Libby’s Lines

My family and I enjoy different cuisines, and cooking them at home. A bit over two years ago I was visiting a friend, Susan, in Arizona and she made Moroccan Chicken Tagine for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. I have wanted to get a tagine and try it myself ever since. After a couple years of putting other things as a higher priority, this past Christmas my husband bought me a tagine!

So, tonight I tried the recipe. Of course, like my friend Susan, I don’t strictly stick to a recipe. I use them as a base. She included her additions when she sent me the recipe and I adopted those into it as well as a couple little changes of my own. Oh, so yummy! I have a feeling that my tagine is going to be used quite often at our house.

Here’s my recipe (small changes from what she sent to me):

1 tablespoon olive oil (I used 1/2 T. more)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks ( I added a 3rd)
1/2 onion, chopped (I used 1 whole Onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced ( I used 4)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped (didn’t have this on hand, so I used 2 potatoes)
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (didn’t have, so I used Sweet Bell Peppers, diced)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped (I used 2)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (I used 1 can of Tomato Sauce)
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth ( used 1 1/2 cans)
1 tablespoon sugar (I used Honey)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I sliced a lemon and added the slices to the stew, then removed them before serving)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cumin

Brown the chicken in the skillet of the tagine (or dutch oven), add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, stir and cover with tagine lid (or dutch oven lid). Turn heat to low for a slow simmer. Allow to cook approximately 45 minutes, or until vegetable are tender. Check to verify that vegetables are tender. Serve immediately over couscous or rice. We used rice.

Enjoy!

This is a year full of milestone celebrations in our family.

Our oldest child turns 21 tomorrow. Our youngest turns 16 this summer. My husband turns 50 this summer. This spring, my parents celebrate their 50th anniversary. I will be the main planner for each of these and I’m quite excited about it.

First, our eldest: he starts classes on his birthday and the week is so busy, that we aren’t having a party. We are taking him to dinner (his favorite - sushi), then plan to come home and pop a cork of champagne. It is legal now for him. So proud that he’s not one of the “gotta get drunk on my 21st” guys.

Second, is my parents 50th anniversary: Golden. Family Tree. I’m so excited about what we hope to accomplish. A portrait family tree for their wall. A simply elegant dinner. Scrapbook of memories and mini-family reunion.

Third, our youngest: sweet 16. Not sure yet what we’ll do. He’s so typical in many ways, yet so unique. It’ll be challenging, yet fun to plan something that appeals to him.

Last, but certainly not least, my husband: turning 50 this year. Does this mean I’m getting old? Not at all! It’s a little weird to be talking about him turning 50, when we still feel so young. Regardless, there are so many options for a party: 60’s, over-the-hill (not really our style), rock-n-roll, jazz, blues, sophisticated dinner… oh what to choose. This is going to be fun! I’m hoping to get friends from his past to join us too - hoping they can make the trip.

What does all this mean? That regardless of the trials in life, regardless of pain or hardship, there are plenty of things to celebrate and be grateful for. I’m grateful for my family, my friends, that my husband has a job, that we can pay our bills, that our children can get education, that we can afford to feed our family and so much more. Along with all of this, we are able to help others sometimes. We are able to go to church, be a part of it and worship and live with Christ with us.

Yeah, I like celebrations and I wonder if we don’t celebrate enough. Perhaps we should celebrate the little things more? An A or B on a paper? Report card? Maybe not a big party, but certainly they deserve a favorite dish or just a card telling them we’re proud? Hmmm… perhaps we (I) concentrate too much on the negatives. Perhaps that could be a new year resolution… focus on the positives. If we do, it’ll spread. Others will notice and perhaps start doing it to.

Does this mean that we won’t get down/depressed? Not at all. I think it means that if we change our outlook, our viewpoint overall, our attitude, the times of depression or difficulty will be a bit easier to manage. So that maybe, just maybe, those times won’t pull us under, just may have to swim a bit harder for a time.

Celebrations. Yes.

Yep, here we are again. A new year. Another start.

2011 Summary:
A painful year, but a blessed year. Learning to live with CRPS hasn’t been easy, and I’m sure I’ll have more hurdles to jump, but I’m in a pretty good place by the end of 2011.

2012:
Resolutions: 1. To lose 50 pounds by the end of the year.
There are other things to continue working on that are our daily challenges in life, but I don’t need to list those here. What I do want to talk about here is how to fulfill my main resolution. Diet? Yep, I can do them. For a while. Exercise? Some. With CRPS, I’m limited on what I can do. So, where do I start? How do I accomplish my goal? Surgery? No. Surgery may be part of why I now deal with CRPS. It has to be up to me, not surgical assistance. I have to be the one who makes it happen. Again, how?

Let’s start with diet and let’s make it simple. Not going to count anything. We’ll eat more fruits and vegetables (though we eat those anyway). We’ll eat less red meat (though we eat less of it anyway) and more fish (more fish will be a change). We’ll eat less dairy (fatty cheeses and sour cream, etc.). We’ll cut out soda at home. We’ll cut our portions. We’ll still eat dessert, but will cut down on the high-sugar, high-fat ones.

Will this diet change do it? A little, but not completely. It’ll be a good start, but we’ll need to do more. So…

We come to exercise. I’ve already started making myself walk more, to the degree that I no longer use a wheelchair (I had given in to using one around the house and sometimes at the grocery). In walking more, I’ve also forced myself to not limp, which is helping relieve the pain in other areas of my body caused by the limping. But, of course I need to do more. Here’s where I’m stuck. I can do stomach crunches and other floor exercises that don’t put too much strain on my right leg or right arm/hand. But, this cuts out aerobic exercise. How do I compensate for that? I’ve not figured it out yet, but I’m determined to keep working on it.

And I guess that’s where I needed to get to: determined to continue. Maybe that’ll be my 2012 motto: Determined to keep at it.

Don’t know that I’ll keep up with this blogging, I haven’t so far. But maybe, if I’m determined…

Wishing you all and wonderful, keep at your resolutions new year!

Ok. I don’t like salmon patties… until now.

Had some leftover salmon (oh, and I don’t care for leftovers either) and Tim (who doesn’t really care for salmon) likes salmon patties, so thought I’d make some for lunch. Here’s the recipe:

12 -14 oz. salmon fillets, crumbled
1 egg
2 T. Mayo
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
3/4 t. Old Bay Seasoning
Olive oil

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat. Scoop salmon mixture (I used an ice cream scoop) into pan and slightly flatten to patty shape. Cook 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden on each side. Remove from pan and serve. I made a quick aioli sauce to go with it.

Aioli
Equal parts Mayo and Sour Cream mixed with one of our hot sauces (Peri Peri) and a little salt. Not traditional, but yummy with the salmon.

Enjoy!

I know I don’t keep up with this on a regular basis and I’m not even going to promise to try this time.

This new year started off with a bang for our family: Tim and I both contracted the flu and it is taking a bit of time to completely get over it, and this past week Tim was laid off from his job. Pretty scary, right?

Not really. We’ve been here before under worse circumstances. A few years ago, he was laid off from a job that hadn’t even been making payroll for a few months. Then, it was difficult finding a new job in the area, so we had to relocate. In short, over a period of 6 months: there was no income, we relocated, our oldest came down with pneumonia, Thanksgiving, started new jobs (each of us) that didn’t pay until 6 weeks after starting. At the time of relocating, we had no funds left - period.

Now? This time? We have been saving and making better financial decisions over the past 3 years and this allows us a little freedom to not worry so much about this most recent “set-back”. As well, I believe that Tim and I, and our boys have grown in faith over the past few years. And while we must do our part and be responsible in taking the right steps to take care of our family, we also know that as long as we do what we need to, everything will be alright.

It’s nice to have the freedom that faith brings.

Things have been a bit crazy at our house and I’ve barely had time to keep myself (somewhat) sane, let alone blog. Today is February 26th, 34th day into trying to change to a healthier lifestyle. I’ll say, it has definitely not been easy! We set aside one day each week as a splurge day and are finding that when we splurge, we feel pretty yucky. So, we’re “splurging” less and less.

Jan. 31: Ok, this changed rather quickly. In doing more research, we (I say “we” because my husband is supporting me by joining me in this way of getting healthier) decided it’s better to cut out excess fat and eat well-balanced meals without deleting carbs or sugars, etc. We think it’s more harmful to us to “cut out” types of foods completely or “replace” meals. Changing to a set of healthier eating habits we think in the long run will be more beneficial to us on the whole and our bodies won’t have to go through the “freak out” after a “diet”.

Today: We are still doing the lower fat, better foods, better proportions eating and it seems to be working rather nicely. We aren’t losing it quickly but we do feel a little healthier already.
————————————

Jan. 22
3. For me: I hear and read of all these people who want to lose weight so that they can play with their children, or go hiking with their spouse, etc. Well, mine needs to be even more personal - I want to lose weight so that I feel better, so I can tie my shoes without breathing heavy, so I can walk through a store without thinking about using a powered handicap cart, so I can fasten my seatbelt without having to pull it out all the way to get it fastened, so I can take a shower or bath without my body always rubbing the side walls! Yes, I want to play with my kids - I do that now. Yes, I’d like to have the energy to go hiking with my husband - but ours would be in a museum most likely, which right now - I have to take a lot of breaks and my family has to see some of it without me.

Jan. 31: Well, I am starting to feel better, haven’t been wearing shoes that need tied, been shopping without as much trouble, my body still touches the walls in the shower. Haven’t visited any museums lately. I did have to replace a pair of jeans that were just “worn out” and I bought the next size down to “encourage” myself to continue eating healthier and lose weight and I can already get into them - a little tight - but it’ll continue to fit better and eventually get loose enough that I’ll have to buy more!

Today: The jeans are fitting a little better each week. When I’ve worn my tennis shoes, they’re a little easier to tie each time. This is a very good thing.
————————————

Jan. 22
So my starting point is 264 pounds, my goal is 180. Let’s see how long it takes to get there!

Jan. 31: I’m actually still at 264, but it’s 264.1 now instead of 264.8!

Today: 260
—————————————–

Jan. 31’s Inches:
Waist - 47.75
Hips - 54.50
L. Arm - 15.25
R. Arm - 15.50
L. Thigh - 31.25
R. Thigh - 30

Today’s:
Waist - 45
Hips - 53
L. Arm - 15
R. Arm - 14.5
L. Thigh - 27.5
R. Thigh - 27.5

Total inches lost to date (Feb. 26): 11 3/4 inches! Whoo-hoo!

Well, it’s day 9 of changing my eating habits. Last week I listed the 3 things I decided to try so for the next few months I’ll stick with the same format and update on those 3 things as well as weight lost/gained and I think I’ll add in my inches today and start tracking those as well.

Jan. 22
1. For fun: I’ve joined a group of people in a 12 week, weight-loss pool. At the end of 12 weeks, the winners (or losers in our case) win the pot-o-money that we’ve all paid in to participate.

Today: I lost 1/2 pound - not looking too good right now for me to win any money, but….

Jan. 22
2. For weight-loss: Today is day one of living in “The Zone”. I don’t want to go on a traditional diet, where you “cut out” foods you love to eat. Rather, I choose to eat in a balanced manner. I won’t eat as much fat and sugar, but I’m not banned from them either. I’m not “banned” from anything, but rather learning to balance everything.

Today: Ok, this changed rather quickly. In doing more research, we (I say “we” because my husband is supporting me by joining me in this way of getting healthier) decided it’s better to cut out excess fat and eat well-balanced meals without deleting carbs or sugars, etc. We think it’s more harmful to us to “cut out” types of foods completely or “replace” meals. Changing to a set of healthier eating habits we think in the long run will be more beneficial to us on the whole and our bodies won’t have to go through the “freak out” after a “diet”.

Jan. 22
3. For me: I hear and read of all these people who want to lose weight so that they can play with their children, or go hiking with their spouse, etc. Well, mine needs to be even more personal - I want to lose weight so that I feel better, so I can tie my shoes without breathing heavy, so I can walk through a store without thinking about using a powered handicap cart, so I can fasten my seatbelt without having to pull it out all the way to get it fastened, so I can take a shower or bath without my body always rubbing the side walls! Yes, I want to play with my kids - I do that now. Yes, I’d like to have the energy to go hiking with my husband - but ours would be in a museum most likely, which right now - I have to take a lot of breaks and my family has to see some of it without me.

Today: Well, I am starting to feel better, haven’t been wearing shoes that need tied, been shopping without as much trouble, my body still touches the walls in the shower. Haven’t visited any museums lately. I did have to replace a pair of jeans that were just “worn out” and I bought the next size down to “encourage” myself to continue eating healthier and lose weight and I can already get into them - a little tight - but it’ll continue to fit better and eventually get loose enough that I’ll have to buy more!

Jan. 22
So my starting point is 264 pounds, my goal is 180. Let’s see how long it takes to get there!

Today: I’m actually still at 264, but it’s 264.1 now instead of 264.8!

Today’s Inches:
Waist - 47.75
Hips - 54.50
L. Arm - 15.25
R. Arm - 15.50
L. Thigh - 31.25
R. Thigh - 30

Whew! That’s a lot o’ inches! So, I think more excercise is in order.

Ok, I admit it - I weigh too much! Actually, I’ve never been unwilling to admit that. Just the opposite, I’ve almost been proud of it. Even when I was at the right weight, at a good weight and healthy people would “warn” me about getting overweight and what would happen to me “when” I get that way. Well, it worked - I reached the goal they set for me.

Now, I want to reach the goal I set for me: to not only lose weight, but to live healthier and be able to physically do what I want to do. So, there are 3 things I’ve decided to try:

1. For fun: I’ve joined a group of people in a 12 week, weight-loss pool. At the end of 12 weeks, the winners (or losers in our case) win the pot-o-money that we’ve all paid in to participate.

2. For weight-loss: Today is day one of living in “The Zone”. I don’t want to go on a traditional diet, where you “cut out” foods you love to eat. Rather, I choose to eat in a balanced manner. I won’t eat as much fat and sugar, but I’m not banned from them either. I’m not “banned” from anything, but rather learning to balance everything.

3. For me: I hear and read of all these people who want to lose weight so that they can play with their children, or go hiking with their spouse, etc. Well, mine needs to be even more personal - I want to lose weight so that I feel better, so I can tie my shoes without breathing heavy, so I can walk through a store without thinking about using a powered handicap cart, so I can fasten my seatbelt without having to pull it out all the way to get it fastened, so I can take a shower or bath without my body always rubbing the side walls! Yes, I want to play with my kids - I do that now. Yes, I’d like to have the energy to go hiking with my husband - but ours would be in a museum most likely, which right now - I have to take a lot of breaks and my family has to see some of it without me.

So my starting point is 264 pounds, my goal is 180. Let’s see how long it takes to get there!

Hey. I know it’s been a while. Life has been a bit crazy the past couple of years. My job went to full-time rather unexpectedly, full-time took over my entire life for about a year and a half along with trying to be involved at church, a work-traveling husband, two boys and now an additional child (as of August).

I am no longer working outside the home and am enjoying the reduction in stress. I haven’t gotten too much done around the house yet, because I’ve been a little selfish with my “free” time since not working. I’ve been doing some reorganization around the house and some cleaning, but I’ve also taken time to do some scrapbooking, a little reading, cooking, etc. just for “me” time.

The kids are in private school this year: our oldest is doing much better with homework, played soccer and is in the Men’s Acapella Choir, our youngest is doing well and is on the robotics team while our newest addition to the family (a niece of mine) is doing better academically and was on the junior volleyball team this past season. She had never played before and it was good to watch her learn something new and begin to do pretty well at it.

Our oldest is driving: it’s fun and scary at the same time. He does pretty well, but like most adolescents doesn’t want our help or advice. More growing away from needing us and as his mom I want him to still need me, even though I want him to be independent and self-sufficient.
It’s a tough cycle, isn’t it? Letting them grow up, wanting them to grow up and still wanting them to stay little.

Well, time for bed. Good night. God bless.

Well, we’ve made a decision. We have decided that the Nazarene church mentioned in my previous note will be our church home while living in Illinois. We haven’t felt the strong 110% positive answer from God about this one like the last two, but we certainly feel that warm welcome and a comfortable fit when there. The people are genuinely friendly, they are a caring church concerned about being a true light in the world for Christ and the pastor seems like a stong Christ-centered leader.

It’s nice to know that we will now be able to get to know people here, make friends and begin to get involved again. As much as we miss our friends in Indiana, we need to develop relationships here. I look forward to in-home fellowships, going out to dinner with other families, etc. again.

We had dinner today with a family there. The parents teach the Sunday School class that Tim and I attend. It’s funny isn’t how wherever you go, people remind you of someone you know from places you’ve come from? The husband reminds us of the husband/father of a family we have become very close with from Indiana. It’s a nice familiarity with some differences thrown in. The wife reminds us of the wife/mother of a different family we were friends with Indiana. We haven’t seen them too often for the past 2-3 years, after they decided to attend another church in Indiana. Turns out that they are from the north side of Indy with strong ties to people we know there. Small world, huh? Anyway, dinner was nice, they have 3 children with the 2 boys being close in ages to our 2 boys.

We then attended a superbowl party at the church this evening. Tim and I don’t even watch sports (as man of you know), however the opportunity for fellowship was something we didn’t want to pass up. I’m so glad we didn’t. There weren’t many there, but that may have been perfect because we were able to spend time with a few and really get to know them a bit better. I spent 1/2 hour or so with one wonderfully nice lady and we talked about anything and everything that one or the other of us thought of. It was almost as if we had already been at least acquaintances for a while, if not already friends.

A number of people that attend this church are from, have lived or have friends/family in the area of Indy. It’s at least a place for conversations to start. The boys have already fit in with their age groups, which is so good for us to see. We didn’t want this move to be any more difficult for them than necessary, so settling into a church where they could make friends has been a top priority.

Well, all of that said to say this. Thank you Lord for providing places of worship and fellowship with like-minded people striving to follow You. We are so blessed!

Blessings on all of you.