the2beths

Laundry.

Posted on November 21, 2012 by the2beths

I have not done laundry in 2 weeks. I usually do it on Saturdays, but I have been out of town the last two weeks.
The mound of laundry is gigantic at my house, and I have nothing to wear. The situation is dire. I’ve done 3 loads and there is barely a dent.

I set aside today to do laundry, not thinking of last minute things that I would need to do, or fun things I would want to do. So, suddenly, my day of doing laundry and catching up on mail and housework is guilt ridden with all of the other things I want to do or should be doing.

It is likely I will have to take a laundry intermission to get some things done that are not in my house.

Also, I just had lunch at 10:45 AM. I was hungry only an hour after my oatmeal breakfast. But, I think it’s because I only ate half of my breakfast and put the rest in the fridge. I just wasn’t that into it this morning.

6 hours later…
I ate a lot of crap, got my errands done, and finished approximately 20% of the laundry.

Now, time for dinner with my girlfriends….
Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!!
Beth WA

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Laundry | Leave a comment

Giving Thanks.

Posted on November 20, 2012 by the2beths

Well, as of 2:45 today, I am off work until Monday!! YAY. And in between, I get to see relatives and friends, and have lots of good food. Wednesday night I am going to dinner with my bff Liz, and her best friends whom she shared with me 15 or so years ago, and are now my best friends, too. It’s our annual tradition. We have been doing it for 3 years or so… I really look forward to it.
I am especially looking forward to it this year, even with the one hour drive. I am listening to the audiobook, “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett. My bff, Tracy lent it to me a long time ago, and I have been plugging away at it. I was in the car about 6 hours this weekend, and made some major headway, and now it is always on my mind. It is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to it. If you ever get the opportunity, I highly recommend it.

I had a really awesome weekend. On Saturday I drove up to Cleveland to go to a surprise 30th birthday party for my cousin, Timmy. It was really nice, and he was completely shocked. I stayed for a bit, then headed to my other cousin, Krissy’s house to go watch her son at a local theatre in a play called, “Thirteen.”
Here is a pic of my cousin Krissy and me at another one of my cousin’s weddings this summer (I have a lot of cousins.)

Ever since I was a little girl I have idolized my cousin Krissy. She is 5 years older than me, and I would follow her and her friends around. I thought she was so cool because she had so many friends, and every where we would go around town, we would see people she knew. This weekend I stayed at her house, and went out to dinner with her and her best friend. Even though I am now 37 and she is 42, the little girl inside of me felt so “cool” being out with her and her bff.

On Sunday, I went to see my gramma, my dad’s mom, at the nursing home. My gramma has a lot of children, a lot more grandchildren, and even more great grandchildren. She has always been very active in all of their lives, attending graduations, parties, weddings, showers, and funerals. She doesn’t like to miss a party. At all. So, it is was weird to see her in a nursing home, not fully with it. She actually looks great, and interacts well, and if you didn’t know her, you’d think she was doing amazing. But, I know her, and it’s just not the same. So, the visit was a little bittersweet.
However, as she was a person who has given so much love to so many people, it is nice to see a revolving door of visitors to care for her. Also, she is very active at the nursing home, doing crafts and activities. It’s just a little sad to say goodbye to parts of my gramma that I wasn’t quite ready to let go of – though I know that nobody has lived a fuller life than her.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for so much. I know it is so cliche, but I really am blessed. I have the best of everything. I have the best friends, the best family, the best husband, the best blog followers!!, the best dog, and the best coworkers.
I am in a place of gratitude this holiday season, and I plan on making it the best holiday yet!

Beth WA

Posted in Family, Friends | Tagged audiobooks, cousin, gramma, play, thanksgiving, the help, thirteen | Leave a comment

I was late. It was the oatmeal’s fault.

Posted on November 15, 2012 by the2beths

This morning, I gave into my oatmeal craving, and my need to eat an apple that was about to go bad, and made oatmeal for breakfast. It made me a little late, and it took a lot longer than I anticipated, but it was SOOOOO delicious.

I cut the apple up without skin, and put it in a pan with coconut oil, cinnamon, splenda brown sugar, and a quick splash of lite maple syrup. I let that soften and sweeten while I did everything else, with the oats, and getting ready stuff for the morning.

I made Kath’s Whipped Banana Oats, which truly is the best oatmeal ever. I added chia seeds.

Then, I put half the apple mixture in the bowl, the oatmeal on top, then the other half of top of the oatmeal. I also added a dollop of sunbutter, a dollop of pumpkin butter, and a few white chocolate chips.

It was OUTSTANDING.
And it kept me full for a really long time.
It was a LOT Of calories, so I am glad it did, but it was several hours later that I was hungry again.
I actually just had a protein bar for lunch at 3:00ish, and am now getting hungry for dinner.

Here’s a picture of my oatmeal. I posted it on Instagram without a description, and my cousin’s guessed it was oatmeal, almond butter, and sri racha sauce. Ha. Ha. She is funny.

Off to dinner with my favorite guys – my dad, my husband, and my brother. And, my favorite 7 year old.

Beth WA

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged breakfast, dinner, filling, hungry, oatmeal, protein bar, pumpkin butter, sunbutter, whipped banana oats, white chocolate chips | Leave a comment

Focus on the positive.

Posted on November 14, 2012 by the2beths

Instead of complaining about how far behind I am with grading, despite grading from 3-8:30 pm with only a break for dinner, I will focus on the positive.
My dinner.

I’ve been wanting breakfast for dinner for weeks. I love having oatmeal and pancakes and eggs for breakfast (not all together…), but I never have the time in the morning. Usually, I have a smoothie that I can take with me on the go.
So, today, I was thrilled when my husband had dinner with a friend, because he is not a fan of breakfast for dinner because he always makes himself a big breakfast for breakfast. So, I took the opportunity to use my favorite pancake mix, Kodiak Cakes. The box looks like this:

They have a ‘whole wheat and honey,’ and a ‘buttermilk and honey.’ Tonight, I used the buttermilk and honey, mixed with canned pumpkin, and water, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and a bit of vanilla. I whisked the mix, and it made fluffy delicious pancakes.
But, the shining star was all of the toppings.

1. Butter. Real Butter. I don’t use a LOT of butter, but I LOVE real butter.

2. Fage 2% mixed with maple syrup. My favorite pancake and waffle topping of all time. Try it, it is AMAZING.

3. A tablespoon of Sunbutter.

4. A tablespoon of Pumpkin Butter that my husband bought me at an orchard the other day. And, I don’t think I’ve ever actually had pumpkin butter before, or at least none as memorable and delicious as this was. Seriously, I think I could spoon it out of the jar.

5. Real Maple Syrup. Not that much. Just enough.

6. Sprinkles.

7. Ghiradelli White Chocolate Chips

It was a lot of toppings, but I stayed in my calorie count, and I didn’t overdo it with the serving size of the toppings, which is something I have done many of times!
Here are a few Instagram photos. I am a terrible photographer, so Instagram is my friend.

What’s everybody else having for dinner tonight?
I keep thinking it is Thursday, and am disappointed when I realize it isn’t.
BUT, I am focusing on the positive! HA HA.

Have a great night!
Beth WA

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged breakfast for dinner, butter, calorie count, Fage 2%, fitness pal, kodiak cakes, maple syrup, pancakes, pumpkin, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pancakes, sprinkles, sunbutter, white chocolate chips | 4 Comments

Try something new.

Posted on November 13, 2012 by the2beths

Since I love to eat, and I love to read about food, in blogs, books, and magazines, it is rare that I come across a food that I have not seen before. Well, today, at a retreat center cafeteria, I had some delicious soup.
It was Buffalo Chicken Soup. And I loved it.
My husband did not think it sounded good at all, but if he saw the texture, I think he might change his tune. It was a bit cheesy, but not a creamy soup.
I am now on the hunt for a recipe for it, as I think it would be so good with a baguette.

I was at the same retreat center I go to once a month on a Tuesday for a professional development group that I am a part of, and it was the first time I’d been there since I had my miscarriage. It was there that I began miscarrying, and then I didn’t go to school the rest of the week. That was such a stressful week. I’d be lying if I said it was a little hard to be back at that retreat center, and that stress manifested itself in the form of a migraine. I came home and fell asleep within 5 minutes of walking in the door, and stayed asleep for an hour and a half.
Right now is the first time in two weeks I haven’t felt tired.
I was supposed to go on a walk with a good friend, but I had just woken up from my nap, I had no idea where my winter walking clothes are, my husband was making dinner, and I have about a million papers to grade. We are going to go tomorrow, though, and I can’t wait. It’s been TOO long since I’ve exercised. And I miss her, as she was my exercise buddy for a long time! We used to walk 5K’s all the time, AND we used to walk at 5:40 in the morning every morning! Even when it was really cold.
I don’t miss getting up that early, but I do miss seeing her and doing daily exercise.

Anybody have some good soup recipes they’d like to share?
(HINT HINT ASHA)

-Beth WA

PS This cracked me up…it is so me!

Posted in Friends | Tagged 5K, baguette, buffalo chicken soup, cheese, daily exercise, exercise, friends, miscarriage, retreat, walking | 6 Comments

Monday, Monday

Posted on November 12, 2012 by the2beths

This is my dog staring at me from behind the coffee table. Her eyes have not left me, and every once in a while I get a growl. She’s ticked.
And rightfully so.
We ran out of dog food, and she usually eats dinner around 5:45, and now, instead of going back out to get her food, I am making her wait until my husband gets home to eat. Only about half an hour to go. I think I can handle the stink-eye that much longer.

For dinner, I made a quick version of this Chicken Fried Rice. I was so hungry, I kept snacking while I was cooking, so once I went to eat, I wasn’t all that hungry.
Here’s a quick picture.

It was so-so. The highlight was this:

I don’t drink much pop, but when I do, this is one of my top choices. I am sensitive to caffeine in my old age, so I can’t really drink caffeine in the afternoon. And I love the taste of this. I can taste the vanilla, which is one of my favorite flavors.

Well, I am really tired from having so much fun this weekend. As I mentioned, my girlfriends and I went to see Madonna this weekend in Cleveland, which is about 3 hours from where we live. So, we stayed in a hotel that was only a block away from the arena. We had a lovely day. We arrived in town around 4:30, had some cocktails in the room while listening to Madonna Pandora, and getting ready to go to the concert. This is always my favorite time when my girlfriends and I get together.
The down time.
There are always good conversations, lots of laughs, and commiserating on our aging bodies.

After a bit we went to the street right by the concert that had a million restaurants and bars, and chose a bar that had a table for us right away. We weren’t really in a hurry because even though the concert was supposed to start at 8:00, we had heard she started really late.
We had a fun time at dinner, and I drank a few Bell’s Two Hearted’s. YUM! We arrived at the concert and instead of an opening band there was a DJ, named Paul Oakenfold. You may know him from the song Starry Eyed Surprise.

He played really fun songs, and unlike some dj’s, he played most of the song so you could sing and dance along. I do not like the new form of dj-ing that mixes songs together. I know that is what the whole allure of them is, but it is NOT for me.

Here are some pictures of us at the concert:

This is Beth FS and myself:

This is Beth FS and myself in green lighting for some reason:

Here is a picture of my bff Amy and me:

Madonna came on stage at 10:40 and performed until 12:40. She was amazing.
And as I mentioned on Saturday night, she made the night by playing ‘Like a Prayer.’

We went back to the room and fell asleep shortly after, as we are all used to going to bed MUCH earlier.
My, how times have changed.

I hope your week is starting out great!!
Beth WA

Posted in Friends | Tagged a&w, aging, besties, chicken fried rice, Cleveland, cocktails, commiserating, concert, conversation, dog, girlfriends, hotel, laughing, madonna, pandora, root beer, sammy | 3 Comments

Life is a mystery…

Posted on November 11, 2012 by the2beths

Everyone must stand alone…

I hear you call my name.
And it feels like home.

So fun!!!!!

Posted in Friends | Tagged friends, like a prayer, madonna | 2 Comments

Friday Night. Otherwise known as the night before I go see Madonna.

Posted on November 9, 2012 by the2beths

I am looking forward to going out to dinner with my parents, my brother and his family, and my husband. Also, looking forward to a cocktail or a glass of wine.
And most of all, I love seeing my niece, Ava.

I love when we go to dinner with her. I get a peak at the type of father my husband is going to be. And, let me tell you, it’s a good one!!! He keeps her entertained while we are out to dinner with games that are games that you can play sitting down at a restaurant without a lot of noise and movement. He’s a pro at coming up with those kind of games.

They love each other.

And tomorrow I get to wake up and get ready to go to MADONNA with my best girls.
YAY. We have a 3 hour car trip, but once we check in, we don’t have to drive any more. The concert, bars, and food are all in walking distance.

Have a good weekend!!!!

Love, Beth WA

P.S. Update: I forgot to mention I am wearing a pair of jeans I haven’t been able to wear in years!! They aren’t even stylish any more, but I am wearing them!!

Posted in Family | Tagged beer, cocktail, dinner, family, father, madonna, niece, wine | Leave a comment

I have a new best friend.

Posted on November 8, 2012 by the2beths

I am a volume eater. It’s part of my food issues. So, when I am counting my calories, I am often looking for food I can eat a lot of for not a lot of calories. Unfortunately, most of the food that falls in that category is stuff like spinach, kale, lettuce, onions, and broccoli.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all of these food. Well, I *like* most of these foods. But, they aren’t exactly foods that I want to eat more than a serving.
Enter my new best friend, spaghetti squash.
Now, I’ve known about spaghetti squash for a long time, and have had bad experiences with it until the last two times I’ve eaten it. One of those times was tonight.
I had my parents over for spaghetti, with marinara and sun dried tomato sweet italian chicken sausage.

I cut the spaghetti squash in half, and put it face down on a cookie sheet that had a thin layer of water in it, and cooked it at 375 for about 45 minutes.
It was PERFECT. (Not like my butternut squash fail from the other day.)
I combined that with whole wheat spaghetti and topped it with two jars of spaghetti sauce and chicken sausage that had been simmering for about an hour with a clove of fresh garlic-minced, some random italian seasonings, and my favorite pizza/pasta sweet, a bit of sugar, and hot seasoning, and a dollop of goat cheese on top.

Here’s my favorite seasoning for pizza and spaghetti that I was talking about:

It was delicious, and so low in calories, because a cup of spaghetti squash is 40 calories, and 1/2 cup of the sauce I used was 60 calories. The chicken sausage was Meijer brand, and it was 110 calories for one of them! So, I was excited to be able to add the goat cheese. It takes marinara to the next level.
It looked nice, too, but I stuffed it in my face too fast. I didn’t get to take a picture.

We also had some delicious Coppola Cabernet that my brother had bought me for my birthday. I was in the mood for a glass of wine. And, I knew my dad would participate.

So, for tonight, spaghetti squash is my new best friend.
I will have to try it with different toppings and sauces.
Any suggestions?!

The good thing about a low calorie a day is that I can end it with a York Peppermint Patty ice cream bar.

My husband is working 1-10 at home in our “office” room. I put “office” in quotes because a more accurate name would be, “the room that has our computer and everything else that doesn’t have a place especially when we are having people over to our house.”

I am glad today is Thursday, because that means only TWO sleeps until MADONNA!!!!
I love concerts….there are so many I’ve seen, but even more that I still want to see.
What concert would you love to see!?!

later taters!!
oxoxox
Beth WA

Posted in Family | Tagged cabernet, chicken sausage, concerts, coppola, dad, family, garlic, madonna, marinara, mom, parents, spaghetti, spaghetti squash, volume eating | 1 Comment

Sometimes I forget.

Posted on November 7, 2012 by the2beths

In the craziness of my life, I can get quite centered on my own adult problems, and not take the time to think about the stresses the kids in my class are experiencing. Stresses that are very real.

Then…things happen to give me perspective.

One thing was at parent-teacher conferences, I found out one of my students lives with his gramma because his mom died of cancer four years ago. My heart broke. Suddenly, all of the ornery things about this kid made sense to me. I am 37 and I don’t know what I would do without my mom. This kid is 10 and he has to figure it out.

Then, today, I was helping this sweet sixth grader, who has been working his butt off in math this year. He was in my room during his study hall getting help on some math. He is a quiet boy, our spelling bee winner, and just a really nice kid. I noticed he had a heart necklace on with a woman’s name on it. I asked him what it was, and he showed me that it was his mom’s name, and on the back it was the symbol for breast cancer awareness. He said he had one, his mom and his siblings had one, too. It turns out his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in September.

Tears sprung to my eyes.

This little eleven year old is dealing with the stress of a sick family member – his MOM- and dealing with the stresses of school.
It made all of my complaints about being so busy this week seem so trite.

It made me think about a quote that I tell kids about all of the time.

“Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
-Plato

I have a hard time with that sometimes, and I need to keep it in mind.
I think I would get a lot less frustrated with people and my students if I did.

So glad it’s Wednesday.
Three more sleeps and MADONNA with my besties.

Have a good evening – off to grade. I *think* I will be caught up after tonight.

Love,
Beth WA

Posted in Friends | Tagged be kind, besties, breast cancer, gramma, madonna, mom, plato, stresses, students, tears | 7 Comments