Not Again!

Wellness Wednesday

It looks like I've come down with another terrible cold, just as Emma is getting well from hers. That's always how it seems to happen around here.

I've been using my Neti pot (this exact one, actually) in the morning and before bed since Sunday. It is helping some, so I'm hoping I won't have to make an appointment with my doctor; but it's looking like I may have to make that appointment in the next day or two, as my ears sound like they're filled with crackling Rice Krispies and my throat is starting to hurt when I swallow. Boo.

So if you happen to see me around or talk to me on the phone, I apologize for my ridiculous nasal tone. I really am trying to get better. It'll go away, even if I have to buck up and go to the doctor and get medicine to make that happen.

If you see me this time next week and I still sound like this, you have my permission to tell me the following:

Voldemort?

Twitter Tuesday

We might have been onto something with that @JamieMcMurray Superlative… http://t.co/LMppdXcOVr pic.twitter.com/60gl7L2gVP
— Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) February 25, 2014

“@jamiemcmurray: How did you know @jimmyfallon?@TheTonightShow @CGRTeams #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9OUCnzVrUy” ha!! I knew it.
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) February 25, 2014

Adventures in Cake Pops

My sister- and brother-in-law (i.e. Big Daddy's sister and her hubby) got me a cake pop maker for my birthday.

Emma was desperate to try it out as soon as we got home. I was really not so much in the mood to tackle that right then, but we all decided to do it as a family. And we had a blast!

We picked the red velvet cake pop recipe from the booklet that came with the device. But we didn't have any cocoa or buttermilk. Did we go to the store? Heck no! We improvised.

Thanks to Big Daddy's interweb prowess, he figured out how to use a mini Hershey bar + slightly less butter in place of the cocoa. Instead of mixing the cocoa powder with the dry ingredients, we blended the melted Hershey bar with the softened butter (which we decreased by a 1/2 tablespoon). Big Daddy used to watch a lot of Alton Brown's "Good Eats," so he learned a lot of the science of food and how important it is to keep the dry and wet ingredients separate until the right time. Totally worked.

He also figured out how to simulate buttermilk. I was busy mixing other ingredients while he did that part, so I'm not exactly sure how he did it. You'll have to ask him about it. I think it involved milk and lemon juice; but whatever it was, it worked.

We also made a vanilla glaze to go on the cake pops. So basically we made red velvet doughnut holes on sticks.

(That pill bottle is Norbert's antibiotic. He had a hurt-y paw the other day that required a trip to the vet. We use that knife to make a little opening in a piece of hot dog and slip in the pill. Works like a charm. Just in case you were wondering about the random pills and knife in the middle of the photo...)
*Also note Emma's concentration face. Hehe*

And you know what? They tasted pretty darn good!

Next time we'll do a thicker icing on the cake pops so we can decorate them with rainbow sprinkles (Emma's favorite). And I'll make sure to have the proper ingredients before we start.

Extra time

3 Thoughts Thursday

What I did with my extra hour this afternoon
1. Gave myself chunky highlights
2. Laundry
3. Caught up on a few DVR-ed episodes

Etc. versus Et al.

Wordy Wednesday

Etc.
The abbreviation etc. (pronounced EHT set-ur-uh) comes from the Latin et cetera, which means, "and so on." It is used to in both informal and formal writing to suggest the logical continuation of a list of things.

Et al.
The abbreviation et al. (pronounced eht-all) comes from the Latin et alii, which means, "and others." Primarily used in bibliographic citations, it can also used in both informal and formal writing to suggest the logical continuation of a list of people.

Examples
The kids ate candy, cake, cookies, etc. at the party, no wonder they were bouncing off the walls.

I never really liked Christopher Robin, but I always enjoyed reading about the adventures of his friends Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, et al.

Hip Hop Dancing

Twitter Tuesday

In case you missed it.

The Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing with Will Smith: http://t.co/4IFFDVFP6d #FallonTonight
— Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) February 18, 2014

You're welcome.

Weather...Or Not

Dear Snow,
You really are lovely. But enough is enough. You've worn out your welcome.

Dear Cold Temps,
You are not lovely. And enough is enough. Please leave and let your warmer brethren visit for a (long) while.

Dear Terrible Snow Drivers,
You are a menace. Don't feel comfortable about being on the road? Then don't get out when it's snowing! It's simple. Save yourself the stress, and save all the other drivers the frustration of having to deal with you. Thanks so much.

Dear Icy Sidewalks/Roads/Parking Lots,
I'm clumsy. I'm tired of worrying about falling down all the time. Warm up and melt the ice already!

Today's Top 3s

3 Thoughts Thursday

Restaurants
1. Qdoba (a.k.a. The Dobe)
2. Fazoli's (Breadsticks, anyone?)
3. HuHot Mongolian Grill

Movies (as of now)
1. Frozen (Olaf is my favorite!)
2. Pitch Perfect (Aca-believe it!)
3. This Means War (Seriously, it's really funny.)

Time wasters
1. Rainbow Loom
2. Facebook
3. Rainbow Loom (Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it.)

TV Shows
1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2. The Big Bang Theory
3. Adventure TIme

Affect vs. Effect

Wordy Wednesday

I had a request for this Wordy Wednesday topic. It's a tough one, for sure. Very confusing. Let's see if I can help simplify it.

Basically, affect with an A is a verb (action), and effect with an E is a noun (thing).

Affect
Affect means "to influence," as in, "The rain affected my hairdo." Affect can also mean, roughly, "to act in a way you don't really feel," as in, "She affected an air of superiority."

Effect
Effect, to me, basically boils down to mean "a result." You could say, "The rain had no effect on my hairdo."

I always like to think of cause and effect, like from those ISTEP tests back in the day. Remember those? They'd give you a cause, and you were supposed to mark the effect as your answer. Always EFFECT. Never AFFECT. Maybe that only makes sense to me, but I just wanted to throw it out there.

I hope that helps, or at least makes it a little easier to understand.

Friends

I'm being very real today. Honestly, this is embarrassing to admit. But I've decided I'm tired of not talking about what's really on my heart. So, here goes nothing.

It sounds dumb to say (at least it does to me), but why is it so hard to make friends as an adult? Am I the only one who would like to have a good friend in town? Am I the only one having trouble finding one? Just one?

Rough Day

Normally my Monday posts are full of Dear Such-and-Suches or Dear So-and-Sos. I didn't have a very good day today, so I'm not going to go in that direction with this post.

I was focused on myself today. On what is going on with me. How I feel.

I didn't take a second out of my pity party to think about what someone else might be dealing with.

But that ends now.

I want to encourage you (and me) to pray for someone today. Pray for a friend who you know is going through a rough patch. Pray for a family member with whom you haven't spoken in a while. Pray for your lonely neighbor. It's up to you.

Have a great rest of the day, my friends. God loves you, and so do I!

The Day After

3 Thoughts Thursday

1. It was so fun to get all the birthday greetings on Facebook yesterday.
I know a lot of people probably just said something because FB told them to; but they could have chosen to ignore it, and they took the time to wish me a happy birthday. It was very much appreciated!

2. I don't really feel any older.
At least not until I have to check the new age bracket on some form somewhere. Goodbye 25-34. Hello 35-44.

3. I think being short makes me look younger. I don't mind.
People still use my head as an armrest. I'm used to it.

The Day Of

Woo-Hoo Wednesday

Even Google wished me a happy birthday!

The Day Before

Twitter Tuesday

Today was a weird day. You could totally tell some stinky weather was on its way in. At least we finally got to have a Brownies meeting.

Groundhog Day

Dear Super Bowl XLVIII,
Worst. Super. Bowl. Ever.

Dear Peyton Manning,
I think you're awesome. Especially when I read stuff like this. Stay classy, Mr. MVP. You are an excellent role model, for people young and not so young.

Dear Bruno Mars,
Excellent halftime show! Loved it!

Dear Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Aren't we a bit old to be prancing around on stage without wearing shirts?