A Sensible Dinner - Pearlieq's Journal

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

Your cake sounds pretty good. I think you should try the SF French Vanilla pudding to add a bit more flavor. It is the only vanilla pudding that I will use because I think the taste is better than regular vanilla.

Sorry to hear about ol' "AG" going at it again this morning. Hmmmmmm, ways to deal with him? I can only imagine all the emails that this guy must be getting from everyone else as well. It is a shame that he can't really be dealt with since it sounds like he is costing your company more money in wasted time than anything else. Well, at least it is nice out today, so before you reach that breaking point go take a walk before raiding the cupboards. The fresh air won't make him go away, but at least it will calm you down.

Keeping you in my thoughts today.

 

[goldcupmom]

Your dessert sounds really yummy, Pearlie! But maybe you should add some chocolate to liven it up!!

Sorry to hear about your mom, but glad the meds are ok so far. I'll be praying for all of you as I know this is a really tough time.

Also praying that DH cast really comes off for your trip. Can't believe it's almost here.

Have a good rest of the week. Don't let AG get the better of you - maybe he's from NM, then there is at least an excuse!!

Hang in there!!!

 

[toystoryduo]

Sorry to hear that AG is still being a pain in the you-know-what.

Your breakfast sounds yummy!!!! I'll take a delicious dessert cake over eggs any day!

I hope you have a good evening!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Ahhh, good old Annoying Guy! At least he's predictable. Good job cooking that dinner in, as a fellow member of the I don't cook too often club, I commend you!

Keeping my fingers crossed that your mom keeps doing well on the new chemo meds. Your family is always in my prayers.

Your trip is so soon, you must be pysched! When do you leave?

I'll "see" you when I get back!

 

[pearlieq]

4/16/08

8:50am

--2 pop tarts
--1 Activia cup

Well, now I have the rest of the box of pop tarts to contend with. I'm going to try eating them like a normal person and see what happens

The cats have decided on a new hobby--swimming! Our house has a powder room on the main level, and we usually leave the door open. I'd been pretty lax about keeping the commode lid down since they'd never really shown much interest in the past.

Not so anymore, I guess. I went in a couple of days ago to find a mess of water and wet paw prints everywhere! It's usually hard to tell if it was Frick or Frack who did it, so I mopped it up and resolved to be more careful about putting the lid down.

Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time getting back into the habit. I went back in later and must have startled Magellan doing whatever it is he's doing in there. He jumped and scrambled his little self out there, leaving a trail of wet prints. I thought I had my culprit. So, I mopped up yet again and deliverd a stern lecture about why kitties don't need to go swimming.

Sadly, I forgot to put the lid down AGAIN yesterday. Only this time, I walked in on Diana, with her front paws totally in the bowl! I have no idea what she was doing in there, but she didn't look pleased to be interrupted! Heaven only knows what they're doing in there. Maybe they're trying to surprise me by potty training themselves? I hear it can be done...

Needless to say, I've been very, very careful about closing the lid. Don't need any more water-skiing kitties!

12:30pm

--2 Lean Pockets
--1 cup baby carrots
--1 cup milk
--3 chocolate cookies

Again, attempting to integrate the cookies back into the land of the living. Normal people have a couple of cookies with lunch.

It's a lovely day today! I've got the window open and we're enjoying the fresh air. The cats adore having the windows open--I think they just like all the new sights, sounds, and smells. It must be somewhat dull to have the same environment every day, so open windows are always a welcome change.

Luckily, I got a couple of huge pieces of documentation done and off my desk today. Yay! Maybe I'll get a little break now.

I'm supposed to be going to a Bunco group tonight. It will be nice to see some of the ladies, but I'm still not too sure whether I want to do this as a regular thing.

***

So yesterday ended with a LOT of food. I got into the cookies again, so I just wound up trashing the rest. I also got into the Pop Tarts again. Then when I went to Bunco, it's not so much that I totally ate a whole bunch of bad things, but I wasn't really being mindful or keeping track. I know I ate a whole bunch of crackers w/ham & cheese, plus munchies at the table. It seemed like every time I got up I cruised past the food again. I just need to make more deliberate choices and not let it be a free-for-all.

 

[goldcupmom]

That's hilarious about your cats!! Are they looking for cold water?

You can conquer the pop tarts! (hmmmmm....what flavor are they??)

Have a great Wednesday!!

 

[Lesli54]

Water skiing kitties!

Congrats on getting a good portion of your work done. With all the stress of that, I bet you are glad to get some of it out of the way.

I think you did great on food yesterday...well, of course the cookies was another thing, but at least you recognize it and are trying to change your outlook on "fun" foods. So chalk up some big points there. Today's food is looking good as well.

Hope that you have a relaxing day and enjoy those open windows!

 

[pearlieq]

4/17/08

9:00am

--2 pkts Pop Tarts (frosted strawberry )
--1 glass milk

Well this isn't a very good start. I woke up cranky and depressed (thanks, TOM!) and then Annoying Guy struck again. I actually got an email from him last night at 11:00pm asking if I was online. Uh, no dude, I was chatting with my husband and getting ready for bed like a normal person.

Oh well, at least I was able to dispense with him pretty quickly this morning. And I'm about to get a whole week off from him!

1:00pm

--1 footlong turkey breast stub w/bacon
--1 pkt barbecue chips

I knew I was going to have an annoying call this afternoon so I treated myself to a tasty lunch. Luckily I don't think afternoon is going to be all that bad. I should make an effort to be productive--maybe I'll tackle the laundry.

5:30pm

--1 portion spaghetti pie
--garlic bread
--baby carrots
--1 glass milk

I missed my afternoon snack, so I was starving by the time DH got home. Something went wrong with his cast this afternoon, so he had to make a detour to the doctor's office to have him check it out. Guess what! He took it off! I guess DH's wound is healed, though he's still got to wear his special boot and take it easy until the skin toughens up a little bit. You can imagine how happy he was to have his peg leg off.

He brought home Juno for us to watch, which was fun. I had seen it in the theater and really liked it, and I thought he would too. It was nice to relax together.

9:30pm

--1 2/3 gordita crunches
--1 chicken fiesta burrito
--1/2 pint Ben & Jerry's

Late night munchies.

 

[toystoryduo]

TOM + Annoying Guy = I'm sorry both are being a pain right now. Sending some anti-TOM/Annoying Guy your way.

That is too funny about your cats!

I hope you have a great evening ahead!

 

[goldcupmom]

Hope Mr. Annoying wasn't too bad this afternoon. Just keep focusing on the trip.. VERY SOON!!!

Have a great Friday!!

 

[pearlieq]

4/18/08

12:45pm

--broth from a bowl of chicken orzo soup
--2 yeast rolls w/butter & jam
--1/2 chicken pesto panini
--few bites pasta salad
--fries w/ranch

I was so hungry--I wound up fasting this morning so I could get my lab work done for my physical. Unfortunately, this wasn't very good, but at least I got to eat.

I'm so happy--only one more work week left until WDW! And I only had to hear from AG once this morning!

3:30pm

--1/2 pt. ice cream

Yum!

8:45pm

--fettucine with meat sauce
--garlic roll
--1/2 garlic cheese bread
--1 can Coke!

I'm starving! Didn't get much of a chance to eat during the afternoon, which was fine. The ice cream hit the spot in TOM-land. DH and I got into kind of a tiff this evening--I'm getting kind of overwhelmed being responsible for everything. We wound up talking it out, but again, I was more emotional than I would have been, given how hormonal I was.

I spent the rest of the evening trying to track down a memory book and gift for one of mom's coworkers who is retiring next week. I completely struck out at our local mall, so I'm going to have to keep at it this weekend.

 

[Lesli54]

Hormones or not, I hear you on being overwhelmed with alot of the responsibilities. My DH has convinced himself that I like to be in charge all the time so I ENJOY having all the responsibilities. No matter how many times I have told him that it isn't the case. Even when we work it out, I basically have to design the new system and let him know what is going on, so you can imagine where all the responsibility lands yet again after a short time. Personally, I am thinking that it is a guy thing. They see the details that need to be taken care of at work, but they can't see it at home.

Your food is looking good, keep up the awesome job!

 

[pearlieq]

4/19/08

9:00am

--1 toasted cheese sandwich

Breakfast at my mom's--she makes these really well. We got time for a nice chat today, which was fun. There was a lot of shopping today, which was kind of tiring. It was good to sit down for a while.

3:00pm

--Indonesian peanut saute w/whole grain noodles & tofu.
--most of a chocolate dipped Twinkie

My favorite meal at Noodles & Co. I was so starved! DH took care of some chores around the house today while I was at my mom's and I was very grateful. We wound up not getting out for lunch until late and I was so hungry. Unfortunately, we were due to have dinner with friends only a couple of hours later, but I just couldn't hold out.

They put in a new Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory next door to the Noodles & Co, and we couldn't resist stopping in. We picked up some big caramel apples to share with our friends after dinner, and I was fascinated by the chocolate Twinkie and had to get one. It was one of those things that sounds so much better than it really is, though it was pretty good. I couldn't finish all of it, though, which was for the best.

6:00pm

--some of a salad w/ranch
--1/2 chicken breast with barbecue, cheese, & bacon
--1/2 of my mashed potatoes
--a few steamed veggies
--2 sm slices bread

Dinner was tasty, but I didn't have much of an appetite for it, so I took half of it home.

I was a little perturbed with my friend--apparently she was having stomach troubles and not feeling well, but instead of cancelling she decided to keep our dinner date. So now not only did she expose us to whatever the heck she's got a week before our trip, but she sat there looking uncomfortable at dinner and only ordered a soup that she didn't even touch. Why not just cancel? We wouldn't have been mad at all.

So, if anyone's got any pixie dust for us, it would be appreciated. I hope we don't get anything from her, or, if we do, that it comes and goes before we leave!

7:45pm

--2 sections (each 1/8th of an apple) of fancy dancy caramel apples.

Yum! Our friend's kids gobbled up a lot, but I did get once piece of each apple, and they were delightful.

10:00pm

--2 McD's cheeseburgers
--1/2 order fries
--2 apple pies

Late night munching--hungry again.

 

[pearlieq]

4/20/07 - One week to go!

11:30am

--few bites cinnamon roll
--eggs benedict
--couple of bites DH's sampler
--hashbrown casserole
--orange juice

This was wonderful! We met our friends for brunch at a restauant a few towns over and the food was amazing!!! It was incredibly reasonable, too, especially given the outstanding quality of the meal. It was warm enough to sit outside, too, so that was wonderful.

I really like this couple--they're so friendly, and very down to earth. They're also very considerate and we have a lot of the same interests. They have the most adorable towheaded little son--he is seriously one of the cutest kids I have ever seen and he's so well behaved. I guess he actually put himself in the naughty corner this week at home.

Poor DH accidentally grabbed an empty insulin pen before we left, so between getting his dose late and having that rich breakfast, he's now fast asleep on the sofa. For my part, I'm starting all of my to-do lists and all so I can get prepared for next week.

You know what the most fun thing is going to be? Tomorrow morning, first thing, I get to send an email to Annoying Guy telling him I'm going to be gone all next will and that I will NOT be reachable! Too fun!

And now, for my other favorite part of the pre-trip planning, it's time to play This Time Next Week (TTNW)! So, here we go:

TTNW: We have the first flight out of Chicago next Sunday--6:30am. That means we'll be leaving home around 3:30am. Yipes! Hopefully all goes smoothly and we land at MCO at 10:00am. I'll collect the luggage and DH will sign for the rental car and we should be on our way to WDW right away!

We're going to head straight for the Boardwalk to check in and get things all settled up. We decided on the Deluxe Dining Plan for this trip. We figured since DH will be moving slow as it is, we might as well spend the time in the parks to try out some of the restaurants we've wanted to visit. I think it will be fun.

I doubt our room will be ready right away and I'm sure we'll be starving, so we're going to head down to the ESPN Club for our first lunch! It's a favorite of DH's and I know he's looking forward to going.

After lunch, if our room is ready we'll go get settled, otherwise we'll hang around the pool or go take the boat up to MGM or EPCOT and kill some time.

5:00pm

--1 sm oatmeal cookie

6:50pm

--1 sm oatmeal cookie

Time to fix some real food...

7:10pm

--sm portion leftover spaghetti pie
--med portion leftover ravioli
--3/4 cup green beans

It's smorgasboard night at our house today--starting to clean out the fridge in anticipation of the trip. Otherwise, it's a pretty quiet night.

So, on to TTNW!

TTNW: We'll try to get to our room as soon as possible. I doubt we'll sleep much the night before, and having gotten up at 3:00am, I'm sure we'll be ready for a nap. After a nap and some unpacking, we'll head back over to MGM for Fantasmic. Best to do it early in the trip when we're excited, but still full of patience! Right about this very moment next week we should have done "the wave" about 50 times.

9:30pm

--1 sm oatmeal cookies
--3 fortune cookie
--1 sm bag Ruffles
--1/2 cup frozen grapes

Evening munchies.

TTNW: After enjoying Fantasmic and lingering on our way out of the park, we'll head back to the Boardwalk for dinner, probably at the Big River Grille. We ate there a couple of trips ago and really liked it. I'm guessing it's going to be lovely night to enjoy the Boardwalk and Crescent Lake.

 

[Lesli54]

I just love reading your TTNW's. They are always so much fun, plus it helps get me geared up for our trip. We have never been to Fantastmic, do you think that our kids would be old enough to enjoy it? I thought I heard it was long. Oh, and I love the Boardwalk! Such a great place to stay and so central to everything.

I don't know if you have noticed, but even with all your stressors, you have turned your food around in the last few weeks. Better portion control and more balanced meals. Great job! Of course, the depressing winter weather being finally gone sure does help.

Sending you lots of to keep the stomach bug away. I agree, your friend should have cancelled. Also, have fun emailing AG and telling him that you "cannot be reached".

Hope the rest of your evening is good.

 

[toystoryduo]

I love reading your TTNW's too! What a great way to get ready for your trip!

Sending some your way for dealing with Annoying Guy.

Have a great Monday!

 

[pearlieq]

4/21/08

11:00am

--1 sausage, egg, & cheese biscuit
--1 sm bag Doritos
--3 sm smores cookies

Kind of a brunch thing going on this morning. So far it seems to be a nice, quiet day.

I'm trying an experiment with these cookies this week--I bought a pack of those refrigerated ready to bake cookies (or, cookie dough, rather). I figured I'd pop a couple in the toaster oven when I'm feeling like cookies. So far, it seems to be working out.

TTNW: Up and at 'em early this morning. We have an ADR at Hollywood & Vine for breakfast. We're not particularly interested in the characters, but I love the idea of getting into the parks before opening time. We've never done that before, so I'll be curious how it works out.

After breakfast, we'll take a leisurely tour of our favorites--the Great Movie Ride, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppetvision 3-D. One of these days we'll have to wander down to ToT and chicken exit. I love the queue and pre-show, but the ride just makes me sick. I'm also really, really hoping to catch a soft opening of Toy Story Mania. Fingers crossed! It should be a nice, easy morning.

3:00pm

--2 sm pkts chips
--2 pks ramen noodles
--large handful Raisin Bran Crunch
--a few jelly beans

Mini carb bender. I definitley got "the itch" this afternoon where I just had to eat, eat, eat. This is not great, but it could have been a heck of a lot worse.

TTNW: We've got a lunch seating at 50's Prime Time Cafe. DH likes it there a lot since he can get sugar free milkshakes. I like the herb cheese appetizer, myself. I imagine after we finish lunch we'll probably wander out of the park and catch the boat back to our room. We'll get a nice long nap and swim in there somewhere, but I'm not sure in which order.

7:00pm

--2 homemade barbecue chicken biscuit sandwiches
--mixed veggies
--light canned peaches

DH had kind of a rough day at work. I felt bad for him--I know how much that can put a damper on your mood, even outside the office. He wasn't in the mood to do much, so we spent most of the night in front of the TV. It was actually kind of pleasant since we had recorded a lot of shows I like.

TTNW: We wound up backing out of our Hoop Dee Doo plans. We were both kind of curious about it, but we decided we'd rather use both of our meal credits on something else, plus we weren't sure we were crazy about the seating or the menu. We figured there will be a time soon enough when we got back to WDW with a kid in tow, and we'll do it then.

So, instead of that dinner, we're going to go to Planet Hollywood. I think that will be a fun place to experience with the dining plan. We've only been there once--I believe on our honeymoon--so it will be nice to see it again.

9:00pm

--5 small cookies (actually, 4 cookies and one dough bit)
--1 cup light ice cream

Well, I can see the chink in the armor here with the "ready to bake" cookie plan. I think I like the dough better than the cookies!

We'll have to see how that works out this week.

TTNW: After dinner I think we'll just noodle around the shops at DTD and enjoy the evening. I don't want us out too late, since we've got an earlyish morning the next day.

 

[Lesli54]

Good afternoon, Pearlieq! What a beautiful day!

It is nice to have a frozen cookie dough so that you can make the number you need and not have the entire box laying around.

I have never been to ToT and am not sure if I am brave enough. When I was younger, I would have done it, but now I am not sure. The older kids of course love it. But I never thought of going through the queue and leaving before the ride. Interesting idea.

Hope the rest of your day is a good one.

 

[toystoryduo]

Sending some your way for a Toy Story Mania soft opening during your vacation. I can't wait to see it!!!!

Hope you have a great Tuesday!

 

[pearlieq]

4/22/08

10:40am

--2 Egg McMuffins w/jam

Well this has been a busy morning. I had just come downstairs and was about to log on to work, when my mom called me from her office, saying she'd forgotten her friend's retirement gift at home. His party was at noon.

Luckily, I didn't have my first meeting this morning until 11, so I was able to run by her house and get it up to her office, which is about 40 minutes away. The fates must have been with me since it was a very smooth trip and I got home with plenty of time to spare.

I noticed this morning that I'm showing up about 10 pounds heavier than I was a couple of weeks ago! I'm really not sure what that's about. I haven't been eating perfectly for the last couple of weeks by any stretch of the imagination, but I haven't done anything that's really out of the ordinary for me either, and usually my weight is pretty stable.

I thought it was probably just TOM, but as it turned out, TOM was very strange this month. I felt it coming, went through some of the symptoms, but it wound up barely showing up. And in the past it had been pretty pronounced on this pill. I had an old test leftover, so I made sure there was nothing a-cooking in there, and there wasn't. Maybe my body is just finally used to this pill? Very odd.

Whatever's going on, the sooner this extra weight would like to go away, the better!

TTNW: Another fairly early morning here. We've got a breakfast seating a the Kona Cafe, though we may wind up cancelling that and just going to Captain Cook's. Or maybe trying for Crystal Palace? I don't know--I can't stop tinkering!

After breakfast, wherever that may be, we'll head over to MK. It should be another leisurely morning--I'm looking forward to Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain (that's about my speed as thrill rides go), the Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's Flight, Philharmagic, Buzz Lightyear's, and, our all-time favorite, the TTA! There is just nothing like riding around tomorrow land and enjoying a perfect Florida day. DH could probably go for hours, if I let him.

1:30pm

--1 sm pkt chips

3:45pm

--2 sm pkts chips
--1 bowl raisin bran crunch

Well, I've got my biggest bit of "paperwork" done for the week, so now the rest of my week is just going to be questions/fallout and meetings.

TTNW: We have a late lunch at Tony's Town Square--I haven't been there in quite a while either, not for a couple of years at least. After that we'll probably head out of MK and go back to the room for a nap and a swim. It's so relaxing to be on vacation!

6:00pm

--2 cookie dough bites
--1/4 cup jelly beans

Snacks waiting for DH to get home.

7:15pm

--turkey sausage
--6 pierogis
--2/3 cup peas
--1/2 cup applesauce
--1 T sour cream

One more workday done, one day closer to WDW. DH had another irritating day at work--the downside to working in government is definitely politics! I admire him having the patience to put up with it all.

I think I'm just going to do a bit more laundry here, then call it and early night.

TTNW: Another night at Downtown Disney. We have dinner reservations at the Wolfgang Puck Cafe, which is definitely a favorite of mine. Everything there is so wonderful, from the foccacia to start to the key lime pie to end it. I'm really looking forward to this one!

While we're down there we might catch a movie, or maybe wander over to Pleasure Island. We'll see how much energy we have!