Looking out for me

This is going to be another personal post. If that makes you at all uncomfortable, please feel free to not read it. I just feel the need to be honest about where I am and what I'm going through. It might help someone else, but hopefully it will make someone rethink some of the things they say or post on social media.

I'm going to take a break from Facebook. For at least a few days and longer if needed.

I have been doing the November days of thankfulness thing, which helps me be intentionally thankful and keeps things in perspective while I'm going through a hard time. I'll still be doing this on my own and may start to post what I am thankful for on this blog instead of Facebook, but staying off of that site is important to me right now.

Why?

You may or may not know that during high school I struggled with an eating disorder. I won't get into details because I know that can be a trigger for others who have been or are dealing with this type of thing. Just know that I lost over 70lbs in mostly unhealthy and obsessive ways, ending up just over 100lbs with a terrible immune system, weak and sick all the time. I tried very hard to hide it and thankfully was never hospitalized, as I know many people have to be. My junior year a lot of things changed and I began recovering. I've been mostly healthy for nearly 10 years.

Yet there have been times when it is a struggle to overcome the same urges and feelings I used to have. Lately, while dealing with the weight I gained in graduate school, fighting a relapse has been especially hard. It is a battle every. single. day.

So what does this have to do with Facebook? One of my triggers is and has been the comments of others. Not directed at me, but the comments of people (mostly other women) about themselves.  I see women who are MUCH thinner than I am talking about weight they need to lose or how fat they look in pictures. If they think that about themselves, what terrible things do they think about me? This happens so much on my facebook feed right now that I just need to avoid it all together. The irony is that I know I have been guilty of this same type of behavior and comments. Not just when I was in high school and actively dealing with it (because at that time I literally could not see a difference between myself and someone much heavier than me), but also more recently. It is hard to remember that comments about yourself not only perpetuate negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself, but also can hurt others that you never intended to comment on.

So right now, it is just too hard for me to run across those kinds of comments and remember that they have nothing to do with me. I'm just going to do what I need to do to stay healthy. And right now that means taking a few days or longer off of checking facebook, until I feel strong enough to do so.

Thanks for understanding. If you need to reach me, you know my information.

I'm still here

Hi all.

So, I've been MIA for a long time now. It was never my intention to go so long between posts. Ideally, I'd like to post weekly or even more frequently.

So why the long hiatus? I've been battling depression in a big way. I've suffered from depression for a long time, but until recently I have managed it well and had things mostly under control. For the past couple of months, that was not the case at all. Depression can be debilitating and exhausting, which is why I took a break from this blog, along with many other things in my life.

I debated if I should say anything on here about it, since the whole idea of depression and other mental health issues can have such a stigma and people sometimes judge, or just don't understand. But that is never going to change unless people talk about it, so I decided to let you know why I have been gone so long.

I may discuss this topic more in the future, again, just as a way to help others who are experiencing similar situations or to bring awareness to those who don't understand what a serious thing it can be, but for now, I'll leave it with what I've just said.


So on to the real update: Since I've been gone, I have participated in a 5k, lost somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds, made some fun halloween costumes, had a lot of hard days, but also had many wonderful days with my husband. I'm participating in my second Diet Bet currently and am considering hosting one. It has been a real motivator to me. Would anyone be interested in joining?

Okay. Details. I did not reach my goal for the 5K. I wanted to be able to run the whole thing. I wasn't even close. I got a leg cramp before it even started. And even if I had not cramped up, I still would not have been able to run the entire thing. I just plain didn't train hard enough. But, I DID finish. I probably actually ran about 2 or 2 1/2 Kilometers of the 5.  Next time I'll do better, but for my first, I figure this is an okay start. I've never been a good runner, so I'm still looking at it as an accomplishment for me.

I worked hard, you can tell because my face matches my hair.

Most of all it was a fun time. I spent time with my cousins and ran in the dark with all sorts of glowing things on. And as a bonus we made it into the local newspaper.

Not super flattering, but there I am!

Well, I think that's been plenty for you to read for one day, even given that you haven't had any news from me for a while. 

I'll leave you with a picture from Halloween. Hubs and I went to his cousin's halloween party and had a fantastic time. I loved getting to meet some people and just socialize, since I don't do a lot of that right now, as I do not know very many people around here. We went as Soap and a Loofa. I made our costumes, which was lots of fun. I liked having a reason to be crafty again. 

We're too cute, I know ;)

'Til next time- The Real Life Mrs. Robinson, signing off.

Getting Moving and Getting Cooking

Well, I did it. I registered for a 5K. Yikes.

I think it will be a lot of fun, actually. I'm doing Glow 4 Goal. This is a night glow run (gotta start searching the dollar store for glow bracelets and things!) and it is put on by Relay for Life. Such a great cause. The race will benefit the American Cancer Society and I will be running/walking in memory and honor of my Grandfather who passed away a little over a month ago after a fight with lung cancer. I'd like to make a donation in his honor, so if you'd like to contribute and support me in my first 5K, please let me know!

I'm going to try to run the entire thing, but right now it is looking like I'll have to take some walk breaks.  This should be good motivation to get moving, running in particular, and help me with my weight loss goals.

On that topic: I've joined a Diet Bet hosted by another of my favorite bloggers, Skinny Meg. Basically, Diet Bet is a monetary bet about losing weight. This bet is $25 but some are more or less. You put in the money and if you achieve a loss of 4% of your body weight in the allotted time you get a piece of the pot. This bet has a really high number of participants (since Skinny Meg is a really popular blogger)...almost 900! So the pot is over $22,000!! I've got about 3 weeks left to lose 5 1/2 lbs. I really want in on that payout though, so I'll be working hard to get there. Here's to motivation!

Finally, I have a yummy recipe to share.

I found this recipe for what the creator called Low-Carb Broccoli Bites on Pinterest, but I made a bunch of adjustments and the following is my version.

Mini Frittatas with Broccoli and Bacon

1 Cup chopped broccoli
1 whole egg
1/4 cup egg whites (mine are from the carton)
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/8 cup chopped bacon
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (variety of your choosing, but I used part colby jack and part mild cheddar this time)
3 tbsp cup crushed french fried onions (original recipe called for more but I was trying to keep this at least semi healthy)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a muffin tin with some non-stick spray.
Whisk together your egg and egg whites then combine all ingredients. Your mixture will be thick. This is a scoop, not pour, into your pan kind of thing.

Dish into your muffin pan. Make sure to do so evenly...as you see I ran out of mixture and only had 11 cups filled. I'll fix that next time.

Never you mind that empty cup...

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is deliciously melty and golden. Yummy!

I thought about adding some red pepper I had on hand, but decided against it this time. I may try next time. I also think this would be delicious with spinach or mushrooms. Or anything really! I'll definitely be making this a lot now and experimenting with my favorite veggies and additions.


That's all for now. Enjoy!

Trying a New Thing or Two

I've been trying some new things lately and am thinking about trying even more new things in the future.  I thought I would share some of that here.

The new things I've tried so far are mostly cooking related. In my efforts to occupy my time/ help keep my husband sane during his hard work schedule/ enjoy my temporary housewifery (housewifeness? housewifemanship? Whatever.) I have been trying out a lot of new recipes. I'll share a few of those with you today and might continue to do so later if you like/ if I feel like it. :P

A couple of my recent dinners have come from the blog of Mama Laughlin because I'm kind of obsessed with her. She lost weight the healthy way and is straight out hilarious and fun.

Two of our (our being The Hubs and me) favorites were:

Mama Laughlin's Skinnier Chicken Spaghetti
This is super easy and turned out pretty delicious. Clearly you can see from the name that the recipe calls for Spaghetti (duh!) but I used rotini because, well, that's what we had. You gotta use what you've got (I believe I've said that before). I actually think it would have been a little better with the spaghetti, texture-wise. But it was definitely yummy. I'm not going to go through the whole recipe here because if you're too l-a-z-y to click the link, you're probably never going to make it anyway.
So, I think I would give this dish a 7.5 out of 10. It was easy to prepare and yummy, but not something we'll put on the weekly schedule.

Second was: Mama Laughlin's Cowboy Casserole
Whoa, boy. Let me tell you...This. Was. AWESOME. First of all, this was the easiest dinner I have made since regularly making heating Spaghetti Os and Meatballs in college (who am I kidding though, I still love me some of that orange, noodley, meatbally goodness). For this casserole, as with most great casseroles, you just throw ingredients together and bake. That, right there is a cooking method I can get behind (BTW, I'm a cleaner, not a cooker...have I mentioned that yet?). But beyond being easier than pie (see what I did there, wink-wink), this was one of the more tasty and satisfying meals I've had in a long time. Cheesy, potatoey, deliciousness. Seriously, you'll just have to try it.
However, I'm going to go out on a pretty sturdy limb here and say that it is not the most low-cal of recipes. Worth it. So worth it. Again, click on the link. As a bonus, you'll get to experience Mama Laughlin...she's way more fun to read than me.
I would say this is a definite keeper in my house. 9 or 9.5 out of 10. This will probably be a go-to meal since it is so easy and yummy. Also this gets a really high Husband Rating. His exact words were "Oh my God, this is fantastic."  I casually replied, "I'm glad you like it." But inside I was all...

Thanks Mama Laughlin

While we're on the topic of food, I'll share with you one of my favorite go-to snacks.

Mmmm Cheesy

Low-Fat Cottage Cheese with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a dash of salt. If I'm craving something salty, this usually does the trick and keeps me from eating a pound of popcorn or whatever.


I also made some cookies out of bananas today. Yep, that's right bananas.

They were somewhere between decent and pretty good. Good enough to curb a sweets craving, but not something I would make for a bake sale or anything. But if you need something to try out to keep yourself from eating a whole tub of cookie dough, this is worth a shot. If you like banana bread and also like oatmeal cookies, you will probably like these. They're (you guessed it) really easy.
It is all over Pinterest and the internet but here's the recipe I used: Skinny Banana Cookies
It is from Six Sister's Stuff, another of my blog favorites. A few notes on these if you want to try them:
1) I added a tsp on vanilla and 2 tsps of honey to mine. Just because.
2) I needed to bake mine for longer than the recipe calls for. Be that because of my additions, differences in ovens or altitude, I do not know. However, I have seen other sites with this recipe that bake it on a higher temp (450 degrees) for the same amount of time (12-15minutes). I will likely try this next time.


Ok, enough with the food.

New thing number 2: Any men reading this, skip this next bit....


I have been running/trying to run lately. I'm to the point where I can run 1/4-1/2 Kilometer at a time, walk a 1/2K then run again. My goal is to work up to the point where I can actually run a 5K in October. I'll tell you more about my plans for that in another post.

Anyone have any good Sports Bra suggestions? I need it to be affordable and able to accommodate DDs, because, this is what one of my current ones is doing to me:

Sorry for the shoulder nudity. I am clothed from the armpits down, it just doesn't show. promise.

Holy moly, that hurt. My skin is still raw from that biatch rubbing on me. Bye, bye purple bra. You are way too tight. So, suggestions on comfortable, supportive sports bra brands/styles would be appreciated. Again, I'm not rich, let's keep that in mind. Thanks.


Finally, I'm thinking about trying some furniture repurposing type stuff. I see so many cute things on blogs and I'd love to try to do something like that myself.
Check out this thing I found a yard sale.

I didn't buy it. Which is good, I guess, because when I got home and showed this picture to The Hubs, he reacted with disgust and basically refused to let me buy it/bring it in the house.
Anyway...here was my fantasy on this one--- Wouldn't it be cute if it was taken off those little wheels and repainted? Maybe white, or a bright pastel? The hardware could be updated and a cute fabric cushion added to the middle part. I thought it would be nice in an entryway, a little seat to take off shoes with some storage for those things you want to drop when you get through the door.
But alas, it was not meant to be.  There will be other cool finds that I can re-do. Hopefully that are more appealing to my husband, or at least easier to convince him of the potential.


So what do you think? Any thoughts on the recipes or running for the first time? How do you feel about fixing up thrift finds? Are you up to anything new recently? New is fun, challenging, scary and exciting all at once.

Chicken Dinner

Not a lot to update on this week, so I thought I would share a recipe that the hubs and I enjoyed last week. I would highly recommend it.

I got the recipe out of an old Weight Watchers book and modified it to our tastes/needs. The original recipe was 5 points (this was before the points plus system).

Chicken Parmigiana

It is yummy! I promise.

2 large, skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved.

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

2 tsp herb seasonings (I used herbs de provence, italian or your own mixture will work just as well)

1/2 tsp grated parmesan cheese 

1/2 tsp olive oil

1 small can tomato sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese (or provolone if you prefer)

Fresh vegetables of your choice (I used tomato, red bell pepper and celery but I think mushrooms, Zucchini or squash would go well but the Hubs doesn't like any of those, lol.  I didn't have any green bell pepper on hand but that would have added some nice color.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix breadcrumbs, herbs, and parmesan cheese well in a bowl.

Brush egg whites onto your chicken pieces then coat in the breadcrumb mixture.

Warm olive oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned.

Pour half the can of tomato sauce into a baking dish. Place chicken on top. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the chicken.

Sprinkle cheese on top of the chicken then add your vegetables to the dish. 

Bake for about 15 minutes or until sauce and cheese starts to bubble slightly. 

There's my serving. It was delicious. As you can see, I served it with salad, but I would have preferred some grilled zucchini or eggplant. You make use of what you have, you know?

Anyway if you try this (this way or add your own style to it), let me know what you think.

So, aside from that here's my life update for all who are wondering.

Still applying for jobs. No interviews just yet but it has only been a few weeks and I hear this process can take a while, plus some of the jobs I've applied for are accepting applications until mid September, so I'm not going to freak out if they don't call right away.  I guess right now I feel like I'm doing everything I can on this front so I don't like talking about it too much. It just adds pressure, you know? So the fewer "any interviews yet?"/"how's the job search?" questions I get, the better. I appreciate the care and concern and I promise to keep you informed. 

I'm trying to make good use of this time at home while I have it, too. Taking care of the house, dinners, laundry, etc and savoring this break. I took classes during almost every break in college and grad school and I had a job in between, so this is the first time in a long time and probably the last that I have time to be home and take care of me and my husband. I hope the job comes soon, but I'm trying to remember that this time off is a nice thing in some ways. Gotta look for the positive. 

The Hubs is working the long hours still, but it should be a little better next month. We're hoping to take a couple days and get away once he finally gets two days off in a row. No idea when that will be but it is so nice to have something to look forward to. No idea where we will go but maybe there will be a good Living Social offer going on or something. Any cheap, fun get away ideas?

I went to visit my grandmother. I feel so deeply for her as she is grieving the loss of her best friend and husband of 62 years. I miss him so much, but my heart just breaks for her. 

I am still working on dieting and working out. I'm down 7 pounds total at this point. Maybe down a size...? Its a work in progress.

Today I got together with a friend of the Hubs' from high school. She's really great and I'm so happy we had lunch. Her husband is a doctor too, so we can relate there and it is awesome that we're in the same area. Hopefully more lunch hangouts or shopping trips in the future.

I may start church shopping. I'd also like to paint some of the rooms in our condo. I'll let you know if either of those ventures pan out. I also need to get my craft area set up soon.

So, that's the update folks. Have a great weekend.

New town, new license

I'm sorry it has been so long since I did my first post.
I know, I know...I say I'm starting a blog, tease you with a first post then disappear for like 2 weeks. What can I say, I'm just a tease like that.
Not really, though. I do plan on updating on a more regular basis. The past couple of weeks have been pretty difficult for me. My grandfather passed away (I may do a memorial post about that later, once I'm able) and I've been away from home.
But I'm back now.

Today I was very productive.

I made my first trip to the local post office to send out a resume and cover letter for a job that I would REALLY like. So, fingers crossed on that. The lady at the post office was so nice and so friendly.

Then I went to the local DMV to get a new driver's license with my new last name and new address. Everyone there was so nice too! I went in thinking they would want my updated S.S. card, but they wanted my marriage license, which I thought was at home. But I got to my car and realized it was still in my "Big Red Folder of Important Papers" which I had with me. So I went back and was able to update my license. Both the lady who helped me and the one that had previously told me I didn't have the right document were very sweet and had a laugh with me about coming back so quickly.

However, can we pause a moment and talk about this picture?

This is my "Excuse me, I do not actually look this chubby in real life" face. Honestly. Now, believe me, I am heavier than I used to be and losing weight is definitely a priority for me right now. But cameras refuse to give me a break. Other than that, its a good picture for a license. At least I don't look drugged like I did on my last one. How about letting a girl know when you're going to take a picture so she can smile and not looked zoned out, you know? So this one is better. I guess.

Ok, anyway...silly license stuff is done now.

I went to the bank and asked for my name changed on my cards. So it all should be super duper official. The banker was really nice too. Everyone in this town is just so friendly and nice. I love it!

Oh...and did you see this??

My M.A. certificate(...diploma? what do you call it?....is the paper also called a degree? I don't know, but you know what I'm talking about) came yesterday!  The mailman was my best friend that day. It is such a good feeling to finally have it. To be honest it was starting to feel like maybe it wasn't going to arrive and maybe the last three years were just a terrible, crazy nightmare and I really didn't earn anything from it. But whew, no...I can stop pinching myself because it is really here for real. I AM A MASTER!!! Just kidding. Sort of.

Other than that, there's not a lot of news.

I've been looking for and applying for jobs. Oh, so  exciting. No, really. Please, someone hire me.

The Hubs has been working a lot. Which is fine with me. I like my alone time. But it was hard and I did miss him when he couldn't make it to my grandpa's funeral. And it is hard when people make comments in public...because they don't understand anything but a 9-5. Lucky dogs.
Like when I took his truck in to get serviced, it was a little more expensive than we had hoped and I joked with the cashier that my husband wasn't going to be happy. She said "tell him next time he has to bring it in!" Oh, lady...if only his hours would allow that. But you close at 6 and he will be working for another hour at least after that.
Or when I went to the bank and the lady is talking about all these awesome free events and concerts that I would love to go to. I said "Bummer. That sounds fun. I'd love to go if I had someone to go with." She said "drag your husband out."  I'm sure his bosses and patients would love that.

The thing is, I'm ok with it. Like I said, for the most part, I enjoy being independent. It is just funny to encounter so many people that find the schedule so foreign.  Try to remember everyone lives a different life. Yours may be 9-5, but ours isn't. My sister's husband is a pilot and he is gone for days or a week a time.  And should I even mention all the amazingly strong friends I have who have husbands away in the armed forces? There are lots of different schedules and ways married life works.

That said, I do need to make some friends. That way, on a Friday night when cool stuff is going on, I go out with someone.

I need to get involved in something so that I can have something to do and meet people.

It probably won't solve the "meeting people" thing but as far as occupying my free time, I was thinking about contacting one of the breeders I have been following and seeing if they could use a volunteer to come take care of and play with their Danes. Since the hubs and I can't get one until I'm set in my job and we get a bigger vehicle, it might satiate my need to be a puppy mommy for a while.

Alright, that is far too much for you to read. I apologize. I have nothing else to do on a Friday night ;)

I'll keep you updated on the job search. And weight loss (down 5lbs this week! woo!) And the friend/activity search too.

Have a great night!

What the what, a blog?

If you're reading this you probably already know me. Or you're a random internet stalker [Hi, creepy stalker!] or something. But for the sake of formality, we'll do the whole "Introduction Post" thing...I suppose.  Le sigh. So here it goes:

Hi, I'm Casey. I'm also Mrs. Robinson. But not the one from the awesome Simon and Garfunkel song, nor the movie, The Graduate, which I still need to see. I can't promise my life is or will be as interesting as those Mrs. Robinsons, but I do have some cool things going on in my life that I thought my friends/family might like to read about. Thus this blog.

For instance: I recently married my super awesome husband, we both graduated from Ohio State University with my Masters and his M.D., we moved across the state, bought our first home, and are settling in. The hubs is working as a 1st year Resident Physician and I am applying for jobs in my field.  We're working on making the condo all homey and us, and trying to learn more about the area in which we live.

When I'm not applying for jobs or doing house stuff (aka: unpacking/decorating the house/putting furniture together like a boss), I'm trying to get back into shape since the stress assault of graduate school, getting married, applying for jobs and supporting the hubs as he applied for residencies, moving, dealing with family illness, and basically just being a young, broke adult caused me to stress eat and give up exercise. The resulting weight gain and inability to walk 5 feet without being reduced to a melting, huffing & puffing pile of redhead has me all bummed out. So, I might post about that sometimes too.


Now that you know who I am and why I'm blogging, here's an update on my life:


Our super awesome friends Caitie and Kevin were up to visit his parents so we got to have dinner and see Despicable Me 2 with them. It was a wonderful time and I was sooo happy to see them-- I've missed them a lot! Plus, I haven't made any friends here yet so I've really been craving some socialization.

We officially have the kitchen and living room all set up, minus a few odds and ends.

Today we chopped down a jungle that was growing on our back yard/patio area. The former owners left it for us and boy, was it a job. I say "was", but we're not done yet. We have to find a yard waste disposal center and get rid of the weeds and overgrown plants we massacred today. Then we need to work on making that back area usable and enjoyable. So, yeah. Its going to be an ongoing project.

That's pretty much the highlights for now.

Hope everyone is enjoying this summer. I miss you all!