Would you believe this cat we have? It's ridiculous! Now the poor thing has an upper respitory infection and a sore throat...she hasn't been eating, going to the bathroom, or being normal for about a week now. No cuddling! Adam took her to the vet yesterday, and he gave her an antibiotic. :( Poor baby! For those of you who know our "daughter," she is OBSESSED with Fancy Feast, the cans of soft food. We give it to her as a special treat, and she goes NUTS. Well, she is feeling so poorly that she is not even eating that! We leave for vacation soon, and I am hoping the medicine starts to work, and that she improves. The vet said to Adam, "Well, it's not bad enough yet that she needs the enema." EW. I hope it doesn't get to that point! AHH.
This is conference week for me, so I've been at school from early morning to about 8:30 at night...I'm still getting over my cold, and my voice is SHOT, so the poor parents are listening to me speak in a hoarse whisper-ish voice. Last night went really well - I love talking to the parents of my students. I get to be the one who unabashedly compliments their children, and I get to lend my expertise in behavior, social issues, learning styles, etc. I spend more time with their kids than they do, some days. This time of year is nice, because I've had a chance to chat with the parents at fall conferences, curriculum night, and all the classroom parties and special events...so when the "hard stuff" needs to be said, it's usually a little easier.
I hope the week goes well for everyone - think warmer weather...we certainly need it!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Pasta Fagioli Soup
I was feeling decent enough to make some dinner tonight, and I had to share this recipe! This is a soup that I've made a few times in the past - perfect for these cold days, or when you just don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Enjoy!
Pasta Fagioli Soup
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb. fresh Italian sausage, casing removed (chop a bit - about 2 links)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (16 oz.) can low-sodium, low fat chicken broth
1 (14.5-19 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian herb diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup ditalini or ditali, uncooked (or sub any other tiny pasta or macaroni shape)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
2-4 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
Garnish: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded - fresh basil
Heat two teaspoons olive oil in a large pot/saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion, garlic, and sausage. Saute 4-5 minutes until onion is tender and sausage is browned, breaking up sausage while cooking.
Add water, broth, beans, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Add pasta, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook 7-9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in basil. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
*Mine was pretty thick, so I added more chicken broth and water - then let it simmer a bit longer...I felt it needed more time for the flavors to marry. Either way, it was quick and easy and delicious!
*Pasta will grow in size, FYI - it also absorbs a lot of the liquid
Pasta Fagioli Soup
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb. fresh Italian sausage, casing removed (chop a bit - about 2 links)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (16 oz.) can low-sodium, low fat chicken broth
1 (14.5-19 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian herb diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup ditalini or ditali, uncooked (or sub any other tiny pasta or macaroni shape)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
2-4 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
Garnish: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded - fresh basil
Heat two teaspoons olive oil in a large pot/saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion, garlic, and sausage. Saute 4-5 minutes until onion is tender and sausage is browned, breaking up sausage while cooking.
Add water, broth, beans, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Add pasta, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook 7-9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in basil. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
*Mine was pretty thick, so I added more chicken broth and water - then let it simmer a bit longer...I felt it needed more time for the flavors to marry. Either way, it was quick and easy and delicious!
*Pasta will grow in size, FYI - it also absorbs a lot of the liquid
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Ugh.
I'm still sick! It's been several days, and I am not getting much better. I haven't worked, and I feel like I'm completely out of it. Thank goodness for Adam - he has been taking good care of me and the house. Although, tonight I made homemade pizza for dinner...I ate it and couldn't taste it. :( I've been bored out of my mind with tv! I don't watch much as it is, so this has been hard. Reading has been making me feel either dizzy or sleepy, so tv and naps it's been. Watching tv these last few days has made me realize how bad morning/daytime shows actually are.
We leave for vacation next week, after a few whirlwind late nights at school, due to parent-teacher conferences. Being gone multiple days this week has definitely set me back in my preparations, but I think after 8 years of this, I can manage. I have wonderful co-workers who also take good care of me!
I'm also going to say "ugh" about my poor kitty. She recently "went under" to have her teeth cleaned...a few hours after dropping her off, the vet called to tell us that she had almost DIED! They put her on a respirator and had to bring her back to life! It was scary - she is our baby!! They kept her for two more days, and when we brought her home she was a WRECK. She could hardly walk, couldn't open her eyes, and slept for days. It took several days for her to be even remotely back to normal. I felt sooo bad for our daughter - she was such a mess. Now, she has two big shave marks in her front legs...I'm assuming that's where her IVs were. Thank goodness Kikers came out of it okay!
Since today was an "ugh" day, I'm hoping to post this weekend with something much more positive! Stay tuned.
We leave for vacation next week, after a few whirlwind late nights at school, due to parent-teacher conferences. Being gone multiple days this week has definitely set me back in my preparations, but I think after 8 years of this, I can manage. I have wonderful co-workers who also take good care of me!
I'm also going to say "ugh" about my poor kitty. She recently "went under" to have her teeth cleaned...a few hours after dropping her off, the vet called to tell us that she had almost DIED! They put her on a respirator and had to bring her back to life! It was scary - she is our baby!! They kept her for two more days, and when we brought her home she was a WRECK. She could hardly walk, couldn't open her eyes, and slept for days. It took several days for her to be even remotely back to normal. I felt sooo bad for our daughter - she was such a mess. Now, she has two big shave marks in her front legs...I'm assuming that's where her IVs were. Thank goodness Kikers came out of it okay!
Since today was an "ugh" day, I'm hoping to post this weekend with something much more positive! Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Hello!
It's been awhile since I have posted, and a lot has been happening around our house. Work has been insanely busy - I have been gone a lot, and my very limited free time has been spent reading and playing on facebook. :)
We are excited about our upcoming trip, and can't WAIT to be in the tropics! The warm weather has spoiled us a bit, and I am totally getting spring fever. Our yard is looking so BLAH and gray and just yuck...I keep looking for my little bulbs to start sprouting, but alas...not yet. Hopefully when we return from Punta Cana, I will see some! I can't WAIT to tackle my yard and flower beds! I know so much more this year than I did last year, and I am looking forward to splitting my plants and reconfiguring the beds. Also, we are working on our backyard and expanding our deck this spring, so we'll have a lot of room to plant...I've been sketching ideas all winter, and I think I have the perfect mix of plants in mind.
Adam and I have been working a lot on our house - our newest adventure is painting one of our huge, 17 ft. tall living room walls a warm, chocolate brown. It has been quite the process! First, our color match wasn't a good match, and we ended up getting reimbursed for the paint and getting the right color. Then, after the right color was found, the roller shed and there are tiny fuzzies painted on the wall. So, we're sanding down the spots and repainting...we are hoping to be completely done by tomorrow...our room is a mess, and we are looking forward to having it put back together again. I'll post pictures when we're finished. Adam convinced me that we didn't need to hire a painter, and he was right! He is doing a great job, minus the hassles.
Other than the painting, not much new around here. We're exercising regularly and eating healthy...Adam has been running regularly and has been doing so well with it. I'm proud of him!
I hope everyone has a great weekend - I will try to post pics soon!
We are excited about our upcoming trip, and can't WAIT to be in the tropics! The warm weather has spoiled us a bit, and I am totally getting spring fever. Our yard is looking so BLAH and gray and just yuck...I keep looking for my little bulbs to start sprouting, but alas...not yet. Hopefully when we return from Punta Cana, I will see some! I can't WAIT to tackle my yard and flower beds! I know so much more this year than I did last year, and I am looking forward to splitting my plants and reconfiguring the beds. Also, we are working on our backyard and expanding our deck this spring, so we'll have a lot of room to plant...I've been sketching ideas all winter, and I think I have the perfect mix of plants in mind.
Adam and I have been working a lot on our house - our newest adventure is painting one of our huge, 17 ft. tall living room walls a warm, chocolate brown. It has been quite the process! First, our color match wasn't a good match, and we ended up getting reimbursed for the paint and getting the right color. Then, after the right color was found, the roller shed and there are tiny fuzzies painted on the wall. So, we're sanding down the spots and repainting...we are hoping to be completely done by tomorrow...our room is a mess, and we are looking forward to having it put back together again. I'll post pictures when we're finished. Adam convinced me that we didn't need to hire a painter, and he was right! He is doing a great job, minus the hassles.
Other than the painting, not much new around here. We're exercising regularly and eating healthy...Adam has been running regularly and has been doing so well with it. I'm proud of him!
I hope everyone has a great weekend - I will try to post pics soon!
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