Fun Date Night

Friday night is date night and this Friday my wonderful husband really out did himself!!! He picked me up from work and we went to our favorite park to pick up pine cones. It was nice to be out in the fresh air. Then we came home to decorate the pine cones and make new displays in out vases. We painted the pine cones with watered down glue and then covered them in glitter!! I had the best time doing it and they came out wonderfully!! I was so giddy happy, there was just something simply wonderful about making them. We also got to talk a lot and just relax while making them. Seeing them now makes me happy.

We had tons of pinecones left over and my husband made an incredible wreath from just the pinecones!!! It’s a lovely oval shape which he then wrapped red ribbon around and attached some inexpensive ornaments.

Yay for fun date nights!

Wishing and Hoping and Complaining

So this blog is supposed to be about me working out and my success in losing weight. Sadly the opposite has happened. I have been so sick for weeks now and not able to work out. I have tried and go to the gym when I am feeling well. It’s just frustrating because if I try to work out when I am not feeling well it makes things worse instead of better.

This past week I left work early because I was soo sick!!! Today we woke up and were getting ready for church when I became so dizzy and sick to my stomach, that I couldn’t handle it and my husband held me while I fell asleep. I am beyond frustrated. As of right now I can’t seek medical treatment because of having no insurance. Because I am getting new insurance and disabled the new insurance is reviewing my medical records to make sure I am disabled and it is taking a very long time. As soon as I get insurance I can do something about my stomach issues but for now I am taking Dramamine and doing what I can. (It will also be nice to have insurance because medicine costs will be lower! As it is right now meds cost more than we will make this month.)

Though I can say I have had success in the dieting department. Usually I’m doing good eating 1000 calories a day. Yes, yes I know that is not a good thing, it’s not on purpose and I’m trying to see some bright spot in all of this.

White Bean Waffles

I know what you are thinking, but they are REALLY good! A little while ago a great friend referred me to Sparkpeople.com and the site can be a very useful tool. Lately, I have found some wonderful recipes on sparkrecipes.com. Seriously check it out!! They have great recipes that are healthy and tasty.

Anyway, we tried the white bean waffle recipe I found on spark people, and were pleasantly surprised. They were sweet and tasted like waffles. Not even a hint of bean. They are a little high in calories but they are also high in protein and fiber. I’ve posted the link to the recipe below.

Just wanted to share this amazing find! I hope try it, you'll enjoy it!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipes.asp?food=White+bean+waffles&a=

(I added more vanilla then the recipe called for)

Job

Yay, I got a job! I'll be working as a cashier in a craft store. I'm excited to be working! I start tomorrow morning.

Update on not working out

Unfortunately I am still not feeling well. It’s the same old thing, and it’s knocked me out of the race, for now. My husband did a lot of researching and we think we may know why I keep getting so nauseated, dizzy, etc. Did you know that your stomach has a pace maker? I didn’t know that. Also it turns out when you damage the Vagus nerve in your back it can disrupt that pace make in your stomach. Luckily it’s treatable, by doctors placing a pacemaker in the stomach. Before the insertion of the pacemaker they do test it with this external pacemaker first, just to make sure that’s what wrong. Now at this stage it’s just a theory, we still have to see what a doctor thinks.

I am frustrated by not being able to work out especially because after switching to Lyrica, I put on a bunch of weight (which is normal). Not good!! I have tried to work out but it makes me feel worse… Though I can tell you that by my calorie intake I should be losing weight. It’s hard to eat enough when I feel like this. We did find some suggestions that we hope will help me feel better. I’ll keep you updated on how things go.

Enjoying Nature

Sunday and Monday afternoon we took a little time to enjoy nature. Sunday we went to the marshes to collect leaves for decoration and take pictures. It is so beautiful with the trees full of color and the water. The marshes are a preserved wet land and park. There are lots of trails winding around the marshes. We got to take some pictures but our batteries died. We did enjoy walking around and the fresh air though.

Monday we were left the house to get out and explore a bit. We found a gem!!! It’s called Breakhart Reservation. It’s a large, lush park with nice trails. We grabbed a map and took a trail. It was so nice to be out in the fresh air and around so much beauty! The hike wasn’t bad at all. There were a couple of rocky parts where my husband became worried and protective. We are excited to have found this place and look forward to going back.

Life Stuff

Applying for jobs:

I’ve been applying for tons of jobs this past week. Everything from retail jobs, secretarial work, to non for profit jobs to research jobs and then some!! I’m hoping that SOMETHING comes through. Some places are hiring seasonal help and I’m applying. At this point work is work and it would be good.

I'm trying to stay positive. It's just hard when I get rejection letters from low end retail stores telling me I'm not qualified enough...

Oh well pazienza.

Living in a CAVE:

Have I mentioned that our apartment feels like a CAVE?!! It’s dark almost all day long. We have a large window in both the living and bedroom. They don’t help though. This is because we face another building and are at the top of the U shape. The result is that we get very, very little natural light. Blocking what little light can get in is a big ugly pillar.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate our apartment and there are plenty of good things – like the deep soaking tub! Living in the dark is just messing with my sleep schedule.

We are trying to find ways to cope and make the most of it. We’ve taken some of the Christmas lights from our reception and strung them around the front room and our bedroom. It helps make it feel a little happier. We plan to get some sun strength lights and lamps.

Note to self: Next apartment must have lots of natural light.

Making veggie burgers!

I found a recipe for veggies burgers using black beans. It sounded really good, so we gave it a try. Success! I’m really happy because I learned something to cook something new and it’s pretty healthy.

Recipe is:

2 Cups Black Beans, red beans, or chick peas

1 medium onion quartered

½ Cup rolled oats

1 Tbs Chili Powder

1 egg

1 Tbs Olive Oil

*I also added some soaked cracked wheat to give more body.

- Put it into a food processor and puree

- Refrigerate for a few minutes

- Use wet hands to form the patties

- Refrigerate patties for 15 to 20 minutes

- Cook on stove top on medium, I used a deep skillet with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

- Let the patty cook for a few minutes and then turn, it’s not good to flip them a lot because they can fall apart much easier than beef burgers

- Fix with normal fixings

Trunk or treat

Today was my first ever Trunk or Treat activity!! It was fun and the kids were so cute!! Some of my favorite costumes were a family of vikings, and the bakers. The vikings were decked out complete with fake fur, horned hats, braids, and weapons. The bakers cracked me up. The mom was wearing black and a red apron patterned to look like a brick oven. The oven door/window over her adorable pregnant belly. (bun in the oven) Their young child was a cookie and the dad was dressed in white as a chef. His apron read, "Bun Donor". It was fun to see how some people had decorated their trunks and cars. Flashing lights, spooky pumpkins, and spooky noises.

For candy we handed out the kiddie goodie bags we made for the reception (but that didn't get there.) A couple people commented on how fun we had gone all out, Trev and I looked at each other and just laughed after they had gone. They did have doughnut, hot chocolate, and cider. I had some soda and doughnuts. Yes I know I should not eat doughnuts. I was feeling really weak and hoped it would bring me back up. After standing for soo long I was glad to come home and relax!!!