Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: The Cold Goes Ever On & On

Good Morning Humble Readers...

So, just when I was thinking we were past the worst of this crud, it's come back and landed squarely in sweet Ginevra's sinuses.  The poor wee girl woke herself (and me) up at 3am with some sort of combination sneezles and coughs.  She seems to be only moderately congested, but this is certainly a new experience in feeling helpless.  I've tried using the nasal aspirator, but I don't seem to be getting anything.  Steam is next on the list if she gets worse.  Thankfully, she doesn't have a fever, and she's her smiley self this morning.  I'll take any suggestions on how to help her.

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Okay, so looking at another type of cold... you would think that after all this time, we might merit a break from the cold and snow, or that I'd be used to it.  I'd love to have a day above freezing.  That's the thing about this time of year, I start going crazy for warmer weather.  This morning isn't quite as cold as it has been... only -10C but it's snowing AGAIN!  I love Canada, and being Canadian... but really, enough is enough of this winter crap!

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I think Ginny laughed for the first time yesterday.  It was just three little notes, but it sure sounded like a laugh.  What a beautiful noise!

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In my current quest to discover new foods and eat healthier, I have come across a new favourite.  How is it that I have lived in Canada for 4/5 of my life and somehow have never had Red River Hot Cereal?  It's awesome, people!  Whole grain wheat, rye, and flax... that's it.  Super low on the glycemic index, low in carbs and high in fiber.  Amazingly easy to cook up and tastes so much better than oatmeal.  Do you think they need a spokesperson? 

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We have a new little person in our extended family.  Do you all remember that wedding we went to last summer?  For one of my Beloved's nephews?  Well they were just newly pregnant when they got married, and wee "Thor" (the first great-grandchild) arrived just about two weeks ago... 7 weeks early.  A's water broke in the middle of the night, and after what sounds like a very hectic/chaotic journey to the hospital in the big city 2 hours south of us, the little man arrived.  Thor was less than 4 pounds when he was born, but he's living up to his nickname and is getting stronger every day.  He's been transferred back to our hospital and is in the special care nursery.  We won't get to meet him for a few more weeks, but I've seen pictures and he looks like a wee little piece of his daddy fell off and just grew.  The one tragedy... they had to shave off most of his hair so that they could place the IVs and things on his scalp.  He's sporting a pretty sweet mohawk tho. 

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The pizza dough turned out pretty good last night.  The recipe was easy enough and I was able to make it in the bread machine.  What I struggled with was shaping the dough, making it fit the pan at an even thickness without putting holes in it.  Any of you cooking superstars have any suggestions for next time? 

5 comments :

  1. We found the nasal aspirator to be pretty useless. What got us through Adam's bad cold was the saline solution that you spray up baby's nose. It's a bit pricey but for us, it was worth it!

    Hope everyone is feeling better soon!

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  2. I am doing one giant reply to the last few posts as I am way behind.

    Again, trip sounds fantastic :) Love the laundry basket solution!

    I am going to do an ABC's list as well. Yours was so fun to read!

    I'm sorry little Ginny is sick! I unfortunately have NO expertise to share yet :( But I am super excited to hear we've had our first laugh! How wonderful!

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  3. For baby colds, we really like the saline solution up the nose. The twins are not such fans of it, though. But it does work pretty well. And steam is always a good choice.
    Also, I hope your new little family member grows strong and big, very soon. Our guys were preemies, and we remember the nicu well. Sending lots of good, healthy, growing thoughts!

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  4. I have to agree on the saline solution, also I'm not sure if this product is sold where you are, but there is like a menthol chest rub you can get? I think it might be for 6m+ though, worth asking at the chemist!
    Sorry not a pizza dough expert!
    That Red River Cereal sounds great! Sooo healthy :)
    Congratulations on the new family member (how sad about the hair), and on Ginny's first laugh. It's just magical, isn't it!
    Take care

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  5. Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday! I thought I would come by and share some tips for pizza dough like you requested. :-)

    I have the best recipe that doesn't even require rising! (But I don't know how it will work in a bread maker, but you can try in just the knead setting?) And it's thin crust, so hopefully you like that. Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-homemade-thin-crust-pizza-045499

    But even if you don't try that one out, here are some tips anyway. The key is a HOT oven...around 500. The second key to making the dough work for you is parchment paper. If you spread your dough on parchment (not wax!), you can slowly stretch it with a more even pull. And if you stretch it with the heel of your hand, that helps prevent holes, too. Once you take the pizza out of the oven, the paper will just peel off (it will burn on the exposed parts, just so your warned - but it won't catch on fire or anything).

    Yay for pizza! I've even fantasized about opening my own pizza shop. Check out that recipe if you get a chance, it's been foolproof for me. Although, I have had to increase the time after the cheese goes on by a couple of minutes.

    Let me know how it turns out!

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