Bajio Pork recipe

Ingredients:
Pork
3 lbs of pork roast cut into baseball sized pieces
2 quarts of water
4 cups sliced white onions
¼ cup of salt
1 cup of sugar
Boil pork until tender (approximately 2 hours on a medium simmer)
Marinade
Simmer together the following ingredients for 1 hour
4 cups enchilada sauce
1 cup dark sugar
2 cups soda water
1 pkg taco seasoning of choice
Cook pork until tender.
Drain pork and shred with a fork, keeping the pork in the original cooking pot.
Pour hot marinade over shredded pork.
Keep warm.

This is the recipe that I made for dinner yesterday and some people on Facebook were wanting the recipe.  It was wonderful.  I served it with sweet rice, corn and on a bed of lettuce with a tortilla.

Set back

I had a huge set back this week.  I exercised one day.  I have been sooo sleepy!  I tried to do it on Wed because I thought that maybe exercising would get me out of the funk and give me energy.  That day was even worse!!!  I could hardly keep my eyes open all day long.  Then the same thing on Thurs.  But Justin was gone overnight on Thurs and I did not sleep all night.  Oh, I got in a few winks, but I remember looking at the clock all night long and only about half an hour had passed each time. 

So, it was quite a set-back.  Because not exercising gave me no incentive to eat right.  I am positive I gained about 5 lbs back this week.  I am thinking I don't want to weigh in on Mon.  I am not going to because it will just be discouraging.  But this is not a sprint, it is a marathon.  I will just start over and hope that whatever gains I had this week will be undone with my amazing efforts next week.  Right?
  
I will not whine and cry and make excuses.  I will move on.  It was one week.  One set-back.  There are bound to be a lot of them along my road, so I am going to just suck it up and move along.  It will be okay.  I will be okay.  (Have I convinced myself yet?)

Great TV SHOW!!!

Faces of America is this amazing series on PBS that Justin and I just watched.  It is about genealogy.  Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  has done extensive research about 12 people and their histories.  These people are well-known celebrities.  There is Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Eva Longoria, YoYo Ma, and others.  This was so interesting and gripping, that it really made me want to get going on my genealogy.  I really would like to know where to start.  I don't want to do what my family has already done.  But I do need to get on it.  It is a perfect Sunday afternoon activity, so I guess I will get started tomorrow!  This series was just wonderful.  I am not sure if they will re-air it, but I really recommend you checking it out!  A total must-see!!!  And if you like, they have the first 3 episodes available on-line!

Our favorite book

This book is my kids' favorite right now.  It is hilarious and tells a great story.  Of course, I do all of the funny voices...  but you can't help but do the voices when you are reading this book.  We took it out from the library and I had to go online and order it after the kids made me read it to them 7 nights in a row.

Betsy Lou

So, right now I am waiting for little Betsy Lou to be old enough for me to take home.  I have not seen her yet, but my mom has.  Justin is still against it, but I think he knows it is gonna happen.   I know, the majority of my friends do not approve of my desired acquisition of a dog.  But I am a dog person.  I haven't had one since I left home for college almost 20 years ago.  I am excited to have one and excited for my kids to have the experience of having that additional member of the family.  I have never had a small dog before, so it will be new.  But I am so excited!  She is so cute, or so I have heard.  And I have been doing lots of research about training her and how to take care of her.  I think I am pretty prepared!  But she will not be coming until April. (sigh)  I have almost a whole 2 months before I can bring her home.  But that is okay.  It just gives me more time to prepare.  I have also found out that I will NOT be teaching this summer!!!  Yea!!!  So, that will give me lots more time to concentrate on having fun with the kids and training my new puppy!  I was really concerned about teaching this summer, since it has been so time consuming this winter.  I was looking forward to the extra cash...  but I am totally fine about that!  I may be teaching in the fall, but that will be fine with the kids back in school.  It was a concern to me when I was going to do grading and prep work for my class with the kids all home all day.  It is hard enough with just Lorelai climbing all over me.  So, now we will be able to do some fun stuff and we will have our new little addition right before school lets out!  Betsy Lou is a Shih Tzu who was born 2 weeks ago.  She has a brother, Scout, who will be going home with my mom and dad!  She has one other brother too.  I am not sure if he has been claimed yet.  My mom and dad have seen Betsy and her family, but I have not yet.  But I can wait!  But it is very exciting.  I have not told the kids.  I am not going to tell the kids.  They will find out the day we bring her home.  If I tell them before then, I will never hear the end of it!  So, that is my latest obsession.  Little Betsy Lou.  I cannot wait for her to come home to the Bates family!!!

New Haircut

So here is my new haircut for those of you not on facebook.  I think I am loving it because people keep asking me if I have lost weight.  Yea!   I will take that!  Maybe I need to keep my hair like this forever!  But I am pretty sure it is just the cut and the fact that I don't have my glasses on.  When I take a picture with my glasses there is always a big glare.  I am not wearing any makeup either, so maybe that is why people think I have lost weight...  I have lost some, but not enough for people to notice yet...

Missin' Mardi Gras

Well, Mardi Gras has come and gone.  I feel very homesick for my little slice of Cajun Country.  I was thinking about how last year we were at the parades with my  mom when she visited and we were just wearing some long sleeve shirts.  It was quite warm.  It is not too bad here.  Just at freezing.  But there is a lot of snow on the ground and I am thinking that Spring will not be showing its face anytime soon.  I am feeling a little homesick for my Louisiana ward, my Louisiana friends...  but I must say that even though I miss that Louisiana food...  it is better off in Louisiana. 

All by myself

I have been working on getting healthy and it is not an easy task.  In the morning when I am trying to exercise Lorelai is either crying for me to sit on the couch and read with her, or she is climbing all over me when I am trying to do push-ups.  So far I have lost 14 lbs.  I feel like I have lost weight because my clothes are a little looser...  but this change just seems to be taking forever.  I have weeks where I lose nothing at all.  This is very discouraging.  I am also not great at staying on an eating plan. I always start out really great in the morning, but by mid--afternoon, I have forgotten to eat and I am ravenous.  So what ends up happening is that I either don't eat enough, or I eat something totally unhealthy.  This has been a struggle my entire life.  I know it will be.  I just wish that it did not have to be so darn hard.  I wish I could see a little more progress a little faster.  I am really trying to do something here.  I just wish the support were there.  I know that those who read my blog support me.  That is not the issue.  I know that my family wants to support me.  I know that the Lord is supporting me.  So why does it feel so lonely?  This is something that only I can do.  When it comes right down to it, only I can monitor what I put in my face.  Only I can make sure I get up and work out.  It is only me who can keep track of my calories.  It is just me.  So no matter how many people are supporting me...  it is still up to me.  That kind of stinks.  Most of the time I like to be in control.  If I want it done right, I will just do it myself.  The one time when I don't want to do it myself, is when I have to.  So I am working on it.  I am frustrated and angry.  I want to feel good.  All I can do is do it all by myself.

My hair

I am done with this haircut.  I don't like it anymore.  It is too shaggy for me.  I like lots of curls or straight edges...  But I have to hang in there until next pay day.  I want to grow my hair out, but I just cannot stand my hair being like this any longer.  Maybe I can shave my head...  no I would worry that I have too many bumps and moles all over my head.  I should get extensions.  My sister has amazingly beautiful long hair.  I want my hair to be like that right now.  I don't know what the girl did when she cut my hair, but my curl is gone.  She thinned out my hair a lot...  a lot, a lot.  It has never been this thin ever.  I am wondering if that cut all my curl out.  Will it grow back?  How long will it take?  Maybe I should just start being a hat person.  I would need to buy hats, though.  That would defeat my whole, not spend money goal...  Right now, I want to get a puppy.  My mom's friend breeds Shih Tzu's and is having a litter in February.  I want one of those dogs.  I have wanted a dog for a long time, but we never knew if we would be moving or having more kids, or whatever.  So now that we are done having kids and done moving (at least staying in this town,) I want a dog.  Justin is opposed to this idea.  But has said that if I pay off this blasted computer...  Then I can get it...  they would be ready in April.  So I am going to do it.  That means, no hats.  My hair feels like straw.  I want to have soft, pretty hair again... 

Jambalaya

 We had jambalaya for dinner tonight that I made in the crockpot and it was really good, and really easy!  I substituted Tony Cacheries for the salt, cayenne and hot sauce...  I just like the cajun flavor it gives.

 

Ingredients

• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef or chicken broth
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 medium green peppers, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound smoked sausage, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

• In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, broth and tomato paste. Stir in the green peppers, onion, celery, garlic and seasonings. Stir in chicken and sausage.
• Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is tender. Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook 15-30 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Serve with rice. Yield: 11 servings.