Thursday, April 30, 2009

Magical Cookie Bar recipe

Today I brought some "I love you guys for not kicking me while I'm down" cookie bars to work. My coworkers are great, they were so helpful while I was being Hop-Along-Heather that I had to reward them with my Magical Cookie Bars. I got such a great response from the cookies, with lots of people asking for the recipe that I thought I'd share online as well.

These are called Magical for two reasons. 1. That I actually got in the kitchen and made something other than macaroni & sleaze and 2. because it's a miracle that we didn't eat them all before I took them to work. These are yummy! And super easy to make. Healthy too, oatmeal, eggs, flour... I feel good giving them to my toddler for breakfast! Heheh. I would post a picture, but we already ate them all. Oops!


Heather's Magical Cookie Bars

** Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes
**

2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
0.5 tsp salt
1.5 cup flour
4 cups oatmeal


Chocolate Sauce *melt in microwave
12 oz package of chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)
1 can Eagle brand milk (sweetened condensed milk)
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla


Directions:

  1. Mix ingredients together
  2. Set aside1.5 cup of mixture, you will use this to crumble over top the chocolate sauce
  3. Press remaining mixture into a thin layer on a sheet pan. This is the hardest part, sometimes its helpful to spray cling wrap with non-stick spray and then use that to flatten mixture onto pan.
  4. Pour melted chocolate sauce over mixture
  5. Crumble remaining mixture over the chocolate sauce.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Give some away so you don't eat them all, like I tend to do! :)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

When Pigs Fly

"Thinking again?" the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little
chin.

"I've a right to think," said Alice sharply, for she was beginning to feel a little worried.

"Just about as much right," said the Duchess, "as pigs have to fly...."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 9.


A pandemic of fear is sweeping the globe, and much of that fear seems to be the fear of the unknown factor. I'll point out at that I am not a doctor, nor associated with the Center for Disease control, just a lowly worker in the medical field.

One thing I understand acutely is a patient's fear. Every day I spend much of my time at work soothing patients' fears about radiation effects, counseling them on a little understood part of everyday life. (Yes! That's right, radiation is a part of everyday life. You can't escape it, it is everywhere). Swine Flu is frightening because we don't know. We don't know precisely how it's being spread (a pig-bird-human strain? whaaat?), who has the highest risk for it, how to save yourself and your family from getting it?

My initial reaction to all this hooplah is, what's the big deal anyway? It's the flu. Sure, if you are elderly, have a miniscule immune system, or are a baby then you are at a higher risk to catch any strain of the flu. It gets me fired up to hear of thousands of people rushing out to get the flu vaccine when I know that the flu vaccine is an educated guess on what the next big flu strain of the year is going to be. On the radio this morning the deejays were discussing how the flu shot has skyrocketed from being previously available for $6 is now up to $70 a shot. The basic supply and demand scenario, and greedy pharmaceutical companies profit from it. Arrgh! But I digress.

Symptoms of the Swine Flu:
You should seek medical attention if have a fever of 102 or if you feel very sick. Swine flu has flu-like symptoms of lethargy or muscle aches or pains, fever, coughing, joint aches, severe headache and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea. Or if you have been to Mexico or in contact with someone from Mexico and you get sick, you might want to seek it sooner. Again and again public health officials emphasize that people should not be going to get medical attention just for the sniffles*. That would swamp medical facilities and make it more difficult for people who actually need medical care for all kinds of reasons, not just swine flu.

What this post all boils down to is this: Use your head. Do you work with pigs? Do you eat raw pork products? Do you like to play with mucus? (I have this revolting vision of people running through sneezes akin to children playing in a sprinkler. I think I may have had too much coffee this morning).

Best way to survive the flu threat?

Wash your hands frequently.

Become a hermit. Only use the internet to interact with people.**

Use anti-bacterial sanitizer if you can’t get to soap and water.

Wear a mask if you need a false sense of security. Most people don’t wear the masks correctly so you may be better off without it and just paying attention to your environment.

Wash your hands frequently.

Knowledge is power. Learn more about it for yourself:

· Center for Disease Control and Prevention
·
World Health Organization
·
WebMD.com

Yes, the Swine Flu looks like it is gathering speed to become the next big pandemic. Be like Alice, and think, don't be swept up into the panic of the masses. Use standard precautions, attempt to lower your stress level if possible. Happy minds can equal healthy bodies.***

______
*This little nugget of wisdom is always in effect. I work with ex-ER nurses who bitterly complain that most of the patients they have seen in the past are wasting precious time and resources by patients coming in when it's not an emergency. Go figure, right?

**What? I can advocate my misanthropic ways, can't I? Just because I have the social skills of a gnat doesn't meant that I don't know what I'm rambling on about!

***I'm stepping off my Soapbox now. Thankyouverymuch!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Yup. Gravity still works.



Cute shoes, eh?

Wrong.

They are EVIL.

Every so often, my body decides to attempt to defy gravity. (Heaven knows my hair defies gravity on a daily basis, I consistently have Einstein hair when I wake up).

Now mostly if you saw my experiments with gravity you would attribute it to my natural lack of grace. It seems to me that if the floor is uneven a milimeter or so I'll find an invisible crack to trip on. This is why most of my shoes have a completetly flat sole, and hardly any traction. It actually helps me stay upright. Well most days. I had been looking at buying some Dankso shoes, as they come highly recommended from all my nurse coworkers. I sprang for these Sanita clogs, hoping that once I learned how to walk in them I'd be just dandy. And they are so cute! CUTE damnit!

Fast forward four days later. Surely I should have known better to attempt to jog in these clogs. I don't know what I was thinking. When M said "hurry we're gonna miss Em's show!" I busted out my trot ... and *BAM* I was lying on the floor writhing in agony. M thought I had dropped my keys on the ground, turned around just in time to see my fly through the air and land on my knees, and ending up face down. The crashing sound he heard was actually a tendon in my foot bitch-slapping me.

I limped to the auditorium, just in time to listen to Em give her author reading, and left shortly after that. I hoped that if I iced it, and kept my foot elevated that 10 hours later I would be well enough to return to work.

Wrong! When I tried to roll out of bed the next morning I couldn't put the slightest bit of pressure on my foot. Imagine my agony trying to get in the shower, it took me several minutes to figure out the only way I was getting past the tub was if I sat on the edge and swung my feet around. By the time I was ready for work, my right butt was cramping from all the hopping I was doing to get around.

Perhaps it would have been a good idea to call in sick. I wish I could! Unfortunately my coworker was out of town, and isotopes are expensive. I couldn't just leave all my patients hanging, many of who have to drive into Anchorage for the test. Yeah, I am a glutton for punishment.

By noon I was in serious pain, hoping that my foot wasn't broken. I had been zooming around on a chair most of the morning, looking like such a dork scooting backwards everywhere. Finally my boss got my coworker that works in the valley (an hour drive) to agree to drive in and finish up my patient load.

After hitting up the Urgent Care and discovering that my foot is only sprained (YAY!) I was able to spend the rest of Friday and the weekend babying my foot. And M bought me flowers and chocolate. Awwwww! Back at work today, and I'm still limping but able to get around without the crutch.

Moral of the story? I don't know. But I think it has something to do with vanity. :P

Friday, April 17, 2009

Eight is Great. Don't be a H8R. Such a dork, but you love me.

8 Things I am looking forward to:

  1. The weekend, and no working on Saturday! Wooo!
  2. April 26 and Zoe's 4th birthday par-taaay at the House of Bounce. The fact that we only invited 9 kids other than the ones that live with us makes it awesomely small. I can handle that!
  3. May 2 for our wild Girls-Only Hawaii-less Luau (how the heck do you spell that word?!) party. True story, M will be leaving for Hawaii that afternoon and his ex-wife will already be there until the following Monday. That means I get custody of all the girls so we are going to have a par-taaaaay. Cranking up the heat, eating hawaiian pizza, and wearing grass skirts. You wish you could be there, I know!
  4. My 30th birthday, I believe a person needs to re-invent themselves (if you are a Gemini like myself, I get to use the plural version. Ha!) every decade. For my 20th I went with becoming a heathen. I need to think about how I'm going to reinvent myself for the next ten years.
  5. My Mom and her new man coming to Alaska to visit and help celebrate my big 3-0.
  6. Camping and fishing and all sorts of fun stuff while they are here in Alaska.
  7. Going to Seattle for the first time in June. Yay for M who has lots of friends who have been getting married since we've met.
  8. Excited about my brother's wedding (Colorado in September). Zoe gets to be the flower girl, we are going to practice throwing flower petals all summer long. :D
8 Things I did yesterday:
  1. Woke up at 5 a.m. to get ready for work.
  2. Went to the court house for the custody hearing.
  3. Waited for the Ex to show up (15 minutes late) , had the Judge ask why we were having a hearing if we both agreed on everything. (Because J didn't turn in the paperwork. Ever).
  4. 15 minutes later, I was awarded full physical and legal custody. YES!!
  5. Went to Village Inn for biscuits and gravy, and tea to calm my stomach.
  6. Drama drama drama, when J didn't want to meet me so I could pick up Zoe. Ugh!
  7. Arrived home at 9 p.m. and got Zoe in the tub.
  8. Read princess stories, and snuggled with my babygirl. All the drama, heartache, upset stomach; completely worth it to have her throw her little arm around my neck and fall asleep nose to nose in her twin bed.

8 Things I wish I could do:

  1. Give a really awesome massage
  2. Cook an amazing meal. Something other than macaroni & cheese, or pizza. ;)
  3. Telekenesis.
  4. Touch my toes without writhing in agony. Someday...
  5. Get a tan. An even tan, not the freckly-speckly mess that I get.
  6. Play my guitar and sing at the same time. And have it sound amazing, not like a cat in heat.
  7. Kick some ass in jujutsu. Instead of spraining my back trying to do a forward roll.
  8. Learn to take amazing photos.
8 Shows I watch:
(I don't have any television channels, but I do rent seasons of stuff on DVD)
((Also, these are in no particular order))
  1. Dexter
  2. Grey's Anatomy
  3. Lost (although (I admit, I lost interest after the second season)
  4. Dead Like Me
  5. Extreme Elimination Challenge
  6. True Blood
  7. South Park
  8. Heroes

I tag:

SJ & Funnygal Kat @ http://funnygals.blogspot.com/

Ian @ http://icantthinkofanythingcleverjustnow.blogspot.com/

Jalee @ http://joshandjalee.blogspot.com/

Andy @ http://wildarschase.blogspot.com/

Maggie Lou @ http://thefullmagoo.blogspot.com/

Emily @ http://ajandemrounds.blogspot.com/

Sarah Kay (even though she tagged me first, this is her other blog! HA!) @ http://sasaisforlovers.blogspot.com/

YOU! Uh, if anybody else reads this. ;)

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Coolest freaking movie I've seen in a long time

Banlieue 13 (english translation District 13).
released in 2004

Synopsis:

In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris, France are literally walled off and among the worst is District B13. Controlled by the ruthless crime lord, Taha, a young righteous punk named Leïto is determined to clean up his corner of the neighborhood by bringing him down. Betrayed by the outside police force, Leïto is imprisoned and his sister kidnapped by Taha.

Six months later, a crackerjack undercover cop named Damien is given a urgent mission: a neutron bomb has been stolen by Taha in District B13 which has an automatic timer function engaged and set to detonate in less than 24 hours. Now with time running out, Damien and Leïto must work together to find and stop the bomb, but there is far more to this crisis than any of the field players realize.


This movie came highly recommended by one of M's jujutsu buddies, with the admonition to "watch it with subtitles!!". The only subtitled action movies I'd seen were martial arts/japanese movies, I was intrigued to watch a french movie.

B13 has a solid storyline (except for the Neutron bomb, that part was whack... but only because I actually know a little bit about radiation, yo!)

Incredibly fast action, amazing to watch the fight scenes. And the eye candy for the ladies... David Belle (the hottie to the left) is the main character, who is also the real life inventor of a discipline known as Parkour, which consists of moving quickly and efficiently in any environment, using only the abilities of the human body. Freaking urban ninja monkeys!


Highly recommend this movie! Go watch it. Now!!

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999



Tonight I have a wedding to go to, some of Mark's Seibukan Jujustu buddies are getting married. I'm interested to see how it all comes together. Rumor has it that the bride's dress is purple and chosen to highlight her tattoos, and everybody else is wearing tuxes. This is probably because her "Matron of Honor" is actually a dude. The wedding is at the River City Saloon, and instead of dancing afterwards, they are going to have a gaming session (Wii, Xbox, you name it). Maybe even a LAN party. Woo! I have no idea what to wear!!

Don't you wish you had uber cool people to hang out with like I do?! I love non-traditional people, and Alaska is full of 'em! I will bring my camera and post paparazzi pictures so you can be green with envy.

Happy Easter!



Yes, I realize I am going to hell. ;)

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Surprise!

I finally figured out how to blog from my phone. This could be so awesome!

Or maybe not. Just testing the waters here. And also checking to see how the phone-pics come across. So here's a random picture!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Friday, April 3, 2009

I'm feelin' catty.

Did I say catty? I meant crafty...



The first five people to respond to this post will get something handmade by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It will be done this year.

4- You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who follow the directions. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!}

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Finally! Some Zoe birthday Pictures


I am struggling with the picture posting. I see all these amazing blogs with multiple pictures and they look great When I try to post pictures they are all skeewampus. Yes, that's right. Skeeewampus! So what the heck, I'll post anyway. And my 5 readers will just have to deal. :) Love ya! I will also mention that this is about the 4th time I have tried to post this blog specifically. Somehow it disappears into the blogiverse, but that only makes this whole gig more interesting. Riiiiiight.




































My sweet Zoe girl turned 4 on March 23. I can hardly believe that she will be a kindergartner before I know it. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Where did my baby go?

Zoe loves to dress up. She would wear a dress every day, if we had enough tights to go with it. When we get home at the end of the day, chances are that she will either put on a princess dress, or dress up her barbies. Yes, that is precisely why her cake says "Happy Birthday Princess Zoe". Emerald encrusted a foam crown with sparkly rhinestones, but Zoe didn't find it the next day where she insisted on wearing it everywhere. Awesome!

Emerald picked out the blue dress for Z's birthday, and she immediately had to put it on. I think Eme was almost as excited as Zoe about the dress. You'd never guess that she likes to ham it up in front of the camera!
The white dress with flowers is one of the many sundresses she got from her dad for her birthday. I seriously need to get more warm-ish tights so she can wear her dresses so there will be less fighting in the morning as we get ready to head out for the day.

Don't pay attention to the christmas wrapping paper. Too be politically-correct at Christmas we tallied up all the presents to make sure that none of the girls received more presents than the others. A few of Zoe's presents went back into my closet until her birthday rolled around. I was too busy (ahem, lazy) to re-wrap with the barbie princess wrapping paper.
On a side note, I did have the comments lined up with the photos at one point. But I'm too busy (*ahem* lazy) to try and make it cohesive.