Tuesday, April 5, 2011

C is for cookie

I believe that Cookie Monster said it best......

"Now what starts with the letter "C"?
"Cookie" starts with "C"!
Let's think of other things that starts with "C"!
Uh. . .Uh. . . Who cares about da other things?!

"C" is for Cookie that's good enough for me,
Oh! cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C"!"

This song has been in my head for years.  The tune is catchy, the lyrics fun, and let's be honest "who cares about da other things?"

I remember where the cookie jar was in my Grandma Sughroue's house.  Inside the dining room tucked into a corner cupboard.  I was always eager to reach in the jar for yummy goodness.  I most often hoped for chocolate chip or pumpkin.  I also remember, vividly, the horror when I had my hands on an oatmeal raisin cookie.  To this day, I can do without them.   Fortunately, my disappointment was quickly appeased by a cake or a pie that was sitting on the counter cooling.

Cookies have got to be the best portable food ever created.   My kids have all started their cooking making careers with the old fashioned and ever tasty no-bake cookie.  I remember making them with my brother Rick.  Yummy, messy chocolate goodness.

I never turn away a good cookie recipe.  I have recipes stashed everywhere.  Tucked into books, mixed with the mail, in the linen closet.  We even have our patients prepped that if they should find themselves making us a batch of cookies, bring the recipe along as well.  It saves them an extra trip. 

When my husband and I found a U-bake in this town, it swayed our decision to move here.  Seriously.  We walked in to a narrow store with  walls lined with freezers.  Inside those freezers were individual raw cookies, flash frozen and bagged in 2 dozen batches.  Every traditional cookie known and a few unexpected choices as well.  We looked at eachother with awe and in that moment we both knew.  We needed to move our family 2000 miles to this amazing place...because like Cookie Monster said, "who cares about da other things?"

Sunday, April 3, 2011

B is for Boom

Boom (verb) make a very loud noise

I was awakened this a.m. by a BOOM!  It was snow thunder and lightening.  Snow....again.  This has been a very long winter.  This morning's white has turned more wet so we have a slushy mess.  Not a fan.

We have had some wonderfully sunny days this last week.  I am perplexed that I have 2 children who see being indoors as a punishment.  They long to be outside at every moment.  They played outside all last week despite the cool temperatures (upper 30's lower 40's), even doing crafts in the driveway.  We have 2 personalized pillows made from bubble wrap and stuffed with personal items......snoopy for Em, a hippo for Little A's, surrounded by "fluff" - ribbon, tissue paper, scrap fabric, etc.  There is never a lack of ingenuity at our house.  Which brings me to the other child.  Quite the reverse, being sent outside is deemed punishment of the worse kind.  He would spend his entire life in our cozy "cave" downstairs.  He has his standards, there is a fireplace that glows with warmth in the winter and in the summer, the cave is a cool comforting reprieve from any heat &/or humidity.   Big A will be outside again once the snow has melted, he loves to ride his bike and that will lure him out.  He attempted to ride around 2 weeks ago, but was defeated by an evil ice community at the end of our driveway.....he went down, put his bike up and trekked back downstairs.  We may have our own little groundhog, once he can ride without worry, we will know that winter is over.
I am hopeful that the next BOOM that wakes me in the a.m. will be a refreshing, cleansing summer rain shower. 

Saturday, April 2, 2011

April A-Z

So, I am starting this on the second day of April....so I will have to make 2 entries.  One for A and one for B.
A is easy....accomplishment.  Accomplishment (noun) something difficult or important that was done.
I am fortunate to have accomplished a lot in my life so far.  There are big accomplishments and little accomplishments...today's accomplishment was putting together this blog.  With a little help from Husband I have arrived.
My next big accomplishment will take place next Saturday when I give a lecture on the Nursing Management of Lung Cancer Patients.  When I was approached to do the talk, about 8 months ago, it seemed like a sensible and doable task.  Put together a power point presentation and speak to a crowd.  "No worries", they said "Dr Peterson will be up there with you to whole time."  Then, the deadline for the power point loomed over me.....I was able to accomplish that in a day of focus...just me and my laptop.  I was amazed at how the information flowed and came out of me.  Sure, I had the help of the NCCN guidelines and Lil O's pharmacy outline to help provide structure and sustenance.....but there was so much stored up inside of me.  I amazed even myself.  Presentation submitted for the slides to be produced in syllabus form.  MK is amazing at making these things happen (she is very accomplished *wink* *wink*).  I have become complacent since turning in my presentation.  Relieved.  But now suddenly the talk is looming near.  What am I going to wear?  Am I going to be as blaah as some of the speakers from the last few years (love the people, but *yawn*)?  Why did I agree to this?  What is chemotherapy?  Are the Doc's attending going to be rolling their eyes?  Am I going to have mush mouth?  I tend to do so when nervous and hurried......enough.
In this moment, here and now, I am going to bask in my little accomplishment of the day......Raising Arizona in Wisconsin.

Day One

Zack has encouraged me to start a blog for a long time.  After a week off of work I have finally found the motivation.  It came on after a nap.  All my best ideas seem to arrive after a nap.
The second motivation came from Stafani's blog at Dreams of Nyssa.  She started an April challenge of writing everyday in the month of April A-Z.  I loved the idea, so at long last......I have arrived.......