You say potato.

I say fucking A.

When will I learn? I just cannot eat potatoes in any way, shape, or form.

Twice-baked potato filling - one of the worst PBs I've ever had.

Potato chips - PB or stuck every time.

French fries - PB or stuck 99% of the time.

Mashed potatoes - 50/50 chance of running for the toilet.

I just have to be done with potatoes, as sad as that makes me. Sigh.

PSA: Kitchen Gadget Must-Have

Now that I am settled in (mostly), I have all of my own kitchen stuff back!

And I am back in love with my pressure cooker. Every bandster should own this little piece of genius. Seriously. It makes the MOST tender meat. I ate 1.5 pork chops the other night! Amazing. I haven't eaten pork chops in a long time, because they are too tough for me. Not with the pressure cooker - 15 min of cooking, and they were fork-tender. And delicious! I've also made a beef roast, meatballs, and chicken drumsticks in it. All this week. Yep, a slight bit of an addiction. But hey, I am definitely meeting my protein goals.

One of the really nice things about my pressure cooker is you can brown or saute in it before you cook in it. Only 1 dirty pot + no hot oven = Happy Amy.

ETA: To answer a few questions.

• I'd say for most things, they cut the cooking time down by about 1/3, not 1/2. It still takes time for the unit to come up to pressure, then cook, and sometimes the cut of meat calls for natural pressure release (which takes time). However, the trade-off is the meat is ALWAYS tender. Always.
• It IS old-school, but they've kind of come back 'in'. The new ones are totally safe, no danger of exploding. Also, they are pretty much fool-proof. No checking pressure, no messing with temps, etc. Push a few buttons and it regulates itself. So easy. Plus, since you can't stir it or anything once it starts, I always have my kitchen cleaned up by the time it's done. It's a two-fer! :)
• I made the porkchops breaded - dipped in egg and then seasoned breadcrumbs. Lightly browned them on both sides for a few minutes in 2 T. evoo. Right in the pressure cooker. Took them out, put the rack in, added 1 c. of chicken broth, and added the pork chops back in (the rack keeps them from sitting in the liquid). Added a sliced onion on top of the chops. Cooked for 15 min on high pressure (could have done less, but I wanted them really tender). Served with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and a Lipton noodle thing (don't remember what, since I don't really eat that.) It was good. And easy!

Here's the pressure cooker I have. I seriously love it! You can get it on amazon, if you are interested.

A BIG thank you!

Thank you to all of you who responded to my begging! Jacquie already sent me clothes! Can you believe it?!

The sisterhood rocks. Thanks again!

I ain't too proud to beg!

Yep, I am reducing myself to begging, once again. I emailed a few of you directly begging, but now I'm willing to publicly humiliate myself.

I am nearly out of clothes that fit. And I am not only broke, but I'm also frugal enough that I hate to spend money on clothes that aren't going to finish my journey with me. Anyone cleaning out their closets soon and want to contribute to the sisterhood via me?

I'm in need of:

16/18 (W or regular) capris/shorts/jeans
L or XL tops (short-sleeve and/or tanks)
XL or 16/18 sundresses or skirts
XL workout/casual wear (yoga capris, etc.)

I stay home with my kids, so casual is great. We live in FL, so summer stuff is perfect. I'm 5'10", so unfortunately, petites don't really work for me. If you have 14s and no one else needs/wants them, I'd be happy to take those as well.

Thank you thank you thank you. My wallet thanks you. My neighbors thank you, as not only will I not be walking around naked, but I'll also be able to afford window coverings if I don't have to go on a shopping spree. And finally, I thank you. I really, really, really thank you.

I feel like a teenager

I cannot shave without cutting myself anymore. First I thought I had a dull blade. Then I thought maybe it was the new water. Or I was reverting in my skills. Or I was going blind.

Then I realized my skin is so damn droopy around my knees and in my arm pits that I can't really help but cut myself when I shave. Seriously, my armpits are AWFUL, as is the skin around my knees. We won't even talk about my belly or upper thighs, but thankfully, I don't have to shave those areas (yes, I am one of those girls who does not shave her thighs - partly lazy, partly thanks to the very fine, blonde hairs from my Danish heritage).

I have to pull the skin taut with one hand while skillfully maneuvering the razor with the other. It takes two steady hands and lots of shaving cream. Do you think the au natural look is going to come back any time soon? I'd be the first one on that trend!

Remember me?

Hey! I am back!!!!!

We're moved in. Totally not unpacked. Still exhausted. But happy as can be.

All is good on the band-front. I am in a really good place - I can eat most things, but not much of them. I am really, really happy with it. I do have a bit of heartburn, but I take a daily Zantac, which completely controls it. I have learned that I cannot eat within about two hours of bedtime, or I pay for it. But other than that, I am LOVING it right now. Rarely hungry, can eat what I want, and I am still losing.

Yep, I'm down to 212.8 lbs. That's 160+ lbs lost! Less than 5 lbs until I am no longer obese. YEAH BABY!!!!

Off to see what you guys have been up to. Smooches!

SOLD!

We did it! We found a house! It's kind of a convoluted story, but we ended up going back to the very first area we'd considered, and we found our dream house. The sacrifice we made is it's not centrally-located, but because I am now working from home, my commute was a non-issue. What we gained was size, new construction (!!!), and the most wonderful community ever.

It's a planned community that is based around green living and coexisting with nature. The community has two geo-thermal pools, a golf course, horse stables, about 40 miles of walking/running/hiking trails, playgrounds, a splash pad, a conservation center with animals, "A" rated schools (which is a huge deal in FL where the schools mainly suck), a lake with boats you can use for free (!!!), and so much more. They are even a dark sky community.

Our house is green star-rated, meaning it has met federal standards for energy efficiency, and is supposed to be at least 30% more energy efficient than other comparable houses. Four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a bonus room (so happy we have a toy room!). I think my favorite two things about the house are the second-floor laundry and that the garage is behind the house. I hate when garages dominate the front of a house.

To say I am in love would be an understatement!

SOLD! Happy Homeowners!

Side view - notice the balcony! 

Living room/dining room - the family room is on the other side of the kitchen.

Elise looking at her future school - yep, it's that close. And the third community pool is slated for the area by the stop sign.

Kitchen - can't wait to cook in there!

Master bath

We're hoping to close on 7/21 and be in by 7/23, so I will probably be scarce the next few weeks as we get ready to move. But I promise to keep on keepin' on and to check in when I can!