Category: Photos

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal-Banana Smoothie

I tried this recipe yesterday morning and not only was it healthy & delish, it was so filling! It kept me full from 8am-noon!

Before & after!
Before & after!

You’ll Need:
1 1/2 bananas, sliced & frozen
1/3 C. oatmeal
1/2 C. skim milk
1 small bottle Yakult
2 tablespoons peanut butter
dash of cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons of honey

Toss all ingredients into blender and puree till smooth. So quick and simple!

You can change this up and add some vanilla extract, or swap out the peanut butter for strawberries :).

Did I Mention That I Love Food?

Today was the epitome of Lazy Sunday.

Jorge and I woke up around 10:30am and I whipped us up some whole-wheat pancakes with fruit (and 2 eggs over-easy for him, heh).

Whole-wheat pancakes, fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Whole-wheat pancakes, fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.

We watched The Spiderwick Chronicles after breakfast. My Jaylen had wanted to watch that one for a long time, so I texted him to let him know what channel it was on, heh. I miss my babies so much :(. This feels like the longest week, ever.

We lazied around some more and then debated on getting out of the house. The morning had been rainy and cool, but it had warmed up so I didn’t mind getting out for a while. I looked up vintage shops, and remembered about some pants I wanted to buy that were on sale for the last time at Old Navy, but both seemed too…taxing.

We decided we were hungry so we called up Javi to see if he wanted to do something. He was busy so we ended up at Cheddar’s. I ate things my doctor would probably frown upon if she found out, but I love Cheddar’s menu :(.

Maui Margarita, my fave!
Maui Margarita, my fave!

I had my favorite drink, the Maui Margarita. I was 1/3 of the way through when I tell Jorge, “Hmm. This usually hits me right away. I’m surprised it hasn’t since I haven’t eaten since the morning.” Spoke too soon, ’cause 2 minutes later, my head was woozy LOL.

The spread!
The spread!

They brought us our appetizers and then our food like 2 minutes later. It was the fastest we’ve ever been served, anywhere!

I had the honey-dijon chicken with mushrooms; OMG, it was heaven. And edamame and broccoli cheese casserole. I could have done without all the cheese I consumed today, but I’d been behaving pretty well. I think?

We were going to Jr.’s after lunch but we stopped by the house to pick up Lisa’s cardigan I’d brought with me 2 nights ago and to drop food off to Mom. I sat on the couch for a bit while I spoke to the kids and made the mistake of putting my head down when I got off the phone. I passed out, and apparently Jorge passed out in the room. Stupid food!! We wasted like 2 hours!

So we go to Jr’s to watch The Walking Dead. OMG. This episode. I can’t even. It was so messed up and so sad. Waah. I just got sad remembering it again. Jaylen and Eenan called me as soon as the episode was over so we could discuss it. I love those boys!! Eenan sounded a little…quiet. I don’t know if his somber mood was because of the show or if it’s something else =\. Maybe he’s a little upset about going back to school tomorrow?

We came home when the show was over and we’ve been lazying ever since. I got hungry, which is amazing considering how much food I ate >_<. My love made me a peanut butter and banana sandwich :). [caption id="attachment_2138" align="aligncenter" width="300"]Peanut butter and banana sandwich (and skim milk) Peanut butter and banana sandwich (and skim milk)[/caption]

I froze some bananas for my smoothie tomorrow. I hope I wake up early enough to flat-iron my hair and make my smoothie. Eh, I’ll pro’lly just rock a high bun like Friday. I’m sad we have to start the week again tomorrow (i.e.: go back to work, heh). I don’t have too much going on, except for Wednesday, but I have to work on my tutorial and make sure I have everything ready for the program. It’s going to be a good week! My babies come back home tomorrow <3!

“Spring Break” Week

You know how I mentioned that the kids and I didn’t have to go anywhere on Monday since they had Spring Break and I had gotten 2 days off?

Yeah. That didn’t happen.

Jorge has the house automated, which is a beautiful thing when I have to wake up at 6am every morning. The accent lighting under the bed turns on, the air conditioning turns off (since I absolutely despise feeling cold in the morning), the lights slowly turn on (from 20% to 50% in 10 minutes), as does music over the speakers. Meanwhile the TV turns on to channel 5 news in the bathroom. It’s perfect.

But I didn’t have to wake up at 6am Monday morning, so I had to wake up and turn everything off from my phone. No biggie. Then Jorge’s alarm for work goes off at 7:00. Then 7:15. Then 7:30. I crash out when I make sure he’s awake and getting ready and am briefly awakened when he kisses me before he leaves.

Then my boss calls at 8:15am to ask where some documents are. Then John texts me at 8:30 about going car shopping (his car’s transmission had died on him the week before). Then Gerry begins to text about some linens I had in my car that needed to be taken to the cleaners and could I go drop them off? FML.

We’d stayed up late with the kids the night before and I figured they’d sleep late anyway so I, somewhat reluctantly, decided I’d just get up and get ready to pick John up and go to the place Briana had just bought her car at last Saturday.

But first: he treated me to breakfast!

Whole-wheat banana pancakes ^_^
Whole-wheat banana pancakes ^_^

All was forgiven!

(Not really, but it subdued my morning “Snickers Moment” ^_^.)

So we went on to the place Briana went, and to make a long story short: John has no credit. 0 And because of this, he was presented with a 2004 who-knows-what, with peeling leather seats and dents all over the place. Oh yes, and they wanted $3,000 down. WTF.

So we scratched that and John immediately shut down and wanted to forget the whole thing. I told him Jorge’s friends, the ones who hooked us up with our vehicles, could help. I asked Jorge to call them and he did. They told us to go right over but John was unsure. So while he debated I stopped by Hidden Treasures, hehe.

Minnie, the owner, and I reminisced about the kids and how long I’ve been stopping by her store. I don’t stop by as often as I’d like, but I do at least twice a year. And I also snapped this pic:

Yes. Yes, it is!
Yes. Yes, it is!

How true is that? I picked up a Strawberry Shortcake rag doll (even though I already have one, heh) but you couldn’t beat the price. I also found a $2 Glow Worm that still had the battery compartment. Jorge IMMEDIATELY claimed it as his that evening ^_^.

We went home to make sure the kids were fed and so I could snuggle the girls for a while. They weren’t falling apart without me, though. They were having fun on their iPads and sprawled all over the living room. We chilled out for a while until John FINALLY made up his mind. We ate lunch, and I once again unwillingly got ready to go. I half-jokingly jabbed at John that he was ruining my day off.

We dropped the stupid linens off at my work and then we left to the dealership. We got to Weslaco, in the ugly, drizzly rain. To make another long story short (a story about 4+ hours long), John saw some cars, we spoke to RG and Ringo, they ran some numbers, we sat for a long time, John almost lost his shit because he was second-guessing EVERYTHING, I almost lost my shit because John was losing his shit, they got him the car he wanted, he was on the phone with insurance companies forever and FINALLY: he drove off in his new Dart. He kept it in the Dodge family LOL.

After dinner, the girls had a tea party:

Their cup of tea
Their cup of tea

Jorge, Justin, Jaylen and Eenan were in the background ^_^. Jorgie snuck in and I snapped a pic. Justin got away LOL

Busted
Busted

Jorge and Jorgie, Jaylen and Justin went to pick up a game at midnight at Game Stop, while Eenan played on his computer and the girls and I lazied around on the couch. I love how he’s all into these things with the kids :).

I spent the next day at home, at least, but I spent a lot of it cleaning and doing everything I didn’t do during the weekend, like laundry (grr).

I spent time playing Candy Land with the girls, then Jenga and then they got bored and abandoned me LOL. Later on I got the kids in on cleaning. Jorge was impressed when he got home :).

The weather was better so I planned to take the kiddos to the park, but there was 6 of them and one of me and the last thing I needed was an accident to happen *shudder*. Hate the thought. It’s not like the boys wanted to move anyway: they were too enthralled in their new game.

I taught Eenan how to use the skillet to make over-easy eggs and I made lunch for everyone else:

Eenan cooking
Eenan cooking

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out. It was back to work for me the next day and the kids would be leaving with Mario for the rest of the week after we got out of work. We split their “holiday” like we usually do. I just wish I’d gotten to spend more time with them =\.

It was a day of “catch up” for me at work. I had tons of bills to process and turn in for my department and they were due that day. Thankfully I’d already gotten everything started on Friday before I left. I got to meet my love for lunch at Tacos Kissi (LOVE that place! Became one of my faves!) and Marco and Jessica joined us. I ran some errands for work and the day went by pretty fast. I rushed home so I could get see the kids and make sure they had their things ready. Mary was already here waiting, grr.

So I made dinner for Jorge, Mom and I, which was garlic parmesan chicken, roasted broccoli and some guac. Javi and Eric stopped by with a gift for Jorge and I:

Micheladas in Jarritos
Micheladas in Jarritos

It was great! The pickles, candy and drink itself were so good. I didn’t eat the shrimpies (watching the cholesterol still), but it had TONS of shrimpies.

The guys hung out a while and they had dinner. They were already planning to go get tacos, but I guilt-tripped them into eating the plates I’d saved for them since they kept complaining they were hungry LOL. They cleaned their plates ^_^.

My boss was out on Thursday and it was sort of a slow day. I ran some errands for our bossboss and then it was time for lunch with my love. We went to Roosevelt’s this time. We finally made a date to go there! I haven’t had many opportunities to hang out with my love for lunch since I pick up my Emmos, so it’s really nice when we can go :).

Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Alfredo

I probably shouldn’t have had this meal, but it’s one of my faves. And I didn’t feel like having salmon or grilled chicken again =\.

Went back to work and cleaned my desk and some files. That took quite a while since I’d been sort of ignoring my mess, heh. My love wanted to look for some shoes for work and I wanted to get a price adjustment on 2 pairs of pants I’d bought for work at Old Navy, so I picked him up and we went. I got a whopping $30 back from my price adjustment, which was awesome. Jorge was impressed and so was the cashier, who had no idea LOL. I remember from my Old Navy days from 2000-2001 heh.

We went to Macy’s and my love had no luck finding shoes. They had a very small selection. So we picked up Jorge’s car and we came home. He and the boys had food I couldn’t eat for dinner, so I was satisfied with some multi-grain Cheerios. And then I passed out LOL.

I picked up some coffee and oatmeal for myself at McDonald’s the next morning since I was in a hurry to get to work. Laura, Ms. Thelma and I were going shopping for materials at Hobby Lobby for Latina.Hope. I was super excited. We got to go shopping and not spend our own money, woo!

Beads for bracelets and fabric for dolls :)
Beads for bracelets and fabric for dolls 🙂

Well. I still bought some crocheted lace for some straps I need to replace on a sundress and a display for my bracelets. (I had to put it in my closet ’cause Kika and Ruffles would knock it into the sink with my luck.)

I spent the rest of the morning organizing my charm bracelet supplies, typing up a tutorial and then it was lunch time. As much as my job stresses me out sometimes, some days are just AWESOME.

I met my love at Espi’s this time, where I had some chalupas. Probably could have done without the tortilla, but I’ve been doing alright.

I headed over to the antique shop next door where the owner and I got into a long-winded conversation about 80s toys and so on. He has my contact info just in case he gets anything in, woo!

I went grocery shopping after work (ugh) but it had to be done. I served Jorge and Justin some dinner when I got home and we chit chatted about their day before their mom got there. Jorge was home before she got here (of course) so he at least got to see the boys for a while.

We freshened up, as we actually made plans to do something on a Friday night, heh. Junior called us right before we left and asked us to go over since he had a surprise for us. We had no idea what he was talking about, but we’d be there right after dinner.

We met Esmer and Robert at Beef’s. It was nice catching up and talking about everything with them. They reminisced about their times at work together and then we got into how our past marriages exploded in our face and how Jorge and I ended up together. We’ve hung out many times before, but we’d never really gotten into talking about WHY it all happened. It was…therapeutic to vent about it all. I need actual therapy to forgive and forget I think, LOL.

So we ate (I had blackened fish, broccoli and rice and I have to say it was great!) and then we said our ‘see you laters’. We went to Tony’s afterwards. Our surprise was Rick!! We hadn’t seen him since he left back in 2011! The old Shack-mates (except for Billy and Roly) were back together again. We had another reminisce-fest and just had a great time singing, laughing, dancing and taking photos. Rick told us tons of times how glad he was that we ended up together and that we’re perfect for each other and compliment each other. I got teary several times, heh. I love those people!

The old group!!
The old group!!
The guys!
The guys!

Javi joined us later. It was the latest we’ve stayed out in probably 3 years LOL. It was so much fun!

Poor Jorge had to work in the morning but he was so tired he called his guys and pushed their schedule to 10am LOL. I’m glad he can do that. I made sure he woke up and then I passed out till…noon. I know. I NEVER sleep that late!!

I ate some cereal and chit-chatted with Mom. I went to my room to have my coffee and lazy in my PJ’s. Of course I started cleaning and forgot about my coffee for a while. I did some minor sprucing up to my 80’s page and I realized I wasted about 2 hours doing that LOL. I was inspired after receiving 2 packages:

Fluppy Puppy
Fluppy Puppy
Twinkle and FlyBye Nosy Bears
Twinkle and FlyBye Nosy Bears

I’m still missing 2 Fluppy Puppies (I had no idea until recently!) and these Nosy Bears are 2 of the rarer ones that I got for a bargain.

I got dressed and Mom and I visited Gramma for a while. She’s doing good, thank goodness. I love that little lady. I seriously need to make more time to see her. I feel crappy that I don’t sometimes :*(.

I got home and made some amazing fish tacos, if I do say so myself ^_^. I tried a new avocado-cabbage slaw. Both Mom and Jorge loved them.

Fish tacos with avocado-cabbage slaw
Fish tacos with avocado-cabbage slaw

We had told the guys we were going to go out to Hillbilly’s tonight, but Rick was recovering, Jorge took a nap, Javi’s out at a fight, Jr. is out with friends and so on. I spoke with the kiddos and since then I’ve been typing this up, watched and won an auction for Lisa on eBay, watched shows on DIY Network and once Jorge woke up we watched cat videos, more home improvement shows and have been on our respective electronics. And we’re ok with that, hehe. It’s been a pretty darn good week. Can’t wait to see my babies!