Cookie Crazy

As previously noted, I volunteered to bake cookies, a lot of cookies, for the math department's "Food For Thought" night.

So this afternoon, after trying to sleep off the tail end (I hope) of my continuing headache, I tackled the looming task of baking for 300 people. It was much easier than I thought, and took MUCH longer than I thought! I started about 3:00, it is now 8:00, and I just pulled the last batch out of the oven.

Total Count: 9 dozen chocolate chip, 6 dozen sugar, 3 dozen M&M



The hardest part was keeping the kids from snitching. There were many offers to taste test each batch. They were begging for me to mess up cookies, I am sure there were secret plots of sabotage.



Thanks to Summer and Jolene, I didn't have to bake ALL the desserts, they offered to pitch in! THANKS!!!

Learned? I think it will be a long time before cookies sound good again. Hmmm, maybe I should power bake more often, then I will eat less of the goods!

Lingering Migraine and a Cheese Nut in the Nose

I don't think that I have ever had the headache part of a migraine last so long. I went to work to try and be tough, but eventually left and returned home before 11 today, then continued to sleep for the remainder of the day. I am finally feeling some relief from the headache and only experiencing the disconnectedness that follows, what I call the Migraine Hangover.

Last night, while attempting to be normal, Maddox starts to freak out and says "I got a cheese nut in my nose!" He had been sitting on the couch eating these mini cheese crackers, that he calls "Cheese Nuts". Apparently one got lodged in his nostril, and he was mining to remove it, and in the process gave himself a bloody nose and a panic attack.

After much screaming, and stern "JUST BLOW"s he followed his dad's advice and blew his nose, and like a rocket, out shot the Cheese Nut!


Learned? Another toddler milestone to put down in the record books! (I don't remember Madison EVER doing anything like this!)

*%!@$ Migraine

Why do migraines have to impose them selves upon me at the most inopportune times? I used to get migraines at least once a month. After some changes to my diet and medication I get them less and less frequently.

Today one struck again with the omnious blind spot, numb fingers, nausea, and excruciating pain behind my left eye that invaded the entire left lobe of my brain. I tried to be tough and wait it out till my 2nd period students left -- that turned out to be a mistake, because I wasn't able to get to sleep before the major pain started, which made it very difficult to fall asleep.

Finally, after loosing a whole day, I am able to get up and move around with only a dull pounding behind my eye. I always feel disconnected and fragil after migraines for the rest of the day and most of the following.

What I didn't get done because of my migraine:

*Grade 6th, 7th, and 8th grade papers
*Import grades into Making the Grade
*Upload grades to Parent Bridge
*Plan lessons for tomorrow and Monday
*Teach (I know this sounds silly, but I was looking forward to teaching today, I was gone yesterday at a class!)
*Exercise
*Enjoy the sunny day outside with my kids.

Learned: Go to bed at the FIRST sign of a migraine, don't try and be tough!

Calling ALL Frineds and Family

So, as usual I have over committed myself... Next Tuesday night the Math department at my school is hosting a food for thought night. This is where we provide dinner for families and get them to partner with the school in some way. We are teaching different math games they can do as a family.

In addition to pizza they (the math team) thought about doing desserts-- cookies, brownies, ect. I volunteered to make the desserts so we didn't have to spend money on it and could provide more manipulatives for the families. This was before I was told that there would be about 300 people!!!!

So would any one be willing to donate and bake a dozen (or two) cookies for me that would be so helpful...

You can only guess what I will be doing this weekend!

Learned? Get specifics, Get details BEFORE you commit to something...

Why's The Road Bumpy?

As we were leaving my dad's house on Thursday, and we change from the bumpy dirt road to the smooth paved road, Maddox asked, "Mom, why is this road not bumpy like that road?"

The science teacher in me sprang to life - though the answer is fairly simple. "Well Maddox, " I begin, "the bumpy road is a dirt road, and when it rains the dirt turns to squishy mud. When people drive on the squishy mud it makes puddles. Then when the water evaporates, and the mud dries, the puddles become bumps. The paved road is made of hard asphalt, and when it rains the water runs off of it, so it doesn't get bumpy."

The two year old just accepts my explanation with "oh.." And I doubt that he even understood it.

The next morning we wake up to several inches of snow on the ground. As we are driving to take him to my dads he matter of factly tells me, "Grandma Shell's road is going to get bumpy today."

Learned? He is a little sponge, I was amazed that he could transfer the story and apply it to snow and not just rain! Smart little bugger!

He's Just Not That Into You...

...is just not that good.

Thursday night we went out with my brother and his wife Kristen to dinner and a movie. It was quite enjoyable. I don't think the four of us have done that in... maybe forever. Mom and Dan watched the kids for us (THANKS!!) and we headed to Chile's for the greasy appetizer food Kirsten was craving. We saw my friend Allison there celebrating her daughters birthday, (Happy Birthday Eden!). Then we headed to the theater.

The movie had funny bits, but overall I thought it was kind of sad. Nathan summed it up pretty good saying, "They are getting really good at making movies look good in previews."

Friday night we went to my mom and Dan's for Taco Bar, and then went to the Brian Regan show at the Avalon. A whole group of us went: Dan's sister and her husband, Dan's nephew and his wife, Dan's daughter in law (her husband was doing pep band that night), Nate and Kristen, and Art and Rhonda. Mom and Dan were supposed to come but we encountered a dilemma when thinking who could watch all the kids, so they offered to stay home and watch them. Kara, Dan's daughter, was supposed to come, but she is about to hatch a baby and decided it would be safer to stay home -- there is too much empty desert between where she lives and here.

It was quite funny, and the opener for Brian Regan was HILARIOUS!!! Poor Brian (my Brian) had to work the next day, and two late nights made him super exhausted.

Learned? It has been a fun beginning to the weekend! I am looking forward to the rest of it... My kindred spirit, Vycci, is in town and it was Twilight opening weekend since I last saw her. (Way too long)

Plum Spooky!

If you are a Janet Evanovich fan, and have come to love the hilarious conundrums that her characters seem to find them selves in, Plum Spooky does not disappoint! Only Stephanie could get into trouble with monkeys, meet the retired Easter Bunny, invite a fire farting friend to dinner, and save the world from a sycophant trying to take it over, and it not seem the least bit absurd!

I gave this "between the numbers" novel in the Stephanie Plum series a rating of (4). (See side bar for my rating scale)

Learned? I never cease to be amazed at the creativity of the many authors I read. It is one thing to come up with an idea, and a completely different to be able to write a whole novel!