Onion Soup

Last week one of our patient brought a bunch of onions to the office. (It seems when harvest time comes around, everyone's giving away food). I decided to take a couple home. I allready had 2 onions in the fridge and so I decided I'd try to make some onion soup out of them. (I really don't cook with onions very often......like hardly ever.) Anyway. From the second I got home from work I was chopping and cooking. I had Parker pick up some french bread on his way home from work. I'd looked up a couple recipes on the internet, and was kinda making a goo-losch of all of them. They were all pretty much the same. LOTS of chopped onions. Beef broth. Some spices. 2-4 tablespoons of butter. Easy right? Well. As the onions started to soften, I did a taste test. It was pretty good. A little bland though. A little more beef flavor? Plus maybe a little more butter? That should do it. Well. That "a little more butter" ruined it completely. Every bite tasted like a stick of butter. Ick. I tried to dilute it, then add more beef broth. It wasn't working. Ok. I thought maybe I'll chop ANOTHER onion, cook it in a SEPARATE pot, and then pour it all into the soup. That should give it the flavor it needs. Nope. It still tasted like BUTTER. Completely frustrated, and 2 hours later; I dished up 3 bowls with a side of steamed green beans the neighbors had given us, and the bread Parker had brought home. Caleb and Parker sat down. I warned them,
"Guys, it probably doesn't taste that great......you won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to eat it."
Parker took a bite.
"Well?" I asked.
"It's not bad....."
"Really?"
"It's not GOOD...."
.....sigh. I look over to Caleb. "Well, what do YOU think?"
Caleb scoops himself a heaping bite and stuffs it into his mouth.
"I don't like it mommy." As he pushes it away.
Parker looks at me and says, "I'll eat the entire thing if you want me to. You NEVER mess up dinner, and it's not terrible...."
"No. You don't have to eat it."
I took a bite myself and gagged.
We ate beans and bread. Then here's the bad part. We were all still hungry. I started to cry. I hate making dinner on a work day. And I just WASTED two hours on a worthless meal. Caleb saw my tears and said, "Mommy.....thank you for making this beautiful dinner."
Now I'm sobbing.
"I'll take another bite, even though I don't like it mom...." and he heaves another bite of butter soup into his mouth.
Wow. What a sweetheart!
Crying even more, I gave him a hug.
My day was RUINED. I definately wasn't going to spend MORE time in the kitchen making something else......it was 7:30! And the kitchen was ALLREADY a big mess from the butter soup. Parker was right. I never mess up dinner. I mean, I've made things he doesn't care for as much....but I've never completely BOTCHED a meal before. Maybe I don't take enough risks....but do you SEE what happens when you do?

I spent another 5 minutes feeling sorry for myself. Then I looked at my family.
"Who's still hungry?!"
Parker and Caleb looked at eachother....
"Meee!!!" they yell together
"Who wants McDonalds?"
"Meeeeeeee!" they yelled again.

So I loaded the family up and we had fries and burgers for dinner. If only we'd just done that to begin with!! I don't think I'll ever look at onions the same way.....

Week 5 weigh-in

Today's stats are:
159.2 lbs

YAY! I'm hopefully OUT of the 161 slump!

32 1/2 in waist.

Sorry, I can't post the past-stats this time because I'm running out of time! Maybe I'll fix this later! Not as much progress as I'd hoped....but considering last week was fair week.....I'd say ANY loss is one to be appreciated!

Fair Week

Last week was the Cassia County Fair. Such a big deal to all the "Burley-ites." Parker's sisters, Katelyn and Robyn came into town for the occasion. It was so nice for the Lyons cousins to get to play together. We only get to see Robyn and her family a couple times a year. Caleb and Angie even spent 2 nights (Tuesday and Wednesday) at Grandma's house so that they could all spend more time together.

Tuesday was the concert. Darryl Worley. Wow. What a good concert! We loved it! He's quite the patriot. And he has written many songs dedicated to the people who fight for our country. One song in particular "Unsung Heroes" was written for the FAMILIES of those who are in the service of our country. Well I don't know if all of you know, but Katelyn's husband, Jared, is currently in Afganistan. That song was truly touching and we all held eachother and cried with Katelyn. She has an amazing husband. And SHE is stronger than I could ever imagine. SHE is an unsung hero. Please take a minute to listen to the song HERE.

Wednesday night Parker and I enjoyed an evening without the kids. ;) Good idea Grandma.

Thursday after work, I went and got the kids. We went to the fair again and I had a Greek Gyro for dinner. Wow. YUM. Yes I'm trying to lose weight....but I just LOVE fair food. I made just a FEW exceptions this week.



On Friday Robyn brought the kids to our house and we took the kids to the park to play. There was a moment where her son, Lucas, was playing with one of our solar lights from the pathway outside. Caleb told him not to play with it, and Lucas threw it at him. It hit him just outside his left eye.I don't think he understood how much that would hurt, but Caleb came into the house screaming....and Robyn drug Lucas OUT of the house screaming. He really is a sweet kid. And very fun and playful. Just a little over-the-top sometimes. ;) We love him though. I regret to report that the past 3 times Caleb and Lucas have played together, Caleb has been left with a few battle scars. Friday's was definately the worst so far though. Anyway. After the drama was over we rode bikes to the park and had the kids play for a little while.

Then on Saturday we went BACK to Burley so Parker could play his yearly "Birthday Golf" with his dad. And I got to spend a little more time with Robyn. I sure miss her. When we lived in Pocatello, she was my best friend. I was devastated when she moved away.

Anyway. The kids loved playing outside in Grandma's beautiful yard. You don't quite realize how much you appreciate GRASS until you've spent a little time in Vegas. Robyn's kids were in HEAVEN!

Saturday we also had a birthday party for Lucas. He turns four.....today actually. But they decided to throw him a party while he was with his grandparents. I ate pizza for dinner. It was good.....and I've just been hoping and hoping my 4 weeks of weight-loss isn't completely ruined.

Three day-trips to Burley and then on Sunday Parker's other sister, Jayne had her baby. So we're making another trip this evening to see her and baby Saije (pronounced "Sage").

We really enjoyed spending so much time with Parker's sisters last week. The fair is always a good excuse to get everybody together!

Thirty!

Well this post is a little late. But on August 15th Parker turned 30! I know, he's getting old. ;) We were lucky enough to have Parker's sister, Robyn, and her 2 kids in town at the time. So she and Grandma and Grandpa came over that evening to celebrate. We had dinner at Sizzler, and the kids were really good actually. And then we went back to the house for a little party. I'd made a cake on my lunch break just for the occasion. Since Parker allready had his birthday present picked out WEEKS ago (a new handgun) I decided that this year I was going to get him things that would make him feel like a kid again. I searched HIGH AND LOW at the thrift stores for some "hammer pants." I really thought that'd be funny. But never did find any. But I DID find a birthday card that played "Can't Touch This" when he opened it. Good enough. It made him laugh. I also got him some lincoln logs. His mom is always telling me how much he loved to play with those when he was a kid. I also got him a big bag of peanut M&M's. And then "The Sound of Music" on DVD. Now there's a story behind this one too: When Parker was a kid, he had one of his friends spend the night at his house. And they chose to watch "The Sound of Music" that night. (That's a little funny right there if you ask me). But anyway. A little later that night, Parker's mom went downstairs to check on the boys and Parker was DEAD asleep on the couch. And his friend was SINGING HIS HEART OUT along with the movie! So cute. Anyway, I know Parker has always loved this movie, and I can't believe we've gone so long without buying it. Anyway. Now it's part of our collection.
We really did have an enjoyable evening. I just can't believe he's THIRTY! Before I know it, that's gonna be ME blowing out those candles!



Parker asked for a white cake with cream cheese frosting. So that's what I did. And I made it from scratch. (I've decided cake mixes really don't save that much time.....and the ones from scratch are SOOOO much better).



I love my husband and I hope he had a good birthday! Here's hoping his next 30 years are as good as the last!

Week 4 Weigh-in

I AM still at it. I didn't report week 3 because I was so busy. And there really wasn't any progress. Week 3 included 4 days at Hells Canyon and although I tried to eat right.....I did have a few sweets and other yummies. Since, then my weight has still pretty much stalled. My wonderful 156 lbs a few weeks ago was NOT permanent. It was a one-day thing. I'm stuck at 161. Here's the stats:

Starting Weight: 167.2
Week One: 163.4
Week Two: 161.2
Week Three: 161.2
Week Four: 161.2

Kinda dis-heartening. BUT even though my weight hasn't dropped, there's something that HAS!

Week Two Waist: 35 1/2 in
Week Three Waist: 34 in
Week Four Waist: 33 in

I've lost over an inch a week. And I can tell too... just by looking at myself in the mirror. I've decided I can be as heavy as I can as long as I continue to get SKINNY!!

Running takes a mental pep-talk every morning. It's not very easy. But I've kept at it. I've been eating BETTER but these past 2 weeks have been hard. Last week was Hells Canyon, and THIS week is FAIR week. Complete with Fair FOOD! Scones, funnel cakes, maple bars, and Gyros. Not very healthy. But I've tried not to be excessive in the fair food. And I think my waist will survive. Although my week 5 weigh-in is likely to have the exact same numbers as week 4. I guess I didn't actually think to myself will I continue to work-out even if NOTHING happens? I suppose the answer is yes. Even without quantifiable results......I'm still living healthy. I'm 1/3 of the way through. And it's still hard. But My body is getting used to it. My lungs and joints don't protest at the beginning of each run. And I really don't get side-aches much either. And it's easier to push myself to run faster and lengthen each stride when my lungs aren't begging me to stop.

This post is about 3 days late this week.....so week 5 weigh in is only a few days away. We'll see if I can get anything to change by then.

Hells Canyon 2011

Since I missed Hells Canyon last year, I VOWED to myself that I would go this year, even if it meant going without Parker. Which is exactly what happened. Parker had some things come up at work and there was NO way he could take a day off....much less 2 days off. And to just go for Saturday......well it's just too far. A 5 hour drive for a one night stay?.....nah. He just decided he'll try to make it next year.

Me on the other hand.....I was not about to miss Hells Canyon for TWO years in a row! Not going last year, felt like I was missing Christmas. So I took the kids and Thursday after work, we drove to my Mom and Dad's house. (2 hours away). And then Friday morning, we left at about 7:00 AM and drove the other 3 hours. Not so bad when you break it up over two days.

I have to say. My kids are angels. Both of my sisters came with their husbands and 4 children each. Plus my 2 made TEN kids ages 7 and under camping in the heat. Thank goodness we had the camper, and flushing toilets and showers....and....AIR CONDITIONING! With that many babies, we had to do naptimes in shifts.....and the ONLY way that was possible was because Anna brought my old window air-conditioner and blew it into her little tent. It actually worked quite well. I know. An air conditioned tent. It's a crazy thought. But because of it, we were able to go camping for 3 days in the 90 degree weather with lots and lots of babies.


Caleb just LOVES spending time with his cousins! They are by far his best friends. The older kids did really well taking care of themselves and staying out of trouble. Camrey, Logan, and Angie were the ones we really had to watch. Each of them are in the terrible two stage.....and incredibly curious in nature. We had to keep them from wandering off, and eating rocks and dirt. Logan and Angie ran around barefoot 90% of the time. I couldn't get Angie to keep her shoes on. And then BAby Lexi who can't walk, but still able to crawl, climb, and of course FALL. She too eats rocks and dirt and any kind of food that's been dropped and then stepped on. But over-all I would have to say I was generally surprised at how well ALL of the children did.......especially my own. ;)

I'm happy to report that my kids slept through the night all 3 nights. The 2nd night Caleb had a little accident in his sleeping bag. But he woke up before completely emptying his bladder, and was able to finish his business outside. His pants and underwear were quite wet....but luckily his sleeping bag was not very wet at all. The 2nd night (Friday) was also the night when a SKUNK wandered into our campsite. The stench woke me up instantly.....and then, of course, I had to go to the bathroom. However, I wasn't about to un-zip that tent and step outside and scare the skunk and get sprayed. So I laid there for an HOUR.....waiting for the smell to go away. I couldn't go back to sleep until I'd gone to the bathroom.....and I wasn't gonna go until it was gone. So I laid there and prayed it would leave. Even my parents who were sleeping inside the camper woke up to the smell.

We spent lots of time on the boat, and lots of the time at the beach. We stayed as wet as possible, because it was VERY hot. I water skiied 5 times. And of course the water was amazing (that's the REAL reason we go.....is to ski on that flat water).



Caleb really enjoyed swimming. He learned to float with a life jacket, and that it's ok if you can't touch the bottom. He even plugged his nose and stuck his head under water a few times. This is actually quite a bit of progress for him. Although he never would jump off the dock or boat into the water, he would sit down and climb in. And he liked to. In fact he wanted to swim around the boat nearly every time someone finished skiing.


We also celebrated Anna's 33rd birthday while we were up there. We had german chocolate cake and homemade ice cream.


The kids had so much fun together. Swimming, and the older ones even got to fish a little bit. Dejah caught 3 fish....but nobody else was able to catch anything. They still had fun casting their lines and reeling them in though.

Our campsite was quite the sight to behold. With the camper in the middle, we took up 2 camp-sites. We also had 2 shade tents that were life-savers and created the common area where we sat and ate and visited. We laid tarps on the ground so the babies could walk and crawl around without too much dirt and scrapes.
The picture below shows my tent (blue) and Melissa & Tory's big tent. And on the left.....the little black trailer carrying.......yes that's a fridge behind that pink towel. And it was FULL of food! With 10 children and 7 adults, we had to have SOME way to transport all that food. And since there IS electricity at Hells Canyon.....why fill ice chests when you can just take a fridge?

Here's a video of the kids saying "Bon Voyage" as we packed up camp. Except they pronounced it "Bon Voyaggie!" Cute.

It took 4 hours to break down camp. Yes. Four long hours. And as we drove back home, the first 2 hours were like this.

Of course my other 2 hours drive was NOT so pleasant. Angie is NO fun to take on car rides. She whined, and cried the entire time. I'm SOOO glad to be home!! And now.....with PILES and PILES of laundry, and NO groceries in the house. Dirty bathrooms and dishes.....I think I'm ready for a vacation. ;)

YAY!

I just HAD to post this...because after my rather discouraging weigh-in post yesterday, I got out of bed this morning and went for my run again. When I got back I got onto the scale before getting into the shower. Wanna know what it said?

156.6 lbs!

I thought it was wrong! So I reset it and got on again. Nope. Same thing! YAY! Horray for me! That's 11 lbs lost in 2 weeks and one day. I was so excited, I just HAD to share.

Week 2 Weigh-In

I'm 2 weeks into my 90 day challenge to get into shape and lose some weight.....or inches. Both hopefully. Here's the stats:

Starting weight: 167.2 lbs
Week One: 163.4 lbs
Week Two: 161.2 lbs

When I got on the scale, I won't lie......I was pretty dissapointed. I was REALLY hoping to break 160 after two weeks. It's kinda discouraging that I've only lost 6 lbs in two weeks. However, I know it took more than 2 weeks for the weight to get there. And I've been told time and time again that it's not really the scale that you should measure your progress, but your waist size. I didn't measure my waist at the beginning, or after week one.

Week Two Waist: 35 1/2 inches

I think I've lost AT LEAST a half an inch allready, but I'll never know for sure. I know I shouldn't expect too much too early. After all, I only jog for 30 minutes 4 days a week. BUT! Last weekend I got a new bike, and I've decided to add a 15 minute bikeride in the evenings. It's really relaxing after the kids have gone to bed and doesn't quite take as much out of me as a 30 minute work-out. But doing so will make my total exercise time 45 minutes a day instead of just 30.

I've decided if I want more results on the scale, that I need to spend more time working muscle. Biking is really good for that, but I'll start doing a few more crunches, lunges, and rubber-bands. Building muscle increases your metabolism, and therefore helps you burn more fat- hence better results on the scale. I'm not a fan of this part of the workout, but as long as I AM working out, I might as well do it in a way that I'll get the results I want. After all- half the battle is convincing yourself to do it.

The last thing I've decided to change is a NEW RULE. No eating within 2 hours before going to bed. Parker is the KING of this. He ALWAYS has a bedtime snack. And I get the munchies too. But Parker has an uncle who lost 10 lbs doing nothing but NOT eating after dinner. Takes a little discipline....but if it'll take a few more pounds off the scale, I'll try it.

Here's to another week! PEACE OUT!