Friday, February 22, 2008

Dog Sitting
This weekend Bill and I are in charge of Milton Hilton! He's a very nice dog who likes to run and play. His picture is in the upper right hand corner of the blog. There will be more soon!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Student Loan Crisis Ahead...

A while ago...Sept. 14th I wrote about the nervousness that I have about student loans. "You may have seen or heard on the news lately that mortgage companies are under pressure with regards to borrowers not paying back their loans. I think that in the next few years educational lenders will be in the same spotlight for graduates going into default on their loans. Yikes."

Today on MSN.com...they have a headline called "A Student Loan Crisis is Coming"


The article says...
"Like mortgage lenders, student loan companies were criticized in recent years for loose standards that saddled many students with massive debts. Although student lenders didn't rush into the subprime market that eventually backfired with mortgages, they lavished loans on borrowers with little concern about their ability to repay."

I was fortunate and am thankful. All the more reason to study hard in high school and get good grades so in addition to need based aid students will qualify for merit based aid.

Monday, February 18, 2008

NMU Snow Day!





















Friday, February 15, 2008

Zucchini Pizza

This is what I've been eating lately when I want pizza. The homemade pizza that Bill and I make has a crust that is nearly 700 calories in the crust ONLY.

Here's my version of pizza...


Slice a zucchini in wheels that are about a centimeter thick or half inch (I guess).

Cover the bottom of a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan with the wheels.

Put a spoonful of pizza sauce (or DeFrateli's pasta sauce) over each wheel.
Sprinkle garlic salt or other flavors on the sauce.
Top each wheel with a slice of turkey pepperoni.
Cover the entire pan with mozzarela or cheese of your choice.
Add pizza toppings like green pepper and onion.

Bake at 425 or whatever temperature the other pizza is cooking at (if there is another pizza in the oven) until the cheese is melty. Let the pan rest for a couple of minutes. Sometimes it is juicy in the bottom of the pan but the water gets absorbed again by the zucchini.


Here's where I got the idea...http://greenlitebites.com/2008/01/11/zucchini-pizza-bites/

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Hot Italian Sausage Soup

I got this delicious recipe from Sam. It is so easy...5 ingredients total.

1 package cudighi or hot Italian sausage (could use turkey sausage)
1 container chicken broth
1 can of Italian tomatoes
1 package frozen spinach
2 cups tortellini-frozen, or whatever

Cook the sausage in a big pot.
Pour the chicken broth and tomatoes in. Heat until hot.
Plop ths frozen spinach in the pot and heat until hot.
Dump the tortellini in and cook until hot and done.

That's it! It is spicey and delicious and you don't have to think about it. You can add some parmesan cheese to the top but that would make it 6 ingredients.



Recap Day 1 of Vacation

  • Walk Bill to work.
  • Say adios to Jim and Roberta as they head back home to Ann Arbor.
  • Call Household Appliances - because over the weekend our fridge stopped chilling.
  • Move all food from fridge to freezing cold mud room (good thing it was 12 degrees outside).
  • Call Pickles Sewer Service to have them rotorooter the sewer line.
  • Make banana bread.
  • Pickles returns the call say they can be over in a couple of minutes - EXCELLENT!
  • Clean up kitchen while Pickles works.
  • Surf on the internet.
  • Household Appliance guy arrives and says our freezer is frosted up because the defrosting thermometer crapped out. He doesn't have the part in the van or at the store...must wait until Tuesday. Remove all things from freezer and put in the freezing cold mud room.
  • Meanwhile...10:45 yoga goes by and 12:00 pilates is history.
  • 1:00 pick Bill up for lunch.
  • 2:00 bring Bill back to work.
  • Shovel snow
  • Surf on the internet, clean up the kitchen some more.
  • 3:00 CRAP! I need to read for class! And SHOWER!
  • 4:00 shower
  • 5:00 pick up Bill from work, decide class should not be attended while on VACATION!
  • Grocery shopping and a run to Menard's so I can work on my projects this week. Needed sand paper.
  • Dinner - For me: pizza made with sliced zucchini as the dough and Bill had the real stuff.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Bill Murray

Going along with the Bill Murray theme...from What About Bob? "I'm ON vacation!"
I'm on vacation all next week. Hooray! What does my vacation entail?
  • Dentist appointment
  • Eye appointment
  • Touching up paint in the dining room
  • Sanding the trim going upstairs and repainting it
  • Baking bread
  • Baking cookies
  • Yoga during the day
  • Reading
  • Relaxation
  • Taxes

http://unclebubby.com/wav/wav/MOVIES/WHATBOB/ONVAC.WAV
Dr. Catherine: Relax, Leo.
Dr. Marvin I'm relaxed!
Dr. Catherine:Take a vacation.
Dr. Marvin:I'M ON VACATION!!.
Dr. Catherine: Maybe you should check in here for a few days, get a handle on things.



Happy Groundhog Day!




Phil saw his shadow this morning...that means 6 more weeks of Winter.
Here's what's happening in Punxsutauny this weekend...

I have to admit, Groundhog Day is one of my favorite holidays and favorite movies. When Bill and I went on vacation last year we re-enacted portions of the movie when we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Ashland, WI.


Dunh, dah, dunh, dah...I got you babe. Every morning Phil woke to Sonny and Cher "I got you babe.






Some days he would just wake up. Other days he destroyed the alarm clock.






Is it really the same day again? Where are they headed? Why Gobbler's Knob of course!








After Phil runs into his "old friend Ned" from high school who now sells life insurance Phil steps off the curb into a sloshy puddle. "Watch out for that first step, it's a doooosey!" - Ned



When Phil realizes his power of knowing what will happen every day he takes time to save a little kid who was falling out of a tree. He had to run to catch him.

Saturday, February 02, 2008


Happy Groundhog Day!




Phil saw his shadow this morning...that means 6 more weeks of Winter.
Here's what's happening in Punxsutauny this weekend...

I have to admit, Groundhog Day is one of my favorite holidays and favorite movies. When Bill and I went on vacation last year we re-enacted portions of the movie when we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Ashland, WI.


Dunh, dah, dunh, dah...I got you babe. Every morning Phil woke to Sonny and Cher "I got you babe.






Some days he would just wake up. Other days he destroyed the alarm clock.






Is it really the same day again? Where are they headed? Why Gobbler's Knob of course!








After Phil runs into his "old friend Ned" from high school who now sells life insurance Phil steps off the curb into a sloshy puddle. "Watch out for that first step, it's a doooosey!" - Ned



When Phil realizes his power of knowing what will happen every day he takes time to save a little kid who was falling out of a tree. He had to run to catch him.