Wanting to learn to cook

I'll admit, I'm a timid cook. I like to mostly play it safe, and am always looking to *maybe* branch out and try new things. Here are some things I'd love to learn

1. How to properly use cutting knives, and learn what the different knives are and what they're uses are.

2. To decorate a cake (a la Wilton).

3. How to create my own recipe.

4. How to host a good dinner party (for future Christmases, Thanksgivings, etc.)

5. How to properly use different kitchen tools, and possibly know when to weed out old ones that I won't use.

Anyone up for the challenge?

Kitty Love!

I've noticed I haven't posted pictures of our furbabies in a while. I've been so caught up in the baby race, I'm shamefully neglecting (not literally) my current babies.

"Do you mind! We're cuddling here!" (Neebs and MJ)

"Yes, I made a mess...and now I'm sunbathing in your laundry basket. Deal." (Chloe)

"I'm keeping the towels warm for you" (MJ)

"Almost...asleep" (Chloe)

"Take me with you! Take me with you!" (Neebs)

"When is Dad coming home?"

Blood Glucose Woes

Last weekend, the weekend Jake and I went to an A's game with Dan and Trish, I went to Kaiser to have blood drawn (yup...my FAVORITE thing in the entire world). It was to check liver function, thyroid function, and most of all, my blood glucose levels. And guess what? No change! That's right...the Metformin (on 500 mg a day) made no difference whatsoever in my blood sugar levels. Bummer. I got a call from my PCP telling me to up my dosage to 1000mg a day and take blood again in 2-4 weeks. Yay for me.

Being a diabetic (or in my case, pre-diabetic)sucks!

Weekly video 7/24/09

Happy Friday everyone!

Again, we'll have a taste of So You Think You Can Dance this week. I can't help myself.

Last night marked the show's 100th episode. There were some dances from previous seasons, including this one. When I saw it, I got chills up my back. It totally reminds me of Sweeney Todd. It's a Marie Antoinette/zombie-ish piece to a song that fits it to a tee. It's a little twisted. They are joined by the choreographer Wade Robson (the guy in the billowy white shirt and vest on the right of the group of boys).

ETA: YouTube removed the original video I posted, so here's another. Ironically, this one is clearer.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

From a wonderful blog I follow, "Sarah's Test Kitchen", I decided to try a recipe from this fabulous lady :). (Hi Sarah!). I made a few minor changes that would've helped Jake and I eat these tacos without the tortillas crumbling to pieces. I also modified our recipe a little bit since we didn't have a BBQ readily available. I might have missed something, but here it is.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

from Sarah's Test Kitchen

Makes 4-5 small tacos

--1lb medium-sized raw shrimp (31/40) - deveined, shells removed (I also recommend removing the tails now, since I tried to after the shrimp were cooked and burned my fingers)

--1 tbsp olive oil

--2 tbsp chipotle sauce (I used a marinade/sauce since I couldn't find it in a can)

--1 tsp salt

--White corn tortillas (I would suggest lightly pan frying for 2 seconds on each side for more pliable tortillas)

--Any other taco fixings you'd like (We used black beans, fresh homemade pico de gallo, and cheese)

1. Toss shrimp, olive oil, chipotle sauce, and salt and mix together. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Saute shrimp in a non-stick pan until thoroughly cooked.

3. Once cooked, give shrimp a rough chop, assemble your tacos...Enjoy!

Thanks again Sarah! :)

Fresh Pico de Gallo (LoLo's recipe)

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 or 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients well, refridgerate.

Makes 2-3 servings

What to Expect Before You're Expecting

This past weekend, Jake and I went to an Oakland A's game with Dan and Trish, whom I haven't seen since our wedding over 2 years ago. Dan is a big A's fan, so Jake thought with us having 4 seats, Dan and Trish would enjoy the outing. It was hot, but we made do. We were in prime foul ball territory, so Jake brought his catching glove from softball to the park.

After the game, we went to Texas Road House in Union City. It was a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it. After dinner, Jake and I decided to visit the Borders Bookstore across the parking lot from the restaurant. There, I wanted to look for a book about possibly helping me to deal with the disappointment of not getting pregnant yet. Instead, I stumbled upon another book which Jake and I are currently reading. "What to Expect Before You're Expecting".

I have read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" which is an awesome book as well. This book tells you exactly what you need to do, how to take an accurate BBT (which I'm guessing is my downfall here), eating right to support a healthy pregnancy, and answers about chronic conditions and medications and how they'll affect a pregnancy. There are also sections for the Dad-to-be on doctor visits, tests, and how to handle the emotional stuff with your wife. I highly recommend this book. Jake and I read a few pages every night together and has answered a lot of his questions.

Weekly video 7/17/09

So, I know I missed last Friday's weekly video. My apologies. I was in the process of posting one, but when I tried to find one to post, I couldn't find it. Boo. So I'm posting two videos today.

This week is yet another So You Think You Can Dance bit. It's to show my cousin Megan her "son" in 10 years. The male dancer's name is Jason (which is pretty close to Jalen in my opinion). He's a beautiful dancer, and the minute we saw him, Jake and I both said "he looks exactly like Jalen in 5-10 years!" This is him and Caitling in the top 12 doing a Fox Trot.

Enjoy!



This second video is my personal favorite from this past week's top 10 solos. Her name is Jeanette, she's from Miami (pay attention to the song), and a Salsa dancer. Watching her dance like makes me wish I had stayed in dance. Her solo is the first half of the video.

Enjoy!

A small update on me

I apologize for my 4 day hiatus from blogging. I needed a break.

Yesterday Jake got news that his best friend's wife is pregnant with their third child. Their first two were our flower girls at our wedding. I love them both, and hope they have a happy and healthy 9 months ahead.

As hard as it was to hear that yet another person I know is pregnant, I thought I would be numb to the news by now. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge anyone else a pregnancy, or baby for that matter. A baby is a blessing, no matter who is the one being blessed. On one hand, I feel selfish for being upset, and on the other, I feel I deserve to feel a little selfish from time to time.

This weekend, Jake and I are going to an A's game with two friends (and his former roommates). I'm hoping this will be a small distraction from the world of baby making. I've never been to the Oakland Coliseum before...well the baseball half at least. This should be interesting.

She's back again.

AF showed this morning. I knew it was coming since last night.

I had a mild false alarm with a possible pregnancy since I was 3 days late. I decided to not test yet and see if my BBT would drop. I had tested about 3 & 4 days before AF was due and got a BFN. It was sort of nice to be late and seriously consider the fact that I might be pregnant. Now, not so much. I'm not crying, I'm not upset...not yet. We didn't do an IUI this month at the advice of our doctor because he wants the Metformin to start working before we do another IUI.

I'm more tired than anything. I'm tired of trying. I'm tired of testing. I'm tired of this. I"m just.plain.tired.

Oh well, on to the next. :(

Weekly video 7/10/09

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA SHIRLEY!

That's right. It's my Dad's birthday and Jake's Grandma's birthday as well. Tonight, Jake and I are heading down to San Jose to spend the say with my father and have dinner with family to celebrate. It will also be my Uncle Jeff's birthday on Monday, so we're celebrating his upcoming special day as well.

When the "wifey" rules!

August 8th is Jake's 30th birthday. After a failed attempt at a surprise birthday party, we decided to just have a birthday party, sans surprise. With the dilemma of having to organize the entire soiree on my own, I was pondering birthday gifts for the birthday boy. Jake is NEVER easy to buy for because I always plan ahead and ask him at least 3-4 months beforehand what he wants (this goes for Christmas too), and he ends up giving me his list a mere 2 days before the event. Not going to happen this time. I decided to venture out on my own and figure something out. And I did.

Those who know Jake well know he is a HUGE fan of the 80's big hair rock band. His 200 CD case is filled with artists like Dio, Van Halen, Scorpions, Cinderella, Sebastian Bach, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, Boston, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, etc. We saw Judas Priest at Ozzfest 2005, and ever since, I've been waiting for a big concert to take him too.

Metallica tickets and ACDC tickets are always overly (and by no means justifiably) expensive. But, to my luck (and glee), Judas Priest is playing with Whitesnake at the Concord Pavilion on July 31st. So, Jake got tickets for his birthday! Thank you Stub Hub! I got some decent seats right behind the mosh pit (aka, the hole of death or dismemberment to me). So I will be safely watching the show from a decent distance. Happy early Birthday hubsters!

Judas Priest

Artichoke Chicken

This is a recipe I recently discovered and tried a couple of times. It's really good.

Artichoke Chicken courtesy of allrecipes.com

1 (15 oz) can of artichoke hearts, drained

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 pinch garlic pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in greased baking dish and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.

3. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in preheated oven, or until chicken juices run clear.

Yields 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Devirginizing the Kitchen Aid mixer

For our first wedding anniversary, my parents bought Jake and I a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It was one of the larger items on our gift registry and one I was lusting after (my inner Martha Stewart wannabe was pining away). Unfortunately, our kitchen does not yield too much counter space.

Last weekend I went to Ikea, and purchase a kitchen cart. It's small enough to not take up too much room, but it was big enough to house our crock pot, George Foreman grill and a wooden countertop.

The Beckvam kitchen cart for a whopping $59.99. Made from solid wood.

Voila! Counterspace! Now I shamefully kept the beautiful mixer in storage while we were on the prowl for a kitchen cart. Now, the mixer is out and was given it's first job last night. Betty Crocker boxed chocolate cake. YUM!!! So the Kitchen Aid mixer is out, and now devirginized. I'm so glad I get to use it now.

Now all we have to do is figure out a name for it. (Yes we name our appliances).

Feeling sad

I just finished listening to "Baby of Mine" by Alison Krauss. Needless to say, I'm tearing up right now.

I know I'm not the most patient person in the world. I'm also very hard on myself. However, in 2 months Jake and I will be trying to have a baby for 2 solid years. That's a long time. That's 24 months of negative pregnancy tests. 24 months of everything from medications to IUIs, to doctors appointments, to taking my BBT every morning to using OPKs and the CBEFM. And most painfully, it's been 2 years of wondering if I'll ever become a mother. I also feel very alone through all this. I know my family has been so supportive and Jake has been wonderful; more than I could ever hope for.

I'm just sad. I'm sad just wondering if I'll ever get to see my child's face, smile, fingers and toes, eyes. So many people out there take children for granted. Hell, some kill them through abortion and just throw them away. It's gutwrenching to see some women treat what I'm working so hard for, like trash.

In a few days, either I'm taking another pregnancy test, or AF is going to show. I'm thinking the latter has a bigger chance of happening. It's also hard...very hard, to see other people around me get pregnant while I'm trying so hard and have been trying for so long.

I keep hearing things like "Your time will come." but it's at times like these where I just don't see that time coming. Ever. I'm trying to have faith, but what if God forgot about me?

Weekly video 7/3/09

Happy 4th of July everyone! I know I'm a day early, but I will be in Sacramento with family celebrating the holiday, so I won't be able to blog tomorrow.

This week's video is from one of my favorite TV shows on right now - So You Think You Can Dance. This was a hip hop routine by Philip and Jeanine. Philip is a "locker" which is a form of street dancing that involves moving one part of your body at a time. If you watch at the beginning of the dance where they are pushing their chests out then back in, watch Philip. That's a part of locking. Jeanine is a Contemporary dancer.

Enjoy!

It's a Thursday

Wow...a whole 3 days without blogging? What the heck is wrong with me? I apologize to those who read my blog daily.

I am happy to report that Jake and I both get a 3-day weekend this weekend. Happy days! Tomorrow, we are going to finalize our game contribution to the annual festivities held in Sac-town at Auntie Kevin's.

Also, I got a verdict on Tuesday from my PCP and the Endocrinology department at Kaiser. I am officially on Metformin now. I take my medicine in the morning with breakfast, and at night with dinner. I'm very happy that this medication will not only help with my health, but it will help my body be baby-ready. I was honestly afraid that the Endo dept would not approve me for the medicine. When I heard they did, I literally jumped up and down. I just hope it helps me.

I've been trying some new recipes, and some old ones too but I haven't had my camera at home, so I haven't been able to take pictures. I will try to improve on that, I promise!

I admit, I've been having a little trouble knowing I would've been almost due if our first IUI has succeeded last October. Coming to terms with something that I wanted so badly and didn't happen has been difficult. But then I tell myself that there's nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is keep moving, and keep trying because time won't wait for me. Jake has been tremendous in this whole journey and I really cannot imagine going through this with anyone but him. I'm so glad God chose him as my partner. He's honestly the best...well yes, I am biased. :)

I love you all!