The Cupcake Debacle

I love cupcakes.  They make me happy.  This is something my friend over at "little bitty bites" and I have in common, other than high school...

I had six beautiful cupcakes just like this.

I had a wonderful six-pack of yellow cupcakes with butter cream frosting starting on Saturday night.  By Sunday afternoon, I had three left.  And by Sunday night, I had NONE.  ZERO.  They were gone.  I miss my cupcakes.  I'd like to say I am ashamed to have eaten six cupcakes in 24 hours.  It's happened.  I am a little ashamed to say I ate three cupcakes in 12 hours, and I am sad to say I didn't get the other three...

What happened, you ask?  Stryker.  Stryker happened.

I've been such a proud puppy mommy for the last week, and then last night - The Cupcake Debacle.  Stryker has been so well-behaved that we've given him some privileges over the last week.  The first few days, he had the basement to himself.  Then, we started leaving him to wander in the house with the doors closed to rooms we didn't want him in.  Last night we let Stryker have the run of the house while we went to a concert.  He had eaten his dinner, and he had been walked and let out, so we felt safe.  I inadvertently left our bedroom door open...that was MY mistake. 

I own that.

When we finally arrived home from the concert sometime around midnight, all seemed well.  Stryker was a little sleepy, but he still met us at the door.  I let him out, and we played with him for a bit.  I looked around, and everything seemed to be in place.  When I went upstairs to the bedroom to change into jammies I turned on the light, pulled out my clothes, spun around to turn on the television, and shrieked, "Ahhhhh! Stryker!"  My  husband immediately yelled, "What did he do!?!?!?"  My response:

"HE.    ATE.    MY.    CUPCAKES. 

ALL.    OF.    THEM."

On top of completely obliterating my hair pick (luckily, I had two), he had taken the plastic container of my treasured snacks and destroyed it.  He ate all the remaining cupcakes, all six wrappers, licked up all traces of butter cream frosting and sprinkles, and shredded the plastic container.

I wish this was what was left of my cupcakes...

The packaging he ate through.

So today Stryker will be in the basement, having lost his house-roaming privileges...I will have to be more careful about where I store my precious cupcakes going forward...perhaps I will keep them in the guest room (the door is always closed to that room) so that I can enjoy the cupcakes without worry. 

The Great White North

I am now a world traveler, and I could not have said that before Wednesday.

I had a meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada this week, and it was pretty cool.  I didn't get to ride the Maid of the Mist, but I could see both the American and the Canadian "Horseshoe" Falls from my hotel window.

My entrance into Canada was humorous.  My colleague from our Buffalo, New York, office picked me up at the Buffalo airport and drove me to the hotel in Niagara Falls.  He was very gracious to do that, especially since we were in horrible traffic and the line to get into Canada was beyond long.  Then, as luck would have it, the border agent at the booth we chose to drive through was having some day - he asked us a ton of questions, and when I told him I was a meeting planner having a meeting from Wednesday night till Friday afternoon, he decided I might need a work visa for that and pulled us over.  My colleague, still very patient and wonderful, stood in line with me at immigration for 30 minutes just to tell the agent that I was in town for the a meeting and that I was not selling anything to the attendees.  Whew - that was an ordeal, but it makes for an interesting memory for my first trip out of the country!

Most of my time was spent in my hotel room or in the hotel meeting room.  The group I was with did have dinner in a wonderful restaurant on the 10th floor of our hotel which overlooked the falls.  It was beautiful, and the food was good.

I walked for a while when my meeting was finally over and took some great pictures of the falls.  They really are something to see.  I also stopped at a wax museum in honor of my parents' honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1974.  I can still remember the famous photo my dad took of a topless wax figure...he cut off her head - hilarious forever. 

I had a way-too-sugary cookie sandwich with butter cream frosting from the Hershey store.  I bought souvenirs for my husband and my dog - the standard pen for JR and a rope toy for Stryker with a Canadian NHL plush in the middle.  I heard people say "aboot," and "surry," and "eh."  The vending area in the hotel was called "pop & ice."  The buses are called "people movers."

My colleague picked me up to drive me back to the Buffalo airport - he really is a stand-up guy.  Based on our trip into Canada, I was uneasy about our trip out.  The lines were not as long, but the agent was just as specific.  My colleague let the agent know that he was merely picking me up from the hotel, and I let the agent know that I had been at a business meeting.  He asked how we knew each other.  My colleague told him we worked for the same company, just different locations.  He asked if I sold anything to the attendees.  I assured him I had not.  He asked if I had made any purchases.  I pulled out the rope toy and pens and said, "just these for my husband and dog."  He seemed leery, but he let us pass - no trip into immigration that time.

Now I sit in the Buffalo airport waiting to get home to my amazing husband and our wonderful pup.

So, my first trip out of the contiguous 48 states was not that far from "home," but I am still thrilled that I have a passport because of this trip (as does my husband) so we can travel abroad when we are ready...

Stryker's first night and first morning at home

Stryker is proving to be an amazing dog.  He lets us know when he needs to go outside.  He does not try to eat our food.  He will sit, lay down, and stay in his dog bed.  He is so good at fetch with his rope toy.  He had a great time playing with us last night in the basement. 

My favorite thing, however, was that he spent part of the night sleeping at my feet...it was awesome.  My husband takes up the length of the bed with his 6ft 6in frame, but when I curl up, there is plenty of room for Stryker.  If I stretched out, he stretched out between JR and me, and rested his head on my shoulder.  We love this dog so much already!

Stryker woke me only once in the middle of the night to go out.  He rested his head on the bed and whimpered very quietly.  I got up and took him out, and he ran right back into the house and up both sets of stairs to the bedroom.

This morning when the alarm went off, he was between JR and me, and his head popped up, very alert.  He was ready for a walk!  I got up, dressed, and leashed him up, grabbing some plastic bags for the trip, and off we went.  We walked for about 45 minutes, and it was great.  We got back to the house and played in the yard a little while longer, then we went back inside so I could get ready for work.  When I got out of the shower, Stryker was in bed with my husband, and they were adorable! I wish I had the camera handy because as soon as I walked in, Stryker jumped up...

I am looking forward to getting home tonight to play with, walk with, and love on Stryker (and JR, too).  This family became even more connected yesterday.  I truly believe that having Stryker in our lives will give us the motivation we need to keep moving and get that exercise in every day!  No more slouching around for us...we can't possibly spend an entire day without leaving the house anymore.

When I met JR, I knew he was the one.  When we went to look at the house we now call our home for the first time, we knew it was the one.  When we met Stryker on Saturday, we knew he was the one...

A New Addition

The Andersons welcomed a new member to the family today.  Stryker (Ted Stryker Anderson).  We visited him yesterday at the West Suburban Humane Society and put a hold on him to consider it overnight.  I was so excited this morning that I couldn't sit still waiting for the minutes and hours to pass until the shelter was open and we could go see him again!  We played with him for about 20 minutes and realized we were just sure - he was going home with us!  We went inside to the office and took care of the paperwork. 

They brought him out to us, and the whole family jumped in the truck and went to the pet store for a doggie bed, a rope toy (it was his favorite at the shelter, so we got a similar one), food and water dishes, and some other essentials.  The shelter provided us with some food and his medicine (he's currently got a bout of upset tummy, but he's well house trained).  He's micro chipped, neutered, and vaccinated.  We plan on taking him to the vet within the next two weeks to get a thorough check, but he's gorgeous and happy!  Take a look:

(Ted) Stryker Anderson

We have been playing with him most of the day, and we just came home from an awesome 45-minute walk.  He is amazing, and we love him already!  We are all set to go pick up some more things at the pet store and give this gorgeous Brittany/Collie mix the forever home he's always wanted!

The North Woods

JR's dad's family is from Ingram, Wisconsin, in the North woods.  See the tiny red dot?  That probably covers up Ingram and all the surrounding towns.

We try to visit at least once a year.  We went the weekend of July 4th for the family reunion.  It was a blast.  We probably doubled the population of Ingram that weekend, which isn't that difficult.  The registered population is listed at 76.  Yes, seventy-six.  We went up again last weekend for "Ingram Days."  The town celebration is held the first weekend in August each year and boasts a softball tournament, a sand volleyball tournament, a horseshoe tournament, a pie-and-ice-cream sale, chicken and other food stuffs for sale at the ball park, a parade, and various other activities hosted by the town's four bars.  Yes, four bars for 76 people, or one bar for every 19 people.

So, what do we do while we are there besides visit all the bars, have some chicken, watch some sports tournaments, and watch the parade (during which at least one "float" will hand out beer to the bystanders)? 

Well, on an average weekend we spend in Ingram, we will head into nearby Glen Flora to eat a fantastic breakfast at Jae Dee's - fluffy pancakes with locally-made, FRESH maple syrup in squeeze bottles!  We will also head over to Tee-A-Way Golf outside of Ladysmith for nine holes, and we might stop by West Cove Lanes next door for bowling. 

We almost always head into downtown Ladysmith to catch whatever movie they are showing (yes, movie - as in one screen) for $5 each.  We once had to wait for the local Little Miss Rusk County pageant to end before we could see the movie.  Also, during a long movie (2 + hours), the projectionist (who also sells the tickets and the refreshments) will stop the film at the half-way point and announce that we are taking a 15-minute intermission so we may use the facilities and get refills on our drinks.  It's awesome.  Last weekend we saw "Despicable Me."

A trip is not complete without a visit to the Ladysmith Dairy Queen, which by the way is open all year.  On a girls' weekend to Ingram with JR's sisters and some friends in late January, 2008, we all suited up, warmed up the cars for 30 minutes, and headed into town to have some ice cream - it was 37 degrees BELOW zero.  That was good ice cream.

We will usually have a breakfast or a dinner one day out of the weekend at Hilltop Bar and Restaurant.  It's across the street from JR's older sister's summer house, the street being Highway 8.  We will likely have a dinner at Horseshoe Bar, as well - great fish fries on Fridays.  We might grab a burger at Antlers Bar & Tavern for lunch one day, and we like to go to The Bar for karaoke on Saturday nights.

If several family members are in town, we'll have a fire pit at JR's middle sister's summer home roaring into the wee hours while we laugh and talk and sing and act silly all night long.  JR also can't miss a ride on the ATVs.

Overall, the weekends we spend in the North woods are relaxing and fun.  My mom wonders why I can enjoy myself up there so much when I left the farm back in Tennessee kicking and screaming.  I remind her that I still like to come visit home, too - it is very relaxing and fun as well.  Then she reminds me that I said I was going to retire to Ingram one day and asks how I could stand that if I didn't want to live in the country in Tennessee.  I look her square in the eyes and say, "76 people.  Four bars."

Baked Orange Roughy with a Parmesan Sauce Topping

I knew I wanted to make fish, but I wasn't sure what kind. I took the cookbook with me to the grocery store so I could compare fresh-fish availability to recipes...

I came up with Orange Roughy baked with a Parmesan Sauce Topping. Yum yum!

The Parmesan sauce topping was merely light mayo, Worcestershire sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, and some salt & pepper. I coated the fillets with that and baked them until the fish was cooked through.

In the meantime, I made a fresh slaw mix with a light dressing (light mayo, lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper).

It was delicious! The Parmesan sauce topping was a huge hit, and the slaw was a nice side.

We will be having this again!

Mediterranean Pasta with Shrimp

So, I forgot to bring my cookbook with me to work on Wednesday...I decided instead to look up some recipes on diabetes.org.

I found Mediterranean Pasta with Shrimp - whole wheat egg noodles, ready-to-use shrimp, thawed chopped spinach, fat-free yogurt, feta cheese, garlic, salt & pepper. Really simple.

I also made a Greek side salad of diced cucumber, diced tomatoes, diced onion, diced bell pepper, grated garlic, yogurt, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Well, this was the first bust. I loved the salad. JR liked the pasta...

It seems the Andersons don't do Greek...

They can't all be winners!

Chicken Paella

After the success of the first meal on Sunday night prepared from the diabetic cookbook, I went through every recipe with my husband so we could determine which things we would definitely like, which things we would try, and which things we should not even think about (like anything with only vegetables in it - he won't eat that).

Monday, I picked out the next recipe to try: Chicken Paella. Proudly I can tell you that I only needed two ingredients from the store - a can of stewed tomatoes and a red bell pepper. The paella was simple - one skillet, chicken breast cut into strips and browned, onion, garlic, low-sodium chicken broth, parsley, rice, stewed tomatoes, bell pepper, frozen peas & carrots, seasonings (including turmeric). It was ready in about 30 minutes.

JR loved it! I loved it! Another win for the recipes!

Salmon in a Garlic Bath

My first try at creating a diabetic-friendly meal came directly from the diabetes cookbook I've been using (credit and picture to come). It sounded so delicious, so we tried it.

Salmon fillets in a baking dish with a "bath" of low-sodium chicken broth, olive oil, minced garlic, dry white wine, and coarsely chopped fresh parsley - baked till the fish is flaky. I positioned the fillets in the baking dish so that they formed a circle with each other.

I made brown rice, peas & carrots, and grilled shrimp skewers as sides.

I plated the meal: 1 fillet each, semi-circle shaped & positioned to match the outline of the plate; a big scoop of brown rice in the "pocket" of the fish; a big scoop of peas and carrots to complete the circle; two shrimp skewers each in an X pattern atop the other items.

Beautiful.

In my husband's best Gordon Ramsey impression, he gave his critique:

"Nice presentation. Tammy - look at this. The fish. It's cooked perfectly. On to the peas & carrots. A little pedestrian, but flavored well. The rice is overcooked. The seasoning on the shrimp is clean and simple. Delicious. Now bugger off."

For a first attempt at cooking a completely diabetic-friendly meal, I was impressed with myself. Whew!

If You Really Knew Me

I've been watching the MTV show "If You Really Knew Me." Here is part of the description from the Web site:

"Like a reality version of The Breakfast Club, each episode of If You Really Knew Me takes place at a different high school, and follows five students from different cliques as they go through the life-changing experience of Challenge Day, a one-day program that breaks down the walls between cliques, and completely changes the way students view their school and each other. Watch the amazing transformation each week as new students open up for the first time and try to change by revealing who they really are, behind the cliques and the labels. Is it possible to change your life, and maybe even your high school, in one day? These students are going to find out... on If You Really Knew Me."

I've seen the first two episodes, and I am digging it. It makes me nostalgic, it makes me sad, it gives me hope, and it gives me worry.

If something like this had happened in my high school, I am not sure what the outcome would have been. I don't know what clique I would have been assigned to...I called myself a "floater." I could talk to anyone, but at the same time I didn't do a lot of socializing outside of school.

Just for giggles, I thought it would be interested to pose the challenge to you...I'll start.

If you really knew me, you would know that I always thought I was fat in high school. Only after seeing pictures of myself years later did I realize that I was a very healthy size.

If you really knew me, you would know that I always wanted to hang out with people after school and on the weekends but never felt like I belonged.

If you really knew me, you would know that I was excited to go to my ten-year reunion because I was still not married, I had no kids, and I was living 8 hours away...I was excited because I had broken any mold of what people thought I should be.

If you really knew me, you would know that after the ten-year reunion, I felt just as un-cool and un-popular as I did in high school.

What would I really know about you?