Samuel at 2.

I know I've said this before, but I don't think I ever comprehended how much I could love one little person until Samuel came along. Sometimes it still amazes me. When I look at him or cuddle him or play with him or have a silly conversation with him, I am in total awe of how this little guy has captured my heart so completely and how lucky I am to get to be his mom.

Now, don't get me wrong, he throws his fair share of hardcore 2-year-old tantrums that make me question why I ever had a child in the first place. But 90% of the time it's the mushy-gushy-I-love-him-so-flippin-much stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to try these next few days to record a little taste of Samuel as he's turning 2.

Here's a sample of an "interview" I did with him the other day.


C: How old are you going to be this week?

S: See-yule Yates!

C: No, how old? What number?

S: TWO!

C: That's right!! And what's your favorite number?

S: TWO! Sev-uh. hahaha. Nooooo.

C: You're so silly. What's your favorite color, Samuel?

S: Purple! Red! Blue! Reeeeed! Color color! Shapes?

C: Okay, what's your favorite shape?

S: Square! Suh-Cull! Ti-gle!!

C: Those are good shapes! What kind of food do you like to eat?

S: Nuh-nuh.

C: Banana or nuggets? (I'm never sure which he means).

S: Yes! Olaf Book? Nooo! No eat book. Hehehehe. (but he does eat books. Crazy kid).

C: Is Olaf your favorite book?

S: Olaf book! Hop on Pop! George? Baby Moses!

C: And what's your favorite show?

S: Show! Watch show! Peeeeasse!

C: But what's your favorite?

S: Cars! Mater! Thomas? Shapes! Cars! Show show show!

C: One more question. What song do you like to sing?

S: Car song? Eyes! Mmmm. ::sings REALLY loudly:: Tinkle tinkle liwle stahhhh!!!


You get the picture. ;-) He's fun! I'm sure I'll have more to share over his birthday week. I can't believe he's going to be 2!

10 Years!

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years this month since Eric and I met.

10 years since  my college freshman self noticed the cute high school senior hanging out with my friends that had grown up in town. I thought I'd try to make him feel more welcome since I knew he was planning on coming to school with us next year.

I had no clue that in the next few months I'd come to realize he wasn't just a cute, sweet kid, but funny, smart, thoughtful, caring, and genuine.

That when other girls started chasing him, I would realize I liked him a little more than I wanted to admit, even though he was "too young" for me and I was kind of seeing someone else.

That we would spend way too many nights hanging out, flirting, watching CSI (which I kind of hate, but didn't mind so much with him :-), making up excuses to spend more time together.

That he'd ask me to go to his prom with him, and then ask me to be his girlfriend a few weeks later.

And that one day that cute boy would ask me to be his wife, to move across the country with him, to have his children, to be his person.

10 years since this life began. And I wouldn't change a minute of it. <3 nbsp="">

Fish!

I'll keep this brief, but, basically, for the first time ever, I made a fish recipe that we actually enjoyed! In fact, Eric took his fork to the pan afterwards and ate every last bite of what was left over. That happens... well, it pretty much never happens.

So, before I forget, here is the recipe that was very appropriately titled:

"The Very Best Fish Recipe Ever"
3/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1/3 c. butter + more for greasing the dish
1/4 c. mayo
3 tbsp. lemon juice (I just squeezed one lemon)
1/4 c. green onion (I used more like 1/3)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. dill, optional (I left it out)
2 dashes tobasco sauce
2 lbs. boneless, skinless fish (I used cod and just a little over a pound. We're poor.)

Pre-heat broiler and grease baking dish with butter. Arrange fish in a single layer in dish and broil for 8-10 minutes. While fish is broiling, make sauce by mixing together cheese, butter, mayo, lemon juice, green onion, salt, pepper, dill and tobasco. When fish is flaky, remove from oven and spread sauce on top (it will be pretty thick before going in the oven). Broil for 4-5 more minutes until sauce is lightly browned. 

Yum. :-)

Christmas 2014

We got to go to Arkansas for Christmas this year for the first time since 2011! We decided this past summer we would probably try to make it work this year since we will have to start paying for a plane ticket for Samuel after he turns 2.

God totally worked everything out for us, though - another guy in Eric's program asked for their days to be switched around, and as a result, Eric got 9 days off instead of 6!

My brother's college graduation also ended up being the same weekend we flew in, so we got to see him, and my grandparents, one of my aunts and two of my cousins, which probably wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Getting there was a little wild and crazy. Eric worked until almost 8 pm his last day on and then we picked up Chick Fil A and drove to Charlotte to stay the night in a hotel. Samuel was way too hyped up to sleep, so it was close to midnight before we all knocked out.

And of course we were up at 6 and out the door a little after 7 to catch our 9 am flight. It's a good thing we left when we did too - the airport was crazy. Samuel did way better than I expected in the long long lines. The coveted use of our iPhones probably had something to do with that. ;-) We got to our gate about 3 minutes before they were going to close the doors and were the last ones on the flight. Whew!

Flying with an almost-2-year-old isn't the most fun thing ever... I was definitely glad Eric was with me! We watched a lot of tv shows on the iPad and passed him back and forth and took turns singing silly songs and holding him while he cried about not being able to run around. (To be fair, he had a cold, which didn't make things any better!)

We made it, though!

We met my family in Little Rock to celebrate JJ's graduation. Then we all drove back to DeWitt and had "Christmas" there. We went to church on Sunday and spent Monday just hanging around. Samuel got to watch Frozen about a million times and ride on some tractors, play the piano and drink way too much sweet tea. He had a blast.

Morning music time with Grammy!

On Tuesday we made our way towards Magnolia. Most of the week was rainy and dreary, so we spent a couple of days there just hanging out by the fire and watching too much tv.

We did finally get to have some Backyard BBQ (our absolute favorite restaurant!), but it took some serious effort. We attempted to go on Tuesday night when we got to town, but, upon ordering, found that they were out of, um, MEAT.

I promise you, this is the only place in the whole flippin' world that can run out of meat (it's a BAR B QUE PLACE!), be soooo nonchalant about it, and we would still go back the next day. But we did. Or my MIL did, because they weren't actually open, they were just processing the first to-go orders they got. Until they ran out of meat again.

Seriously, though, this stuff is that good.

We made Christmas cookies for Samuel to "decorate" on Christmas Eve. :-)

He loved playing with Eric's old toys!

Anyway, Christmas rolled around on Thursday and I'm pretty sure I was way more excited than Samuel could have imagined being. He had no clue at all what was going on. I, on the other hand, woke up every hour waiting for him to make a peep so I could get him up to show him his new toys! We just gave him his train set and basketball goal on Christmas morning. That was enough to entertain him for a while!

Reading a new book with Granddaddy.

Just watching some Christmas morning PBS. ;-)

We spent a few hours Christmas afternoon out at Eric's aunt's house. They have a few horses, so Samuel got to ride on one of those and play on one of their tractors. He also got cars from pretty much every family member. He was pretty much in heaven. :-)

There were a few more gift exchanges over the next few days. I got Samuel's cold and was a little on the miserable side, but still enjoyed spending time with our family. Eric got the cold on the last day, fun fun!

Samuel was way more cooperative on the flight home and the lines were practically non-existent (Though I should probably add that he was kind of a terror in the airport, throwing major tantrums on the floor multiple times right before getting on the plane. I was pretty afraid getting onto the flight, as were all the other passengers. The magic iPad fixed all of that though. :-)

We had a lot of re-training to do when we got home. Baby boy took some seriously hardy naps the first few days back after missing them most of the week. He's still adjusting to NOT getting electronic devices whenever he wants and NOT getting to watch PBS all morning long while drinking sweet tea and eating whatever he feels like.

It was a ton of fun though, and I'm so grateful we got to see so much of our family at one time! :-)

2015 Fitness Goals

I'm always a little hesitant to set many running/fitness goals. After all, there are so many injuries that can occur and other factors that play in (health, weather, when I can afford new shoes).

2015 hasn't started off quite as hardcore as I was hoping it would. But we're only just beginning. I do think having goals helps me push myself a little more. So here are a few goals I think are pretty attainable:

1) Hit the 1000 miles in a year mark again, and stay there as long as possible. (I should be at 1000 by the end of January. Then I just have to keep up with last year me. :-)

2) Get faster in at least one race.

3) Do more weightlifting/cross training.

4) Eat healthier and less.

A few more specific, harder goals:

1) Hit 1100 in the last year.

2) Run a 6:30 mile/23:00 5K.

3) Lose 3-5 pounds. (I'm pretty okay with my weight, but it wouldn't hurt me to lose
 a little. Or to at least turn some fat to muscle. ;-)

4) Get rockin' abs.

So now that's out there. Let's see what 2015 brings. :-) 

Spinach & Onion Strata + Avocado Cookies

I should really write about something else but... well, I love food. (For what it's worth, I have been crafting/working a lot around the house, I just don't feel those types of projects are worth writing about without pictures and I'm terrible about remembering to take pictures!)

Spinach & Onion Strata
I made this for our church group this morning and it was a total hit! I prepared it last night and then just popped in the oven this morning. Easy, no-hassle - a great brunch option!

1/4 c. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pkg. spinach (I used Fresh Express, 5 oz)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
dash of nutmeg
1 loaf French bread, torn into pieces
6 oz. Gruyere, shredded
2 oz. Parmesan, shredded
7 eggs
1-1/2 c. milk

Melt butter in a pan and add onion. Cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Arrange torn bread around a 2-1/2 quart baking dish and pour spinach mixture on top. Top with half of cheese. Scramble eggs and milk together and add in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour egg mixture over bread and vegetables and top with remaining cheese. Let chill overnight. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until set.

Avocado Cookies
Okay, these were a little different, but Samuel loved them and I ate a few myself. They've got an extremely rich, creamy chocolaty flavor. Just beware of too much avocado (I won't go into details. ;-) Next time I will only serve one a day!

3/4 c. of avocado, mashed - I used about 3 small ones.
1/2 c. sugar/coconut sugar/honey
1 egg
1/2 c. dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
A handful of chocolate chips or chunks

Put the avocado, sugar and egg in a food processor and mix together. Add in cocoa and baking soda. Remove and stir in chocolate. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. All to cool, then store in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potato Chili & (Crockpot!) Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

A new year often brings a new fervor to accomplish things. In my case it's been a fervor for cooking healthier meals. It probably should be keeping my house a little cleaner (though I have been on an organizing spree). One thing at a time though.

This week I've made two yummy veggie-filled dishes that were both fairly quick and painless. They'll both definitely be appearing again soon! I may try to lessen the meat and replace with lentils at some point. I don't know if my husband will stand for that though. Baby steps, right? :-D

Sweet Potato Chili

I combined a couple of recipes for this and didn't measure super well... as always. It was good though! 

1 lb ~ish of hamburger meat, preferably lean and grass-fed (but if you're broke like me - use what you have!)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
3-4 carrots, peeled
1-2 squash/zucchini (I didn't bother to peel that)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp - 1/4 c. chili powder
1-2 tsp. cumin
1-2 tsp. oregano
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (if desired)
EVOO

Brown hamburger meat. While it's browning, grate or dice sweet potato, carrots and squash (I grated it until my hand hurt, then diced the rest. Because I'm lazy like that).

When the meat is browned, remove from pan. Squirt a tablespoon or two of EVOO into the pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until turning translucent, then add in the other veggies. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, then add in tomatoes and spices and return meat to the pan. Let it all simmer together for about 30 minutes. You may need to add an additional 1/2 c. or so of water (or more tomato sauce or V8 or something if you prefer) to keep the consistency.

Serve with grated cheese and crackers. Yum!


Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

This was yummy, healthy, and best of all - a crockpot meal! This was by far my favorite spaghetti squash meal yet! 

1 large spaghetti squash
1/2-3/4 lb. ground hamburger meat (depending on how many meatballs you want)
1 egg
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. minced onion
Spaghetti sauce of your choice

Put the spaghetti sauce in the crockpot and turn to low. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds, then place face down in the sauce. Make your meatballs by mixing hamburger meat, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese and onion in a bowl. Roll into balls and either place in the crockpot, or, if there's not enough room, bake on a cookie sheet in the oven @ 350 for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for later (this is what I did).

Let the squash cook for 5-6 hours, then scoop out and top with sauce and meatballs!

Banana Bread(s)

I'm a pretty big fan of banana bread. It's easy to make, I almost always have the ingredients on hand, and you can add extra fruits and veggies to it really easily to make it semi-healthy.

I'm really really terrible about measuring out ingredients and doing things exactly the same every time. Every baked good needs a flour, a fat, a sweetener and a binder. I usually just try to keep these things in proportion and roll with it from there.

Here's kind of a basic outline of what I do for banana bread and some variations.

Basic Banana Bread
2-3 mashed bananas
1/3 c. maple syrup or maple/agave blend
1/4-1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. applesauce
1/3 c. oil or butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour (I usually do half wheat and half white, or sometimes use some bread flour for the white)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

I also like to add:
3/4 c. oats
1/4 c. flaxseed

Mix all the wet ingredients then add in the dry, bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes and you have some yummy banana goodness. ;-) 

Now, as I mentioned I am not a stickler for measuring or following a recipe to a tee. I like to mix it up. I usually just eyeball... pretty much all of my measurements these days.

I also rarely make plain banana bread. Adding in other fruits and veggies not only makes it a little "healthier," but also more moist.

My three favorite add-ins are grated zucchini, carrot (usually a whole one of each), and crushed pineapple (I do 1/4-1/2 cup). I've also added in vanilla yogurt before and that's really tasty too!

Other add-ins include cinnamon/nutmeg, walnuts, chocolate chips, cocoa (1/3 c. in the mix makes it good and chocolaty - just add some milk too if it makes it too dry), and peanut butter. The possibilities are endless. ;-)

Sweet Potato Muffins/Bread

I've mentioned before that, since Pinterest came into my life, my original idea of food blogging has kind of fallen to the wayside. I really have been quite the cooking/baking junkie lately, though, so I've been thinking that perhaps I should revitalize my food blogging.

Like yesterday, I just had to bake something. Being the week after Christmas, I still felt like a blimp from all the junk food I'd been cooking/baking/eating. So I decided to make something healthy-ish that I wouldn't feel awful feeding to my kid. Plus I really really am trying to incorporate more vegetables and whole foods into our diet.

I had a sweet potato, which seemed like a good base for a muffin. I found a couple of Pinterest recipes, took what I liked/had from each one, and this is what I came up with:

Sweet Potato Muffins
1 mashed sweet potato (I poked holes in it and cooked it in the microwave for 5 minutes, then peeled and mashed)
2 eggs
1/3 c. maple/agave blend
1/3 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. coconut milk
1 c. oats
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. flax seed (definitely not required, I threw it in just because.;-)
1 box raisins

I mixed all the wet ingredients together, then the dry, then poured the dry into the wet and voila! Muffin mix. I was out of cooking spray, so I melted a tablespoon of butter in the bottom of a bread pan, then poured the batter in and baked it at 350 for 45 minutes or so.

It's not the most amazing thing I've ever eaten, but it's pretty healthy, and we all had some for breakfast and were happy to have seconds. So I can't complain. I may try some banana in it next time too (I didn't have any on hand yesterday). All in all, not a bad dish!

Livin' on a Prayer

I decided to reorganize things around here yesterday, and spent most of naptime labeling various old posts in hopes that doing so would give me motivation to be a little more purposeful with my posting. I've definitely gotten worse about rambling (and not proofreading) over the last year or two.

In my reorganizing, I realized I've posted very very little about residency since it began. The waiting and wondering where we would be and the adjustment period were all exciting. It warranted lots of thinking/discussing/decision making. But, now, well, it just is, and I've come to accept that. Eric works a lot and Samuel and I kind of have our own little life going and that's how things are for us right now.

Intern year was bad in a lot of ways. While the hours could have been worse, Eric pretty much worked 13-14 hours a day, 6 days a week, with never more than one day off at a time for the last five months of it (February-June). His days off were spent catching up on sleep. He worked a month of night shifts which made him even more tired. I'm really glad that mess is over.

Now things are a little more relaxed. He still has bad months every other month. Like last month he had two days off total, and a few random nights thrown in with his long days (though now he gets to go in a little later, so he usually only works 12-13 hours instead). But now he's on a clinic month with 50ish hour work weeks and only one random night to work. So it alternates, and that's good for us. We can do anything for a month if we know an easier one is coming. Plus he's not at the bottom of the totem pole any more, and a lot of the busy work he doesn't enjoy goes to his interns.

The most exciting thing to me, however, is that, as of last week, Eric is halfway done with this program. I'm not going to lie and say it's flown by. It hasn't. Still, I love knowing that we've made it more than halfway. And that, really, the hardest part, that horrible horrible intern year, is over.

The last half of things always seem more manageable to me. Like when I'm running - the first few miles seem to take forever, but once I'm halfway done, I feel like the end is in sight and things just don't seem so bad. Hopefully residency will be the same way.

There's still some icky stuff coming. There's another month of night shifts starting in a couple of weeks. There's two ICU months with only one (short) consult block in between. And the last few months of his final year include more nights and ICU. And then there's probable interviews for fellowship and matching again and two more years of working long hours for little money in fellowship. So all that stuff is still out there.

Overall, though, the future is looking a little brighter. We have five weeks of vacation in 2015 (what?!?!) - two in March, two in September, and one in December. And two elective months, which are almost always super easy. I think we are all a little happier with life and starting to maybe thrive a little instead of just survive. And we know that one day in the not so crazy distant future, he will be done.

So we're halfway there. Sort of. Living on... okay, we're living on lots of prayer. :-)