babies and such.

So today was my first pre-natal appointment. It's been a week and two days since I found out I was expecting, but we kept it to ourselves until we were able to see a doctor and confirm everything. When I found out here at home, I figured I was only four weeks along, but the Dr's office said I was five weeks so we scheduled an appointment for today. It was stressful and exciting waiting for that first appointment. I was really anxious to see a heartbeat and know everything was ok. However, the dr's office was wrong and I was right, and today I'm only five weeks and one day along. So not much could be seen on the ultrasound except for the gestational sac and just to see where it was implanted etc. So next week, May 7, we go back for another ultrasound to actually see an itty bitty baby and hopefully see a heartbeat. We can't hear one until about 10 weeks.

It's such an exciting thing to happen, to know my body is growing another little being. This wasn't planned, in fact it was a huge shock. This wasn't in our plans, we thought we had a couple more years for Nathan to finish school and get settled and all, but I guess God has different plans.

It's crazy all the thoughts that go through your head as soon as you find out you're having a baby. All the prayers that constantly surged through my thoughts, saying "Just please keep the baby safe".

I know this will be a long hard rest of the year. Nathan goes back to school in June and I will continue working as long as I can. My hope is to have a healthy enough pregnancy so that I can work right up to the day I deliver. That might be a pipe dream, but we'll see! At least my job is just down the hallway from the L&D section of the hospital. I can just walk over. Lol.

health and well-being

I'm now working nights and having a rough time of it adjusting. Everybody tells me it gets better, but it seems like every week just gets worse with less sleep and more headaches. Don't get me wrong, I love night shift and the people that I work with, but the lack of sleep is wearing on me and makes me feel like my life is slipping away into oblivion.
So here's to deciding to do something better for myself. Since my sleep hours are wacked out, here's to healthy snacks. I'm going to try to trade in my cheetos for celery with peanut butter. My skittles for apples. My coffee after midnight for cold water. Maybe this will help me sleep longer during the day and overall feel better.
I'll let you know how it goes!

the un-entertaining politically correctness of television

I'm angry.

I'm really really angry. I'm tired of tuning into a favorite show and being whisterpooped (yes that is a real word) with liberal propaganda. Case and point:

I turned my DVR to last weeks CSI:NY. Now normally this show offers up a story of someone committing a crime (usually a murder), and all the detectives hunt and peck until they find all the clues and it'd a grand old mystery. Not this episode though.

Of course, there was the usual murder, and confusion as to whodunit. But this episode had a twist. All the people who died were being targeted by a peeved old man who was dying of lung cancer and felt like he'd been forgotten and misplaced by healthcare workers when his private insurance cut him off. Now began the part of the show where they beat upon all private insurance companies and how horrible it is to have private insurance and how WONDERFUL national health care would be.

The peeved cancer patient brought up the father of the lead detective, who also died of lung cancer. However, this father was a veteran of the war, so obviously he was well taken care of throughout his painful end and he had everything he needed. Can you please note the sarcasm that is dripping from my fingers? The cancer patient proceeded to say that if he only had what Mac Taylor's father had, he'd be okay. Has anybody even checked the satisfaction of a patient of the VA lately? I've run into many patients in the hospital who have been treated at the VA and they've all told me that they will do whatever it takes to go to a non-government hospital. My father has been treated at a VA hospital because that's all he has available to him. They lose paperwork, forget about him, cancel his appointments without notifying him, and overall take months and months to achieve anything. If my father only have private insurance, he could easily take care of what ails him, receive treatment, and be well.

I have a friend who lives in Canada. She told me it took her FOUR months just to get an MRI scheduled. Thank God it wasn't for a life-threatening disease.

I recently met a man who immigrated to the US from France. France has nationalized health care. It's supposedly free to all citizens. Free if you consider the 49% of his paycheck taken out every month to pay for it. FORTY-NINE PERCENT....Can you live on only 51% of your check each month? I couldn't. And they say private health care is expensive....

I saw a hospital in Cuba when I was there in 2003. Michael Moore talks about how great Cubans have it when it comes to health care. This hospital had no screens on the windows and dirt floors. You were required to bring your own sheets and food to the hospital. The average Cuban made 5.00 a month, and de-worming medicine was 15.00 a month. So much for free health care.

I feel like I'm living in communist Russia, with propaganda being slung at me from every side. Pretty soon we'll find out someone got sick and we'll greet them saying "Prevyet Comrade! I visit you in beautiful hospital of our wonderful country. No worry about smell of pee from floor. It is normal."

I turned off the show without finishing it, because I knew what the ending would be.

What a bleak future.

Lemon Gingerbread Belgian Waffles with Caramelized Pears

Ok ok ... here's my recipe for my waffles. =) Let me know how much you enjoy devouring them.

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Waffles:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon all-spice
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup butter flavored maple syrup (Genuine maple syrup works too, but it's expensive)
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Grated zest of one lemon

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a 2nd bowl, mix egg yolks with a wisk, and then add milk, syrup, butter and brown sugar. Add in the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

In a 3rd bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until they form a firm peak. Gently fold these into the above mixture. Add the grated lemon zest. Your waffle iron should already be heated, and ready to go. Spray lightly with Olive Oil cooking spray and pour in the right amount for your iron. I have a round Professional Waring Belgian waffle maker. This recipe makes 5 or 6 waffles this side. Browning setting should be on 4.5 for the right color.

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Caramelized Pears

This can be any fruit really, but the pears are so tasty.

3-4 ripe pears, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste

Melt butter until it begins to foam, then add the brown sugar. Be careful not to plop this in because it will make the butter spill out of the skillet.

Cover and let this melt, stir occasionally with a whisk. Once it has melted (about 3 minutes), add in the chopped pears. I use a bamboo spoon to fold it all together, then add a dash or two of cinnamon.

These are best when they are left to thicken a little bit and cool just a little. Spoon this on top of the waffles, and top with whipped cream, cool whip, or lemon sherbet.

Chicken-fried Gluten Steaks

Who says vegetarians don't have tasty food?? Try out this recipe for the best gluten steaks you'll ever eat.

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1/3 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1/3 cup chopped Walnuts
1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp minced garlic

Blend together in 2 cups extremely hot water until very smooth.

Pour into mixing bowl with 2 1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten. Stir until mixed well.

Bring to boil:
half pot of water
1-2 cups of soy sauce
1 large onion, chopped

Spray cutting board with Olive Oil Pam, turn dough onto dough and roll into a log. It should be soft and very pliable. Cut small slices, flatten with palms of hands.

Drop one by one into boiling sauce mixture. Boil approximately 30-40 minutes. Drain and save the broth.

Mix in bowl:
Unbleached flour
Lawry's seasoned salt to taste,
Onion Powder, to taste
Garlic Powder, to taste

Mix in bowl:
1 cup milk
4-5 eggs
Mix well

Dip gluten steak into egg mixture, then dip into flour mixture and drop into hot oil frying pan. Fry until golden brown and drain, then place into a large casserole dish.

Take the leftover broth, and heat in a pot. Thicken as desired with cornstarch. You can either pour the gravy over the steaks in the casserole dish and reheat later, or you can keep the steaks crispy and just let people pour the gravy over the steaks themselves.

These are delicious with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and toasty bread.

Enjoy!

Please invite me to the Boston Soda Party....

The guys on the radio this morning were talking about the government's brilliant new idea to tax soda because it's unhealthy. Is that they only thing they can come up with that's unhealthy? They said that if they tax soda, then people will drink it less and it will cut down on obesity. I know that soda can make you gain weight ... someone I once knew quit drinking Dr. Pepper and lost 60 pounds. But that's not the only thing that makes you gain weight. What about cheese, or chips, or bacon, or whole milk ... what about steak, or fried chicken... sheesh -- mashed potatoes can make you fat, especially if they're yummy with butter and milk.

Ice cream makes you fat, so does candy bars...there's more calories in a candy bar than there is in a soda or diet drink, so why not put a $0.03 tax on that? They said that they will pay for the new health care system (BOGUS!!) with the money made off of this new tax, and that over the span of a couple years, the soda tax would yield $240 BILLION. But they won't stay at just a three cent tax...NOOOOO ... it'll be raised again, before you know it.

I'm not upset about this because I like to drink soda and I feel like it'll break the bank to feed my soda habit. I don't have a soda habit. I drink them from time to time, but I'm just as happy with water, lemonade and juice. What I'm upset about is the government making a ridiculous tax to just blow up their wallets even bigger.

And if you're going to tax something, tax the gaming systems and television, so that parents would be less inclined to let that babysit for them, and kids would get back outside and exercise....that's a good way to decrease obesity.

Why don't you offer incentives for people to be healthier, such as less of an insurance premium if you weigh under a certain amount, or if you join a gym and faithfully work out. If you don't smoke, drink or do drugs, you should pay less for insurance.

But taxing soda???? What's next? I agree with taking soda machines out of schools -- kids don't need soda anyway, and they can't decide for themselves when enough is enough, and when to drink water etc. The government shouldn't have the right to tax food items like this just to encourage us to not drink it...in a way, it's the same as what our founding fathers, pardon me, our framers fought against with their tea.

But we couldn't go dump all our cola in the bay .... then we'd be attacked by PETA.

birthday blues and blessings...

So today is my 23rd birthday. It's kind of discouraging to realize that you're at the age where you really don't care about birthdays anymore. Of course, it's nice to hear from everyone and get birthday wishes, but I've had the hardest time thinking of anything I want to do to celebrate. Part of that could be though that all my best friends are out of town. O well.

So today, instead of whining about whatever little thing wrong with my life I could find, I'm going to count my blessings. Afterall, it is a new year of life, and it's only right to be extremely grateful to God for giving me health. So here is my list of thank-you's and blessings:

1. Life. I see so much sickness at work and it makes me thankful every day for being alive and happy.
2. Health. I can't complain about my health -- even though I often get sick during the schoolyear, God has always blessed me with overall good health.
3. My husband. This should go up top actually. He is the best part of my life and he gives me a reason to put a smile on my face no matter how hard the day can get.
4. Youth. I'm happy to be young. Even though I feel older this year, and I'm not thrilled with it, I'm so happy for this time in my life. Dealing with hospice patients at work, or just old sick people makes me never want to get old...ever. And though I'll never chase after the fountain of youth, I will give thanks to God every day for being young.
5. Graduation is almost here. nuff said. =)
6. My home. I absolutely love where we live. I have a small spot for flowers, it's cozy and just feels like Home.
7. My family. I have an amazing family who is always so supportive of things that I do and I am eternally grateful for them.
8. Amazing friends. I love them all.
9. God's grace. I'm so thankful for being able to wake up every day and start over. I can learn from my mistakes and make new decisions. God is so amazing to us all.
10. My job. Sometimes it can be a real drag, but no matter what goes wrong, I always stop and think about that fact that at least I have a job, when so many are struggling to just find a stable job or put food on the table. I love taking care of people and I'm glad to have found my niche in life.


There are so many more things I'm grateful for, but I'll stop with those top ten. They aren't in any order of preference, just what came to mind while I was writing.

What are you thankful for?