Obsessive

This is a beautiful and historic day.

My favorite thing in Obama’s speech is that he spoke so much of “we” as a Country and not “I” as your President. We all have to come together to make this change happen.

I don’t have the time to put it into words properly. I hope to do a real entry soon. Hope you all have a joyous and beautiful day wherever you are.

This is a beautiful and historic day.

I don’t have the time to put it into words properly. I hope to do a real entry soon. Hope you all have a joyous and beautiful day wherever you are.

WE DID IT!!

We won the Championship and we’re on our way to the Superbowl!

The Eagles pulled ahead and we still proved we are the champs! We will win in two weeks too. Just watch us!

I LOVE my Cardinals!! This is incredible. We don’t have much of our voices left. lol

WE DID IT!!

We won the Championship and we’re on our way to the Superbowl!

The Eagles pulled ahead and we still proved we are the champs! We will win in two weeks too. Just watch us!

I LOVE my Cardinals!! This is incredible. We don’t have much of our voices left. lol

Today is the Day! If the Cardinals win they go to the Superbowl! Nobody thought they could get this far. I have always believed. Go Cardinals!

I made a Mexican stew in the crockpot yesterday that turned out amazing. I love that it’s fat free and delicious. And I love that we both enjoyed it. There is a lot left to eat throughout the week too. Today I have a Roast in the crockpot cooking all day. Tonight we shall have a feast. Served with mashed potatoes and au jus gravy, broccoli and a salad. It’s almost completely healthy! I need my red meat.

I have been on facebook quite a bit. It’s pretty cool there, I have found some old high school friends and I’ve been chatting with my ex. It’s interesting. His sister found me too. She posted some pictures from Christmas and of course my kids are in them. I’m glad I got to see them. His family still loves me. It’s nice to feel some roots.

No big plans today. The car is in desperate need of a washing. I may do that for my exercise. I am taking the day off from working out. My muscles are sore. I hope you all have a great Sunday. We sure will

Today is the Day! If the Cardinals win they go to the Superbowl! Nobody thought they could get this far. I have always believed. Go Cardinals!

I made a Mexican stew in the crockpot yesterday that turned out amazing. I love that it’s fat free and delicious. And I love that we both enjoyed it. There is a lot left to eat throughout the week too. Today I have a Roast in the crockpot cooking all day. Tonight we shall have a feast. Served with mashed potatoes and au jus gravy, broccoli and a salad. It’s almost completely healthy! I need my red meat.

I have been on facebook quite a bit. It’s pretty cool there, I have found some old high school friends and I’ve been chatting with my ex. It’s interesting. His sister found me too. She posted some pictures from Christmas and of course my kids are in them. I’m glad I got to see them. His family still loves me. It’s nice to feel some roots.

No big plans today. The car is in desperate need of a washing. I may do that for my exercise. I am taking the day off from working out. My muscles are sore. I hope you all have a great Sunday. We sure will

I found some wonderful recipes.  I thought I’d share the cookies with you

Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 medium bananas, mashed
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cloves and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture. Stir in bananas, oats and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Immediately remove cookies to wire racks to cool.

**These cookies are crunchy around the edges but cake like in the center. Delicious way to use up those ripened bananas!!**

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Cookies should be 2 inches apart.
Bake for about 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are slightly golden and the center is firm. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

**These are the most unusual peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made. They are puffy and not flat like most. They are a little cake like and the orange juice actually brings out the flavor of the peanut butter! Delicious**

Today is another almost 80 degree day which is beautiful but much too warm for this time of year!  I am baking cookies.  Trying out new recipes has become a wonderful adventure for us as of late. 

I am making Oatmeal Banana Peanut Butter Chip Cookies!  They are really good from what Tee says.  She is eating them like crazy, what a cookie monster she is!  lol     I am of course not allowed yet.  I’m still dieting and doing really well I might add.  My workouts are definitely longer and they are helping me drop more weight. 

After these cookies I will be baking Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip ones.  Yum!  I may not be able to resist those.  It’s a lot of fun baking when Tee is such a great eater.  She loves everything I make.

I also have some Mexican chicken chili in the crock pot for dinner.  With less than 200 calories per serving, I am really enthusiastic about this one!  I has almost no fat in it!  Which means I may be able to get some fat out of a cookie or two later today.

We are listening to President elect Obama at the rally and it keeps making me cry seeing all the hopeful faces looking up at him.  It really makes me feel good. 

AND  Arizona is one step away from the SUPER BOWL!  We just have to win tomorrow and we will.  I can’t wait for the game.

Hope you all are having a great day.  We certainly are

I’ve got a headache this afternoon. I think I may have pulled something in my neck during my morning workout. I worked out really hard again today. 30 minutes of intense cardio and 30 minutes of strength training. I’m on a roll! 3 days in a row now. I plan on doing just cardio tomorrow and resting on Sunday. That’s what Sunday’s are for right?

I bought some Turkey Breast lunch meat Tuesday. I’ve never bought turkey before. I usually just eat bologna or peanut butter. It’s actually really good. I like it. Not crazy like but just like-like.. I have also switched to whole wheat bread which I have never eaten in my life. I’ve been eating it for over a month now. Not bad. It is just an acquired taste I suppose. Learning to love it.

In sparkpeople they give you a calorie range to follow. Mine is 1340 to 1690. I try to stay at the low end of the calories but lately I’ve been falling more at the high range. But I’m still holding steady with my weight so I’m happy. I have increased my exercise so I’m hoping I start losing again soon. If I could drop back to the low end of the calorie range I’m sure it would help but I still have to have a sugar snack each day and I just get hungry a lot!

I have to say I feel better than I ever have now that I have cut my sugar down to almost nothing! I eat brown sugar in my oatmeal and have one sugar snack a day. I do get some sugar in fruit and bread but that’s really all. It has made a huge difference.

Now if only I could get rid of my caffeine addiction!! lol At least I like my coffee black.

When I first came into Alanon and heard this term I had no idea what it meant.  I still don’t understand it but it’s not as foreign to me as it once was.

It’s basically “Live and Let Live” which is my favorite saying.  Let others live their lives and you live your own life. 

Controlling things comes as naturally to me as breathing.  I want it all in my control.  I want to make a plan and I want everyone to follow it.  I want things to run as smoothly as possible and if everyone would just do what I say when I say it, it would all work out just fine.

Except people have minds of their own and make their own choices.  No matter how much I kick and scream and try to get my own way, they do their own thing.  Not everyone wants to be told what to do.  Not everyone wants me to plan their lives.

I am a natural Manager.  I was good at my job and loved it because I was in charge.  I can multi task and make plans and run a store and make it all work.  But now that is gone.  I am not in charge of anything but myself right now, literally.  I find myself looking for things to manage and control.  There is not much.

I am controlling the food I eat, the food that comes into the house (I buy the groceries), making dinner, keeping the kitchen clean, doing the laundry and my fitness plan.  These things are in my control and I don’t get into trouble with them.  I am good at it. 

Today at my Alanon meeting I had the opportunity to go to another meeting, a District wide meeting but I chose not to go.  I need to stay focused on my life and the little bit of responsibility I have right now. 

I think all the control in my life was a way to escape my real feelings.  I also believe that managing and controlling other people’s lives is a way of escaping my true feelings.

I want to be present and in the moment and if I’m sad I want to feel sad.  If I’m happy I want to feel happy.  I need to keep things as simple as possible right now. 

This journey is a new one.  The Universe has given me everything I need to keep it on simple terms.  I don’t need to complicate it with distractions.  I feel really good right now.  I want to stay in this for awhile.