Colds

I have a cold... Those four little words can strike fear in the hearts of anyone within 3 ft of me. Why? Because colds are the worst. You aren't sick enough to stay in bed, but you are too miserable to be a functional member of society. Since I have had this for going on 4 days I thought I would blog a little bit about it.

A cold often starts with feeling tired, sneezing, coughing and a runny nose. You may not have a fever or you may run a low fever , just a degree or two higher than usual. You may also have muscle aches, a scratchy or sore throat, watery eyes and a headache ( I have ALL these symptoms). As the cold worsens, your nasal mucus may turn from thin and watery to yellow and thick.
A cold usually lasts three or four days but can last up to 10 days. Many adults will have a least one or two colds a year, and most children will have five to eight. Colds are most common during months when people tend to gather indoors, such as in the winter.

What can you do to feel better?

	Stay home and rest in bed, especially while you have a fever.
	Stop smoking and avoid second-hand smoke, which can make cold symptoms worse.
	Drink plenty of fluids like water and fruit juices. Try frozen flavored ice (Example: Popsicles). Fluids will help loosen mucus. Fluids are also important if you have a fever because fever can dry up your body's fluids, which can lead to dehydration.
	Drink hot tea with lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat and help loosen the mucus in your nose. Eating chicken soup can also help loosen the mucus.
	>Don't drink alcohol.
	Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a sore throat (1 tsp. of salt in 1 cup of water). Throat spray or lozenges may also help relieve the pain.
	Suck on cough lozenges or hard candy to quiet a cough. Try to use ones low in sugar.
	If a child is too young to blow his or her own nose, you may try a suction bulb to remove the mucus. (A cold mist vaporizer may also help.)

Prevention is the key. Wash your hands!

Becca and Beer

After work this morning, Becca ( a co-worker of mine) and I drove Gainesville (which is where she lives) and she showed me around her town. It was 77 outside and sunny! So, of course, the windows were rolled down, the radio turned up, and the beer tops were popped!! We just backroaded and checked out different places. It reminded me of how much I loooove summer! Erin ( another co-worker), Becca, and I have made plans for this summer. They are as follows: get off work at 7am; grab our bags that include swim suits, sun tan lotion, and cell phone; head to the river/creek/lake; layout, get tan, and drink beer.. Bud Light or Busch Light depending on which girl you ask. Sooooo excited!

PS 3

Ok so I get a call from my husband saying "I want to trade the Wii in for a Playstation 3".... Those are the last words I wanted to hear. Visions of having to buy new $50 games and other accessories flash through my head. But, as I have come to find out in my little-over-a-year marriage to Chase, he is ALWAYS able to get what he wants and at a good price. I don't care how impossible it sounds, Chase can walk into a store knowing what he wants and walk out with what he wants and somehow we lost no money on the deal. Needless to say, I don't bet against him. So, I reluctantly agree and tell him he has to be able to do it without spending any money. I come home several hours later and find out he was able to trade the Wii and the games with it for the PS 3 and he didn't spend but a few dollars. He was so excited about it that I couldn't help but smile. And since PS 3's play Blue Ray disc he rented a movie on blue ray for me so I could watch it. How sweet!

KT's BBQ

Wednesday afternoon Chase, John, and I cruised over the Gassville and ate at KT's BBQ. I had heard that it was a pretty good place and was excited to try it out. The three of us had a great time! It's a small place and you order at the front counter just the same as you would a fast food joint. I had the pork sandwich with coleslaw and baked beans. The baked beans were soooo good! Chase and John both had the smokehouse burger and they both loved it. I definitely recommend it as a cool place to eat.

Before and After

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These pictures are in the wrong order..Start here at the bottom and go up. Siera looked so bad before she was groomed!! We had her skirt cut really short this time because her hair has a tendency to become matted. Suzie, of course, gets absolutely no tangles at all. They are so different and I love them both!.. As I am working on the blog, Siera is right up in my face. And I must say.. there is nothing as sweet as a freshly bathed, newly groomed schnauzer! mmmmmmmmm you guys no what I'm talkin' about... :)

Ashley's Krispy Kreme Doughnut Bread Pudding

There's, like, a hundred different versions of this recipe. I only make it for special occasions or when I want to suck up to somebody, because it is so sweet it makes your teeth hurt. And I don't put raisins in my bread pudding; raisins are a Yankee thing. I think they look like bugs.

To begin with, use a 13 x 9-inch glass pan. Preheat the over to 350.

Here is what you need:

2 dozen Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts, torn into little chunks. Put the chunks in a large bowl.
3 eggs, beaten. Don't add them to the doughnuts yet.
1 can sweetened condensed milk. Add to eggs. Beat together.
Vanilla flavoring to taste. Add to milk and egg mixture. Use one teaspoon if you don't like strong vanilla flavor, add more if you do. The whole point is to make the bread pudding the way you like it.
1/2stick of melted butter.
Cinnamon to taste. It takes way more cinnamon than you probably expect, but start out with a little and keep adding until it tastes right.

Pour all of this into the bowl of doughnut chunks and stir. It'll be too dry, because now you have to make a choice. You can either put in a can of fruit cocktail, with the juice, which gives the pudding enough moisture- and in a weird way the fruit cocktail cuts down on the sweetness- or, if the idea of fruit cocktail in your bread pudding gives you the heebie-jeebies, just start adding milk, a little at a time, and stirring it in, until the texture seems right to you, not so juicy that it's soup but moist enough that it's kind of like a lumpy cake batter.

Now you have another choice: chopped pecans or no chopped pecans. I love it with chopped pecans. If you decide to use them, add I cup to the mixture and stir.

You can also add a little nutmeg, about 1 teaspoon if you like. I usually don't.

Pour into pan and bake for 30 mins. Check with toothpick to see if it's done. Take it out and let it cool. Add a glaze if you like, then dig in. If you don't want to fool with the glaze but the pudding looks naked with nothing on top, then buy some cans of ready made frosting and put it on. Talk about a sugar overload. Whoa, Mama.