Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The thrill of the hunt...


So they say...I can't imagine that hunting on a game preserve, where they lay out the birds for you is all that much of a thrill, but I probably shouldn't throw stones since I am the crowned winner of the Northfield Mass Fishing Derby...and the pond was stocked the night before the derby.

Brad set out at the crack of dawn this morning with his trusty hunting dog Riley at his side, my Dad behind the wheel, Brian in the back seat and Reese and Brayden following in the next car. They are off for a day of quail hunting about an hour south of here. Riley will come home covered in mud and full of scrapes from the brier, poor guy. As soon as Brad lets him out of the truck he will come in with his tail tucked and hide behind me, and eventually curl up next to me so I can protect him, its adorable, happens every time.

As for the girls and I. I am fighting a Sinus Infection, my face is killing me (you too, I know, HA), I have a sore throat and some drainage, lovely picture I am painting for you huh? Both of the girls noses are resembling faucets today as well, and as soon as Avery gets up from her nap we are headed to CVS to pick up her Meds. (We went to the Doctor yesterday, just a Sinus Infection for her, no ear infection).

We had a rough night last night. Avery was up at 12:30, which luckily or unluckily (depends on how you look at it), for me I was still awake, she screamed her face off in my ear for a solid 30 minutes before I finally gave in and fed her, but we are trying to break that habit, so we had only prepared 4oz, which after she had sucked out the last drop, she wound back up and wailed again until I marched downstairs and made her another 4oz, the little porker. I don't know what her problem is, she can't be hungry, some nights she takes an ounce at bedtime and sleeps until 6am, other nights she takes 8oz and wakes up at midnight, what gives? After the second 4oz she fussed and talked until about 1:40am, so I took the monitor into the guest bedroom so as to not disturb Brad's sleep. She was up again screaming her face off at 5:25am. I heard the cry, rolled over, looked at the clock, looked up at the sky and almost burst into tears...why is my 10 month old not sleeping through the night? Actually, why is my 10 month old waking every four hours for a bottle? Could it be a 10 month growth spurt? Does that exist? She has been housing her food too, so maybe, but Avery, give your Momma a break.

At midnight when I went into her room, picked her up and was trying to soothe her back to sleep I was talking to her the entire time, but really I was talking to myself. A few phrases to remember when your 10 month old wakes up screaming during the night:

"It won't be like this for long, or at least too long"
"When you get older you won't let me cuddle you and sing to you, so I might as well take advantage of it now, even if its midnight"
"It hurts Momma's feelings that being held by the woman that carried you and created you doesn't bring a second of peace and quiet to your room" (she screamed the entire time, picking her up doesn't seem to comfort her)

And of course one of my personal favorites is singing all my favorite songs but with made up words about my life. Some of my renditions would likely compete for a spot on SNL, I even find myself chuckling at some of the things I come up with.

So after a bright and early wake up call, and breakfast, I started on another batch of cookies.

Monster Cookies
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8-10 min
Serves: 3 dozen
Ingredients
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies - I ended up just using a bag of Chocolate Chips and skipping the M&M's.
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional - I chose to omit
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

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