I am DYING to show you

Owen's Christmas present! I have finally begun working on my nephew Owen's present, he is the only baby/toddler in the family and I am making him something, and I am DYING to post it. Unfortunately my sister is one of the 3 readers of the blog and I want it to be a surprise. Dang! I have been taking pictures and in late December I will be able to post his present as well as any other's I get done between now and the 24th. It is too...I can't use an adjective because I may give it away. No hints because I don't want my sister to guess!

I have had a rough week of surprise pests, and failed plans, but now I am back on track! Yippee!

Science Girl

My girl H is working on her Science Fair project. Here are a couple of snaps of her and her lab partner/BFF "L". They did a mandatory plant project...believe me, if D would have had a say she would have been splitting atoms or something. H has been hard at work all week on the dang thing, whilst Bubba has been homework free and rubbing it in.

Seriously Yummy. I Don't Know If I Can Wait...

This afternoon I made a "Caramel Fudge Cheesecake" for my staff lunch tomorrow. God Bless my Sister-in-law who gave me the recipe last Thanksgiving. What you can't see in the picture is a layer of my favorite brownies and a layer of caramel under that rich cheesecake top. I am drooling just thinking about it!!!Super easy...here goes:

Caramel Fudge Cheesecake

1 pkg. brownie mix (your favorite kind) + needed ingredients
1 pkg (14 oz.) caramels
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1-1/4 c. chopped pecans (I DO NOT use this because of my no nuts int he dessert rule!)
2 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz.) softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 egg
2 squares (1 oz each) semisweet chocolate (like Baker's) melted
2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate (like Baker's) melted

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread in greased Springform pan and bake at 350' for 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
In microwave safe bowl melt (unwrapped) caramels with evaporated milk. Pour over brownie crust and sprinkle pecans over caramel (or not). In large bowl combine cream cheese and sugar. Mix well. Add eggs, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in melted chocolate and bake at 350' for 35 - 40 minutes or until almost set. Chill overnight. Store unused pieces (yeah, right) in the fridge.

H saw me putting the finishing touches on the cheesecake and asked when WE were eating it. I said there is no WE eating this cheesecake sweet pea. I promised that she and I would make another next week for a family Christmas celebration since her favorite is cheesecake and my favorite is brownies.

Do You Think So?

I went to the Doctor today. I was supposed to have a check-up/check-in from my recent hospital stay and after a sleepless night and finally popping an "in case of emergency" pill I decided that I would call and make an appointment. So, miraculously, I called in at 8:30 and was granted a 10:15 appointment.

The doctor listened to my heart and did an EKG. She said I was normal and everything sounded great. I asked why I had to take an emergency pill and admitted that I was up for hours last night and keep getting myself worked up over having another episode. She said it was anxiety. My ticker is good and isn't showing signs of distress. Just my head. I admitted that my house was for sale and my husband was about to move out of state and she confirmed the diagnosis. Anxiety. Can I have some of those happy pills?

I Will Survive...

I made it! I survived 16 hours of 3rd grade field trip. It is over and I only have 3 more days of work before I am off for Christmas. I will have 1.5 kid free days before the kids are out of school next Friday. Yeah, baby.

Unless something happens between now and 6:00 a.m....

I am stuck going on this silly field trip tomorrow. Yesterday I thought I had received a stay of execution when Bubba came home sick at 12:15. It turns out that eating rotten apples at your teacher's birthday party will make you have stomach cramps and barf in the bathroom. Who knew? Bubba bounced back and by 12:30 was eating his way thru the afternoon and evening and acting his normal kooky self. Dang. I am still going.

And?? We received this asinine letter home from the school telling us that we/kids/no one is allowed to bring electronic devices on the 3.5 to 4 hour bus ride each way. Humina what?? I have to admit to being the rebel and loading the ipod with a book on tape from the library and rockin music. They will never see the tiny white cord going up my chest and into my ear under my coat. And if they do? Give me a break. I am an adult and I am paying to go on this trip. It is a stinking ipod for pete sake. I am going to sit in the front of the bus and pretend I am asleep until we deboard.

I have packed a tote with books, sudoku, water and snacks and am going to suck it up and quit whining and make the best of this wretched trip. I keep chanting "It is for my beautiful boy. It his for my beautiful boy. I can do this. Stop whining!"

Screwed

As I mentioned in my last blog, I was recently in the hospital for heart issues. Today I receive a letter in the mail from Blue Cross Blue Shield. First let me say I have not received any paperwork from them regarding billing for my recent hospital visit. So the letter received today reads that they are "denying my request for approval for hospital stay." What? Their reasoning claims that I should have never been admitted to the hospital and I should have received care in a "observational setting." What? Believe me it was NOT my choice to stay. I begged to go home. And at one point during my stay, I was moved to a different room because the medication I was receiving was not working and they had to monitor me "closer" because of the risks. 21.5 hours in A fib is not an observational issue. Pu-leeze.

I am beginning to wonder why we even have medical insurance. When Bubba had his issues earlier in the year we fought a "denial" on his CT scan. We had to pay $600 out of pocket for a CT scan to show that his jaw bone was disintegrating so he could have a surgery. What?

As far as I am concerned I welcome the job change and new medical insurance as of January 5. Watch, our new insurance will be BCBS.

Believe me when I say there is some serious letter writing in my future.

Bidnes...

Just a post to take care of business (see the title for the southern pronunciation) and get caught back up so I can promise to be better and post every day again.

First, I can't post any of my projects because one of the three people that actually reads my blog is a recipient of something (no hints) so I am mums on projects until after Christmas.

Second, this has been the month/weeks of the health problems. My Mom has breast cancer (stage one) and had a very successful lump-ectomy, and will begin radiation soon. I was in the hospital because of an irregular and scary fast heart beat, which really stunk. And my Dad just keeps on getting bad news about his health. The most recent is a heart issue.

Third, my son is driving me crazy. His eating manners are atrocious. And I swear all I do is yell.

Fourth, our house has been on the market for 5 or weeks (lost track at this point) and we haven't had one single showing. I know the market sucks, but D moves to Ohio January 4th. Single parenting sucks.

Sixth, I am excited for Christmas. This season has been stress free (who da thunk it with the heart thingy) and I am very excited for our ski trip with my family.

Seventh, my son has a field trip this Friday. When mentioning my plans (to be on the field trip) to other parents at school they (every single one of them) have told me this is the worst trip for the school. We have to go to Jamestown (I've been 3 times) for the day. It is a 3.5 hour drive one way. We leave at 6:15 am and do not return until 10 pm. Every comment made about the trip is negative because of the drive, but as well the fact that Jamestown is outside and it is bitterly cold and wet. All day. Outside. Why do they schedule an outside field trip in DECEMBER? Originally D was scheduled to go with Bubba, but with the job change I told him I would go because D's last day at work is 12/24 and the clock is ticking on his experiments. I have done everything...bribe Bubba with a day at an amusement park...money...nothing works he wants to go. AND I paid hansomly for this silly trip back in October when I thought D was going. Hopefully one of us will get sick before Friday. Maybe I should go lick the cart handle at Target or something.

On a lighter note...here are a few pictures from the last week or so. H had a band concert and is showing off her Tammy Wynette curly hair-do and uniform and Bubba went to an (ALL GIRL) horseback riding birthday party. His first ride.

Driving Miss Psycho

I was driving home from picking up the kids this morning and got kind of sad...as I drove down the main artery that connects our house to school I passed 5 cars with people I know coming the other direction. It was almost too weird. It made me sad to think that in a few months (hopefully sooner) I will be in a new place and I won't have familiar faces again. It made me think of Rochester and how I had such a hard time (B.J. H.-that is before Jennifer) because I just wanted someone to smile or recognize me in the grocery store. What crazy things our minds do!

Brought to You by the Letter C

I know it has been ages. I am a looozer and hopefully will pull my head out of the ground and start blogging again. To kick things off I received a challenge from Jennifer and Susan.

Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things . . . nothing made up. And you can’t use your name for the boy/girl name questions.


WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Cara
Four Letter Word: Crap (My daughter gets silent lunch for saying this at school, but I say it every stinking day.)
Boy Name: Colin (I always dreamed of naming my son Colin, but D wouldn't have it.)
Girl Name: Camile (Bubba was going to be a Camile at one point before he was officially a boy.)
Occupation: Cabana girl
Color: Chartreuse (Because I like green and it sounds cool.)
Something You Wear: Cami
Beverage: Coke (Diet)
Food: Candy or Cheesecake
Something Found in a Bathroom: Cotton balls
Place: Colorado
Reasons for Being Late: Congestion
Something You Shout: Crap! or Oh Crum! (My mother's new word to replace crap.)