Winter in Wisconsin

The weather outside is frightful, but I enjoyed the day inside baking. A baker I am not - nor do I really like baking. I feel I should at least learn so I decided to make a variety of goodies today. Some turned out beautifully and others no one would try based on looks alone. All of them are pretty tasty. I started out with a very traditional pumpkin spiced bread. I love how the house smells and feels when there is bread baking in the oven. One of P's favorite treats are peanut blossoms. Instead of trying to compete with his mom's recipe I decided to use the recipe my grandmother has used for years. P approved. I also decided to make Mexican Chocolate Cookies. They are a delicious chocolate cookie spiced with just the right amount of red and black pepper. I had to make a favorite of mine as well. Classic white cut-out cookies are always at the top of my list. After struggling with the dough for a little while I was able to manage the cookies like a pro! Finally I finished my baking extravaganza with Spicy Oatmeal Crisps. Crispy they are! If you can get past the crunchiness they have a wonderful flavor. This holiday season I would love to try a fudge recipe, Chex Mix and make some carmel corn. I guess practice makes perfect - I am just looking for edible! :)

The House

Being alone in our home at night is not something I enjoy. Every few months P is gone for an extended weekend and I fend for myself. Not that I cannot take care of myself - I just prefer some company. During the day life is as usual but at night I here every noise. Does the furnace usually make that noise? Does the water heater normally run that long? etc. Kilo is no longer a help because he is deaf and senile, he tries but I know the truth. :) My usual plan of attack for weekends alone is to keep so busy during the day I can't help but fall asleep. This weekend was no different. Friday night I spent painting the kitchen. By the time I was cleaned up it was 11pm and I was ready for bed. Saturday I spent the morning shopping for decorations for the bedroom. After lunch I spent about 9 hours cleaning, painting, and decorating our room. I sat down at 10pm for a "rest." I woke at 5am with 3 very angry animals. They had apparently given up on supper, but they were determined to wake me for breakfast! I feel guilty about the pets missing supper, but I would say mission accomplished for the rest of the weekend.

Home

I went home last weekend - a place that I haven't been much in the last year. Normally when I go home we have a specific purpose and agenda. This weekend P was in Indy and I was bored and drove home. Kilo loved the drive home sound asleep in the back seat. It takes a lot for him to get excited now days. Friday night I spent at home with my mom and my cousin Jessica. We stayed up talking till the wee hours of the morning. The next day I spent the morning with my grandparents and hung out for lunch. My grandfather and I watched the Badger game together. A small victory over Purdue. The afternoon was spent helping my mom around the house. Since purchasing our own house my grandmother's buffet and china hutch need to be cleaned and moved to our new place. I was supposed to head home that evening but was having such a great time I decided to spend another night. We decided to have a bonfire. The rest of the evening was spent catching up with family I have not seen in quite some time. Being back home this past weekend reminded me of what an amazing family I have.

Autumn

I wouldn't say Halloween is my favorite holiday but the season surrounding it is tough to beat. I absolutely love the fall season. I enjoy the the beautiful leaves changing color, the wonderful fall foods from the garden, the brisk air with the warm fall sun. There is not much about the fall I don't enjoy, except the hint of the

winter to come. Each year I take my nephew to a local pumpkin patch where we can play in the cornmaze, crawl on the giant stack of haybales, and pet the rabbits and goats that live on the farm. We always conclude our day at the pumpkin patch with a wagon ride out to the area where the pumpkins are grown and each pick our special pumpkin for the year. In the evening we clean the pumpkins and carve them while watching our favorite TVshows. What a great time of the year.

Mineral Point B&B

P & I are always on the lookout for fantastic local brews. Just last weekend we decided to travel to Mineral Point for a day. We had dinner and drinks at Mineral Point Brewery. They had the best Porter I have tasted in a long time. I also enjoyed the pale ale. We always like to try something new so we ordered Pickled Herring for an appetizer. My grandmother used to eat pickled herring every year for christmas and all I remembered was it smelled bad. But you have to expand your palate and to my surprise it was delicious! I had a delicious Grilled Salmon Salad with bacon and blue cheese for my entree. It was delicious. We stayed at the Bed and Breakfast located on the second floor of the brewery. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. The next morning we ate at the Red Rooster. They have been serving customers for 30 years and they are known for their Cornish Pasty. It took P two seconds to decide that was breakfast.

The Test

For two years I studied, read countless journal articles and books, wrote case reports and completed a credentials packet only to subject myself to an 8 hour three part examination. The exam was held in Las Vegas. P and I enjoyed our time after the examination (I wasn't much fun before the test). We went to Burger Bar where I had my first every pumpkin burger! It was delicious. I spent the entire day after the exam celebrating. We visited many of the casinos and spent most of the day site seeing. In the evening P surprised me by taking me to Craft Steak. This restaurant was founded by Tom Colicchio who is my favorite Top Chef judge. The Vegas trip was a blast and it was made even better when I found out I passed the exam. Dedication and a little stress pay off again for this lady.

So Many Things

Where did the year go? 2010 will go down in history as the most stressful, most exciting, most scary, and best year of my life! The last time I posted I had a different zip code, different priorities and a different last name. So much has changed, but many things remain the same. I will be updating the blog but after much deliberation the title will continue. Even through all the changes I have been through this year I remain the same driven girl I have always been.