New Year's Resolutions

I was thinking about New Year's resolutions earlier last week, and came to some conclusions about myself.

Making these resolutions, i.e., "resolving that I will do this or that," isn't going to do me much good. I can have all the resolve and good intentions possible and still walk wholeheartedly down the wrong path.

Instead, I decided to make some commitments. Or rather, just one commitment.

And that commitment is to pray for self-control.

When I really thought about it, the things I need to do are lose weight, spend less money, exercise more.

The reason I don't do these things is that I have very bad self-control. Little to none. I am one of those immediate gratification people -- I want it, and I want it now. NOW.

So I have committed to pray for self-control in my life. I am seriously committing to asking God (believing) for self-control in every area of my life.

It's like one-stop shopping. I cover all the bases with one fell swoop.

So far I'm doing great with the spending money but not so great with the diet and exercise. But this is a process, and His mercies are new every morning. Everytime I fall down, I get up and pray that prayer again -- "Lord, please provide me with self-control. I know You can."

Yesterday was a bit sunnier, and I was grateful for that. I got a haircut and fresh nails; I'm back to having bangs again, as I've had most of my life. I feel like myself again. I drove kids and kids' friends home from their swim meet last night and felt great about being a mom.

And God, in His great and infinite wisdom, did not see fit to blow one of the 28 pine trees in my yard into my kitchen. Dang. And this although nearly half of central NC blew away last night with the wind. The swim meet was cancelled when the lights all went out.

Today I'm going to try and get control of my domain -- and that means clean house! I am a terrible housekeeper in that I often keep it picked up but seldom clean. I depend on my kids for that. But two days ago I cleaned out the pantry completely and today I need to work on the laundry room and my sewing closet. Just the thought of it makes me sigh, and yet IT MUST BE DONE!

So here's to 2009: I lift my cup of hazelnut coffee in praise of the God who is faithful and who will keep me on track!

xoxox

You've Just Gotta Try This

This is what I've been making for the past two weeks. Everytime a pan is gone, I make another one. It's from Devin Alexander on the Discovery Health Channel. I've linked you to her original recipe, so if you'd rather make hers you can. This is essentially the same recipe but doubled, and you use a 9x13" pan rather than an 8X8. You also use a lot more coffee and chocolate chips.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1/2 cup applesauce*

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

8 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

2-3 coffee scoops of your favourite coffee, ground

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

chocolate chips

butter-flavoured cooking spray (or just regular spray)

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13" pan with spray.

Mix up the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites, and sugar until well combined with a whisk or in a mixer.

Add the dry ingredients and stir or mix until just combined and no lumps remain.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle handfuls of chocolate chips over the top. Use as many as you like.

Bake about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Try not to eat the entire pan.

Some notes from me:

1. Devin says to use unsweetened applesauce. Since I get those little cups of applesauce at Aldi for school lunches and snacks, I just use two of those. They're about 1/4 cup each. They also have cinnamon.
2. I always, ALWAYS use real vanilla extract. That cheap stuff just isn't worth it.
3. Devin says to use just 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder. I just use the coffee I drink everyday. I use beans that I grind myself, and they are hazelnut flavoured. But any ground coffee will work.
4. Devin says to use 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. Probably a better idea if you want to keep the calories down.
5. Devin's brownies are 88 calories each. Mine are more like 100-120 each, depending on how many chocolate chips you add.

Enjoy! This ain't no diet food!

REGARDING . . .

Regarding . . . my aspirations to ever be a tennis coach.

I beg your pardon. I ask you, what aspirations?

I was conscripted into service to substitute coach for Monday's away match. Every girl lost except one. Even the doubles matches -- although I have to say we did give them all a run for their money.

During the doubles play, three of the girls were hit by balls. Hit hard. As in slammed with the ball at several bazillion miles per hour.

I mentioned to the opposing coach (a very nice older man with an absolutely grand panama hat) that we'd be happy to supply them with crash test dummies for practice if they liked.

He was not amused. I was even less amused.

I found it difficult to not be a very angry mom when two of the girls who were hit were my daughters. As if they were being used for target practice. JB got quite angry and slammed the balls back a couple of times for some excellent hits. Fortunately, she did not aim for either of the opposing players.

But in the end, they lost.

Also in the end, I found that neither my daughters nor I were able to distinguish between the mom and the coach. All attempts at coaching were met with rolled eyes and sarcastic comments.

So that's the end of that, literally.

Regarding . . . my aspirations to lose weight.

I must say, it's working. Slowly, but it is working.

Let me first say this. It's not true that no diet works. Every single diet there is will work, if you do it. I never believe it when overweight people say that the diet didn't work. I think the diet worked fine -- it just stopped working when they went back to their old habits.

Which is exactly what has happened to me after Weight Watchers.

The second time.

I'm having some limited success on this Alternate Day Diet thing. But here's the thing --

IT'S THE WAY I ALREADY EAT.

On the "down" days, I generally just eat very little or simply fast. I drink a lot of water and visit the little girls' room a lot. And on the days when I eat, I really do eat whatever I want.

I am not journaling what I eat, as you are well advised to do when doing this diet. I hated that with Weight Watchers and I hate it now -- although it does keep one accountable.

These days, there are so few battles that I win. Having to journal what I eat feels like one more thing I have to do, one more shackle on my ankle. So, I don't do it. I keep a mental track of the calories on the down days, staying generally under 500. And the up days I throw all caution to the wind and sometimes even make brownies.

And when I get on the scale after a down day, I get to win a little. I still have a long way to go. But I'm encouraged.

Today was a weepy day for me, rainy outside and I was sad. Allergies have beset me coming and going -- I am living on Claratin and Sudafed. Some days, life is just no fun. Add to this that I live in a town with a paper mill, and the wind has been blowing our direction. My house tends to smell like rotten garbage. It is most certainly NOT the smell of money (although I am thankful that it does employ so many in our town).

But hopefully tomorrow the wind will change and the sun will shine. And I will stop bristling under small chores like feeding the dog, or doing the dishes, and I will remember that these are the holy things in life, these small tasks. They prepare us for heaven.

Not that I'm ready right now or anything. This minute.

Veggie Tales

Over at Ponytail Challenge, Camille is double-daring us to try some new vegetables.

To this, I simply reply "Deceptively Delicious." It's Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook about how to puree the nasty things and sneak them into your regular food.

I am completely not kidding. I sneaked some squash into chicken enchiladas, and Hunk O Man remarked that they were better than usual.

It works like this: you make baby food puree from the steamed veggies, freeze, and then thaw when needed and put into the sauce of whatever you're making.

I think the real trick is to make sure that whatever you use is relatively the same color as whatever you add. For example, beet puree would work nicely in spagetti or pizza sauce. Yellow squash or pumpkin puree would work in macaroni and cheese.

I love a juice I found in California (and is available everywhere) called Naked Juice Green Machine. We affectionately refer to it as pond scum or toad guts. But it's a great-tasting pineapple-based juice with spirulina and spinach and all sorts of green goodness in it. And it's thick, like a milkshake.

So if you can abandon your aviary tendency to judge a food by it's looks, hold your nose, and get the stuff down -- you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I am all in with this double dare. We have church tonight, but everyone will be hungry afterward. I think I may put some peas into some green thing I might have tonight. Hmmm. . .

PR Dish

STELLA! STELLA! STELLA!

Leatha Stella is OUT! Whatever the leatha shall we do? My leatha heart is just breaking!

She said to Heidi as she left, "Well, my ego was a little too big for this place." In the words of our Bunny, "true dat."




She made a nice outfit with a leather cape, which made the whole thing just look silly:



for the legendary Diane Von Furstenberg's new collection, based on a "spy" look:







(is it me, or is this woman's speaking voice just AMAZING? I could listen to her talk all day long. She could easily replace Edward Hermann's voice putting me to sleep every night)



LeAnne won with this -- I like LeAnne, and I hope she gets into the top 3 --





Although I had a hard time deciding whether or not Korto got robbed of a win with this:




because it looks very DVF from her runway collection. But I'm not wild about Korto as a person, so there you go.

Suede, the one with the blue mohawk, made this:

to which I replied with this:

I think Stella's outfit was better. But I do like Mr. 'Speaks of Himself in the Third Person' Suede, so I'm glad he's not out.

I really think that being out has more to do with whether or not your outfit was good enough and whether the leftover people constitute "good tv."

Talk about subjective.

On a whole 'nother subject, thanks everyone for the giveaway comments! I'll choose one via Random Integer Generator tomorrow around 3PM, and I'll have a recipe for you!

And I am loving the Alternate Day Diet! 6 lbs. so far! Wa-hooey!

Giveaway!

OK, it's not much, but it is handmade by me and a nice addition to your kitchen -- I call it "Tropical Punch."

Just leave a comment with the name of your favourite go-to recipe. On Friday, I'll draw a name, and publish the recipe for everyone.

BTW, I'm trying some of the things in Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious." Yesterday I made brownies complete with zucchini, carrot, and banana puree.

However, I was on a "down day" for the Alternate Day Diet, so I didn't even get to try them! My southern friends here told me they were good . . . but you never know with these proper southern women. :)

Enjoy!

xox

OK, OK, I Give.

Being surrounded by five gorgeous girls with little skinny, teenage bodies has an effect on a person.

I look in the mirror, and I am no longer the young, cute thing I once may or may not have been.

I am The Mom.

You know, the lady that accompanies the young, cute things that shop in malls and sit at Starbucks.

I look matronly.

Kinda like the Matron of Honor (the married maid of honor) -- but older.

Like my mom used to look when she was next to me.

So I've resolved that although I can't fight the aging process, I can fight the weight gain.

I've started "The Alternate Day Diet" simply because it's kind of the way I already eat anyhow.

Linda at 2nd Cup is also doing the diet.

I'm a Weight Watchers Lifetime Failure; I've gained back all the weight I lost there, and am reluctant to count points. I know it works, but I go hungry a lot.

I think going hungry every other day might be a good alternative for me.

The trouble with Weight Watchers is that it didn't change my eating habits. And I ate a LOT of diet food -- WW ice cream bars, sugar-free candies, etc. I am determined to eat real food.

So we'll see how it goes.