Author Archives: Terri

Plans for March

I will be glad when March is over.  I admit to getting a little tired of Kahuna’s training taking priority over everything, even though I understand why it is so.

I’m trying to get my act back together this month by making me the primary focus.  I know it’s probably going to take some juggling to keep doing everything I want to do, but I’m going to give it my all.  I’ve slacked off in a lot of areas lately, and I’ll be taking steps to get it all back under control.

  1. I will actively look for another job.
  2. I will get back to WW meetings, faithfully.
  3. I will get back to eating better, faithfully.
    • 1 free day a week.  Period.
    • 1 fully vegetarian day a week.
  4. I will get back to the gym, faithfully, and build up to:
    • Walk 3x a week
    • Swim 3x a week.
    • Bike 2x a week.
  5. I will continue plugging away at my finances.  I’ve divided everything out and know that if I continue on the path I’m on now I can easily be ready to retire on Kahuna’s retirement date, if I decide to go that route at that time.
  6. I will continue to stitch in my stash as much as possible.
    • I will get The Token framed.  The fairgrounds has already notified me about this year’s entries.
    • I will get my TSL patterns up for sale.
    •  This month’s stitching goals include:
      • Start stitchalong for Hannah Beeby
      • Next lesson on Ann Holewll
      • Page 5 & 6 on French Alphabet Sampler
      • if any time left over, start Flying Monkies

February finally coming to an end

Man this month has felt long to me.  Then again I can’t believe tomorrow is March!  The year is going okay, so far!

February’s Goals:

Stitching: Finish the 5th page of French Alphabet Sampler. Finish the 1st 3 bands of Ann Holewll; reveal what I’ve been up to.  The reveal was Melissa’s birthday bourse and meal ;).  I did finish 1-3 on Ann Holewll, but didn’t get the 5th page of FAS done because I took time out to stitch on a RR.

Fitness: Doctor appointment Feb. 4. Do whatever doc thinks is necessary to get myself back on track for my triathlon training. Maintain weight.  The doc has me sleeping in a brace and wearing orthotics.  I’m having some trouble with both and am working on it.  Maintain weight!    😆

Professional: Continue working on personnel and accounting records.  Slowly but surely.  However, I have started actively looking for a new position.

Other: Continue to work 15 minutes reorganizing my home office.  I did excellent in this until this week.  I haven’t done anything.  I’ll start back tonight though and continue into March with this.  The room is looking a LOT better.

Adobo Chicken

Just for sweet Sue!

 This is the way I do it.  There are thousands of versions of this since Adobo is to the Filipinos what Apple Pie is to Americans 😉

These quantities are more than enough for 4 large chicken thighs.  I happen to love the “juice” after it’s cooked and will make extra rice and vegetables to eat the next day for leftovers. 

1/2 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon minced ginger  (not the powder stuff)

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

If you take the skin off the meat before cooking, be sure to leave it on at least 1 piece.  You really want a little “fat” in this recipe.  I leave the skin on while cooking and just toss it before serving. 

If you’re in a hurry:  Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside while you cook the chicken.  Put your chicken in a pan large enough to spread it all out.  Add enough water to just cover, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 40 minutes*.  Pour off the water, add the above mixture and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, turn the chicken, and cook for 20 minutes more.  I usually cook my rice during the 1st 20 minutes, then let it sit the 2nd 20 minutes while I’m steaming my veggies. 

If you’re not in a hurry:  Mix all the ingredients, place your chicken in a slow cooker, pour the “juice” over it and cook it on slow for 6-8 hours.  I do this when I’m cooking a lot of chicken and it’s great for when you’re using bone in breasts.  Warning….the meat will be falling off the bone, and you’ll need to strain it so you don’t choke on a small rib bone – trust me on this.

I almost always serve steamed broccoli flourets with this.

*If you’re using chicken breasts, you may have to cook the chicken a little longer to make sure it’s tender.  You won’t have to worry about this in a slowcooker.

10/17/10

Kahuna’s old retirement date.

17,107,200 seconds

285,120 minutes

4752 hours

28 weeks

198 days

Kahuna’s new retirement date.

83,289,600 seconds

1,388,160 minutes

23,136 hours

137 weeks

964 days

Excuse me while I weep 🙁

Brain dump

Didn’t really know what to title this.  It’s more of a “get it out of my brain” kind of post.

 Friday’s car disaster is over.  The rain didn’t let up much so I went out in the rain to cover it.  Looked like a wet rat when I got back in the house and kept hot water going all day for Japanese milk tea.  I didn’t watch the DVDs I have, but I did just about clear out the DVR and I got quite a bit of stitching done. 

Saturday the sun came out enough that I could uncover the car, roll down the windows and remind myself over and over not to let it happen again.   Of course, I also spent a lot of time looking out the window wondering if it was raining again.  Kahuna had a 56 mile bike ride and we ended up going swimming later that afternoon, after he recouperated some.

Sunday it was raining, again.  I was heading out the door to WW and discovered I hadn’t received my monthly pass, so I didn’t go.  I found out after I called them that I could print one off.  I could probably have figured that out earlier, but honestly I didn’t want to go out in the rain.  When it slacked up I headed to the grocery store, but it was raining again when I got there and all the carts were soaked.  It was an interesting experience seeing all the wet people and water on the floor everywhere while we shopped. 

Kahuna had a 2 hour run and wanted to re-carb so we went out to pizza.  We wanted to watch the NASCAR race, but it was raining north of us as well and the race was stopped.  I turned the Oscars on and sort of listened while stitching and finishing laundry.  I’ve seen so few of the movies, though, so it wasn’t all that great to  me.

I finished up a RR I was working on plus I finished the 1st 3 bands of Ann Holewll.  

I’m back on FAS and enjoying every stitch.  I reworked one of the parts to include Bandit’s name and will do the same elsewhere for Harley.  I’m working kind of weird on this page because of the rework and am keeping my fingers figuratively crossed that it works out.

I have errands to take care of after work today so am skipping the gym.  Tomorrow I start back running, but since it’s for such a short period (15 minutes) while I get used to my new orthotics, I’m swimming too.

Making Filipino Adobo Chicken for dinner tonight.  Haven’t had it in forever and I can practically smell it now.  I made brownies yesterday.  I’m getting back into my “homemaker” mode where I’m wanting to cook all the time again.  One more reason I need to be a kept woman….can cook more!

Tag, I'm it…again

I thought Carol was my friend, but she’s gone and tagged me.  Obviously she doesn’t read my blog as often as I thought she did 😆

First, the Rules:

1  Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you
2  Post the Rules on your blog.
3  Post 7 weird or random facts about  yourself on your blog.
4  Tag 7 people and link them. Sorry, but this is not going to happen
5  Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Second, 7 weird or random facts about me:

1. I’m really good about not following the rules (see above!)
2. I could eat Mexican food 3 meals a day.
3.  I could go the rest of my life and not eat pizza.
4.  I was engaged to another man before I met Kahuna.
5.  I’m a flybaby.
6.  I was raised in Louisiana and I detest okra, unless it’s pickled.
7.  I had a nanny.

Rainy days

I am home today, because of a flooded car….again.  I thought that whatever was wrong was fixed since it has not leaked with the last several rains we’ve had, but obviously I was wrong.  I knew we were supposed to get *some* more rain and should have covered my car.  But, we’ve had rain off and on for the past couple of weeks and my car hasn’t leaked so I didn’t cover it last night.   So, dammit, I’m ticked off, but have no one to blame but myself, because now I feel like an idiot.  While this does give me a long weekend, I really don’t want to spend the vacation time having today off, plus I had some things I really wanted to get done at work today.  Dammit….again.  If I can’t drive it to work, I can’t drive it to the gym.  Damn, damn, damn.

I’m trying to get over the aggravation.  I’m sitting here, dressed for work since I didn’t discover it was flooded until I went to leave.  I need to change my clothes.  The puppies will be glad I’m home so they can pester me since they don’t like to go outside and potty when it’s raining.   They have pads down that they use, but they act embarrassed if they go on them when we’re home.  It’s kind of funny, actually, because you can tell they really need to go, but don’t want us to see them do it!   Then again, they might not be glas I’m home.

I have tons of DVR stuff to catch up on, and 2 West Wing DVDs to catch up on, and laundry to catch up on, and housework to catch up on, and stitching to catch up on.  Whatever I do, I need to watch the rain so when it stops enough to keep me from getting soaked, I need to cover my car.  Damn.

Happy birthday to my Kahuna!

😀

Woohoo it's Monday!

and I don’t have to be to work today 😆

I managed to make a dent in the “to-do” list I posted on Friday.

The swim went great for me. I managed to push myself 100 yards further than the last trip, plus for the 1st time I managed to swim 100 yards twice without stopping. The second time I had to roll over and backstroke a couple of times, but I did NOT stop. This is a great breakthrough for me as it shows me that I have not been pushing myself hard enough. Kahuna is convinced I need to be swimming everyday, and I’m going to ramp it up a little this week. I don’t know if that means going more yards per trip, or more trips. I’ll be playing it by ear.

Saturday I got my hair cut….short. She even shaved my neck, which I’ve never had done in my life!! I’m not sure I like the cut. It’s really the same as I’ve had, just shorter in the back. My hair grows in a circle around my head and with it being this short, it kind of wants to do the fuzzy chicken thing unless I mess with it a lot. I’m not the sort of person who wants to mess with her hair much. I got it cut short for less messing with. I’ll see if it “grows” on me. I love the way it looks, it’s just a little more work than what I’m wanting. I also went to a new stylist, who was 50% cheaper, fast, great – and pregnant. Why is it I feel like I find someone I like, they’re never around for long? I didn’t ask her if she was going to return after having the baby (her first). I’ll go to her again in about 6 weeks and I’ll talk to her then. I’ve also found myself a new manicurist, who’s also 50% cheaper than my last one. I wasn’t going to continue having my nails done but the swimming just destroys them, and while I don’t keep them very long, I would like for them to look nice. Both ladies work at the salon on the base which is 5 minutes from where I live. Amazing the great resources you can find when you take the time to look. But you realize that I’m moving right? 😆

During all this beautifying Kahuna was surfing, and then he had a cycle/run brick which left me at the house working in my office. I think it was 3 before we left the house to do our errands. I went to Joann’s and got the fibers picked out for Hannah Beeby. I am really happy with my choice and am looking forward to the stitchalong starting the end of March. I’ve decided on DMC 839, 3863, and 224 on Lambswool Linen.

I haven’t decided on 28 or 32 count, but am leaning toward the 28. I just need to see if what I have is large enough. I also picked up a pair of embroidery scissors, a thread holder for my sewing machine and a couple of other little things bringing my total to less than what I would have paid for the scissors full price. Yay for sales and coupons. I neglected to get a new bulb for my OTT though and I have a 40% coupon for that, that I really need to take advantage of, since the lighting by my sewing machine is next to none.

I went through my pantry Saturday and made a menu and grocery list around what was in there. I’m determined to get us back to eating better and not break the bank doing it. I spent less than my budgeted $75 on groceries Sunday, and only forgot 1 thing. Woohoo!

The rest of the day was spent doing a whole lot of not much. We really enjoyed Daytona 500. I would have been happier if Dale Earnhart or Casey Kahne won, but it was great that Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordan did not! 🙂 The rest of my time on Sunday was spent on and off in my office. I made great headway with my desk and got my keyboard and printer moved and almost everything put where I want it OFF the desk. I have some photos to be framed and moved around and I’ll be tickled with my desk setup.

Stitching? Well except for playing floss toss for Hannah, I didn’t have anything to do with stitching on Saturday or Sunday. That will be different today though. I am running out to town to see about the above mentioned picture frames, and to hit up Costco for some bread (but will still be way under budget). The rest of my day will be spent doing laundry, stitching, and catching up with the stuff I have recorded on the DVR. I only have 1 small thing to stitch on the RR that I want to mail out tomorrow and then I’ll be working on Ann Holewll. I’m going to have to piece together some qsnap components for it, but am planning on using some of the money I get from selling my stash to buy another set of rods for my Handi Clamps.

I would like to get the fabric cut for Houses of Hawk Run Hollow today, but if it doesn’t happen I’m not going to worry about it and just put it on next week’s “to-do” list. My poor French Alphabet Sampler is probably going to be ignored today as well since I really need to get caught up with Ann Holewll.

I wanted to stay off the computer over the weekend and except for cleaning out some old emails and emptying my camera chip, I did pretty good! I managed to sell several of the Shepherd’s Bush items I posted so was on the computer getting that squared away. I didn’t do any posting of The Silver Lining stuff, but that’s because the box they’re in is sort of out of reach right now as I work my way across my office cleaning and sorting and selling. I do need to get them up though.

I didn’t get anything done on ebookdrop.com either. I could probably do that from work, since I’ll have to haul them in for mailing anyway. I know the prices won’t be much, but they’ll be more than just sitting in my office taking up space and collecting dust. I’m almost to the point of throwing things away so I don’t have to move it or clean around it so if I can get some money for it, that’s better. I also want to look into cashduck.com for a bit more income. I think I’d rather go this route for now and not increase my hours at work until we decide where we’re going to live. I may increase them by 15 minutes a day though in a week or so. We’ll see.

I’ve decided to split whatever extra I have coming in equally 3 ways:

Training – Kahuna is building me a bike from components he’s selling on one of his bikes, and I want to contribute. This money will stay in paypal, since he buys a lot of components from places that accept paypal.

Stitching – I love my hobby. I have tons of money invested in it. I have lots of beautiful things to work with without buying more so I’m trying to buy only what I need to stitch from my stash. The first item will be the 14” bars for the Handi Clamps I mentioned above. I’ll probably also use this $ for finishing. I have a savings account I don’t use that I’ll keep these funds in.

Debt – While it won’t be much, the last 1/3 of my extra income will go toward getting my debt paid off.

I thought I would feel deprived while I worked on getting myself out of my debt fix; however, I have taken the advice of several blogs I read and made sure to have some “wants” budgeted for (like my manicures). It’s working and I almost feel like I’m playing a game seeing what I can accomplish with what I have. I’m also trying to get out of the impulse spending that I practiced in the past. I’m doing pretty good! I also have my wonderful hobby that entertains me which helps a lot.

I didn’t mean for this to get so long, but I guess I had a lot to get down after all my thinking this weekend. I guess I’d better say “The End” to this novel and get on with my day.

Gearing up for a long weekend

Friday sure got here fast and I’m ready to go home and start my long weekend.  Kahuna just left from bringing me Taco Bell.  Not exactly waistline friendly, but I have $1 and no time to go to the bank.  There’s a Taco Bell on the base by where he works so since he got off early today he was kind enough to drive by and drop off some food.  Actually, he hung around long enough to eat with me before he left.

And just to backtrack to yesterday for a minute, my Kahuna Marine surprised me!  He brought me the most beautiful bouquet of creamy orange roses for Valentine’s Day.  I have to stick my nose in them everytime I walk by.  They are so gorgeous.

We had unexpected storms yesterday that left roads closed due to snow and mudslides.  Today’s temperatures are low but the sky is a clear blue.  I hope it stays that way all weekend because Kahuna has a lot of cycling and running to do.  It’s just 6 weeks to his half-ironman.  I think he’s getting excited.  I know I am, and I’m just volunteering!

So what’s up with me for the weekend?

  • I’m going to do my best to stay off the computer this weekend, except to post more stuff 4Sale.  I was rather surprised how fast I got the SB stuff together last night, but that’s the way it should be when you’re organized.  I think my The Silver Lining items are organized already, so hopefully that’ll be painfree.
  • I’m going to try to get rid of some books on ebookdrop.com this weekend.  If you have experience with it, leave a comment, please.
  • I want to get a lot of stitching done this weekend.
    • Get RR piece in the mail.
    • Get my lessons done on Ann Holewll.
    • Get the fibers needed for Hannah Beeby.
  • I’ve decided to quit putting of starting HOHRH and will pull my fabric and get it measured out to start the first block.  Who knows, it may even get some stitches.
  • French Alphabet Sampler desperately needs attention!

We’re headed to the pool tonight after supper and then maybe settle in with the puppies and watch a movie.  Have a great weekend all.  Oh, and don’t forget…..Gentlemen, start your engines!  Woohoo!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...