Life: It Goes On - April 10

Once again, I'm finding the title of this weekly post to be particularly apt this week. My sister's husband found out Wednesday that he was in need of quadruple bypass (at only 51 years of age), which was done on Thursday. As my family does, we have circled the wagons since. I'm happy to be so nearby that we are here to be able to support them along the long road ahead. We're once again reminded about how blessed we are to be surrounded by so many people who care. It's a good walk up call for the rest of us to start to eat healthier and exercise more.The PSA here? If it doesn't feel right, insist on getting an answer.

My sis and her hubby back in the
day. Love this big guy!

You'd think sitting in a hospital waiting room for six hours on Thursday would have afforded me a lot of reading time. Not with sixteen people around to talk with, a gift shop, and a book I'm struggling with. I've been reading Tampa on and off for a few weeks and it's an extremely uncomfortable read that I can only handle a little bit at a time. It may be another couple of weeks before I finally finish it.

This Week I'm:

Listening To: Two-thirds of the way through The Girl Who Played With Fire. Honestly, it's a bit slow going; an interesting story bogged down with a lot of unnecessary details and a fair amount of repetition.

And did listen to a couple of Happier podcast episodes while I worked out this week, too. But I'm way behind on my podcast listening - I didn't even know that the new season of Nerdette had started in February. Clearly, I'll have plenty to listen to as I start the new, more vigorous exercise routine aforementioned.

Watching: Baseball because, apparently, Miss H has turned us all into fans.

Reading: I finished Tracy Chevalier's At The Edge of The Orchard this weekend (review tomorrow) and today will start Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible which is billed as a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Very much looking forward to this one!

Making: Mexican stuffed potato skins, Spicy Smoked Sausage Alfredo Bake, grilled burgers, and strawberry shortcake. Trish (Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity) wrote the other day about following recipes.  I linked the recipe for the Alfredo bake but must admit to having made some  (okay, several) alterations - we only had garlic and onion polish sausage on hand and no mozzarella cheese so I substituted Irish cheese. Also, I was unable to throw it in and actually bake it as the Big Guy had already put broccoli in the oven to roast. It was delicious with the substitutions although I wish I had put in more sausage and baked it. When you cook, do you always stick the recipe?

Planning: My reading list for next weekend's Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon. Anyway, I was planning my list until Mini-him noticed that we get free HBO next weekend which also usually means a Game of Thrones marathon. Perhaps my readathon reading will finally be to read A Game of Thrones while I watch?

Miss H and
Mini-him

Thinking About: Healthier ways to make the foods we love without sacrificing flavor. I'll be culling my cookbooks, recipe collections, and Pinterest. I'm not giving up the foods I love; I have no interest in spending the rest of my life eating food I don't enjoy and I do not do fat-free dairy products so it will be a challenge to be sure. At least we're heading into gardening and farmer's market season.

Enjoying: Seeing my kids enjoying each other's company. Miss H and Mini-him hopped in the car last Monday and drove to Kansas City (a seven-hour roundtrip) to go to a concert together. Got home at two a.m. and went to work the next day. I can hardly contemplate going to a concert in town on a work night - I miss being young!

Feeling: Excited. My nephew and his wife let us know that other day that they are expecting their first baby this fall. I can't wait to meet him or her!

Looking forward to: Today is the opening reception for Mini-me's senior thesis art show. He's been working on this for the entire school year and I can't wait to share pictures next week. Which is remarkable for me to be able to say, given what so much of his work looks like!

Question of the week: What are your favorite ways to make food taste delicious while still being healthy?