A few weeks ago, I caught some kind of cold. Some might've said it was the flu, but I would have to argue this. Ironically, this cold appeared a week after my treadmill broke. I wasn't running outside either because of the deadly freezing temperatures, therefore I was lacking exercise. In return, my body went through withdraws and I got sick. The flu shot is not something I would ever consider (that will have to be a different post). Oddly enough, I had a sore throat for a few days. No other systems, just a sore throat. To make this even stranger, no one else in my house was sick. The sore throat disappeared, I became congested and a persistent cough magically appeared. Apparently there are two kinds of influenza-a stomach flu and a respiratory flu. With deductive reasoning, I had the respiratory one. I wasn't run down or anything, but the cough took about a week to go away. It felt more like a cold then the flu, but I gave it another week before I ventured out into the great Wisconsin cold to run.
Today was my integration back into running, post-cold. My lungs burned so bad I thought I was going to die. It brought me back to my good old days of competitive swimming. Chlorine isn't always the best chemical to inhale six days a week. Occasionally, my lungs would burn after an intense practice. Between the cold and the exertion, I was hacking up a well conditioned cardiovascular lung. It took two hours to calm the spasms, but in my Dr. Hansen diagnosis I think I might actually have had the respiratory flu. Non-doctors can be wrong too. Yes I am admitting I might've been wrong. It doesn't happen very often so you can mark it down. Oh yeah, I've written it down for you.
I will test out my theory with another run tomorrow out in the cold. I know I can hear all your awww's in sync. Feel my pain.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Keurig Elite Coffee Brewer
Most of you know, I'm not much of a coffee drinker. Actually I've
never even stepped foot in a Starbucks before. If that doesn't
illustrate it for you, I don't even own a coffee maker in my house,
never have. On the flip side, I am a tea drinker during the colder
months in the wonderful world just south of the Frozen Tundra.
This past Christmas, the parents gifted the Handyman a Keurig Elite Coffee Brewer (which you can purchase in many retailers, but at Kohls you can at least wait for a 30% coupon to purchase it).
An interesting gift I wasn't sure how I felt about because I knew there was a hidden agenda behind it. I wasn't sure if my parents felt sorry for the Handyman (he likes to drink coffee only when someone else makes it, hence why I don't have a coffee maker because it would just sit there unless I made the coffee) or if it was self serving for when they come over to visit. Plus I didn't really want a gadget to sit on my already overcrowded counter tops.
Anyway, it took me a little while to warm up to the gift, but my curiosity over powered my initial hesitation and I opened the box only because it claimed you could make tea or hot chocolate with it. It even came with a sample variety pack. How cute is that.
In my attempt to try all the coffee samples, I started out with a french roast. Nope didn't like it so I added whip cream to it. Now it is more tolerable, but still not a must have. Continuing through the variety pack, the only one I really liked was the tea sample so I ventured to the store to see what they offer beyond the variety pack. I find a french vanilla box and I have a coupon for the Nestle Coffee-mate.
At this point, you're probably asking yourself wasn't the Keurig gifted to the Handyman. You would be right, but I showed him how to use it and he made one cup of coffee and never touched it again. I was determined to make use of this thing.
Using the creamer is definitely the way to go. We also received the optional K-cup adapter where you can use coffee grounds too. I've been putting my tea bags into it to make my cup of tea, which works marvelously (and I'm saving on electricity because it only takes a few minutes to warm up versus warming water up on the stove). On the other hand, the Keurig K-Cups are much more expensive than using coffee grounds. In comparison to Starbucks prices, you would be saving 90% of the cost of a $5 Starbucks coffee I have to admit the convenience is worth it. If you want to be really frugal, you can even reuse the K-cup once and still get a descent cup of coffee out of it. I actually prefer the second cup. It's not as strong.
Now that I am hopped up on caffeine, I can spend more time writing. During my experiments, I realized that anything more than two cups of coffee makes me shake (my body doesn't absorb caffeine all that well). I may have to stick to the tea more often. At least, I know my limits. The caffeine headache is definitely going to be hard to withdraw from.
Have a great day!
This past Christmas, the parents gifted the Handyman a Keurig Elite Coffee Brewer (which you can purchase in many retailers, but at Kohls you can at least wait for a 30% coupon to purchase it).
An interesting gift I wasn't sure how I felt about because I knew there was a hidden agenda behind it. I wasn't sure if my parents felt sorry for the Handyman (he likes to drink coffee only when someone else makes it, hence why I don't have a coffee maker because it would just sit there unless I made the coffee) or if it was self serving for when they come over to visit. Plus I didn't really want a gadget to sit on my already overcrowded counter tops.
Anyway, it took me a little while to warm up to the gift, but my curiosity over powered my initial hesitation and I opened the box only because it claimed you could make tea or hot chocolate with it. It even came with a sample variety pack. How cute is that.
In my attempt to try all the coffee samples, I started out with a french roast. Nope didn't like it so I added whip cream to it. Now it is more tolerable, but still not a must have. Continuing through the variety pack, the only one I really liked was the tea sample so I ventured to the store to see what they offer beyond the variety pack. I find a french vanilla box and I have a coupon for the Nestle Coffee-mate.
At this point, you're probably asking yourself wasn't the Keurig gifted to the Handyman. You would be right, but I showed him how to use it and he made one cup of coffee and never touched it again. I was determined to make use of this thing.
Using the creamer is definitely the way to go. We also received the optional K-cup adapter where you can use coffee grounds too. I've been putting my tea bags into it to make my cup of tea, which works marvelously (and I'm saving on electricity because it only takes a few minutes to warm up versus warming water up on the stove). On the other hand, the Keurig K-Cups are much more expensive than using coffee grounds. In comparison to Starbucks prices, you would be saving 90% of the cost of a $5 Starbucks coffee I have to admit the convenience is worth it. If you want to be really frugal, you can even reuse the K-cup once and still get a descent cup of coffee out of it. I actually prefer the second cup. It's not as strong.
Now that I am hopped up on caffeine, I can spend more time writing. During my experiments, I realized that anything more than two cups of coffee makes me shake (my body doesn't absorb caffeine all that well). I may have to stick to the tea more often. At least, I know my limits. The caffeine headache is definitely going to be hard to withdraw from.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Wisconsin Drama
Wisconsin is an unusual state. Though, I'm not an indigenous cheese head, my children are born and raised Wisconsin stock, therefore I'm once removed. Over the years, I've come to appreciate the opportunities Wisconsin has to offer for me and my family (this is true as long as they continue to let me escape once a year otherwise I might feel like a trapped wild animal and start foaming at the mouth, but that would never happen). It's not a state that the faint of heart can endure day in and day out. Let's take the weather for instance. Wisconsin weather is so unpredictable, occasionally, we get rain, ice, snow, and sun all in one day. The famous saying here is "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes, it will change."
As you saw in my previous post on ice fishing, we were out on the ice two weekends ago. Well last weekend the weather decided to warm up to a balmy 40* to 45*. You all know that the freezing point is 32* so you can only imagine how the ice looked, black and dangerous. Since the lake wasn't frozen completely, the ice wasn't strong enough to endure the warmer temperatures. This is what happens when you don't get your shanty off the ice in time.
Last week, we watched the little camper slowly slip lower and lower through the ice. Mother Nature must've felt sorry for this poor soul because the temperature dropped yesterday to a high of 7*. Lucky for us, today it's a crisp -6*, windchill -21*. The camper is now stuck in limbo. On the other hand, the DNR (The Department of No Results) is going to be on the owner faster than a cougar chasing it's prey. A fine will follow and the problem of removing it from the lake. This is Wisconsin drama first hand.
In Wisconsin, you have to be ready for anything. These temperatures are supposed to continue all week, but I wanted to show the open water again. I risked frost bite (not kidding, it's that cold outside) in the two minutes it took me to take these pictures. My hands were so frozen and red I was a little nervous until they warmed up.In the sake of risking my skin health for this blog, I was able to capture some pretty cool pictures. Check them out.
It was like the hot springs in Yellowstone except minus the cold weather. Though I bet Yellowstone is pretty cool in the winter too. The water is warmer than the air producing steam. Very mystical. I love taking photos of cool things. Enjoy! My favorite is the last one.
As you saw in my previous post on ice fishing, we were out on the ice two weekends ago. Well last weekend the weather decided to warm up to a balmy 40* to 45*. You all know that the freezing point is 32* so you can only imagine how the ice looked, black and dangerous. Since the lake wasn't frozen completely, the ice wasn't strong enough to endure the warmer temperatures. This is what happens when you don't get your shanty off the ice in time.
In Wisconsin, you have to be ready for anything. These temperatures are supposed to continue all week, but I wanted to show the open water again. I risked frost bite (not kidding, it's that cold outside) in the two minutes it took me to take these pictures. My hands were so frozen and red I was a little nervous until they warmed up.In the sake of risking my skin health for this blog, I was able to capture some pretty cool pictures. Check them out.
It was like the hot springs in Yellowstone except minus the cold weather. Though I bet Yellowstone is pretty cool in the winter too. The water is warmer than the air producing steam. Very mystical. I love taking photos of cool things. Enjoy! My favorite is the last one. 
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Flour Power
In preparation for my new book club, I was making a bucket of brandy slush. Now the recipe requires sugar. Since my skills in baking usually come from a box, I don't have the need for sugar very often. Though I know I keep a bag around somewhere in the cabinet. In my search for the sugar, I move several canned goods and a few jars to get to the back of the cabinet.
Reaching my full arm in, I pull a bag out. I look at it and see it is all purpose flour.
Another arm reach, I pull out another bag. Nope. Another bag of flour.
In for the third time, you guessed it. Flour.
Maybe the fourth time will be lucky, I pull out another bag. Nope. Flour again.
Okay where did I get all these bags of flour. As I stated before, I don't bake much. Granted, they are small bags. The only thing I can think of is when I needed flour I went to the store and bought another bag. Weird.
On my fifth arm pull, I am graced with a bag of sugar.
In my extra effort to find sugar, here is the brandy slush recipe:
Boil 2 cups of water. Place 4 tea bags (black or green) in the water. Let cool. Take tea bags out after a few minutes.
Boil 6 cups of water. Dump 2 cups of sugar into the boiling water. Stir. Let cool.
1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate
1 can of frozen lemonade concentrate
3 cups of brandy
In an empty 1 gallon ice cream bucket, mix everything together and place in freezer.
When frozen, add three ice cream scoops into a cup and poor 7up or Sprite over mixture as desired and serve.
A fun and easy party drink to serve a big crowd. Enjoy!
Reaching my full arm in, I pull a bag out. I look at it and see it is all purpose flour.
Another arm reach, I pull out another bag. Nope. Another bag of flour.
In for the third time, you guessed it. Flour.
Maybe the fourth time will be lucky, I pull out another bag. Nope. Flour again.
Okay where did I get all these bags of flour. As I stated before, I don't bake much. Granted, they are small bags. The only thing I can think of is when I needed flour I went to the store and bought another bag. Weird.
On my fifth arm pull, I am graced with a bag of sugar.
In my extra effort to find sugar, here is the brandy slush recipe:
Boil 2 cups of water. Place 4 tea bags (black or green) in the water. Let cool. Take tea bags out after a few minutes.
Boil 6 cups of water. Dump 2 cups of sugar into the boiling water. Stir. Let cool.
1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate
1 can of frozen lemonade concentrate
3 cups of brandy
In an empty 1 gallon ice cream bucket, mix everything together and place in freezer.
When frozen, add three ice cream scoops into a cup and poor 7up or Sprite over mixture as desired and serve.
A fun and easy party drink to serve a big crowd. Enjoy!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Redneck Ice Fishing
Ice fishing is a tradition for us, but every year it's different hence the excitement that follows. Considering the great unpredictable Wisconsin weather, it's a mystery to all when the lake is actually going to freeze and for how long. Currently, the lake is partially frozen. In certain areas, it's six inches thick as you can see in the picture below.
To enhance the fun this year, we now have a fleet of snowmobiles. (Not just one like we had last year, but a grand total of three-handyman couldn't pass up the good deal). So this weekend was our family maiden voyage out onto the lake for a little bit of ice fishing. Since the ice isn't quite thick enough to drive trucks on yet, the snowmobiles came in handy. They also made it a lot easier for bathroom breaks and keeping the kids occupied (occasionally taking them for rides when they got bored).
After spending the whole day on the lake, we were missing one thing. No fish. That's right, not one bite. We were fishing for the big fish, walleyes, bass, or northern. As the sun was getting closer to the horizon, I was wondering if we would get anything.
In an attempt to increase our odds, we started our search looking through the ice.
One of the kids spotted one so we made more holes chasing the fish.
Then the handyman stuck his arm down the hole and pulled out a bass. It was huge.
To enhance the fun this year, we now have a fleet of snowmobiles. (Not just one like we had last year, but a grand total of three-handyman couldn't pass up the good deal). So this weekend was our family maiden voyage out onto the lake for a little bit of ice fishing. Since the ice isn't quite thick enough to drive trucks on yet, the snowmobiles came in handy. They also made it a lot easier for bathroom breaks and keeping the kids occupied (occasionally taking them for rides when they got bored).
After spending the whole day on the lake, we were missing one thing. No fish. That's right, not one bite. We were fishing for the big fish, walleyes, bass, or northern. As the sun was getting closer to the horizon, I was wondering if we would get anything.
In an attempt to increase our odds, we started our search looking through the ice.
One of the kids spotted one so we made more holes chasing the fish.
Then the handyman stuck his arm down the hole and pulled out a bass. It was huge.
Now that is straight up Redneck Ice Fishing. How fun is that? The kids had a blast. In the middle of the lake, there is still open water. It might be hard to see, but it's there. Crazy stuff.
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