Blood Noir

Yesterday I got & read the newest of the Anita Blake books. I found myself disappointed that it didn't continue with the 3 series plot points that came into play with the last book: the consequences of what happened with Rafael, Haven, and Malcolm's church. None of them were even MENTIONED in this book, which thoroughly annoyed me. I've decided to briefly review all 16 Anita Blake books & all 6 (so far) Merry Gentry books in the spirit of a 50 book challenge, as I read all of them this year. And I've realized that I'll have to re-read Blood Noir to be able to judge it for itself, rather than as a piece of the series.

Rael is doing better; he's playing, which is a big step towards recovery. He's still a bit unwell, but definitely improving. We've got to make sure his fever stays as low as possible, or he's at risk for another seizure.

Yesterday sucked

Yesterday was a terrible day. Rael had his 3rd birthday, but was too sick to do anything. I got him a donut for breakfast. It was all he ate.

Coming back from grabbing breakfast, I got into a collision with a little girl on a bike while pulling into my driveway. Her mother came running up from behind her, yelling that she told the girl to stop. The little girl, rather put upon by the intrusion of a car in her path quite huffily said that she wasn't able to stop on this bike. I was so shaken, it took several minutes for me to realize that the girl had hit me, and not the other way around.

Evan & I did have some fun time together playing Rock Band, though I will admit that I'm not the best vocalist. It was becoming seriously frustrating and un-fun when I was on medium, so I switched back to easy mode & did much much better.

Aeia was sad that she didn't get to have donuts for dinner, and complained that I gave her too much baked ziti even though she rather enjoys baked ziti.

Rael had a fever all day, and it got up to above 105, causing him to have a seizure. I called the ambulance & tried not to freak out too much. They couldn't find evidence of any bacterial infection, and his x-rays were clear as well, so they deemed it a virus. He had a chest x-ray. He's still not wanting to take any medication, but I can't give him a choice with such a high fever. I also need to hand him a cup with fluids whether he wants it or not. He generally drinks it when I hand it to him, no matter how much he didn't want it. I expect him to sleep lots more today.

He's currently watching a Sesame Street dinosaur show, and is rather overwhelmed by the attention of the baby. He just can't hand her reaching out to him today.

I'm hoping for no more adrenaline rushes today. I don't know if I'll be able to cope with another one.

Weathering Ups & Downs

This month's weather has been nuts. So far we've had bad wind, mild rain, a triple digit heat wave, and now it's barely 70, leaving me cold & shivery. The weather is nuts.

This weekend I wasn't able to sleep in until even 8 o'clock, as my youngest two woke early, and the elder two slept in. Evan stayed up late, so I let him sleep in as well. At least I recognized that the kids weren't going to cooperate this weekend, so I was able to force myself to go to bed early.

Lash is going on a school trip tomorrow to an environmental camp, so he won't be home all week. He's very helpful, so we're all going to miss him, and probably be frustrated as hell as well.

Tasmia has been blowing raspberries all day. They make her happy as she cruises along slapping the furniture as she passes.

Aeia is currently drawing pictures. She loves to draw. We continue to butt heads about the cleanliness of her room. It's worse than mine used to be.

Rael has been begging to watch various movies. He watched & enjoyed Cloverfield, which he calls "Spider Yarr." He also enjoys Sesame Street Dinosaurs, which he calls "Melmo Yarr." He also likes the various Jurassic Park movies, all of which are "Yarr Park."

I let Evan get his birthday present early this year, which was the Rock Band music video game. We played together for a few hours Saturday, and he and the kids have been enjoying themselves together as well.

Rael turns 3 this week, so I'm making chocolate cupcakes for him on Saturday after Lash gets back. He'll get his presents then as well. We're looking forward to it.

Smores Brownies

This is another recipe I've tinkered with, originally from Paula Deen on Food Network. The brownies she made were too thick, which made them more difficult to eat and the proportions of graham cracker to chocolate to marshmallow seemed off. It's really a basic graham cracker crust recipe, a basic brownie recipe, and marshmallows, scaled to a 13 x 9 pan.

Smores Brownies

Crust:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch fine salt

Brownie:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Topping:
4 cups mini marshmallows

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 13x9 baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch, which helps for easier removal and clean-up (marshmallows stick).

For the crust: Lightly grease the foil with some baking spray. Stir together the butter, crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie batter. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 70 percent power for 3 minutes, stirring after every minute. Remove & stir until completely melted. Mix the sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter over the graham cracker crust. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Carefully move rack to about 6 inches from the broiler and turn broiler on low (if your oven has that setting). Spread marshmallows evenly across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, about 90 seconds, but start checking every 15-20 seconds after one minute to prevent burning. Cool on a rack.

True or False

I have become rather fond of the Facebook application: True or False. I have posted 50 questions so far. Evan's the only person who's answered them all so far. A sampling of the questions I submitted (remember, it's true or false, not all the statements are actually true):

1. I can't stand when card discard piles are crooked and disheveled.

2. I often get nightmares where I'm being pursued by a villain like Freddy Krueger. They wake me up sweating.

3. My favorite pie is apple.

4. I agree that anyone who shoots a police dog should be charged with shooting a police officer, even if the charges are murder.

5. I'm afraid that if I'm ever anesthetized that I will never wake up.

6. I indulge in Tarot & Astrology, but am absolutely sure Ouija is fake.

7. I enjoy outdoor gardening, but tend to kill houseplants.

8. I have had an abortion.

9. I am a recovering anorexic.

10. I have registered as Republican.

I'll be adding more questions on a regular basis, and hope my friends will attempt to answer them.

Video Games

Last night I let Evan pick up his birthday present early: Rock Band special edition, with all the requisite instruments. It took some time to assemble, and while the Guitar Hero controller can sub in for the 2nd guitar, the Rock Band guitar controller can't be used for Guitar Hero. Regardless, this makes the 3rd game I can tolerate enough to occasionally play with Evan & the kids.

I didn't play last night. For the short time I watched, Evan had guitar, Lash had drums, & Aeia had vocals. I thought about trying the drums, but Lash was so excited, showing proper technique & explaining how you could use the drums separate from the game, that I didn't have the heart. Tasmia was quite interested in the boxes & bubble wrap, but Rael slept through the unwrapping. Probably a good thing. He noticed the box today & called it Guitar Hero, so he knows it's another music game.

We'll likely play together today, & I'm not sure yet if I'll do vocals or drums.

Root Beer Cookies

I got this recipe originally from allrecipes.com, and didn't like it. But I had lots of root beer extract left, so I experimented to get the root beer to be the main taste, and not an undertone. Also, I didn't want frosting, so I just didn't make any. I prefer my cookies unfrosted. Now I think the cookies are great, and I can't stop eating them when I make them. Evan disagrees; he thinks they suck.

Root Beer Cookies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2 Tablespoons cream
1 Tablespoon root beer extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees).
2. Cream together sugar and butter.
   
3. Add egg, cream and root beer extract, mix.
4. Fold in flour, baking soda and salt.
5. Drop teaspoon sized pieces of dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

Here's the link to the original recipe. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Root-Beer-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Fretting

I know that fretting does nothing, but I haven't done a good job of distracting myself.

Tasmia's been found to have a heart murmur. It's probably nothing, but she has an echo to make sure in 2 weeks.

On the plus side, she continues to gain weight & develop normally. She's learned to cruise along the furniture & now needs to be picked up & moved from electronics. She's also starting to eat a little food.

So now I need to find something else to think about so I don't fret for 2 whole weeks, most likely for nothing.

Sometimes judges get it right

From the recent decision in California that gay couples cannot be banned from marriage:

"Whether or not the name 'marriage,' in the abstract, is considered a core element of the state constitutional right to marry, one of the core elements of this fundamental right is the right of same-sex couples to have their official family relationship accorded the same dignity, respect, and stature as that accorded to all other officially recognized family relationships. The current statutes -- by drawing a distinction between the name assigned to the family relationship available to opposite-sex couples and the name assigned to the family relationship available to same-sex couples, and by reserving the historic and highly respected designation of marriage exclusively to opposite-sex couples while offering same-sex couples only the new and unfamiliar designation of domestic partnership -- pose a serious risk of denying the official family relationship of same-sex couples the equal dignity and respect that is a core element of the constitutional right to marry."

Yes, gays & lesbians are people too.

Getting Started

Now that I've decided to start a blog that my friends can read & keep updated with me, I can't seem to think of much to say. Go figure.

Earlier this week a complete stranger wrote on Evan's Facebook account that I should sell my weight loss secrets. Um, I got lucky & have a body that doesn't like to put weight on. I don't have a comforting relationship with food--when stressed I lose my appetite. I don't like to feel full, so I only eat until I'm no longer hungry. Aside from occasional munchies, I rarely eat when I'm not hungry. I stopped drinking regular soda & don't sell myself the quackery that diet soda cancels out a candy bar. I understand portion size. There are few foods I find irresistible, and those I do I keep around on a limited basis only. I eat snacks in dishes rather than straight from a bag so I can keep track of how much I've eaten. I fidget quite a bit. Really, making food tends to appeal to me more than eating it does, no matter how good it is.