#19 New Drinks 2/10

We had some friends over the other night and they love buttery nipples. I had never had one (and I'm not a shot kinda gal), but I decided to try it anyway. It was yummy. Tasted just like butterscotch. So, 2/10. Anyone have any favorite drinks? I want to hear your ideas.

5/31 Wanted to add the recipe for Corinne:

1/2 shot Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2 shot Bailey's Irish Cream

Pour a shot glass half way with the schnapps, then, with a spoon, add the Irish Cream so that you end up with a layered shot. Bottoms up!

#44 Get down to 125 lbs

Yeah, I wish I had done it already, but I just want to use this as a place to track my progress. If it's "out there" I'm held accountable to continuing my progress.

I started May 1 at 153.5 lbs. Today (one week later) I weighed myself again and I was down to 147. I really think a LOT of the weight came off b/c I was no longer bloated. I also gave up sodas this week. I had a MASSIVE headache for 3 days, and I think it was the lack of soda that did it. I did cave and have a diet coke today though.

So, 6.5 lbs down, 22 left to go.

Oh, and in case you didn't guess from the last post, I'm following the Weight Watchers flex plan.

#19 Try 10 New Drinks 1/10

Wow....I think I may have a new favorite drink. Too bad it's a HUGE indulgence for me though. I found it on Webtender, by using the "In My Bar" feature. I love this feature. I'm going to use it to keep track of what we have on hand. I made (ok, so the man did, but whatever) the Kahlua Bomb and it's fabulous!

Here's the recipe for you folks at home (use a rocks glass):

1 shot Kahlua
1 shot Peppermint Schnapps
1 shot Vodka
fill with milk (whole is the best)

Watch out those who are trying to watch their weight though. This tasty treat is a whopping 11 points on the Weight Watchers scale. Yikes. Oh well. That's what bonus points are for, right?

#62 Got my printer!

YAY! After almost 2 years of asking the man to research a good multifunction printer, I finally did it myself. I found the Canon Pixma MP970. I found it by reading reviews on CNet.com. The editor's didn't give it a good review, but actual customers did, so I went with the people who use it on a regular basis. After doing lots of cost comparisons, I ordered from Amazon. It doesn't have the fax option, but after careful consideration I realized that I don't use the fax or need it very often. When I do, I have the man do it from work (talk about mis-use of gov't property).

Wouldn't you know it though? I checked Amazon today and it's now $20 less and FREE shipping! Ugh. I paid almost $60 for shipping. Totally sucks. I could have saved $70 if I had waited 2 weeks. Frustrating, but it happens. Oh well, I'm still glad I got it.

This is also the first thing that I can completely scratch off my list. I realize now that I have WAY too many once/twice a month things on my list. That's ok though, I'm going to work on it.

And yes, I realize that I didn't get all my blogs done for April, but to my credit, I didn't realize that it was May until the second day of the month, so I honestly thought I was writing them in April, so I'm counting them. Hey, it's my list and I'll do what I want to!

#14 Zucchini Bread

I made Zucchini Bread for my bread for April, and it was yummy. We got a few zucchini in our last produce order, so it was a perfect time to make this. I had a couple slices, Gabriel had a slice and....the dogs got the rest. I was pretty ticked. I had been looking forward to some for breakfast too. Dumb dogs. Why do they have to be so darn cute? Oh, and I didn't focus the picture too well. We were in a hurry to get the kids dinner.

#18 Dish number 2/101

Okay, so how sad is it that I have never made pasta salad? I know, I know, everyone knows how to make pasta salad. It's easy, just throw a bunch of stuff together. If you are saying this, you obviously don't know me very well. I like recipes. I have a ton of cookbooks but have never tried making a pasta salad. Why would I when I could just buy it at the store? So, here it is.

I took a recipe I found in one of my cookbooks and used it as more of a guideline. I don't do that very often. Okay, so nearly never. Whatever. I did enjoy it though, and unless my friends lied through their teeth and their kids did to, it turned out well. So here's my version:

Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad (as in everything but...)

12 oz box of Penne pasta (I prefer whole grain or whole wheat personally)
1 c. cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 c. zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 c. red pepper, sliced
8 oz Colby Jack cheese, cubed
1 can black olives, coarsely chopped
1 c. red onion, chopped
1 c. Kraft Free Zesty Italian salad dressing

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box (I add Kosher salt and a little olive oil). When finished, drain and rinse with cold water a few times.

2. While pasta is cooking, do your slicing and dicing (or chopping as the case may be).

3. Place pasta in a large bowl, add everything but the dressing and mix together.

4. Add dressing and toss to coat salad. Chill for 1 hour or longer.

I actually didn't have time to chill it before the party, but it was still yummy.

#29 - Read 15 Classic Books 1/15

I just finished Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte last night. Let me just say...fab-u-lous! I loved it! I had never read it, but have been thinking about it for a long time. As I was reading it, I found out it was my maternal grandmother's favorite book. My mom told me she read it often. I can see why! I also remember my sister doing a video report for school when I was a kid. She was in HS and she and two friends played the various roles of Jane at different ages (as a child, then as the governess, then 10 years later). I was always curious about the story, but never really took the time to read it. I believe I needed to read it now.

Jane was an independent woman and didn't just lay aside her own thoughts and feelings because it was "expected" of her. No, she was honest and pretty blunt about it, but not rude either. She was a woman of strength and courage. She had a dream and followed it. While her dreams may have changed, she continued to follow them. She had moral compass that wouldn't allow her to deceive who she was to fit the mold. In the end, she is who she is and she makes no apologies for that. She is a woman of character and has inspired me to be more like that myself.

I don't want to give away too much of the book in case some of you haven't read it, but I highly recommend this for all women. It's a story of courage, faith, and believing in oneself. I wish I had read this before college, but the timing of my reading this was impeccable and appropriate.