Baking up a Storm and My New Diet

Ok, so we'll start off with the talk about yummy foods before we get to my sad new diet...

I've been trying to be more domestic lately. For instance, the Young Women's lesson I taught at the beginning of the year had to do with making and achieving effective goals. Since we all know that people listen better when they'll be rewarded at the end I decided to come up with a special treat for this New Year's lesson. I came up with the idea of making a cupcake-cake in the shape of an elephant, because how do you eat an elephant? (one bite at a time!)...Most of you who know me know that I like elephants, but this really was relevant to my lesson!

So this all happened around 9 oclock on Saturday night, leaving me very little time to prepare and create this Frankensteinish cake. By the time all was said and done (around 11:30!) this was the final product:


Don't feel bad thinking it, I'm completely aware that its hideous. I ran out of room on my pan so I couldn't make a very pretty shape. The next time I do it, I'll definitely use a larger pan.

The next item for your salivating pleasure actually turned out somewhat aesthetically pleasing. This is my first homemade cake! I made the cake and the frosting all from scratch (well, I always make homemade frosting. Betty Crocker frosting is sucks). And I made it simply so that I could use my new cake plate I got for christmas. See how pretty the cake plate is?

I'll be using it again for Danny's birthday cake on Thursday when I attempt a homemade German Chocolate Cake. If it's good, I'll put up another picture of it. If it's not, we'll pretend it never existed.

AND FINALLY
Here's the thing about my new diet... I came across an article that was on CNN.com and it freaked me out about what I thought was only a little problem with my cholesterol. Yes, I have high cholesterol; sad, but true. The article was talking about how having high cholesterol dramatically increases your risk for heart disease and it said that you can start on the slipper slope in your twenties. Your twenties?! That's my age group! So any, that's what sparked this super fun new eating arrangement of mine. Here's the article incase anybody happens to share in my sad situation: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/01/23/healthmag.cholesterol/index.html

In the article, it gave a big list of foods that you can combine to help really boost your good cholesterol levels to help fight your bad cholesterol. so basically, what I've come up with for my daily meals looks a little something like this:

*In the morning, I eat a light yogurt with a scoop of flax seed meal in it, therefore sucking all yumminess right out of my once beloved peach yogurt. As soon as I can get to the store again, I'll also be adding soy protein to my morning yogurt flax seed goo. Yippie!
*Then I eat an apple. Not bad
*Then I eat a 1/4 cup of almonds as a midday snack. Almonds aren't bad, but I had to measure out 1/4 cup so that I don't eat to many of them because guess what, they're fattening!
*Then in the evening I'll either be eating some form of fish or taking a fish oil pill. I'm not really a fish person so this one is going to be more difficult for me. I tried a new recipe tonight for Tilapia and it turned out surprisingly yummy. If you care to try it you can find it on pimpmydinner.blogspot.com - If you have any yummy fish recipes of your own, please send them my way!

Ode to the Suggie, G.I.P.

Just another quick note before I call it a night. I thought it important to mention that we've lost a member of our family....Our sugar glider
(or "sugar rat" to the Jones clan), Serrafina, has found a new home. We sold her to another college student who had been wanting a sugar glider for months. It was a difficult change for us, but it's for the best now. Danny did make me promise that someday we can get another one. Don't worry, I've already informed our parents that they're down 1 grandcreature and they are coping as best as they can.

Here's a picture of Serrafina, may she continue to Glide in Peace....elsewhere.

G. I. P.

School Shmool

Ok, so it's official. Danny and I survived our first week of school (woo hoo for me! It's been a while since I was a student!) Our lives are going to be crazy for a while, there's no doubt about that, but we're looking forward to it.

I'm taking 12 hours at the community college in Carterville with the hopes of completing my Associates in Accounting by next May and working 28 hours a week to try to keep food on the table. When I'm not doing work and school, my time is consumed by maintaining our home, our dog, cooking, and various Young Women's activities.

Then there's Danny....He's nuts. He's taking 18 credit hours, working roughly 29 + hours at the school newspaper AND just accepted a calling as the 1st Counselor in the Young Men's presidency! Can you say yikes?!?! Psssst! Ward Gossip: The YW 1st Counselor is hooking up with the YM 1st Counselor, don't tell anyone! :-)

Anyway, that's all for now, just wanted to send the update that we are alive and we love and miss you all. Good luck at your various schools and occupations as well!