First 5k distance!

I DID IT!  I DID IT!  I DID IT!

In anticipation of my March 11, 2012 5k I decided to see just how close to 5 kilometers I could actually get and I really surprised myself when I ran (read jogged) all 3.11 miles of it.  Granted, it took me 40 minutes and it was on a treadmill in a temperature controlled room but I DID IT!!  Now to work on my time...

Also, I like this cartoon.  Not only did I look like that on the treadmill this morning but it's that time of year again and my niece is in Brownies...AHHH!!!

Shamrocks and Shenanigans

Hello, my name is Nicole and I have NO MOTIVATION!  I don't know what's going on but I just haven't been able to get my butt moving over the last few weeks.  I truly think a big part of that has been all of the stress at work, I'd go into it but I'm trying to curb my negativity, but lets just say things have been less than pleasant since moving to the new hospital and losing being a person short.  Don't get me wrong, I love the new space.  It's big, beautiful and so clean. However, people have gone crazy and we're just trying to say afloat.  On the positive side of things we are fixing work flow issues in the clinic and I hired a new employee who starts on January 9th!!

Besides being stress at work I just feel like I'm not working towards anything and I'm the sort of person who needs an end.  When I was going through C25k this summer I had a training schedule and I was a machine.  The paper told me to do it so I did it! Now, the paper tells me I'm done and I'm lost.

As I see it I have two options.  I can whine and sit on this plateau FOREVER or I can find a new plan.  So, new plan it is.  My coworkers Jill, Julie and I have decided to sign up for the Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5K in March! I have never actually run a 5K. Even when doing the program this summer my pace was slow enough that in 30 minutes I only went about 2.5 miles instead of the 3.2ish that is in a 5K.  I've also NEVER run outside. Well, scratch that...I just ran outside, in the cold.  My legs were good, my heart rate was spot on but my lungs were on fire.  I'm going to have to rethink the face mask thing to heat the air up. Anyway, I have two months to get prepared for a race with my co-workers so that I don't looks like a giant slug.  Fortunately for me I think I'm running more than either of them but they'll probably train more easily without being as overweight as I am.

Anywho, that's it for this morning.  I hope you all have a very merry Christmas weekend!

23 and 1/2 hours

Hi!  I know I've been gone for a very long time...too long, in fact. However, work has been insane and I literally get home at night, eat dinner, clean up a bit, crash and start over the next day.  I've been meaning to blog for days now but every time I sit down at my computer I think of how much warmer and cozier I'd be on my couch and that thought wins. Today though, I had a nice little reminder from a lovely friend of mine that I should stop being a slacker and BLOG! I have many thoughts to share but I don't have the brain power for it tonight so I'm going to take the easy road and promise a real blog entry later this week (read, this weekend) and share this really cool video with you instead.  Jessica posted this on Facebook the other day and I watched it, which almost made me late for work, but it was so good I just knew I had to share it with you.  It's a bit on the long side but if you can find nine minutes to spare, and you really should try, I think it's very insightful.  So, without further ado...

Boxes, blizzards and bacon oh my!

I'm going to start with a profound though...bacon smells good! :-)  Sadly, my dear Sheena finally got another job and she's leaving us. To say good-bye we're having a farewell potluck for her on Thursday. I decided to make two casseroles and they are completely different in just about every imaginable way with the exception of the fact that they are both very tasty. First, I'm making a ridiculously healthy spaghetti squash casserole. It's full of veggie goodness and I really hope people like it.  I guess I will if nothing else.  The other casserole I'm making is about as bad for you as it can get and was inspired by a recent trip to the cafeteria. Last week they had a baked potato bar and I thought it would be really cool to try and make a baked potato casserole.  I'm not even going to waste my time calculating the calorie content.  I honestly think I'd rather just eat in happy ignorance.  I mean, come on, how good can it be when the main ingredients are a butt load of potatoes, 1 pound of bacon and lots of cheddar cheese.  That's not even taking into consideration the sour cream and mayo.  It will be bad, but so good! I also made my first batch of caramel corn and will be taking the majority of that in.  I decided that my caramel corn is just too good and I can't keep it in the house! p.s. seems how this blog is a day old I thought I'd let you know that I finished the baked potato casserole and it is SO damn good.  I can't wait to share it tomorrow!

Winter is here...boo.  Michigan had it's first blizzard last night and into this morning.  Thankfully we only got about an inch of snow in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti but there were areas not too far from here that got 10 inches.  I wouldn't mind the inch of snow but we also got 2 inches of rain yesterday and had some serious flooding. Unfortunately the temp dropped before the flood water did and all of our flooding froze.  There was some serious ice out there this morning.  Fortunately I have a garage so my car wasn't iced over and I just bought new winter boots over the weekend which meant that I didn't kill myself going to work out this morning. A lot of kids had their first snow day today...seems a bit early to be dealing with that.

Technically I have nothing to say about boxes because all of our packing for the new hospital  is being done in crates but I really wanted the effect of the alliteration.  We are in full swing to move this weekend.  I can't believe that we're finally moving into the new space. The next two days could prove to be very stressful at work. I really don't want to work on Saturday so I might have to put in some long hours on tomorrow and Friday.  Things seem to be going well so far.  Sure, there are problems but that's to be expected when you're moving an entire hospital.  Hopefully we'll be able to work out all of the kinks over the next few days. I can't wait to finally be in 1 location.  All of this running back in forth is making people cranky.

I guess before I close I have one more B for you.  I just found out yesterday that we get bonuses this year...yay!  I wasn't going to buy myself a Christmas present but now that I have an unexpected bit of cash I think I'm finally going to break down and buy myself one of the Keurig coffee makers.  The little one is just under $100 and will be perfect for me.  It's a bit extravagant but I never buy anything fun for myself.  I can't wait!

Alright, that's it.  I need to go snooze on the couch now!

Black Friday Success!

Happy day after Thanksgiving! I hope that you all had a wonderful turkey day and are ready to embark upon the Christmas season.  Let's face it, ready or not here it comes! I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home, my dinner was great but sadly I had to watch the Lions lose.  I was really hoping for a better game but I guess there's always next year!  I was up way too early yesterday and got in a really good workout, factor in the carb overload from lunch (apparently the latest research says it's not the turkey) and I was almost passed out on my couch at 8:00. I did manage to stay up and watch the new Charlie Brown cartoon.  It was all about Linus breaking his blanket habit. I don't think I realized just how neurotic most of the Peanuts character are until I watched last nights' show, especially poor Linus.

Just as I was heading to bed my grandpa Warnke called me.  He was at my aunt's when I called earlier in the day.  Ladies, I have to say that I'm always sad when I get off the phone with my grandpa. He's an awful lot like me when it comes to phone talking.  With rare exception he'd rather not do it.  However, in order to keep in touch we must. We never talk for more than a few minutes.  I could tell yesterday that he was ready to get off the phone but I think he's so lonely that he kept hanging on.  He'd go to end the conversation and after I said good-bye he'd start a new topic. I don't know that he'll ever be able to adjust to my grandma not being there. I can't imagine having someone in your life for so long and then have them be gone.  The loneliness must be terrible.  I'm alone a lot of the time, but I'm very rarely lonely.  When I am, it's miserable. It just breaks my heart. I should really change the topic or I'm going to be crying again.  I'm really hoping that this emotional thing that I got after my mom passed away will get in check some day!

After my workout this morning I decided to brave the crowds and do a bit of shopping.  I had a plan in mind and tried to stick to it as much as possible. I went to Jo-Ann's first.  I'm currently working on a baby blanket for PJ and the yarn I'm using was on sale.  I also needed some heavy duty fabric to fix my new winter coat.  Apparently when I never raised my arms or reached out in front of me when I first got it.  When I wore it last week, about 3.5 inches of wrist was exposed while I was driving.  Damn my broad, man-like shoulders.  Anyway, the woman who altered my dress is going to make cuffs to help keep my wrists warm this winter.  I picked up a pretty purple corduroy and a black plead.  I'm not sure which fabric will work best so I'll show both to Arta and return whatever I don't use.  I couldn't believe the lines at Jo-Ann's.  If I wasn't saving over $10 on the fabric for the coat I honestly don't know if I would have waited. 

After Jo-Ann's I was almost scared to head to other stores but I just couldn't pass up the deals.  Old Navy had killer prices on kid's clothes.  There were a ton of people but I have to admit, the staff sure was snappy about moving people through the check out lines.  I don't think I waited for 5 minutes.  I'm sure it would have been much worse if I had gone early but by 11:00 it wasn't bad at all. After a quick peppermint mocha break (yummy!!) I made my way across town to Fashion Bug and Payless. I'm not going to lie that all of my purchases there were personal but I needed new winter tops and boots. Fashion Bug had all tops buy one get one free and Payless had all boots 50% off.  I mean really, could I beat getting 50% off when the items are a necessity. I needed new winter boots, mine from last year were leaking and breaking down, after three years that really isn't a surprise.   And I literally have 2 long, sleeve shirts that actually fit me that aren't track jackets. My final stop of the afternoon was Wal-Mart.  Oddly I spent more there than anywhere else and didn't buy a single thing on sale.  Although, to be fair I just wanted to finish a bit more of my shopping today and the things I wanted were there. All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about my day of spending.  I'm just really glad I get paid three times in December!

I think the rest of my Christmas shopping should be straight forward. I'm planning on buying the rest of the kid's presents on Monday.  I'm hoping because it's 'cyber Monday' that I'll be able to find what I want on sites that have free shipping.  I figure seems how I'm not going home for Christmas this year I'll just have all of the kids gifts sent to Karla's house and then she can wrap them for me.  It's cheaper to pay for store shipping most of the time than to send it through the post office.  She's a good sport and doesn't mind doing my wrapping.  She's such a good little elf!  My only tricky person left is my brother Brad.  I got him for the big kid exchange.  I honestly don't know what to get him.  I told him if he doesn't send me a list he's getting a household item and smelly lotion.  I hope he doesn't think I'm joking :-)

Alright, I think I'm going to go tidy my bedroom.  I got a bedside table from a friend who is moving so now I need to rearrange some things. Have a great weekend!

p.s. Jenny, the cranberry pork loin (well, I used chops) was fantastic. I just wish I hadn't used the cranberry sauce I had in the cupboard...it was a little old and tasted a bit like tin can.  Oh well, live and learn!

Recipe: zesty wheat berry and black bean chili

First, let me just say that I drastically underestimated the sheer quantity of soup that my first batches of soup would produce.  As such, I didn't actually make my third and most anticipated soup until the weekend. I really wasn't sure how this soup and I would get along.  To be honest I have a hard time with the texture of grains sometimes. With the exception of preferring my pasta al dente I tend to eat the majority of my grains on the over-cooked side and when grains have a firmer final texture it tends to be a turn off for me.  When I cooked the wheat berries early in the day Sunday I was a bit nervous because they were a bit too hard for my liking.  However, I figured once I cooked them in the soup they'd soften up a bit; which, of course, they did.  At the end of the process I had an amazingly hearty chili that is so damn healthy you won't believe it!

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow bell pepper,chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 2 14-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (see Tip)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 2 cups Cooked Wheat Berries (follow the direction on the package.  About 2/3 c. dry wheat berries make 2 cups cooked)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotle to taste, broth and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through, about 5 minutes more. (If using frozen wheat berries, cook until thoroughly heated.) Remove from the heat. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.

Naturally, it wouldn't be a recipe on my blog unless I made a few changes.  First, I used a red pepper, mostly because I couldn't find a decent yellow pepper.  I pretty much assume that sweet peppers are interchangeable so I don't think color matters, just don't use green. Next, I added the wheat berries at the same time I added the beans and tomatoes.  Again, this was for personal texture issues.  As I'm typing I realize that I didn't add the lime juice last night.  I'll stick some in tonight...I think it will be a great addition.  Finally, I didn't garnish with cilantro or avocado.  I don't care for cilantro and I couldn't come up with a good way to chop up an avocado without it getting disgusting after a few minutes.  Seems how I'll be eating this soup for 5 days I figure I'll just skip that part.  However, I might grab some of the 'Biggest Loser' individual guacamole packets and see how those go with it.

This recipe is easy and so much fun to make.  If you're skeptical about the wheat berries it would still be really good without them. 

Recipe: ravioli and vegetable soup

I have officially completed two of my three new soup recipes for the week.  While the ravioli vegetable soup is amazing, the chicken and white bean soup was a bust so I won't be sharing that recipe.  I'm really hoping that the chili recipe is good, I'd hate to be 1 for 3 at the end of the week!

When I made the ravioli soup I couldn't believe how quick, easy and delicious it was.  The only change I made was to use tortellini instead of ravioli. It's not that I have a preference for one little stuffed pasta over the other, but the only ravioli they had was 'meat' and I'm always a bit skeptical of the quality of meat that they use in the pasta. At the end of the day use whatever you like best.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 1 15-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or marjoram
• 1 6- to 9-ounce package fresh or frozen cheese (or meat) ravioli, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 cups diced zucchini, (about 2 medium)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pepper-onion mix, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water and basil (or marjoram); bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.

Normally but the 5th time I'm eating something I just want it to be gone because I'm sick of it.  I was really sad to finish this soup at lunch today, it was just that good. I can't wait to make this again.

Soup's on, part deux

Jenny, you are my inspiration!  Your blog title spoke to me and as I was reading about your tomato soup (which I love Campbell's Tomato Soup) all I could think about was having a soup's on-week.  So, I'm doing it and the menu this week consists of tortelini and vegetable soup; chicken and canellini bean soup and zesty wheat berry and black bean chili. I'm really excited, not just because I get to eat boatloads of soup but also because I get two opportunities to work with ingredients I've never tried before. The chicken soup calls for leeks and I've never cooked with wheat berries before. I can't wait!!

Anyway...soup's on!

Recipe: sweet potato and black bean chili

I don't know about you, but I love this time of year because it means soup!  I honestly can't think of a better meal on a cold night than a hot bowl of delicious soup. I've started my winter goal of making a pot of soup every week and the sweet potato and black bean chili I made last week was wonderful. I'm still on the fence about the spicy onion and apple soup I made this week. The more I eat it the better it gets but I don't know if I'd ever make it again. If I finally decide that I like it, I'll post the recipe. For now, you'll have to settle for just the chili.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

I did tweak a few things while making this recipe. First, I didn't add the ground chipotle chili, not because I didn't think it would be good but because I forgot to pick it up both times that I went to the store. I also left out the fresh cilantro because I don't personally care for cilantro. I'm pretty sure that I also added a bit of Frank's hot sauce because I was a bit shy on the called for amount of chili powder. You can play with the seasonings to make it as mild or hot as you like...there is no right or wrong. I got this recipe from eatingwell.com and one of the serving suggestions was to eat the soup with tortilla chips. I was pretty short on calories the days that I was eating this chili so I picked up some multigrain scoops and gave it a shot, boy was that good! Whether you eat it with a spoon or chip this is a must have chili for anybody who likes sweet potatoes or black beans.

No-scale November!

Ladies, I have hit another plateau in my weight loss attempt. I am so stinking close to losing 100 pounds but it's just not happening. I have been losing and regaining the same 3 pounds for a month...a MONTH! Now, had I not gone home and had 2 week of naughtiness followed by another week of trying to get back on track I might be at that beautiful milestone but if's aren't cutting it right now. I'm not worried, I hit a plateau right before I hit the 50 pound mark as well and eventually busted through, it's just frustrating to lose a pound, gain a pound, lose 1.5 pounds, gain 2 pounds, lose 2.5 pounds etc. So, in an attempt to salvage my sanity and the well being of my scale I have decided to embark upon a no-scale November.

I have been weighing myself everyday for the last 6 months. Now, many people might not like this fact. There are, in fact, many people who recommend that you only weigh yourself once a year. I think that's great if you're of normal weight and you're just trying to maintain. However, I find that when I'm actively trying to lose weight that the scale is just another tool in my arsenal. Because of my daily weigh-ins I know how my body responds to all sorts of things: hormones, salt, really hard workouts, GI issues, over/under hydration, lack of sleep etc. The daily fluctuations don't bother me at all because that's part of a daily weigh-in. It also keeps me from freaking when I gain over 5 pounds that special time of the month because I know in about 5 days it will all be gone. I calculate my actual weight loss not by daily numbers but by my monthly weight trend. Most days of most months I can look back to the previous month and find that I have lost about 5-9 pounds between the two. As long as my monthly weight trends down I'm happy. However, that did not happen from September to October. So, I figure for the next few weeks I'll fly blind. I plan to change up my workout plans, not because of the plateau but because I've been needing to do it, and really focus on a strong, healthy diet and by the time I get back on the scale in December I should be at, or over, 100 pounds.

Anyway, on to other things. Work is going well but it's been crazy since I've been back and it's going to be getting crazier. The move to the new hospital was pushed back. We were supposed to be moving this coming week and weekend but it's now been moved to the first weekend of December. I'm really excited about this because I can't imagine being ready to move by Thursday. Also, I think I'm going to be in the market for a new employee soon. Sheena got a job offer as a night-shift patient care tech on 5E which is the pediatric cardiology inpatient floor. Apparently the letter of recommendation I wrote her really stuck out because the hiring manager and the woman who did the interview both sought me out to tell me how good it was. I'm glad they liked it but I was really hoping to not have to replace Sheena until after the new year. She is such a strong employee and we're still training Jill so it would be nice to have her in place until Jill is fully functional but I guess I don't get to make that decision. I'm going to miss Sheena but this job will be really good for her and her family. Fortunately I had another applicant when I hired Jill that was a really strong candidate and as far as I know he's still interested in our department so I know that there will be at least one good applicant this time.

That's pretty much it for now. I still have some blog ideas, I just need to find some time to get them down on paper. I think I might make it a goal this week to get a few most posts. If nothing else I have a soup recipe I would like to share, maybe two. My sweet potato and black bean chili that I made last week was amazing and today I'm going to whip up a pot of spicy onion and apple soup. If it's any good I'll share that recipe too!

Slacker, party of one...

 Happy Halloween weekend all! I can't believe that Halloween is almost upon us. October flew by so fast and now it's almost gone. I suppose being on vacation for half of the month didn't help in the time flying business. I just realized today that I haven't put any Halloween or fall decorations up. If there weren't so much work involved in getting them out of storage I might still throw a few things out but I think I'm going to have to let this year slide. At least I was able to locate my Halloween door mat. My mom would come back and haunt me if I didn't have at least something Halloweeny around.

My trip home was amazing. I could go into a lot of detail but this blog would last forever so I just have to say that everything was perfect and beautiful, just like a wedding should be. Karla and Justin are so obviously in love, it's kind of sick at times. I was almost glad to leave for Charles City the Tuesday after the wedding because the newlywed bliss was starting to make me nauseous...in a good way, of course. However, Cody and Tasha are all of the sudden mushy in love again so I didn't really get away from the gooiness all that much. I am so happy that my brother and sister found partners who they will be forever happy with. It warms my heart just a little to know that they will be in love forever and ever! What more can a sister ask for.

Speaking of romance, my family had an EPIC fail in an attempt to set me up with my sister's boss at the wedding. The 'auctioning' off of Scott was a genius idea, and stuffing a 20 in my hand right before it started was good planning. However, he ended up getting Kim's (my step-sister) number and they actually had their fifth date last night. Karla, Justin, Lacey and Shawn (Scott's sister-in-law and brother respectively) had grand ideas of a Warnke/Soifer love connection but it looks like they're going to have to settle for a Roepke/Soifer fling instead. Scott is a nice guy and I know he was interested in me but I can't get mixed up in a long-distance relationship right now, at least not with someone I don't really like in a romantic way so I'm very much OK with the Kim/Scott thing. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out in the end.

My birthday was fabulous. I was starting to feel better and I could speak by then...yay! I got to see lots of friends, but not all :-( and even ate sushi (not so amazing).  I think with everything else going on I didn't really feel like it was my birthday but that's OK. I'm liking 29 so far...I actually think it's going to be a really great year. I hope that by the time 30 rolls around I will be at or very near my goal weight and just really enjoying the fact that as I get a year older I get a year healthier. However, I need to stop being a slacker for that to happen!

I don't know what my deal is but I have been losing steam over the last few weeks. If it was just the vacation and the week after it wouldn't frustrate me so much but I was slacking even before. I hope it was just the I'm going on vacation soon thing playing into it but I have to get back to my original game plan. My eating hasn't been horrible but it hasn't been great. I'm still working out a few times a week but it's not as regularly as I would like. I've gotten into the habit of skipping some of my early morning workouts during the week and I have to fix that now. I think part of the problem is that this time of year makes me want to stay in bed all snugly and warm. I'm really looking forward to daylight savings. Hopefully that will help me feel more awake early in the morning. Also, as a side note, why the hell didn't skinny people tell me how much colder it is when you don't have as much insulation? I'm not anywhere near skinny and I already have a lot lower tolerance for cold. I can't believe it. I'm going to freeze to death this winter if I don't buy some clothes because I don't have much in the way of warm clothing that fits. This could get expensive. I hope to find some good deals.

I think that's about it. I have settled on a culinary goal for this winter. I would like to try and make a big pot of soup each week. There are so many great recipes out there and I really do enjoy soup. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Have a great weekend!

p.s. I only gained 1.7 pounds on vacation...whew!

And I'm out...

Happy Monday and wedding week!  OK, I know it's only wedding week for me but I just had to share the enthusiasm. I'm not technically leaving until tomorrow but I doubt I'll be on here tonight so I thought I'd say my short-term farewell while I had a few minutes this morning.

Things have been really crazy at work lately.  We ran -1 person for two weeks which was hectic and then my very first new hire started last Tuesday. She's doing really well and I think she's going to be an excellent addition to our team. She's caught onto things pretty quickly so I know she'll be a tremendous asset to the rest of the lab when I'm gone. I'm just nervous because everyone has been working so hard already I hate leaving them for two weeks.  It's funny how quickly I've adopted a protective attitude about the lab. Oh well...they will survive and everything will be fantastic when I get back.

I'm also a bit apprehensive about my weight loss stuff while I'm back. With so much going on I know I'll be eating out more than normal and there will certainly be more snacking than I'm used to.  I just need to make sure that I try and keep myself in check as much as possible and get lots of physical activity. I'm OK gaining while I'm back, I just don't want to gain too much.

OK. I have to get to work. Have a wonderful mid October and I'll check in as soon as I get home!!

1:300,000 those are odds I can get behind!

There was a bit of a scare this week in the Warnke family.  Because of her hypothyroidism and advanced age (who knew 30 was advanced), Karla has been seeing a specialist in the high risk OB clinic at the University of Iowa.  Because she is now on medication to regulate her thyroid hormone she has to have a fetal ultrasound every four weeks to make sure that little PJ is growing appropriately.  Apparently if mom is shrinking you can't use belly measurements to keep an eye on the fetus. At her appointment on Monday Karla received some scary news.  During the ultrasound the sonographer noticed two choroid plexus cysts in the right brain hemisphere. While these cysts are sometime benign they can also mean chromosomal abnormalities, especially if the risk factor from Mom is elevated.

Karla was understandable upset when she heard this news, especially when it was paired with the nurse telling her that she has two weeks to terminate the pregnancy. Now Karla and Justin had talked about the possibility of something like this happening and decided that as long as Karla wasn't at risk that termination would never be an option. However, she wanted more information.  If  the doctors were talking termination did that mean that there was no hope for a healthy baby? What should she expect when or even if little PJ arrived? Her nurse, who I'd like to someday find and shake really hard briefly mentioned trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome), spinal gap (which I assume is the spina bifida family) and then went into a huge discussion of trisomy 18 (which is really, really bad).

After Karla heard 35 minutes of how her baby probably won't make it to term and if he does his median life expectancy is 15 days she was a wreck.  Her doctor finally came in and asked if she'd like to do a blood draw to see what maternal risk factor for any of these three chromosomal was?  After the results of the blood test came back the doctor said that they could move ahead with an amniocentesis if it looked like her risk factor was high.

Don't get me wrong, I work in the medical field and I understand the importance of giving patients and families all of the facts and not candy coating the bad stuff.  However, scaring the hell out of a hormonal woman is not OK.  They told her that it could be benign, yes, but what they didn't tell her is that in the absence of any other indicator or risk factor of genetic issues that there is a very, very weak correlation to these cysts and one of the three issues mentioned above. You would think that this would have come up at some point given the fact that PJ, besides these two cysts, is perfect. He is growing and moving as he should be.  His heart is good, his limbs are good, his liver and kidneys and everything else that they can see at this point are good. Even without her blood tests his risk of anything chromosomal would appear to be low.

Anyway, she got her blood test results back which give her a 1 in 300,000 risk of having a baby with any of the previously mentioned abnormalities, the chances are that we will have a very healthy baby sometime in February. It was just a really long week waiting for that call from the doctor and it didn't have to be as tense for them, or the rest of the family, as it was.  I get not wanting to give false hope to a family but at some point why not employ the wait and see policy before you scare the crap out of someone.  Anyway, the news was good in the end.  Hopefully the cysts are gone by week 32, if they're benign that's normally the point that they're gone.  I just want Karla and Justin to have a perfect baby, not that they or we would love a baby with a medical problem less but I just want the best for them.

Alright, I need get my butt in gear so I can enjoy some of this beautiful day.  Have a wonderful week ladies!

Who knew hard work could be so much fun?!?!

I've been feeling a bit underwhelmed by my workouts lately and I've been looking for a change.  I love the jogging and the weight lifting but at some point a girl needs a little more variety in her life. My problem is that I have multiple limitations at the moment, the most pressing is that I don't have a lot of extra fundage with the wedding just around the corner.  I thought about taking a fitness class at work but not only are they expensive, most of them only meet once a week which really isn't enough for me.  I could see myself learning my new exercise of choice and then forgetting everything in the 6 day reprieve before the next class. Joining a gym is currently out of the question because of my money situation so I decided I'd buy some new workout DVDs.

I'm always a bit hesitant to buy DVDs because there is a 50/50 chance that they'll actually be any good. I really want to work on fat burning and muscle toning so I thought I might try a Tae Bo type workout. I was reading reviews online and came across some really good reviews for a handful of kickboxing DVDs.  The problem that they all seemed to have in common was that they weren't good for beginners, which I clearly am.  I was about to abandon the idea of kickboxing when I had an idea. Why not see what's available on Netflix.  Worst case scenario I try a workout and it's either terrible and I don't do it again; it's good but too hard for a beginner or it's good and at a level that I can manage.

I hopped online and pulled up the instant view section of Netflix and while there isn't a huge selection available for streaming there is a fairly decent variety of exercises.  I opted to try 10 Minute Solution: Kickboxing Boot Camp. I like the way the program is set up.  In each of the 10 Minute Solution DVDs there are 5, 10 minute workouts.  In the kickboxing DVD each 10 minute section focuses on one area of the body. It's nice because you can either do smaller chunks of the DVD or all of it for a total body kickboxing experience.

The intensity level was fantastic.  I haven't worked that hard in a very long time.  I'm sorry if this is gross but I was literally dripping sweat.  I didn't even sweat that much when I was jogging this summer in the crazy ridiculous heat. The instructor started at a quick pace yet she managed to break down the moves in such a way that even I, someone who is clumsy and uncoordinated, could follow along with relative ease.  I found I spent a great deal of time laughing at myself last night while I was doing the lower body section because I was having a hard time following along but when I did it again today I was able to do most of the moves.  Last night I tried the first three sections and just watched the fourth.  Today I did the first four and watched the fifth. The fourth section was definitely the most physically intense of the bunch, at least of the ones that I've done.  I watched the abs section and that is going to have to wait a while.  I am simply not at the appropriate level of fitness to do those exercises without risking injury to my lower back.

I think the best part of the whole experience is how much fun I had doing it.  I couldn't believe how quickly I got the the cool-down section of each routine. I knew I was working hard and I was definitely ready for a little break but the time just flew by.  In fact, I think that I was having so much fun today that I over did it.  I probably should have stuck with the first three sections and skipped the fourth.  My deltoids are screaming at me.  However, as one John Mellencamp said, 'it hurts so good.' I haven't been sore from a workout in a long time and it's actually nice to know that I did something that really challenged my body. I hope to be able to test some of the other 10 Minute Solutions over the next few weeks.  It'll be nice to add some variety without having to spend any additional money.

OK, I need to make lunch and head to bed so I can get up and hit the treadmill tomorrow.  Have a fantastic week!

This 'Healthy Lady' is kind of a sad lady today...

If you could only see me you probably wouldn't be able to stop laughing. I'm sitting here typing in a halter topped, glittery dress with my washed yesterday hair in a messy knot on the top of my head and my as of yet unwashed face showing the remnants of make-up from yesterday that my quick wash last night didn't get rid of. Why, you might ask, am I sitting here looking like Carrie after the prom minus the blood? There is a good explanation. It's kind of a hum glum day in Michigan.  We're lacking sunshine and the weather peeps said it was supposed to rain on and off all day (although they haven't delivered on that yet) so I figured it would be a good day to work in the closet again.  I was in there in May and got 3 full garbage bags of clothes out and it just felt like time to do it again.  Many of my summer clothes were too big the last half of the season so they had to go and I left some winter stuff last spring that I wasn't sure if it would fit or not.  Well, most of the questionable stuff doesn't fit which doesn't surprise me.  A lot can happen in just over 30 pounds which is what I lost this summer.  My problem is not that my clothes don't fit but that I'm finding it hard to get rid of a lot of the stuff that's still in my closet. Enter the pretty sparkly dress that I'm wearing right now.

Don't get me wrong. I love, love, love the fact that I'm losing weight and becoming healthier but it's so sad getting rid of some of my favorite older, too large pieces of clothing. I can justify keeping old sweatshirts and flannel pants around, at least for now, because who cares if my lounging in the cold clothes are too big.  Isn't that what makes them so comfy? What I can't justify is keeping items like this dress and other fancier garb in my closet.  It's nice that I've been able to give a lot of my old clothes to Diane (Tasha's mom/Bob's lady friend) and I've held onto a few exceptionally nice items for Karla, should she ever get down to my former sizes, so a lot of it is at least staying in the family but it's still hard to say good-bye. 

I think my attachment to this dress is that my mom loved it.  I've found over the last 14 months that I have a harder time getting rid of things that remind me of her.  Hell I broke a pair of scissors that she got me and I didn't throw them for almost two weeks.  I finally got tired of the handle breaking off every time I tried to cut something so I threw them out but I still felt guilty about it.I know that's silly but there it is.

I think the bottom line is, if I'm being honest, that I'm just getting more sentimental and mushy as I get older.  I suddenly understand how people become hoarders.  Not that I'll ever let it get that bad but I get the mentality behind it.  Oh well, I guess I'm taking a step in the right direction by cleaning out my closet now.  I certainly don't want to be one of those ladies who keeps a closet full of clothes that don't fit. With my tendency to cling it's probably only a short leap to keeping gum wrapers, paper clips, old phone books and stuffed cats. 

OK, I should get back to work so I can get the rest of my house work done today.

Recipe: pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon-cream cheese frosting

I find it funny that I have become the baker of my department.  I was always a fair cook but I was a disaster when it came to baking, hopeless.  I don't know how and when it changed but now I have the reputation of a sweet tooth savant and get requests from my colleagues.  Julie's birthday was over the weekend and weeks ago she found a recipe and requested that I make it.  I looked at it, saw pumpkin and cinnamon-cream cheese and I was hooked.  I was just telling Jenny that I hadn't posted a recipe in a while so I figured what better way to start off my new blog than by posting an sinfully delicious recipe that is in no way going to make me or anybody more healthy, especially when you eat three of them in one day...yep, three.  I felt pretty miserable Sunday night but it was so worth it :-) 

You will need:

1 spice cake mix
1 c. sour cream (I used reduced fat)
1, 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1/4 c. oil
3 eggs

8 oz. cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake tins (24 cupcakes) with cupcake papers.

Combine cake mix, sour cream, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Divide evenly between cupcake liners.  Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool completely.

In a bowl combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla and cinnamon until well blended.  Gradually blend in powdered sugar. Frost cooled cupcakes.

I brought these to work today and they were gone in record time and everybody loved them.  They're really easy to make but you could also just make a cake if you were in a time crunch. However you serve this recipe it will be delicious and people will want the recipe...go kraft.com!!