Day Two Hundred and Eighty Three

I made a really cute hat today based on a pattern from Ravelry. It is so cute that I am going to make another one, this time in purple. I am really getting the hang of this knitting thing and the different things I can do.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Two

I made some yummy cookies today! Salted Caramel Chocolate cookies. They turned out really good and are totally non-healthy. I know, I know... I will work on making them a bit more healthy, but here is the recipe for now. :)

Salted Caramel Chocolate cookies

Makes approximately 24 cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

8 caramels, chopped into fours

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. 

Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.

Fold in pecans, caramel pieces and chocolate chips. 

Refrigerate dough for 4-6 hours (or more).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, roll into balls and set on baking sheet.

(Note: refrigerating is the most important part. If you don’t refrigerate, when the cookies go into the oven, the caramel pieces will sink to the bottom and stick to the cookie sheet.)

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty One

Sandra came over today so we could go to the skate shop and we ended up wandering around Wallingford and visiting some of the quaint shops there.

First we went to Fast Girl Skates to have them look at Sandras Skates, then we went to Archie McPhees to check out all the crazy stuff they have there. 

Next we went to Molly Moon's, which we have been told has the best ice cream ever and had some salted caramel ice cream. Oh My Gawwwddd it was yummy! 

We then stopped by the Exotic Bakery to check it out and weren't very impressed :(

All in all an awesome day!

Day Two Hundred and Eighty

I had a great time at lunch today with Christa and Steph. We ate at the Microsoft Commons and had lots of girly chat. Afterward I went inside Studio A and visited with all my former co-workers. I miss that place! It was nice to see everyone!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Nine

I discovered that tomatoes continue to ripen even after you pick them, So I am using this contraption (I am not sure what it is called) to hold them in different ripening stages. When I pick new ones I move the older ones down a level. It is working great and I have tomatoes everyday!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Eight

Movie night! We had teriyaki with cantaloupe for desert and I brought over some of my candy vodka for Christa to try. We watched Beauty and the Beast and High School Musical. Callie and I had a very giggly night. It was fun!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Seven

I went on two walks today; yep, two. Both of them 30 minutes long. Woo hoo! The colors are changing everywhere and it was beautiful to see!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Six

I went to roller derby practice tonight fully intending on participating in the scrimmage, but after a few round of practice I realized I just couldn't do it, my confidence level was really low and my ankle was just not feeling well. I need to get stronger before I attempt another scrimmage. This video is what I should have been doing!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Five

Went and saw The Social Network today and loved it. I think it really explains a lot about the whole Social Networking Generation. Definitely a must see for all!

I also turned myself into a vampire .... and went ahead and turned my mom and sis into zombies! Aren't we gorgeous?

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Four

It was an absolutely beautiful day out today and I really enjoyed my walk. The leaves are falling and covering the ground.which is great until they smack you in the face as the fall down! Other then that it was real nice. :)

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Three

A few of my Xbox friends got Fitbit's and decided to start a group on the Fitbit site to track our steps and encourage each other. I figured I needed to get off my bum and start walking again so I went on a walk this afternoon and put in a couple of miles. It's a start!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy Two

After all the sugar I have had this week with the candy vodka and cake I needed to have some healthy so I made some foil wrapped chicken.

I coated the chicken with extra virgin olive oil, stout mustard, and a bit of apple cider vinegar. I then added some garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes (from my garden!), and red peppers.The chicken turned out really juicy. I was very pleased with this meal. :)

I even made some extra foil wrapped chicken to chop up to put on salad tomorrow.

Day Two Hundred and Seventy One

I made a yummy tie-dye cake for movie night tonight. I actually made it in two layers, but one of the layers fell apart :( 

I used a recipe that suggested using Diet Sprite (or any clearish soda) and it came out a little heavier then  I would have liked. It was pretty easy and fun to make. You just mix it in one big bowl and then add food coloring to the separate amounts. And then you just put one color at a time into the baking dish. 

The frosting is yum! I mixed buttercream frosting and whip cream. And the finished product is very pretty! I think I might try making this as cupcakes next time.

Day Two Hundred and Seventy

I took Riley to the park today and she immediately became the King of the Hill! She had a blast meeting new dogs, climbing hills, and playing in the water!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Nine

MMMMmmmmmmmm. I made candy infused vodka. From left to right... green skittles, red hots, purple skittles, orange skittles, junior mints, lemon drops. And in the background, caramels that are sill infusing. Yum! I like the junior mints and red hots best so far. 



The possibilities are unlimited! Any requests? I can't wait until my berry infused vodka is ready! I have snuck a little sip and it is turning out really good! Cheers! 

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Eight

Went to the movies with Christa today and saw The Town. It was a great flick, but what was even more awesome was we saw it at the Gold Class Cinemas.

The theater was very fancy and posh, it was one of those theaters where there are comfy recliner chairs and they serve dinner and drinks. I had a martini with the movie as well as some yummy battered chicken. Fancy shmacy!

Christa paid this time and when I start working again I am going to have to take her out for a spa day or something!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Seven

Another day of not leaving the house. This is going to change tomorrow! I did get a lot done, such as organizing, cleaning, and laundry, but I can't just stay inside. I made plans to do something outside of the house for the next four days, so that is a start. :)

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Six

It is officially Fall (Autumn) in Sammamish, Washington. I think it is beautiful and am looking forward to lots of walks in the mist. Riley and I went outside and played ball for a while and it was like being in the movies!

On a side note. I did my first chapter of Stats today and with the pre-test, post-test, homework, and lessons.... it took about four hours! Wow. This is going to be a heavy duty class, I guess I am lucky I just have the one!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Five

Nothing exciting today. I have lots of stats homework due tomorrow that I am going to work on tonight and tomorrow. I am also getting kind of anxious about working again. Since I made the decision I just want to do it!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Four

Movie night! I brought over my yummy homemade chili and Christa made salad. We watched many episodes of House and just had a blast. I love Tuesday movie nights!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Three

I went to my A&P class and got to sit next to my buddy from my Biology class last quarter so that was cool. I still don't know if I am in class this quarter or not because I haven't had approval on my funding yet. Four more days to find out if I need to go back to work or not!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty Two

I went to regular roller derby practice tonight and had a blast! I actually feel a lot more comfortable on skates and think I did pretty good. I just need to work more on balance and not getting frustrated when I can't do something.

Oh, and I need to figure out how to make my gear smell less funky. It gets pretty nasty and just airing it out isn't cutting it!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty One

I went to the movies with Christa today to see "Easy A". It was an awesome movie based on N. Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter. Mom.. go see it, you will like it, it had a lot of '80s movie references as well! :) It was a nice relaxing kid free time and we are going to do it again next week. I think we are going to see a scary movie next time. Woo hoo!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty

I finished this hat today. It is child sized but I am wondering if I should make the pom poms bigger? I will try it on Allie tomorrow and see how it looks.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Nine

Another day where I didn't do anything new or exciting! I wasn't feeling well so I didn't go skating tonight. Tomorrow I will do something so I have something to write about!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Eight

Spent the day safely inside so I could go one day without falling over, under, or through anything. So far so good!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Seven

I was going to write about cleaning the house today and the extreme amount of dog hair everywhere until I was trying to open a window and the glass shattered and I fell through it!

It freaked me out because one of the pieces went pretty deep into my wrist. Luckily Diana was home and I was able to go over there and she helped me bandage it up.

Lucky for me that for some reason my body is pretty strong and I didn't bleed too much even though it was right on the vein and pretty deep. Though I do think I freaked Diana out a bit when I came up to her backdoor with blood streaming down my arms. But maybe she is used to my accidents by now!

I have a bunch of other cuts all over my other arm too. And now instead of fresh air through the window I have a big ol' piece of cardboard and duck tape covering it. Ahhhh.. I have the strangest luck.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Six

I cooked a potato tonight in Hassleback style: I keep wanting to call it Hasslehoff style, so I have to think a second before I say it. It turned out pretty good, but I think next time I will add some garlic and herbs to it before cooking the second time.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Five

I went to the library, grocery store, and pet store and took two baths today. TWO baths; that is how sore I was today after skating yesterday. Nice relaxing day. :)

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Four

I went to my first derby practice since the accident and had so much fun! I did way better then I expected and felt very comfortable back on my skates. I took Sandra along with me and Dawn went as well. Afterward Sandra and I stopped at Costco to get a hot dog.. she had never had a Costco hotdog before!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Three

I started my first day at the hospital as a volunteer. I got a badge, a volunteer jacket, and got to shadow some seasoned veterans around the place. I did tons of walking and learned lots of stuff about delivering things and transporting people. Everyone is jealous of the assignment I got. I guess it is a desired position that people try to get all the time... I am super excited to start it!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty Two

My dog is weird. That is what Day Two Hundred and Fifty Two is about. Seriously, how many dogs sit like this with their back legs stretched out and their front legs crossed?

Day Two Hundred and Fifty One

I found an awesome pattern for some gloves that are laced like a corset. They were pretty quick and easy to do after I learned the applied I-cord trim that you use for the edging and to make the loops for lacing. The colors are off in the picture, but those ones are actually black and bright pink. The next pair I am going to make of light pink with dark pink ribbons to lace it. I really like this pattern!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty

Movie Night! A night of Family Guy, Mad Men, and Pizza. I brought yummy black & blue muffins. Allison can not stay still. She is so much fun. :)

Day Two Hundred and Forty Nine

Spent a great day with Sandra. We went shopping and then to lunch where we had yummy calzones. We then we to my place and played some videogames. It was real nice to spend the day with a great person!

Don't ask what we are doing in the photo because... I can't tell you!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Eight

Having a nice relaxing day with Riley and watching Stargate. Riley must have missed me tons because she can't stop cuddling with me, no matter where I am sitting like on my lap in the chair!

Back to my plan of walking every single day starting tomorrow... again!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Seven

I didn't get a good picture of it, but today at PAX I got to sit in on the panel that Wil Wheaton was speaking on. It was really enjoyable! I also got to check out the Roller Derby game coming out on the Wii, it will be fun. I didn't get my morning walks these last couple of days, BUT I did get 17932 steps yesterday!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Six

Another day of PAX. Actually, the first day of PAX since last night was a party. We had fun walking around checking things out. We ended the night with a party given by The Sarcastic Gamer. Played some Rock Band and hung out with more cool people.

Day Two Hundred and Forty Five

Had a blast at the pre-PAX party. I met tons of new people, and hung out with lots of people I only get to see once a year as well. For some reason I met tons of Canadians. It was tons of fun!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Four

I went to my volunteer orientation today and had my second TB test done. I found out I don't have a criminal background and all my immunizations are up to date, so I am ready to start next Friday! I am looking forward to it.

Oh! And I went for a walk this morning, 30 minutes. That's one.

Day Two Hundred and Forty Three

I did part of The Roller Derby Workout today. It was fun. It has some good stretches and I really like the music it is set to. I can't wait to try this on skates.. not yet though!

I decided that starting tomorrow I am going to see how many days in a row I can go for a morning walk. I seem to do good for a few days and then slack off for a few. It's just walking for 30 minutes! I have tons of 30 minutes to spare to do this and Riley will appreciate it.

I need an application like my stop smoking one, one that shows how you are improving your life by walking each day or something similiar. I need to see if one like that exists. For now I will rely on my cardio trainer to track how many days... let's try for seven days in a row first and then move on from there. Starting tomorrow!

Day Two Hundred and Forty Two

I have been making these shopping bags since I can't find the ones my mother had made me and I like using them. I think it turned out pretty good! Besides this one I made a yellow one and am making another multicolor one.  


I want to get some hemp yarn/string as well since it is really sturdy.

Day Two Hundred and Forty One

Today was the Rat City Flash Mob and I had a blast! Somehow when it was time for the dancers (people not on skates) to run out and join the skaters I managed to run to the front of the group (I was hoping to blend in to the back of the group!).

Luckily I remembered most of it and I think I did okay. Two news stations were there and managed to get footage of our dance.. I hope I wasn't in the front of the camera!

The people in the pics are Betty and the other girl who arranged and choreographed all of this. :)

Day Two Hundred and Forty

I went to the farmers market in Redmond today and it was nice. I got some cheese, blueberries, and yellow raspberries.

There were people with their dogs so I plan to come back next time and bring Riley with me! I also want to check out the one in Issaquah which is on Wednesdays I think.

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Nine

This is what Riley and I did today as we attempted to absorb a few rays before the sun is gone for the season. It was a nice relaxing day.

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Eight

As I took Riley on her morning walk I was once again in awe of how beautiful it is out here. Autumn is coming and everything is in full bloom and soooo green. Also, the rain is pouring down today, which it hasn't done in so long.

I really like it here and I wish I could get my whole family up here with me. But if I did that I would probably just end up moving again!

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Seven

I went to my volunteer interview today and I was offered a volunteer position as a Children's Services Story Teller. I am super excited about this.

I also had a TB test and blood drawn to see if I have had the MMR vaccination since I don't have my immunization records and don't feel like contacting my doc in AZ to find them!

While waiting to have my blood drawn, I sat outside and drank my tea and saw these pretty statues and also kept my eye out for any cute doctors. :)

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Six

It was a real nice movie night. I brought over some lemon corn muffins I made and the taboullah for Christa to try. Both Christa and Allie loved both things. We also had ribs and talked, and talked, and talked! Awesome time as always.

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Five

I made taboulleh today. It looks pretty yummy, but I have to let it sit for a few hours until it is done. So it is for lunch tomorrow!

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Four

I was trying to come up with new and interesting ways to use the fruit from my yard when I came across some recipes for fruit liqueurs. I decided to try it out.

I found some jars at the thrift store and made up my first batch. This first batch is blackberry with lemon zest and mint. It won't be ready for about three months, but I am excited to see how it turns out! As soon as the plums are a bit more ripe I plan to make some plum liqueur!

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Three

I had such great plans today. After hearing my neighbor Diana working on her yard I decided I should mow my yard. After a long time of pulling on the handle and the motor starting and stalling, and starting and stalling, and getting a blister on my hand, I realized it just wasn't going to work today. I checked the gas and oil and added some oil, but it still wouldn't start. So I will give it a day to see if it wants to work tomorrow. 

I did check out Diana's plum trees while I was over there visiting and saw that she had different plums then mine. Mine are reddish colored and hers are very purple. I picked some from her yard and I need to decide what the heck to do with them. 

Day Two Hundred and Thirty Two

I am so proud of myself! A while back (I really need to keep track of time when I plant stuff for future reference) I planted a tiny little baby tomato plant.

I have been patiently watching them go from tiny little buds until one was ripe enough to pick. So pick it I did! And then I popped it in my mouth and it was gooooooood!


So now I need to figure out how I am supposed to trim this back. As you can see it has grown like mad! I also have some mint that is growing and my basil plant I keep indoors is still blooming like mad too!

Walked the four miles today :)

Day Two Hundred and Thirty One

Riley wanted to take this opportunity to show a video of what she calls "the trick I taught the dumb human in order to get more treats". I call it "the cool trick that I taught Riley out of boredom!" Who knows... we probably are both right!

Day Two Hundred and Thirty

I went to the RCRG flashmob practice tonight with my fellow broken-leg buddy, Dawn. We had a blast learning the steps, and it was exhausting. It is going to be so fun when we do it live on the 29th!

Between that and my four mile walk this morning I got almost 14000 steps! On that note, day three of walking four miles a day... complete!

Day Two Hundred and Twenty Nine

Movie night with just Christa and Allie tonight. Both the older kids were not there. It was kind of nice to just hang with Christa and be able to chat. I taught Allie the "round and round the garden" song. My mom will like that!

Also, day two complete  on my quest to walk four miles a day for a week and see what a diff that makes in my weight. I figured I have the eating and tracking what I am eating down... so let's see what adding walking to it does!

Day Two Hundred and Twenty Eight

I did another one of those long walks to and from the bus stop, except this time I brought my hiking backpack with water. Last time I did this walk in the heat I felt icky partway back.

So this picture is the view from the top of the hill by the bus stop where Riley and I sat for a bit and drank some water. I went earlier today, before my coffee, which worked out well since it was cooler and I really enjoyed my yummy breakfast.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with goat cheese, garlic, and rosemary with a few wedges of cantaloupe. Having the fresh eggs with breakfast again made me think about getting a couple of my own chickens. I bet I could build my own chicken coup, and chickens are pretty cheap to buy, like 15 to 20 bucks each.