Murphy lives here

[sigh]

School is closed today because of the Terrible, Awful, Horrible, Very Bad winter storm that came in last night. In fact, the school district announced the closing at 5:30 PM yesterday, before it even started snowing.

Just one, tiny problem: it’s not snowing yet. In fact, the winter storm warning that was in effect beginning at 6:00 AM this morning has now been changed, and begins at 12:00 noon today. But hey – why wait until the bad weather actually gets here before closing school, right?

As it turns out, it doesn’t much matter that school is closed, as Sonny wouldn’t be going today anyway: he’s been coughing for several days, and I figured it was just his allergies, seeing as how he had no other symptoms. Alas, last night he started running a fever just over 100. Which means he is very definitely sick (and it’s entirely likely that he’s already shared whatever virus or bacteria he has with the rest of us – isn’t that thoughtful?).

So the odds are that at some point today, I’ll have to drive nearly two hours to Sonny’s doctor. Why two hours? Because Sonny has had the same doctor since he was born, and I love her. But we’ve moved twice in that time, and now we’re far far away. And I’m loathe to switch to another physician now because I love her, and Sonny doesn’t get sick often. But the convergence of Sonny sick and a possible blizzard (in Tennessee terms) bearing down on us could make for a fun trip, assuming he’s still running a fever when he wakes up this morning.

Moving on… also because of the Terrible, Awful, Horrible, Very Bad storm, I went grocery shopping yesterday morning. As I mentioned on twitter yesterday, I had to do so: I’m pretty sure that’s the law. But truly, the timing was coincidental: we were running out of… everything. And I didn’t want to be hungry over the weekend with no way to get out and get food.

And the last word on the Terrible, Awful, Horrible, Very Bad storm: we live in the sticks. And ice storms tend to leave homes here without power. Hubby tells me that the last bad one? He was without power for five days. Fortunately, we have a fireplace in the living room, so at least we can stay… above freezing if that happens. But it’s a gas fireplace, so we can’t cook with it. Now, let’s just sit back for a moment and contemplate the sheer joy of the possibility of having no power, no way to cook, not enough heat to stay really comfy, too much ice accumulated outside to go someplace where it is warm and comfy and has hot food… while trying to take care of a sick 12-year-old who, when he’s sick, is so neurotic he makes Woody Allen seem like an optimist. Y’all, I’m warning you now: if this shit comes to pass, I’ll be eating chocolate and drinking. Heavily.

Last night’s dinner: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, fat-free feta, and garlic. I loved them; Hubby didn’t, because he’s not fond of sun-dried tomatoes. But the preparation is so easy, we can find just about any kind of stuffing and use this same preparation for a fantastic meal in about a half-hour. So, I’m going to share:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Prepare whatever you’re going to use for stuffing (mushrooms and goat cheese? pesto? spinach and chopped almonds? get creative here).
3. Take four boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut off all visible fat, and then cut ‘em in half horizontally (you should end up with one vaguely rectangular piece and one triangular piece).
4. Using a very sharp knife, cut a pocket into each chicken piece, most of the way through (essentially, you want it to look sorta like a mitten of chicken.
5. Place the stuffing inside the pocket, then press the edges together to sorta-kinda seal it (hint: don’t overstuff).
6. Heat an ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Add just enough olive oil (or the non-stick item of your choice) to keep the chicken from sticking.
7. Saute the chicken over medium-high heat until it’s browned. Flip it and saute until the other side is browned.
8. Flip the chicken back over (so the top is back on top), then put the skillet into the oven and leave it there for 20 minutes.
9. When you remove it from the oven? Remember that it’s been in the oven, and the handle is hot. Don’t ask why I feel the need to tell you that. I’m betting you can figure it out.

And that’s it – juicy, savory, flavorful, perfect portion size. Consider it a public service announcement. If you try it, please do come back and let me know what kinds of stuffing you used.

In exercise, yesterday’s workout was a new personal best: 7.4 miles in 30 minutes. I’m noticing that I’m starting to sweat a lot more now than I was that first week. I imagine that’s because I’m able to work harder and harder. I’ll tell you what: just the notion of making continuous improvement is enough to keep me going: I want to keep trying because I want to do just a bit better. That’s a new feeling for me.

Finally, because AFG has had such incredible results with her trainer – and because my little community fitness center has limited equipment and zero resources, I’ve decided to hire a personal trainer. I found one through the ACSM web site, and we’re trying to work out the details for our first meeting. Don’t know if I can afford to do this long term, but at the very least I want a pro to work with me to design a program and make sure my form is right before I start lifting heavy and make my uterus fall out (or other unpleasant side effects) because I did something wrong.