Case of the Mondays

Why does Monday get such a bad rap? I’ve been dreading Monday every weekend for the last 20 or so years of my life. Even now, when I work Saturdays so I have most Mondays off, I still have a hard time with the day. Maybe I should start scheduling all the fun things in life on Monday, like getting my hair done or going on an out of town shopping trip. Now that its Monday evening and my weekend is officially over, sigh, Tuesday seems just as ominous.

So here is a list of good things that happened on this Monday, just for the heck of it.
1. I got my temporary PT license renewed, not a day too soon. It expires tomorrow, and by the grace of God someone actually answered the phone at the PT board of CA. Now if the FBI will just figure out I’m not an ex-con, I may get my permanent license in the next month or so.
2. I learned that the bushes along the side of our house and in the back are indeed rose bushes. I can’t wait to see what color they are when they bloom. I know that I’ve had some major issues with this house (see last post) but at least there will be roses!
3. I got a handle on the ant situation in our kitchen-I think. Woke up this morning to armies of ants crawling on our counter tops and around the sink. But I’ve been vigilant with the ant spray, vinegar water, and baby powder around the back door, so hopefully I’ve won the war. Now if I get up tomorrow and they’re back, I will be cursing myself for speaking too soon.
4. I’ve been training for the last two weeks for the Rock-n-roll half-marathon in San Diego on June 6th. It’s been slow going because I haven’t really ran since the Vulcan 10K in November. But today I made it over 23 minutes without stopping to walk. I know I have a long way to go, but it’s a start.
5. I saw a baby owl in our front yard. It was about 6 inches tall and just sat there and looked at me for a moment before flying away. (Okay, that happened last week, but it was too cute not to mention.)

I finished off the last of this yummy soup that my sister-in-law gave me the recipe for. It is super easy, and low fat. Hope you get a chance to make it before the weather gets too warm!

Italian Sausage Soup (from Cooking Light magazine)

This soup has that simmered-all-day flavor but takes just minutes to prepare. Serve it with hot crusty bread.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil)
Ingredients:
* 8 ounces hot or sweet turkey Italian sausage
* 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
* 1/2 cup uncooked small shell pasta
* 2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
* 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Preparation:
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain; return to pan.

Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.