Shelf Reliance Giveaway!

I signed up for an AWESOME giveaway at Shelf Reliance's new blog! It sure would be incredible to win, but they have a lot of other helpful advice and tips in their newsletter and website. If you want to participate too, just click here ! Good luck!

How I feel...

I keep getting asked how I am feeling. I usually say I am "fine" or "ok", but what I really want to say is...
...Well, it feels like I am reading a book with really small print and cannot put it down while sitting up straight in the front seat of a car with large windows and the car is driving very fast up a VERY windy road with tall trees on each side whipping by and sunlight shooting through the branches sporadically and moving across the page of tiny words I am reading...all the time...oh, and a bad metal taste in my mouth.

LUCKILY, I have an awesome boss that lets me come in late and leave early everyday now (9:30-2:00 is awesome!) - its just enough to keep me distracted on how I feel and keep me a little active, because by the time I get home all I can do is veg., sleep, and eat (or at least constantly think about what I'll eat next that doesn't sound too gross). Thank goodness I have a wonderful husband who has been doing ALL the cleaning and cooking - I can hardly take a step into the kitchen. I can't stand and yet I am totally obsessed with food. It is a fine balance between being too full or too hungry - each of which will induce increased nausea if allowed to develop. I can't wait for the day I can eat as much as I want whenever I want! THAT will be a day to celebrate!
ADDENDUM: I am aware of anti-nausea drugs and I did discuss them with my doctor - I have made a personal decision that I am not satisfied with the research that has been done that I have had access to and my doctor is not a huge advocate unless the nausea/vomiting is harmful to the baby. AND since my Morning sickness no longer/rarely includes actually vomiting and I am no longer LOSING weight we decided to wait it out and try a few more natural methods first - which seem to be working just fine most of the time. If I complain too much on my blog I apologize - it usually happens on the more unpleasant of days. That doesn't mean I don't think there is a time and place for the medication for certain women - some women need it to even function, I am still functional and ultimately still healthy - for which I am VERY grateful!

Reading for Pleasure

I have not been a big reader (for pleasure/fun) since...well, honestly since...high school? Of course I have read books for fun that I enjoy since then, but I used to do it all the time when I was younger, but whenever I have been in school, especially nursing school, I read so much in textbooks, papers, online articles that I didn't want to read anymore! Additionally, I am a slow reader - so that certainly doesn't help. I would spend hours reading and studying - so I rarely would pick up another book to "wind down" or "escape"! Now that I have graduated and am working, I come home from work and there is no studying to do, no tests to prepare for...I leave work at work! As soon as I took the NCLEX nursing examination this last summer I finally allowed myself to open the twilight saga - since then I have picked up a book now and then to read - it has been fun to rediscover reading for pleasure.

I've set up a bookshelf on my blog and you can read my reviews on books as I read them. I am definitely not a fast reader so you won't see new books popping up all the time, but its been fun to do the Shelfari thing and get suggestions and reviews on other books I've heard of but not sure if I want to read or not. What have you read recently that you enjoyed?

Temporary Postponement of I Made it Mondays

The typically weekly "I Made it Monday" of cooking recipes I have tried and enjoyed will be temporarily postponed until a later date which is not yet determined. Until the sight, smell, and even thought of food of any kind or form does not repulse me or send me into convulsions I think it best not to dwell on the idea. Besides - I certainly don't have the energy to be doing anything more than microwaving or pulling something out of the fridge that Dan has already so lovingly prepared. I can hardly set foot in the kitchen without my stomach churning and getting an awful taste in my mouth. So, too bad so sad for I made it Monday's - maybe one day it will make it's return.

They Say...

They say...

"A picture is worth a thousand words"

But in this case...
















































...one will do.

Today I feel like...
THIS:
If only I could just get in a good one of...
THESE:And maybe even a frozen one of...
THESE:

Than maybe I'll feel a little more like...
THIS:

I Made it Monday: Spicy Tuna Linguine

Don't let the name with "spicy" and "tuna" fool you if you don't like these. With this recipe you can control the spiciness and you don't HAVE to use tuna. You could easily use some other type of meat or no meat if you so choose. Personally I thought the tuna was a unique flavor in this dish and it's nice to use tuna for something other than a sandwich.

DON'T be intimidated by the ingredient list. If you really look at it, a lot of the ingredients are things you may have on hand or in storage.

DO enjoy this amazing recipe. When Dan took a bite his eyes got big and said this was the best thing I had ever made - he is always so nice...but I do have to say I surprised myself. I would say this dish is restaurant worthy! ALSO, it is a one-skillet meal - meaning - you only dirty ONE cooking dish and everything just keeps getting added to the same dish.

On to the recipe...

Spicy Tuna and Linguine

2 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this is the spicy - use less if desired)
2 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (I used cut up regular Roma tomatoes and the kind of fell apart. So getting the right tomatoes may make a big difference - OR just add regular tomatoes at a later point so they don't get so mushy and fall apart.)
1 Can (14 1/2 oz) OR 2 Cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pkg (9 oz) uncooked linguine
1 pouch (7 oz) OR 1 can (6 oz) Tuna
1/3 Cup chopped cilantro
1/3 Cup toasted pine nuts OR Almonds (Optional: but does add a lot) - (I happened to have a handful of whole almonds from a while ago so I took my hammer, did some crushing and used that - it really made the dish a little fancier and "gourmet-ish")

~ In 12 inch skillet: heat olive oil over med-high heat. Sate garlic, mushrooms, onion and red pepper until golden brown.
~ Add tomatoes, ckn broth, salt and pepper - bring to a boil
~ Separate uncooked linguine into strands; place in skillet and spoon sauce over.
~ Reduce heat to simmer: cook, covered, 4 more minutes or until linguine is cooked through.
~ Toss gently; add tuna and cilantro and toss again.
~ Optional: sprinkle with pine nuts or almonds

Military Appreciation Day

The city of San Angelo relies heavily upon the money the military base brings. As a result they try to find many ways to show appreciation and keep the military and families happy. Today, the city put on a major event. ALL military and their families were invited to a huge BBQ and fun! The food was plentiful and delicious. There were free pony rides, climbing wall, clowns, massages, face painting, lots of blow up gyms/toys/obstacles...whatever you call them, play ground, much more, and my personal favorite (We made two visits to this table)...snow cones!

A neat little thing called: PTO

Paid Time Off

Ever since I entered the working world I have never held a full-time position in which I qualified for the benefit of accruing and having paid time off. Today, work was unusually slow. Only 6 surgeries to come back and 2 GI procedures. I had already sent one GI home and I was getting the second one ready to go as well. EVERYONE was scheduled to work so my boss was trying to get people to go home. I waited, thinking all the long-timers would get first dibs, but very few volunteered. So I offered to go home (such a sacrifice - sit at work and do nothing - or do whatever I want at home). She was glad, then looked at a paper and said, "Your 3 months of observation are up - you can use your PTO that you've earned if you want." I have in the last 3 months accrued 36 hours of PTO and when we move I'm sure I will have plenty that I will not get to use (Most days we are way too busy at work to ever get PTO approved).

SO, here I sit, getting paid to check my email, blog, shop, and whatever I want.

I LOVE IT!

I Made it Monday: Tortilla Pizzas!

When we are tired and don’t want to work too hard for our dinner, but want something tasty we make these. It is just tortillas with some spaghetti sauce/pizza sauce spread around. Then we put whatever cheese we have or like over it. Next we put whatever toppings we have or like on such as pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, avocado hearts, chicken…the list goes on. And I almost always add cilantro (did you know I love cilantro?). We then top it off with a little more cheese then broil it in the oven until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are just a little crispy. You can eat them like pizza slices, roll it up and enjoy, or fold in half, whatever your tortilla pizza heart desires…