Couch to 5k

Tomorrow we ,at Curves of Ellisville, start the "Couch to 5k" training. The 10 week beginners program is supposed to be a wonderful way to help people learn to run.

Although almost everyone else in the Callen clan runs, and runs well, it has never been something I could do. Twice in my life have I ran a 5k and neither times was it anything to be proud of. haha And both times it was about as enjoyable as a root canal.

However, one trait I did inherit nice and strong from my Callen genes is not wanting to do anything alone. So, I opened it up to all the ladies at Curves of Ellisville hoping, but doubting, I would be joined by a few Curves gals on my journey to learn to run.

Much to my excitement the response was great. 

So tomorrow we start...

Babys ask two questions...

one of the perks to having older siblings is that there is almost  no subject that either they or their spouses have some real life experience earned wisdom on. I was recently talking child rearing with Page, my sister-in-law and mother of my niece and nephew.... very well behaved niece and nephew I might add, and she said something very wise.

She said....

Children spend all day long asking you two questions...

"Do you love me?" and "Am I in charge?"

That makes so much since. As I thought about it I could put everything Reagan does in a day into one of the two question categories.

I feel like on any given day in answer to Reagan's questioning actions my response is.... YES!!!!! no baby... Ohhh yes.... no sweet pea... Yes ma'am... No punkin.... yes yes yes.... no no no..

Today however went a little something like this....

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!

NO

    NO  

         NO

    NO

NO

    NO!!!!

NO!!!

NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(and then at some point it became)

No?

Not that I know of..

 NO...... im pretty Sure.

(And then finally settled on.)

I dont know..

Maybe

PROBABLY!!!! 

John G. Gandy

Happy 85th Birthday

 to one of the best men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And that's really saying something considering the 8 men I grew up with ( the 8th is dad..... in case you were counting one extra brother)

My Grandfather in law.......

I love Papa dearly and am so greatful to be a part of his world. I love to hear him pray. When he prays its like hes talking to an old friend. He is one of the truest Christians left and one of the best persons I have ever known. I hope to celebrate many many more. I feel so proud Reagan will have such an influence in her life:)

Pinterest recipe #4 Yam/Cran Muffins

Best/Healthiest/heartiest Muffins I have ever tasted!Once again if its a recipe I like it must be easy!!

Bake a sweet potato/peel/mash it up. The recipe calls for a 1/2 C ( i didn't measure but I'm not going to waist a sweet potato so I used half a sweet potato( and made two batches....)

 Then add a can of cranberry sauce. Once again,it calls in order to use everything I used the whole can. Add 2 eggs( fresh are best) 1/4 C sugar( recipe called for 3/4 cup but WHY would we want all that sugar when cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes are both already sweet) 1/4 C of water and oil. 1 Large spoon on plain nonfat yogurt( I add yogurt to every recipe.... so far its always been the right choice) 2T lemon juice, 1 1/2T salt, 1T baking soda and 2 1/2 C flour.

Mix mix mix mix mix!!!!!

cook @ 350 for 15 min!!!

Delicious!!! Iv already made (eaten) two batches( and they make like18 muffins each batch) I just made another batch with most of it going in the freezer and the 6 I cooked will be my breakfast the next few breakfasts...... Ahhhh who am I kidding.... I'm stuffing my face with them now they'll be gone by morning I cant help it!

Pinterest Recipe #3 Cantaloupe Soup

Contrary to popular belief all great soups are not warm and salty. I recently tried my hand at a cold cantaloupe soup recipe for the first time. It's cold and sweet and will being making it over and over.

If your like me and you have a constant sweet tooth nagging throughout the day, this recipe might even help you drop a few pounds. It's naturally sweet enough to keep those cravings away for a while. It's filling enough to take the place of a  full meal. And it's so easy to prepare and keep for a quick and easy ready to go meal.( although it doesn't keep more than a week or so)

The most time consuming part of the whole process is peeling and chopping the cantaloupe.

Toss that into a blender and add:
3/4 Cups yogurt
2T ginger ( DO NOT SKIP GINER)
1/2 lemon( juiced) ( or 2 TBS lemon juice)
2t salt
2t cinn
2t mint ( you can substitute basil here)

If you use Mint the garnish is a dollop of yogurt and honey sprinkled with cinn

If you choose basil instead of mint you garnish with granola and goat cheese crumbs

Both are SooOooOOooooOoooo good!!!

I don't know how long it keeps but I know this recipe makes enough for 6 servings. So, unless your having guest over i suggest you go ahead and make to-go servings.

If you use the mint recipe its best eaten with a dab of yogurt and a little honey on your spoon. There are such strong contrasting flavors it takes a few seconds before you can separate all the flavors.

This was such a cheap recipe( once you have the seasonings you basically buy a cantaloupe and your good to go.... we keep plain low fat yogurt on hand) and so yummy and pretty healthy also. I will make it often!

the whole rotten soup debacle

So Wednesday night my hubby left for a week of work and to keep my mind off my love sick woes I went to work in the kitchen. I had found a new recipe on pinterest for a cold cantaloupe soup and since my good ole country boy husband believed all sounds should be warm and salty not cold and sweet I knew this was a recipe for his 7 days off rotation. The recipe was a success and I had tons leftover so I filled 5 12 oz jars completely, and added yogurt and honey garnish so I could grab them for a fast meal throughout the week. My mom loves healthy new idea in the kitchen and although I knew she would never even attempt to get the boys to eat it, she would probably love to try it so I took her one pre-made ready-to-go meal the next day on my lunch break.

Today I was talking to her on the phone( its her 56th Birthday woot woot for aging very very well) and asked if she had gotten a chance to try the soup. She said that she was so sorry but she didn't realize I had put some in the fridge and before she got to try it, it had soured really bad and she had to throw it out. I made it Wednesday night, gave it to her Thursday, and its Saturday now. I have been eating and enjoying the soup all week. It just hit me ...

Either...

She opened it saw the yogurt thought it was mold and assumed it went bad

or

She tasted, it hated it, and thought it went bad

( Either ways I cant ask because one will embarrass her and the other will embarrass us both lol)

or

It IS actually soured and I have been eating and enjoying soured soup all week.

Something to think...

about as I slurp down the last jar of now questionable but still tasty cantaloupe soup:)

:)

sweet teething!

At some point during my pregnancy I picked up a very bad habit. Snacking! I guess having 9 months that i didn't have to worry about staying in shape or noticing how constant sweet snacking was effecting my figure got to the better of me. However, now that I am no longer pregnant its quite the problem. All day long I CRAVE sweets.

Plan of action:
1- Voice the problem so I have to face/fix it!

2- empty the house of junk food/candy( with the exception of brads peanut butter chocolate candy... anything peanut butter is safe ....blah) If its not here I cant eat it no matter how badly I think I need it.

3- Find healthy sweet foods I can eat in place of the bad ones. Fresh fruit is a favorite of mine.. and this new cold cantaloupe soup I found on pinterest is very naturally sweet and it will defiantly do the trick.

Pet Peeves of the week--My Baby is fine

If you have a child you an expert concerning all things related to your child however it does not make you an expert when it comes to MY child. Well meaning and well doing are two very different things and it would do the world wonders if people would remember that.

First time moms have a lot to learn but unless your advice is solicited or the child is being harmed your input on how to raise/feed/vaccine/hold/love my child is a blatant announcement  of your disapproval of the choices my husband and I have made for our family and other then the fact that we have not asked for your approval its rude.

Reagan is not ....

Starving ( look at her.... shes not missing any meals)

overfed ( Breastfed babies are chubby.. its OK. shes in the 79% not that it even matters)

sleep deprived ( your confusing her with her mother...babies are allowed to sleep during the work day it does not mean something is wrong.... it means her growing body/brain is exhausted and needs to refuel)

an unhappy child ( someone actually said this b/c her grand son learned to smile before Reagan did)

Spoiled ( babies cry.....)

Bad ( don't you dare tell my child shes bad for crying.... she will be taught its rude to tell you your bad for speaking... crying in the only way she knows to communicate right now)

Pinterest recipe #2 Cheese Danish

This may be the single easiest most impressive thing I can cook and its soooo yummy. Also, another perk with this recipe, besides the fact that I can say... "oh I made home made Danishes this afternoon", the ingredients are mostly items you have hanging out in your kitchen anyways so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to throw it together:)

I'm a visual learner(and teacher) so here goes...

one can of croissant dough will make four. pinch the creases together to make sure you have no holes.

Smear butter and brown sugar all over ( no measurements required... this is a no brainer)

Roll them up( then roll them again)

 Melt a bar of cream cheese and mix it with powdered sugar and vanilla extract mix until it taste like you want it to. Then make a spot for that yummy topping on your dough.

Cook @ 350 until they look good(app. 15 minutes)

If you really wanna go over the top...(pun completely intended)

Mix Powdered sugar, milk and vanilla make a glaze to drizzle over the whole thing.

 Serve and enjoy.

They melt in your mouth.

In stead of cream cheese filling you can put any kind of fruit pie filling on top. I think it would be a nice touch to add a little of whatever you choose for the top to go in the middle also.

We call this the reserve sit up!

To sum up: Easy, Cheap, Quick, Impressive... YUMMY!!!!

Note to self: Never take nap time for granted

Sometimes Its hard not to get frustrated with little bits constant need for my total attention. Most days I wait all day for her to finally take a nap so I get some stuff done only to fall asleep while trying to get her to sleep. I LOVE taking naps with my little one hugged up tight to me and never wanna take this for granted.

In reality there is nothing so important that I cant take time to snuggle with my baby. The dishes can wait to be washed, the floors don't really need to be swept, and I can return those calls when she wakes up. However, one day I will have all the time in the world and either Reagan will be to busy or two big for naps with her Mama:(

Until them I'm going to soak up those naps( no matter who says its spoiling her..we could all use a little spoiling)

Take Two (Chicken Spinach Pasta)

OK! I tried the Chicken Spinach pasta recipe again. A friend of mine is in the middle of moving her family into a new house and so I thought I would take a dish over there since from personal experience I know the boxes with the pots and pans are usually the last to get unpacked. Since she had four kids under the age of 7(I believe) I removed the spinach. I decided that my last attempt at this recipe was good but way to dry and I blame my poor choice in noodles. This time I tried something new.

And put all the mozzarella cheese on top instead of in the dish... Its turned out so much better.

Take two= very successful:)

How the mighty have fallen

While watching "Pretty in Pink" today I noticed something awfully familiar about "Duckie". I've seen this movie a dozen times but this time I couldn't help but feel like i had seen Duckies Character recently so I looked him up.

Jon Cryer played charismatic love drunk Duckie with a mean sense of style and a flare for over the top dramatics to impress his girl in the 1986 film Pretty in Pink.

Duckie is one of my all time favorite movie characters and I always thought it was a shame we didn't see him in anything else.

But then it turns out....

That's right. He's been right under my nose and I never realized it.

Jon cryer has been playing slimy divorcee moocher Alan Harper from the TV show "Two and a Half Men" since 2003.

I liked it better when I thought he had dropped off the face of the earth 25 years ago!

Pinterest recipe #1

Along with almost all women my age, I have a pinterest account. I find this site very fun and helpful in my homemaking. I particularly enjoy the DIY home decor and the recipes on a budget.

When we first got married my red meat eating husband and my white meat only self made an agreement for kitchen chore distribution. He did most of the cooking and I cleaned the dishes. I thought this was working fine until one day out of the blue Brad mentioned frustration with the fact that he would like to come home to a prepared meal. TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE!!!!! However, this new transfer of cooking responsibilities posed quite a problem. I only know how to cook foods I like to eat, and that will hardly sustain my stake and and potatoes raised cowboy. So, here I am. Thankful for the age of technology where I can look up recipes for the cooking challenged, and keep myself entertained by blogging about my endeavors.

My first attempt was a pot roast which ended up being delicious but later I found out that although it is the right color meat it is not one of my dear husbands favorites... On to the next:) Brad was touched by my intentions though and mentioned offhandedly one day that he loved his "Mississippi mud pie" and if i ever learned to make that, he would love me forever. So, the next time he left for work I went to task finding the right "mud pie" recipe. This time it was a total success:)!!!

Today I tried another recipe that seemed yummy and Katie-doable!

 

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

• 8 oz uncooked Pasta
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
• 3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts
• 1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese
• ½ t salt, ½ t pepper
• 1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

My twist on things: I did not use a onion b/c Brad and I neither one like it. I also have no clue how in the world to measure pasta so i guessed. Poor decision! Also, always trying to make healthy choices I used whole wheat pasta. ALSO a poor bad choice because I ended up with way too much pasta and it dried the whole dish out. Next time Ill do much less. I would also add 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese mixed in to the dish and also COVER the whole dish with it. Although the recipe didn't specify I believe i would use bow-tie or scoop pasta..

 Simply put...

not a success but not a complete fail

Intro to my Blog 101

If its true that babies learn more in the first year of life than the whole rest of their lives, I submit that the second most productive year of a persons life in terms of lessons learned is the first year of married life. In a way this seems so obvious. After all we are learning to talk a new language, walk a new direction, our old life quickly fades the to the new one.

Recently, while reflecting on lessons learned during the transfer process of single/independent life to married family woman life, I came to the realization that I can (and should) strive to be the best wife/mother/homemaker/business owner/friend/woman/christian I can be AND doing so does not mean I lose myself in the process. God created me fearfully and wonderfully in his image and although I am a work in progress he made me specific and unique. He hand picked my strengths as well as my weaknesses and its OK for me to use the personality He gave me and be myself without feeling guilty about it.

I feel like this blog is a scrapbook of sorts with verses that get me through the tough times, people who make me smile, stories that make me laugh, hints and tips that make my life easier... or just something interesting enough to me I don't want to forget it.

October 9, 2010 I married the love of my life Brad and started the journey to find out what God had in store for me as a Christian wife.

January 5,2012 I gave birth to our daughter Reagan and began learning what a godly mothers life looked like for me.

Now I have a wonderful family and I pray everyday God will make me the wife/mother/woman my family deserves.

 Simply put

 I'm one Blessed woman!