some huge news! Shame on me!!!

Kevin has reached his goal weight at Weight Watchers! He has lost 56.8 lbs! He will now stay on maintenance for 6 weeks and then become a life member. Once you are a life member you can still go to meeting but you don't have to pay! Yay!

I'm so proud of him! He really has done a good job and has helped me so much. On the day he reached goal I officially jumped over the 40 lb mark. I have lost 40.4 lbs total. I've still got a LONG way to go though before I reach goal.

Kevin has actually been at this weight for the last several months but has been trying to lose just a few more pounds. He talked to his doctor who said that he needed to stay at the weight he was. Apparently he wasn't losing because his body doesn't need to be there and if he had lost it he probably would've gained right back to this weight again. We started Weight Watchers at the very end of April and he reach this weight in November so it took him 7 months. I've been just a pound or so under forty since November also.

Thanksgiving really got us out of our habits and we hit a plateau. I'm really struggling to get back on track. I've been cooking more at home to save money and that hasn't been always good. I'm not very good at estimating portion size. I do really good at breakfast and lunch but dinner is my downfall. I also haven't been to the gym in FOREVER... I've actually been maintaining my weight really well but without working out it just isn't coming off.

Next week I'm going to go to the gym at least 3 times! That is my goal! Kinda a crazy goal considering I have a big assignment due, work, have a doctor appointment on wednesday, and I'm subbing for San Angelo and Eden next week but I will get it done!

I also received my updated teaching certificate this week! It shows all three of my certification areas and makes me very happy!

In honor of Kevin's great achievement I'm going to post some before and after pictures of him!

Before:
This 1st picture was taken on the beach in Cozumel while Kevin and I were on our cruise.



The second before picture was taken almost exactly a year ago on Kevin's 27th birthday. He will turn 28 on March 19! The change is amazing!



After:
The 1st after picture was actually taken last November but it was right when Kevin reached this weight and he looks amazing in it! I have the world's sexiest husband!



The second after picture is of Kevin in January 2009! After losing all that weight he was able to fit back into his Dress Blues!



Congratulations Kevin! I love you so much and I'm so proud of you!!!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Menu Plan Monday 3/2/09



Well I'm getting back to my menu planning now. While Kevin and I were sick absolutely nothing got cooked. We lived off of chips, sandwiches, and canned soups. Menu Plan Monday is hosted by a blog called I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday-Skillet Sausage, Potatoes, and Green Beans
Tuesday-Tortellini Soup (Still trying to get this accomplished now that we're well.)
Wednesday-Out to eat after church
Thursday-Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Friday-Parmesan-Crusted Porkchops
Saturday or Sunday-Hoisin & Honey Pork Tenderloin

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Hilarious!

I think this is absolutely hilarious for some reason...just wanted to share!
Love,
Katy